The Libra

I’m relatively new to food gardening, and compared to some of you veterans out there, new to non-food gardening as well. About 3-4 years ago, we got our house in an area that gets killer heat-waves, frequent droughts, and blistering afternoon sun. At first I started off semi-xeriscaping with things like Knock-Out and Belinda’s Dream rose bushes (great for harsh sun and low moisture areas), and spent the whole first year basically making the front yard look as nice as possible while keeping a low-water requirement in mind.

Then, last year, two things happened, almost simultaneously. I realized it was ridiculous to be wasting time, energy, and water on plants that produced no usable yield. So I decided from that point on, everything I planted would have a use, be it for food or medicine. About that time, food shortages began to get reported in the news.

The worldwide food shortages are beginning to impact even food-rich countries like America. To be honest, compared to droughts in even first-world nations like Spain, I have absolutely no right to complain, but I am taking a serious leap into growing our own food supply in a revisitation of the old WWII Victory Gardens. In March, we had a Tilling Party, and I started my first rows of seeds in the soil, not really knowing what I was doing. Since then, with the aid of Mr. J (a family friend since childhood with a wicked produce garden in his backyard), I’ve slowly turned a dead patch of Earth into a thriving pumpkin patch, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and a great spice garden.

Cooking is my second favorite hobby (second only to Eating), and the difference in spices between what comes fresh off the plant out of the garden, versus the dried things that come out of a jar from the grocery store, is night and day. Now I’m on a quest to build the ultimate spice wall, and produce enough veg to provide a decent supply of the freshest produce possible.