GardenersCardiff answers:

Because there may come a day when you have no choice but to grow some of your own food and I would hate to wait until that day to start learning, kind of like waiting till the power is out to run for flashlight batteries. Have you ever been to the store and observed how people act when a storm is coming? Its never a good idea to be completely dependent upon any one system. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our ancestors growing there own food and its foolish to think that we shouldn’t carry on some of these traditions that got us where we are now.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Ok…your assuming everyone has a yard with soil adaquate for growing food.

Where are all the people who live in appartments supposed to do their gardening?

What are people with poor soil supposed to do?

GardenersCardiff answers:

It’s legal for personal use only. As long as it’s for you, then grow away.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Well if you like to smoke it’s a good idea, but do it quick before gov makes growing it illegal.
I have mine in grow boxes and planning on cigars.
Yea, a tax to pay for kids health care and the gov admitted they would need 22 million more smokers to fully fund the program.

GardenersCardiff answers:

You need to eat to survive, so if you can grow your own food, you do not have to depend on anyone.

No, we don’t have to grow our own food to stay healthy. It is more on having a healthy diet; knowing what, when, and how much to eat.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Allotments are rented out by your local council, so get in touch with them. Your local council will have their phone numbers in the telephone directory going by different departments and such like. I don’t know what department allotments would come under but the local council should have a general enquiry number as well, so they would inform you.

And I hope you get your project going, it sounds like a good idea!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Hunting, they all ready do.

Growing food, no, unless you sell it.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Hah i started of like you aswell no clue?? Of what to plant or do

i think that you should start a mini vegetable and/or fruit garden thatll keep you busy ! Um maybe you could plant peas,strawberries,pumpkin,squash,carrots,lettuce etc. (maybe near a shady spot and he other half in a sunny spot)
and maybe if you like it you can decide to make youre garden Bigger
good luck !!

GardenersCardiff answers:

That is two separate questions
where do i live =at the Moment in Mexico

How much land is needed to grow your own food =

Have to know your recourses to do an real estimate.

See the land ,what kind of soil,rocks ,sand gravel trees ,grass other plant ,the ratio or each,

How each can be employed to the best effect with the least work,

what kind of climate ,how much Sun Rain,Wind
temperatures.

How much money in the bank ,
What are the skills of participating friends and family.
And what are the needs of each individual involved and how many will be involved.

So blindly i would say on an Acre you can do a lot ,

Space for a large fish pond at the end of the Water harvesting system to breed fish .
Some free range ,Ducks,guinea fowl,partridge ,chucks,silkeys or bantams,

Do you need fire wood is there a place to grow it .?

Do you have to build what material is on site ?

Do you have to make cash from the place to supplement and what will generate this cash ,for example courses on what you are doing ,so a classroom and service for food and drink maybe even accommodation is needed .

Or do you plan to grow extra as well to make jam`s or sell vegetables at the local super markets ,

So 1/5 of the space to trees
1/5 to housing and paths
1/5 water ponds and canals
2/5 to vegetables
roughly speaking.

Each place is individual as to what one can achieve and a lot depends on what is already there ,is there a creek ,or a pump or water for a pump .Land comes seldom as a barren flat piece of land and if it does look somewhere else .
In Africa many people buy a farm between 4 or 5 families and this is a lot of space ,and a lot of stuff comes with it ,such as the flora that exists or even buildings .

I always fall to the ground and look at it from a rabbits point of view,notice the dips and the rises and enhance those to fit an overall plan that fits in with the owners ideas .the rises higher with the soil from the dips to make them deeper .

The first thing i do is make ALL the path ways .this gives me a blue print of the design engraved into the ground itself ,using a tractor and guys with picks and shovels as pencils to draw with.

The idea is then to develop each plot that results from the path ways ,and these i always make curved (for example figure 8`s)so that they will meet up with another path and so enclosing an area creating a plots.
Hard,Soft or Wet depending what they look the best suited for.

Little by little the whole place ends up totally utilized .

Some plots for buildings =high ,hard and dry
for houses or animal shelters

Some for vegetables low and soft and humid
And some deep filled with water for ponds obviously wet.

I may be deviating ,Do you mean totally self sufficient ,for power ,building material or just food .
With just a tunnel you can grow just about all the vegetables you need ,but it also depends on what you diet is .
A Mexican will need an acre just to grow corn for his tortillas
Do you want to grow wheat to make your own flour for bread ?,that would be around the same
Do you eat cows ?,than you may need 2 acres to keep a couple of cows in a green country like England .

And if you live in Texas make that 30 acres.

So many Variables and so many questions unanswered.

GardenersCardiff answers:

It depends on where you live and what you eat.
Where I grew up I think we probably spent 10 hours/week. We were not in a climate where you had to irrigate and we traded vegitables with neighbors (i.e. My surplus of cherry tomatos for your surplus of cucumbers). Raspberries and blackberries take for ever to harvest and are pretty prickly. Wine takes awhile too (and is very inconsistant — and sometimes it’s easier to cheat and add something like welch’s concentrated grape juice to sweeten up the rhubarb).
You also have to include canning or freezing preparation time. For meat it depends on what you do (we did deer only when it was cold so that you can let it freeze in the shed).

You need spring to fall (plus hunting season). That allows you to freeze/can/bottle what you need for winter.

Time well spent varies…if you like it, it is. If you have children, it’s probably good for them. For me, I don’t have the time to make it well spent.

Many of the fruits/veggies have more flavor when picked ripe (esp. Berries). Many people say they are better for you too. And once you get going it is sort of cheaper (aside from time — but that’s also what children are good for).