I haven't really talked about the point of this gardening adventure. One of the main reasons people grow their own food is to save money on groceries. I'm not counting on that one. If you asked each of the four of us why we are bothering to do this, you would likely get many different reasons. Here are mine:
1) It is about remembering where food comes from and developing an appreciation and respect for what we eat.
2) I want to buy less from huge agri-businesses which have every incentive to maximize profits but which are turning our farmland into giant, unsustainable "factories." I don't trust what has become a national food system. I don't like the products the agri-businesses use to kill weeds and to feed the plants. I don't like how plants are bred for transportation qualities, or worse.
3) Our vegetables will be fresher, taste better and be more nutritious.
4) It's a good habit to get into; it's a physical activity that will get me away from my blogging, knitting, reading and other sedentary activities.
5) This is the start of being a little more self-sufficient, a little less dependent on what the local grocery store has on its shelves, maybe even a little less dependent on foreign oil and domestic coal, public utilities, the weather in Mexico and New Zealand, and the dangers involved in dramatically reducing the number of species we grow for food.
If you think I sound a little crazy, I'll work on convincing you...more discussion to come in future posts.
By the way, it's below freezing here all week. We're just hoping we can keep our starts alive in the coldframe. Come onnnn, Spring!
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