You know you should be growing some of your own food. You read in the Economist that tomatoes are selling for 25% more than a year ago. You see it at the market when you shop for the family. Due to conflicts and supply lines, food prices are soaring across the board. But you aren’t ready to grow your garden beds yet because maybe you are renting, or you are living in your trailer while building your new home, or you have to carry your water in buckets because you can’t afford to drill your own well, yet.
Don’t let any of these very valid excuses keep you from just getting started. Start small, but just start. There are many ways you can grow some of your edible plants, on a budget or in a movable container.
Let’s start with that extra delicious homegrown tomato. Purchase a start or two, plant them each in a five-gallon bucket or other container. You don’t need to spoil your bucket with holes in the bottom. Instead, put a thick layer of wood chips or other medium in the bottom for drainage, then place your tomato plant in a good soil medium, water it in and place it in a mostly sunny location.
Growing potatoes is equally easy. Many growers are now growing them in a burlap bag, a bucket or any other large container. Put soil in the bag to at least six inches, then add several pieces of seed potato and cover with more soil. When the leaves show, cover them with more soil (and maybe even poke in a couple more seed potato pieces) and cover those with more soil. Renters and other growers in transition are having great success with this technique. Other easy-to-grow crops to consider are carrots and onions.
If you are living in your trailer on your own land while waiting for your house to be built, there is a lot of edible, perennial landscaping you can get started now. Mark out a small bed for perennial herbs like chives, oregano and sage, some place where they won’t spread into your eventual garden beds. Plant hardy perennials like horseradish, sunchokes, rhubarb and comfrey (under the apple tree). Comfrey is a healing plant; if your land came equipped with a struggling apple tree, plant comfrey under it and water both twice/week. The comfrey and water will turn that neglected tree around.
If you are living on your own property, consider starting your construction with a garden shed next to your future garden site. You can start collecting tools or other garden necessities at yard sales or secondhand stores. They will be undercover, out of the way and ready to go next spring. Ask around and source manure to age (unless you have your own cow, chickens
or goats). Speaking of chickens, save all your eggshells in a paper bag. When you are ready to place your tomato plants in the ground, grind up the eggshells in small pieces and place a big handful in each hole, then the plant. They can also be generally mixed into your soil prior to planting any crops.
If you are serious about growing your own food, you will need to feel confident about “putting food by.” An old-fashioned term for canning it in jars. If you have never canned your own food before, call the local county extension office and get your name on a list. It may not happen until next spring, but you want to be sure to be notified in advance.
Linda Morrison, a University of Washington graduate, lives in Kamiah with her husband, Jim. They enjoy gardening, canning, camping, berry picking and spending time with their grandchildren.
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