by Texas Homesteader ~ 

The news is pretty scary out there. The threat of food shortages abound from tariffs, recalls, food contaminations, chemicals, price spikes & more. What to do?

One simple answer to your family’s food security might be: Grow your OWN food! Even starting on a very small level can make a difference. Healthier food and YOU are in control! I’m sharing the easiest things for a beginner to start as well as quick tips to get started. 

Food Security During Uncertain Times

You see it on the news every night: Food prices are soaring with no end in sight. Whether food shortages or spikes in the cost of food due to drought, trade issues or tariffs. And what about the worries of factory farms and pesticides & herbicides. Or life-threatening contaminations of Salmonella, Listeria or E. coli? It’s enough to make you wonder how you can take back control.

Growing your own garden – no matter how small – might be more crucial now than ever! But don’t worry, it’s easy & I’m sharing how to start.

Growing A Garden Is Easier Than You Think!

If you’ve never grown a garden before you might feel a little uncertain. But don’t worry, it’s easier than you think! You don’t need to own acres of land. You can grow some of your food right on your windowsill or patio. Here are easy ways to start growing your own food:

Grow In A Large Container – You can grow nearly anything, even tomatoes or peppers, in a large planter.

Herbs – Can be integrated right into a beautiful landscape plan using the Edible Landscape principle.

Small Spaces – Many herbs can even be grown right on the windowsill of your apartment or on your balcony.

Every seed planted is a step toward empowerment in an increasingly uncertain world!

Easiest Things To Grow For A Beginner Gardener:

If you’re a beginner gardener you may be a little unsure of your gardening abilities. Don’t worry – it’s easy! Start small and expand from there. Here’s a list of the easiest things to grow:

• Leafy Greens Such As Lettuce or Spinach
• Carrots
• Green Beans
• Tomatoes
• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Most Herbs (including basil, dill, parsley, chives, etc.)

And here’s my Lazy Gardeners Plant List – Plant once and eat for years!

What Is A Victory Garden?

Think of your newfound desire to grow your own food as your own personal Victory Garden!

Historically, Victory Gardens were planted during WWI and WWII as a way to help assure a food supply for both civilians and troops. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac (reference below) Americans grew over 2 million gardens during WWII!

The premise was that each household could do their patriotic duty by growing some of their family’s food. That would reduce the demand from commercial farms & help assure food for both families & troops. It would also fill in the gaps from food rationing for citizens.

In-Ground Planting or Raised Beds?

Whether you opt for in-ground planting or growing in raised beds or containers – it’s all up to you! Personally I have both types of planting in my Homestead gardens for specific reasons. For me in-ground planting is preferred for veggies that grow tall like okra & tomatoes. But raised beds are so much easier for me to maintain and harvest. See the how & why by tapping the link below.

Raised Beds – The How & Why

So both methods are valuable in my Homestead vegetable garden. 

Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

You may wonder about benefits of growing your own food. Of course if you’ve ever tasted a home-grown tomato and compared the taste and texture to one purchased in the store, you already know the primary benefit of home-grown produce:

The FLAVOR!

But there are so many other benefits:

• • Lower food miles.

  • Eat in season.

  • Healthier produce harvested at the peak of perfection.

  • Mood & health boost from being in nature & nurturing your garden.

  • Empowerment to make healthier & more sustainable choices.

  • Sense of accomplishment. Serve that meal to your family with food you grew yourself!

  • Cut out the middleman & save money.

  • Minimize your dependance upon a broken food system. 

How To Serve  & Enjoy Your Garden Produce

Once you’ve grown that healthy produce, how do you prepare it?

• Sauteed Vegetable Medley – My fave!

• Low-Carb Squash Noodles – easy to make.

• Easy Meat-Stuffed Zucchini Boats – meaty & cheesy.

• Making Sweet Gummy Candy From SQUASH! (yes, REALLY!)

• Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers  – a TexMex spin on an old favorite

• Shortcut Chile Relleno Casserole – RancherMan’s favorite

• How to make Okra Fritters – Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside

• Simplified Pickles – It’s true, *Ms Wages Pickle Mix is the absolute easiest way to make pickles!

• Green Bean Casserole – A family requirement

There are many more simple garden-harvest recipes too. You can see various dishes I make with garden harvest by tapping the button below:

Convinced? Get Ready To Start Gardening NOW!

So hopefully I’ve laid out some important reasons to take the gardening plunge. You can dig deeper & read more about gardening – there’s a long list of garden tips in the links below!

~TxH~

This post categorized in     

My Favorite Garden Hacks

Raised Bed Shopping

• *Where To Find A Higher-Quality Durable Raised Bed!

Garden Planning

• Easy Garden Planting Plan Spreadsheet
• Prepare Now! Late-Winter Garden Checklist
• How To Make Your Own Garden Soil
• Prepare Your Garden For Spring Planting

Seed Planting

• Planting Seeds In A Milk Jug Mini-Greenhouse
• Using A Clear Tote As An Indoor Greenhouse
• Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots

Soil Health

• Easy Compost For A Healthy Garden
• How Leaves Benefit Your Garden
• Using Manure In Your Compost & Garden

Garden Styles

• How & Why To Use Raised Beds In Your Garden
• Planning & Planting A Fall Garden To Extend The Harvest
• 3-Sister’s Garden – The Original Companion Planting
• Planting A Large Galvanized Trough
• Where I Found The BEST Raised Bed!
• Planting A Blueberry Bush In a Small Rustic Tub
• Ultimate Guide To Properly Planting Trees
• Creating A Vibrant Pollinator Garden

Garden Plants/Harvest

• Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!
• My Simple, Zero-Waste Herb Drying Setup
• The Lazy Gardener’s Plant List – Plant Once, Eat For Years!
• How To Tell When Watermelon Is Ripe
• Luffa A Surprising Zucchini Substitute!
• How To Plant & Grow The Best Tomatoes

Water/Irrigation/Drought

• Keeping Potted Plants Watered
• Repurposing A Coffee Can For Deep-Soak Watering
• 3 Rainwater Collection Systems We Use
• Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
• Using Vining Plants For Living Mulch
• Surprising Use For Empty Clay Pots In The Garden

Weed Control

• Stopping Bermuda Grass!
• Biodegradable Weed Block
• Less Toxic Homemade Weed Killer

Garden Tips

• How To Save Outdoor Plants Even During A Hard Freeze
• Growing A Sustainable Garden: Eco-Friendly Practices
• Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
  
• Protecting Tender Seedlings From Wind
• Homestead Hack: Remember Where You Planted Seeds
• How I Use EcoBricks In The Garden 
• What To Leave In Your Garden To Help Wildlife Survive Winter

MORE Gardening Posts

C’mon by & sit a spell!  Come hang out at our Facebook Page. It’s like sitting in a front porch rocker with a glass of cold iced tea. Lots of good folks sharing!  You can also follow along on Pinterest, on Twitter or on Instagram.

If you’d like to receive an email each time a new blog post goes live it’s EASY to subscribe to our blog! 

Reference:

Old Farmer’s Almanac

• 
• 
• 
•