From Co-vid to Co-mmunity: Gardens that give back
For a long time, it’s been thought that home gardens and home food production could be the path leading to community food resiliency…
and the elimination of our nations’ food deserts. Co-vid 19 has brought that conversation to the forefront, and we are seeing a gardening boom that is akin to the WWII era rationing crisis which saw around 40% of our country’s produce production shift to home gardens. This is a wonderful and hopefully sustainable thing, but…there’s always a but…it can be done with careful thought to minimize the negative impact that we have on the world around us.
Like many of you, we have witnessed or been part of the “feeding frenzy” that comes along with crisis. People leaving stores with armloads of items, leaving shelves empty for those who come after them. The first shift is one in how we think about our community and our neighbors. When we are deciding what to put in our home gardens, one thing to consider is how to produce enough fresh healthy goodies to share with our neighbors, loved ones, and those in need. One approach is to choose crops that not only have a high production rate, but also have a long shelf life and many different uses.
Here’s a short list of some bumper crops to get you started and why they may be a good idea.
Apples – when and where you can, this is the king of community resiliency. Communities have been built on this plant and for good reason! Apple trees produce huge amounts of nutrients and the ways to preserve them are as varied as the varieties of apples themselves. Eat em’ fresh, give fresh ones away, can them, make pies, butters, rings, cider, juice, and whatever else you can think of. This is one plant who’s fruits you can truly enjoy year round.
Pole beans – beans are a great option for someone looking for high production and the ability to preserve a food for an extended period of time. Once dried, beans last a really long time, and they bring a profile of nutrients not found in a lot of other forms of produce including a pretty high protein load. This, or some type of bean, should be a staple in any and all gardens.
Tomatoes – America’s #1 home crop. Huge amount of production per plant. Has a relatively short shelf life when left raw, but think about drying or canning as a means of extending that shelf life and allowing you to use and share them in different way.
Zucchini – known as the garden bully, zucchini can go wild, producing massive amounts of food per plant. It’s got a tough outer skin which gives it a pretty long shelf life, and it perfect for grilling, stir fry, or even for making spaghetti. Try making zucchini noodles and sharing those with you friends and family as an exciting new take on a favorite dish.
Cucumbers – like zucchini, cucumbers can produce a huge amount of food per plant and have a relatively long shelf life, but they also have a little more flexibility in the kitchen.
Take at least half of your production and pickle, can or preserve them in any way you see fit to extend that shelf life and create unique tasty treats to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Now that you have some good options for things to grow in your garden, there’s another factor that we can take into consideration. While we are bolstering our own health, it’s important to consider our earth’s health as well. There’s a reason all these foods are so good for us right? They are high in vitamins and minerals. Where do we think those come from? That’s right, they come from mother earth herself and if we all start growing nutrient dense vegetable gardens, we are going to bleed her dry. Make sure anytime you are growing consumption crops, you are also growing and giving something to give back, otherwise in two years you could end up with a barren garden and will be forced to lay down costly and harmful fertilizers and chemicals.
Choosing plants that will add building the building blocks (N- P-K) back into the soil.
Compost everything you can from your garden and return it to the soil. This is the #1 way to get these nutrients back into the ground and is something we all should be doing.
Legumes – anything from the pea/bean family fixes nitrogen to the soil and makes it available to other plants. The only other thing that can do this is a bolt of lightening which is unfortunately pretty unreliable and very dangerous. Make sure to allow many of the fruits and all of the stems and leaves to die in place. This will let them decompose and return their nutrients to the soil for everyone else.
Plant dynamic accumulators – these plants help break up soil and reach deep down to bring nutrients up to the surface, making them available to our food crops. A good starting place for these could be yarrow, comfrey, borage, chicory, or dandelion.
Plant mulchers to die in place adding nutrients right back to the soil. Comfrey and rhubarb are great options for this.
It really is great that many are getting out there and getting their hands in the dirt. When we are out there perhaps we can consider our community and people in need with our choice of plants to let not just our personal garden, but our community grow as well.
One other way to help? Avoid wasting food just because it doesn’t look perfect. It’s still good and healthy. And finally, think about all those who will come after we are gone. We can all do our part to make the world a healthier, more sustainable and resilient place!