Well. I have enough material for a whole year's worth of blog posts already so I'll start at Ground Zero. Your body, your home, your impact. There is no better year to start growing food or to expand your garden. You don't need to start big: a pot, a planter, a plot in your neighborhood. What's important is that each one of us starts to relearn what our ancestors knew: how to use plants to feed ourselves and each other. How to become more self-reliant and self-sustaining. How to ride out the storms which we are literally and figuratively facing. I'm here to guide you and give you confidence. As Senator Bernie Sanders says, "Despair is not an option!"
Begin at home, in your own kitchen. Begin with your own body and that of your loved ones or friends. What do you like to eat? What sustains you? What keeps you feeling fit, alert, and healthy? Make a list, both of foods you like and those you would like to try or add.
Now, where do these foods come from? Likely as not, they might come from Mexico or California. Sorry, less and less food comes from California as new home construction gobbles up more land. I bought some corned beef for St. Patrick's Day; it came from Uruguay. Most of our citrus now comes from Brazil and is grown on land that used to be jungle. Turkey is starting to send eggs to the US. We get wheat from Ukraine if the Russians will allow ships to depart.
But the major exporter of food to the US is Mexico. And now their food is going to jump in price by at least one-fourth. So, growing a dooryard garden is not just a fun hobby, but also a way to keep your food expenditures reasonable. And, most of all, it chips away at that growing knot of worry, the food insecurity that many of us are starting to feel when we go to the grocers and see high prices and empty shelves. Following are some of the plants I recommend that you try growing.
Radishes. Just kidding! I doubt if many of your food lists say radishes. But beginning gardeners are always urged to grow the pungent roots. I don't know why; they are not particularly easy to grow and mine usually are woody and tough. Let's try again.
Lettuce. It's easy to grow, comes up in the early spring, is delicious and nutritious. It is a "cut-and-come-again" plant that you can harvest over and over. Baby spinach, mesclun, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, and arugula are the varieties I recommend. Save iceberg for when you become expert, it is harder to grow and has less nutrition.
Legumes. Beans and peas are easy to plant and grow, don't get many diseases, come up in early spring and have protein and other nutrients. If you don't like garden peas, plant snap peas. I'm going to experiment with growing peanuts this year and will report on my progress. Due to climate change, the mean temperature in my area has risen by two degrees and I am now in US Hardiness Zone 6, so I can technically grow those goobers. I'm looking forward to using my peanut harvest to make a wonderful African groundnut stew.
Grains. There's one grain that I've successfully grown here in Central Colorado and that is amaranth. It's versatile, keeps well, and contains a lot of nutrients. Best of all, one cup of cooked amaranth contains nine grams of protein, as well as antioxidants and fiber. One year my amaranth plant grew over 20 feet tall! I'm still planting seed from that plant.
Herbs and Teas. Here it is early spring and we have been through three Arctic blasts that drove temperatures into the negative degrees. Yet, my parsley plants are green and thriving. They're cozy in a brick raised south-facing bed, covered by a black pot on frigid nights. Parsley is way more than just a garnish. It completes a wide variety of dishes, both visually and in nutrition and taste. Other herbs that are easily grown are cilantro, thyme (needs lots of sun), oregano, mint, rosemary, and tarragon. For tea, I grow hibiscus and roses.
Onions. Green onions (scallions) are easiest grown from sets, small bulbs that have been grown for one year. Red onions and chives are also easy to grow. If my onions haven't reached a sufficient size by the fall, I just leave them in the ground and let them grow another year. My soil is well draining so they don't rot. Garlic is another member of the lily family that is fairly easy to grow. I've had the best luck by planting it in the fall.
Tomatillos. Gardeners are always fussing with their tomato plants. I've decided I'd rather grow tomatillos instead. In fact, I have a salsa garden with hot and sweet peppers, onions, and tomatillos. The large purple ones grow best for me.
Fruit, nuts, and berries. Thanks to climate change, I can now grow tree fruit like apricots, peaches, cherries, hardy figs, and persimmons (pictured above). There's an excellent web site called The Food Forest Nursery that lists all the fruit trees, fruiting vines, bush fruits, and native food plants you can grow broken out by hardiness zone. One species that seems to be missing is currant bushes. Perhaps this is because not many people cook with currants nowadays. It's a pity. Strawberries grow well in my garden and make a nice ground cover under plants and bushes. I'm also growing Juneberries. They are like strawberries but with white fruit and red seeds. They are the sweetest berry I've ever tasted!
In the realm of nut trees, I've seen almond and pecan trees start to appear. And I'm growing a Yellowhorn Tree, which has amazing orchid-like flowers and edible nuts. The pinon pine tree has nuts that are quite a delicacy. Don't forget sunflowers, pollinator plants that supply nuts and oil.
Potatoes. I have grown potatoes for several years with mixed results. One year, they just disappeared, rotted or eaten by underground critters. But most years they do well. I get the highest quality seed potatoes I can find, such as German Reds. I cut them into chits, each with at least two eyes. I dry them thoroughly in a cool dark place on newspaper. Planted in trenches, they are "hilled up" as they grow for highest yield. This year, I'm going to try growing sweet potatoes too!
What's missing: Brassicas. I haven't had very good luck with these due to aphids and other insects. And they take up too much room for the amount of nutrition they provide. In that space, I'm going to grow Asian greens instead, such as bok- and pac-choi. You can buy seeds for Asian greens at the True Leaf site. Melons: New species of watermelons are on the market now that are easier to grow. I'm going to try them. I've grown honeydew and cantaloupe and they are a lot of work with not a lot of yield. Winter Squash: While I love the summer and pattypan squashes as well as the Cinderella Pumpkin, the hard shelled winter squash are too much trouble to prepare in my book. Your mileage may differ. I also recommend the Delicata Squash which is easy to grow and has a thin, edible peel!
