In time of crisis: grow food
2020-03-25T05:05:10+11:00
Here at ABC Organic Gardener our aim is to provide trusted, practical advice that will support anyone wishing to garden in this crisis and beyond.
We are reaching out to you in this time of crisis to let you know that Organic Gardener is continuing to publish, with our latest issue just out, and work continuing on the following issue.
It is a scary time for everyone, but on OG we are able to largely work from home. As for maintaining concentration – well that is certainly difficult for all of us.
What we found during the Global Financial Crisis, and already with Covid-19, is that many people go into survival mode. Not only is toilet paper selling out, but seeds, seedlings, compost, and food gardening essentials are racing off the shelves.
It is certainly a wake-up call for the affluent West about the fragility and our dependence on the supermarket supply chain for whatever we want, when we want it. Author, cook and TV presenter Adam Liaw summed up the situation eloquently in The Guardian two weeks ago in an article titled ‘Think the World is Ending? Grab a Shovel not a Shopping Trolley’.
“My late grandmother lived through poverty, wars and military occupation – if you had asked her how to prepare for hard times, she’d grab a spade and start digging a vegetable garden,” Liaw said.
“If you planted the likes of spinach, Asian greens, snow peas or cabbages this weekend you’d be knee deep in homegrown fresh produce within a month or two, and it could last you all through winter.”
They are wise words and pre-empted in a recent article in OG 114 by Justin Russell ‘Build a garden, not a bunker’ which looks at home garden crops that can provide resilience, nourishment and productivity in a precarious world.
Our aim is to continue to supply trusted, practical advice that will support anyone wishing to garden in this crisis and beyond.
Our latest issue, just out, has a great article on setting your garden up for the cool season, including a simple ‘what to plant’ guide. Our following issue out in early May is themed ‘health for planet, gardens and people’ and has articles on growing and using immune-boosting herbal teas, best cold season vegies to grow and where best to put your chook pen. Poultry keeping is also surging.
We encourage you to keep reading, keep sharing, and keep gardening – so good for anxiety and mental health, as well as keeping active when in isolation.
