Self Reliance and Gardening

from Buckets of Preparedness Ideas by Paula

It seems like people are thinking about things a lot differently in today's economy than they have in the past. Self reliance has become a hot topic all of a sudden. Instinctively people know that we can't depend on the government or any other organization to just 'take care of us'. We must take the initiative to provide for our families and be prepared to provide for them NO MATTER what happens in our communities. One of the most important ways to be self reliant is to be able to grow your own food.

Shocking was the response of a 3rd grade girl to the question her teacher asked her, 'Where do vegetables come from?' She replied, 'The store'. There are many children who don't even know the plants that vegetables and fruits come from!

Education is the first step, but there is another relevant problem: The Growing Season.

I live in Idaho which means our last frost happens about Memorial Day and our first one in the fall is about Labor Day - that gives me 3 months to garden. Depending on your climate zone, most likely you won't always be able to grow food whenever you want. So we must go to battle with Mother Nature! The solution to be able to grow food year round is simple: a greenhouse. A greenhouse is something I am adding to my supplies this summer. I am so excited about it. I am learning about "greenhouse gardening" and add this to my preparedness skills.

As I have done the research and studied I have found there are so many benefits of owning a greenhouse, here are a few:
1. Grow food year round. No matter what your zone is you can produce year round. Many greenhouse owners have extended their growing season from just July and August to March - November without any heat supplement. What a huge difference!

2. Grow in any climate conditions. In a greenhouse YOU control the environment, not Mother Nature.

3. Added benefit for your family. A family who works and plays together stays together. Teaching, working and having fun in a greenhouse provides for added stability in your children. It also teaches them that vegetables do not come from the store. This is a video about greenhouse gardener's talking about the benefits to their families HERE
4. Basic Skills. Being self reliant also means that you have the skills necessary to survive in various situations. Knowing you have a method to provide food for your family, no matter the current conditions, decreases your stress level.

5 - Decrease in stress. Let's get real, digging in the dirt while in a warm greenhouse, even if the temperatures outsid are cold, heals anyone's stress level!

So next Christmas when I get to go out to my greenhouse and pick tomatoes and lettuce for our dinner, just wave at me as you drive by - well really slide by - I live in Idaho!

For more info on the greenhouse I am using you can e-mail brent@tuffgreenhouses.com