Self-sufficient Veg: Introduction

Space to grow

I’ve been growing vegetables for over 30 years, on and off, but it’s only in the last 5 years that I’ve made any effort to become nearly self sufficient in veg all year round. The good news is: it’s surprisingly easy if you give it a little thought. The photo is about a quarter of my garden in October a couple of years ago, you might spot: pak choi, mizuna, swiss chard, shallots and spring cabbage.

Even using just part of my back garden – a space about 30 feet by 30 feet – I’ve been able to grow the majority of vegetable needs for one or two people with plenty to give away during the summer and autumn glut. Adding an allotment of about 80 feet by 20 feet enabled me to provide virtually all the veg for a couple of people with plenty to spare.
What’s practical for you will depend on how much space and time you have, but relatively little effort can provide you with a considerable proportion of your needs.

The benefits are immense, at least they seem so to me. You really can’t buy veg that taste as good as fresh ones you’ve grown yourself, even if you get local, organically grown veg – the compromises in cultivation, harvesting and distribution that commercially grown veg suffer make this inevitable. If you’ve only ever eaten veg you’ve bought from shops then I’d say that you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting veg as they can and should be.

You’ll get good exercise, fresh air and sunshine – much more fun than spending time in a gym; save money – food prices are going to be increasing sharply over the next few years due to increased oil prices (up from an average of $20 per barrel during the 1990’s to $90 today) and other pressures on food supplies; and develop a skill that may even save your life in the not too distant future. Some might think gardening is a bit of a chore but most people, once they give it a good try, are surprised how pleasurable and satisfying a pastime it becomes, and there are few better therapies for stress.

How do you get started? If you haven’t grown plants before then there are some basic things you’ll need to learn, they’re not difficult and mostly common sense. I’ll be writing about these over the coming months so by the new year you’ll know enough to start growing. Then you’ll need to plan and prepare for the season – its vaguaries of weather may keep you waiting at times but it won’t wait for you, if you miss the slot for growing some vegetables you may not get a crop from them that year. I’ll provide you with a monthly calendar to help.

This year I’ve spent about half the season at TUE (The Utopia Experiment) near Inverness in northern Scotland helping them become self sufficient. Apart from a small patch that was started last autumn we didn’t begin cultivating until late March and most of the volunteers who worked the garden previously knew very little about growing veg, yet before the end of July TUE was virtually self sufficient – despite the ground being uncultivated for years before, doing all the work without any mechanisation or chemicals and being a bit short on manpower at times. So it’s certainly possible if you have the will, I plan to give you all the knowledge you’ll need starting very soon…

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