This is a new year, and a new blog for me. I've managed to write my feelings and ideas down in the past, but not with any regularity. I'm hoping that I can continue to share and learn with this blog and keep the flow of information going.
Why would anyone be thinking about gardening in the beginning of January, when its currently 28 degrees outside, you might ask. Well, for me its not just about gardening to have a garden, its about gardening for survival. Just as it was one hundred years ago gardening and farming are beginning to become a way of life again. Some people enjoy it as a hobby, others as an occupation. I think that it is neither; it is a lifestyle. we choose to garden not only out of the want to get our hands dirty in the soil that God has given us, but also out of a necessity. Farming not only provides a great stress relief, but it also provides us with a supplement to our income. For every fruit and vegetable we grow on our own, that is one less that we have to spend money on in the grocery store. In the times that we live in, every penny counts. No one gets hired on at the plant anymore and works their out of high school until they retire. Pensions are a thing of the past. According to FORBES.com the average millenial stays at one job just 4.4 years before they head off to greener pastures. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2012/08/14/job-hopping-is-the-new-normal-for-millennials-three-ways-to-prevent-a-human-resource-nightmare/ )
With salaries down, unemployment up, and the prices of food ever on the rise, it makes sense to be interested in gardening. Here in North Georgia we used to live in a land of cotton and peaches. That was a long time ago. Now, the average individual cannot even plant cotton on their own to enjoy thanks to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program. Our wages get stretched and stretched until there is nothing left. The Number One combo down at the fast food place that used to cost $4.99 is now $6.99 and going up. Gone are the days when a family of four used to eat well on $20 dollars.
So, as the costs of living go up, health care becomes unaffordable, and my paychecks stay the same, I have deemed it necessary to pursue what was once just a nice hobby to me. Planting a tomato plant here or there, or maybe a few strawberries, for the fun of it just won't cut it anymore. Its time to set forth a plan to revitalize our heritage.
Why? (1.) To prepare myself and my family for loss of job, income, injury, sickness or any other unforeseen catastrophe that my health insurance, my employer, and my government will not be able to support me through. (2.) To promote the family as a unit with individual parts and pieces working together as a whole. (3.) To work towards producing enough to provide relief for not only my family, but for my local community through food pantries and community gardens. (4.) To help others, local and world wide, so that they may learn from my successes and my mistakes.
This first year we have a goal of being able to produce enough fruits and vegetables to provide for a family of four for an entire year. Anything that we grow over that amount we plan to share with those others around us who just might need a helping hand themselves. I'm not sure who those individuals might be at this point so early in this adventure, but I know that God will send them to us.
So, that's it, my first post for this blog. In the coming days I plan on sitting down and writing out my game plan with you, so that maybe you can develop your own plan with me or in the future. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to email me at solace745@gmail.com
