Unemployment survival guide (veg. gardens- Can. too )

[ensho]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JH20Dj01.html


Judy Stark, the Homes and Garden editor for the St Petersburg Times, in Florida, writes that it is a "sign of the times" when a county-sponsored workshop on vegetable gardening has suddenly hit the 200-person capacity of the room.

She says this means, "There is great interest in growing your own food so you know what's in it or on it, and avoid high prices at the grocery store."

-snip-

And it may be Canadians are becoming small-scale farmers again, too, as Forextv.com reports that "Economists Say Canadian Labor Force Drop Shows Job Boom Is Over", which is the reaction to a CEP News report that "55,200 Canadian jobs disappeared in July, the largest monthly drop since the early 1990s. The unemployment rate actually shrank, dropping a tenth of a point to 6.1% as an even larger number of people - more than 74,000 of them - dropped out of the labor force during the month."

The numbers are similar in Quebec, as the unemployment rate there "edged up by two ticks to 7.4% while in Ontario, the rate fell to 6.4% from 6.7% in June as 42,000 people'' left the labor market.
-snip-
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during WWII they called for Victory Gardens. this time they are Survival Gardens.

[elocs]

1. Square foot gardening is a terrific way to grow a lot of food in a small area:

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

It is amazing how much food may be grown in a few 4 foot squares each season. I can envision a day when there will be very little lawn cutting in this country with much of that grass area being given over to growing gardens of one kind or another. I have a friend whose lawn I mow and the side of his house has a stretch of grass that is maybe 20'X 50' that gets sun all day. I told him that you could probably get at least 20 4' squares in there and grow enough veggies to supply a dozen people.

[kestrel91316]

2. Uh oh........

:popcorn:

Some of the NASTIEST attacks I have ever seen on DU (against myself and others) have been in response to our well-intentioned suggestions that people who are struggling financially start growing as much of their own food as possible UNDER THEIR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

We're talking VICIOUS screeds.

I wish this thread luck.

[gateley]

3. Even for those who aren't struggling financially (yet) -

the food they grow themselves would be far superior in nutrients and lack all the chemicals that we get with grocery-bought food.