Two things I don't hear much about... collecting rainwater/growing food. root vegetables like potatoes and esp sweet potatoes are crazy easy to grow, cheap, can be even grown indoors, and don't need replanting. Or planting high-yield fruiting trees and bushes instead of conventional ones. Or growing climbing food plants on a lattice on a wall. All are easy, simple, and pretty. Apple trees instead of oaks in your yard, for instance. basically zero maintenance, fruits for decades, apples stay on branch for a long time allowing for slow harvesting and store for months, plus they are super healthy, tasty, and hypoallergenic. Harvesting rainwater is stupid easy and safe. Any thoughts? Thanks for reading!
I've heard it's illegal in some places, fortunately not in England though I don't have a water butt yet, but do plan on getting one.
tThese are all good suggestions, I never heard of growing potatoes indoors. Water in plentiful here in the Eastern US and we take it for granted, but I think many people in the world should do the rain water barrel thing in order to conserve water. In terms of potatoes or other root vegetables the climatic conditions must be right in order to grow potatoes outdoors, and not everyone has that unfortunately.
Climbing vegetables could be a great choice for someone who intends to grow vegetables indoors even if all they have is a little space. Thing though is at all depends on the climate of a place because some creeping vegetables might not do that well in some places. If that won't be an option then growing vegetables in pots could work just as well.
Quite the opposite for me - as growing your own food has always been an extremely popular topic everywhere that I've ever lived - so much so - that as everyone is keen to grow everything they can - regardless of whether its on a tiny balcony or a large plot of land - its not at all unusual to see fruit and vegetable plants cascading from apartment dwellers balconies as well as abundant swathes on every available spot of land - which is done not only to save money but to ensure they are eating healthy chemical free nutrient rich food - as do I - in fact come to think of it - as I grow all my own produce - fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs - I haven't actually bought any produce - apart from bananas - from a store in well over 12 years Collecting water however is an entirely different matter - as doing that in a dry arid dessert like climate is not exactly easy - as although I do have a system set up to collect water for the times when it does actually rain - its kind of pointless - particularly as the collected water generally evaporates way faster than I can use it. I would however just say - that although I don't quite agree that growing your own food is actually free - I do agree that its a very rewarding easy process that can be done almost anywhere and that its an extremely low cost healthy alternative to store bought produce. Tastes a whole lot better too.
These are really good ideas and I would always tell my parents that they should be gardening instead of spending so much time watering their lawn. They put so much care into their lawns, but lawns do not give them free food to eat!
The thing about rainwater is that you can never be sure about its level of cleanliness. Rainwater is slippery because it doesn't contain minerals. If you use it to wash dishes or clothes, it'll take ages to rinse off the dish washing paste or laundry soap. Boiling it can lessen the slippery factor, though, so you can use rainwater for bathing without getting paranoid. Never ever replace clean drinking water with rainwater, however. Your budget will suffer a huge setback if you take such a risk all in the name of "free food and water."
@Ke Gordon Potatoes can be grown indoors, outdoors, on a balcony... there are lots of options there. I am talking about using water that is FREE from the SKY, as in lowering one's water bill to maybe even zero. Recycling urine when allowed, for example, saves water. Human composting--again where allowed--not only saves water but provides additional fertilizer for plants; this has been done for millenia. Root vegetables can be grown practically everywhere; even where it's really cold. Sweet potatoes LOVE heat. Thanks for reading!
Thing about rainwater is that you can almost always guarantee it to be very clean. Why? it's just pure h20 that fell from the sky. A very small amount of bleach will fix any potential contamination (which over time breaks down into salt, and, contrary to popular believe, household bleach isn't very toxic; it's just really alkaline) or UV treatment in a clear, plastic bottle of 2 liters or less, even in low light conditions. Or boil it. I have washed with rainwater many times, no problems. I use a water filter that is guaranteed for one MILLION gallons (more than a lifetime of water for one person) and cost me about 20 dollars for drinking. Or, you could boil it in a kettle, as per the WHO recommendations. I have no water bill. I use rainwater when available, and most of the time there is plenty. If need be, I just go get some water from a local walmart for 27 cents per gallon. The water bill average is over 100 dollars in my neighborhood, so you can see why I was motivated to do this. I will be setting up sweet potato towers made of palettes (acquired for free, of course) to produce thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes per year on a few hundred square feet or less. I'll use the vines/leaves for greens and eat the sweet potatoes and give the rest to the local food pantries. Free food, free water. I use solar for power/boiling water, propane for heat/backup boiling. I will be essentially money-less if needed, but I will still make money. I'll only pay property taxes and HOA dues. Thanks for reading!
This is essentially the claims of permaculture advocates. Why spend so much time and effort taking care of something that produces so little value? Instead of oaks, plant walnut trees. Instead of typical hedges, plant black/blue/strawberry bushes. Instead of small trees, go with apple trees. Make your garden of food plants that flower, instead of just flowers. You get the idea. There is almost no reason to do so, and, if you plant nitrogen-fixing plants and/or other complimentary plants together, there seems to be no need to rotate. Use as much fertilizer as you produce (again, humanure works great when you let it sit for a few years then use it to fertilize fruiting trees/bushes) and you will have happy plants! Thanks for reading!
Hanging plants also work great! Sweet potatoes work so well in so many situations because all you have to do is restrict them to a container (say a box, or some tires stacked on each other) and add dirt slowly as they grow. Eventually the whole thing will fill with potatoes, and you can remove the old ones from the bottom at the same rate that you add dirt on the top and it will be a constant rotation of out with the old in with the new, in a sense. You can take out old dirt and just add compost to it then put it back on top, after you take out the 'taters, and have a constant supply. I plan on doing this out of "towers" made out of palettes. Thanks for reading!
I think it is a good idea for people to know how to grow their own food so that they are not dependent on the stores. If something happens which would make food not available in the stores it does not present a problem because you can provide for your self. It does not take much to grow a few vegetables in pots on the deck or indoors.
Learned a lot about planting and gardening for fruits and vegetables with use of catching rainwater. My Aunt who had her own home in one of the rainy spots on Oahu had a rain barrel to catch rain water that she'd give to her lawn and orchids. She did water diligently especially her beautiful orchids and her comfrey patch that sprung up out of no where. She was the only one in the family that caught rain water. It makes sense to have rain water catches so you can water your veggies and fruits growing. There is just nothing that compares to the taste of fresh from your garden fruits and veggies. My other Aunt had about a quarter acre on the side of her home which her father in law grew veggies that we picked and cooked as needed. It was a delicious summer that I spent at my Aunts home that year and I'll not forget it.
We grow vegetables and crop in the vacant lot beside our property, that is to make use of the idle land. Particularly the sweet potato vine that is easy to grow, neighbors would be harvesting the vine tops every now and then. That saves them money instead of going to the market for that. With the cassava and the banana, the harvesting takes time. Some trees there like the mango bears fruit that is also open to everyone.
We have a vegetable and fruit garden at home and grow various crops which are for our consumption. The area is not too big because it is not for mass production and selling. It really is a great way to save up on food because they are easy to grow and produce very fast. Sometimes there are problems like insect infestation and some crops dying, but we always check out on them to make sure they grow healthily and safe for consumption. If possible, every household should have one of these for food security and sustainable living.
For quite some years now, I have been wanting to grow my own food - vegetables and fruits, and whatever else that I can grow lol. The markets are so expensive, and I can never really know for sure what they are spraying on that fruit and vegetables. For all I know, the fruit and veg from the markets are GMO, which most food is these days. I always think about growing my own, but I have not gotten around to it yet.
