2014 will be an
interesting case in point for many gardeners. Drought conditions,
lack of employment and the cost of living will affect what many
people can put on the table during the spring, summer and fall
months!
Seed purchases – I will stay close
to home!
I'll want to make sure to get my seed
from local sources like the Home Depot. Seed prices I've seen
on the Internet are just too high! For instance Burpee Seed quotes
$3.95 for a packet of 750 romaine lettuce seeds while the same packet
is available locally for $1.99! Park Seed advertises a 200 seed
packet of Green Towers Lettuce for $2.25. This is too much money for
seed!
Grown from seed vs starts – I'll
go with the starts!
Whenever it makes some sort of sense to
me, I plan to purchase and grow vegetables like bell peppers and
tomatoes from starts that I can get from local sources, rather than
go through the trouble of growing them from seed. The exception to
that rule would be direct seeded produce like carrots, potato tubers
and romaine that I start indoors.
Intensive gardens only, please!
I will be growing all my vegetables, this
season in small raised bed areas and other out of the way nooks
and crannies. This technique has proved successful for me in the
past. I can get a good load of produce while minimizing the amount of
physical effort that I have to expend. I'll also be watching for
trends in the cost of certain items like potatoes, carrots and bell
peppers to see if I will need to double down on them both spring and
fall if the prices spike! See my article on California's
drought for more!
I'll advertise my crops on FB!
By making my surplus vegetables know to
other gardeners, I will be able to trade and barter for stuff I did
not or could not grow well. Facebook is a great venue for efforts
like this as most of my friends live close by. I'll also make sure to
save seeds and use them for trades as the growing season comes to an
end. That way, I'll have free seed with which to begin the next year!
Canning - the wave of the future?
Just as in decades past, when times
were tough, people grew and canned vegetables for use over the
winter. I predict that canning will enjoy renewed interest in 2014
and beyond as Americans ride the rocky roller coaster that has been
our economy.
