The Free World Charter

The Free World Charter: Let's make everything free.

Grow Your Own Food

I think one of the ways we are controlled is via consumerism and comercialism. It is now cheaper and more convinent to feed your family a meal of unbalanced imported premade stuff then it is to make your own. Wich makes me ask how can I help people stop this cycle. One of the things we buy the most of is food. Now I know what your thinking from the title, and I can hear in my head all the arguments of how you can't. I live in an apartment, I don't have any room. I have a black thumb. I can't afford it. Growing your own fresh supplimental food is not that complicated or particularly difficult and don't even need that much space or money if you go about it smart. Lets start with what do you need 1.Space-You can put a food plant anywhere you can fit a house plant. You can also put one them in flower beds and replace lawns with garden space. Or recycle pallets to make plant boxes for your yard. You can also put plant pots out on your apartment/condo balcony. 2 Light-if you don't have a window ledge try one of those hang from the roof plant pot hangers wich can be often found in thrift stores cheaply or free on places like Kijji and Craigslist, failing that you can make your own with some rope, rings and a hook(wich you screw in the roof to hold your plant hanger. Also if you don't have somewhere in your home like this you could use a table lamp with a grow plant bulb wich is only $5 or less although it is less good then actual sunshine. Old fish aquariums make great places to grow plants for food as well. You can also just take the plant and put it out on your outside doorstep during the day when the weather is warm. Its not like you have to plan a whole garden but just consider how much help growing a single tomato plant could help your grocery budget or make the diffrence between no tomatoes and some freash ones once in a while. Lettuce is also a good option for growing yourself along with climbing bean plants and cucumbers and peas. The most important thing all these plants have in common is they will grow well indoors and out. Some even move well like tomatoes and lettuce for instance becouse tomatoes are a tree. Radishes and spinach also make good container plants. You can grow enough vegtables for a single person every month in a 4ft by 4ft box that is only 1ft deep. Now maybe you can't find space for a box that big in one whole bit but its much easier if you had to find spaces for 12 1ft sq boxes. 3. Containers just about anything will work I like ice cream pails, big rd margarine containers, reuse old pallets to make planter boxes visit superstore in the spring they have a plant pot return box at some of them. I just go and help myself. Check craigslist, and kijji ask your friends for thier old coffee tins the big ones metal or plastic. Just make sure your container has some drainage and remember if it is going indoors to have something to set it on to catch any extra water that might come out the bottom when you water your plants. 4. Dirt....its everywhere and even comes in cheap bags for $2 a bag often in the spring at various places. Admitedly not all dirt is equal but there are things that don't involve chemicals that can be done to help even on a budget. I am not going to go into the details atm but if your reading my blog I assume you have acess to google.  Feel free to ask questions in my commentary section and I will answer as best I can. This is kind of a difficult topic to just babble about becouse there are just so many ways to make this particular thing happen, includeing community garden spots or just advertiseing on kijji and craigslist that your looking for someone willing to share some garden space. My point being is anyone no matter what thier circumstances (maybe with the execption of being in jail) can grow some of thier own food and not be reliant entierly on the grocery store or supporting big agro businesses with thier unhealthy mass cultivation practices and GMO foods.