I have some great neighbours who know how to grow great vegetables on the best patch of their land with some well rotted manure and utilising old farmyard machinery. More and more people around the country are calling on skills they once used to grow their own food again and others are learning from scratch. There are many reasons for this .... some realise how much tastier home grown food is, maybe its the increased nutrient content that brings people to growing vegetables, the lack of chemicals used, the benefits to the environment and of course in these times the reducing levels of family income is also a very real factor for a lot of people.
There are many ways to start growing your own vegetables. Club together with neighbours to tend a patch of land, join a local community garden or attend a Grow Your Own meeting in your area for support and information. You might have some garden you can use, even in urban settings gardens can be used. In Cuba many open areas are utilised for growing their own vegetables ... abandoned building sites, sections of parks, hanging baskets, any ground at all. Travelling through Berlin by train last year I saw thousands of allotments dotted along the edge of the train tracks.
Two of my neighbours get their vegetables going every spring. They club together their efforts. Here are some photos of the scrumptious black earth, the site was chosen by the family in the past due to its fertility and the fact that it borders a flood plain so its dry in the growing season. Recent years have seen this vegetable patch resurrected.
And they use a tractor to pull along this ridger.
Nice to see it was made in Ireland too.
Wow, Such rich soil they have! I live in Virginia (USA) and so have Virginia red clay which holds far too much water... I've just moved here and have 4,000 square feet to try to amend, and im also pregnant, so that adds a bit of difficulty. But the idea of inviting neighbors and friends to help (and also reap the benefits) is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Christina Brown | March 03, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Nice to see people still using the old methods. That old Ridger wouldn´t look out of place behind a cart horse.
Best of luck to them!
Posted by: Breadguy @ Kenwood Breadmaker | March 08, 2012 at 03:33 PM
I'm sure the horses will return as fuel costs soar ... and bicycles!
Posted by: Rebecca | March 09, 2012 at 11:40 AM
I too am a garden enthusiast preferring to grow my own food without the accelerated ripening, pesticides and flavor removing processes. Loved this article.
Posted by: Debra | March 14, 2012 at 08:38 PM