New Year, New beginnings.

Happy belated New Year!
So much has transpired over the last few months. Most notably is the new variant of Omicron. I am not so worried about its affects should I or my wife get it. From most accounts, it is milder than the previous variants. But rather, I am most concerned about its cascading affects throughout the world. And most notably, the crippling of the worldwide food supply chain.

It has permeated almost every nook and cranny of food production worldwide. There seems to be a building crescendo of issues in such magnitude that it defies reason that one should look forward and expect things to operate as normal. All one has to do is look at the shelves in almost any grocery store to see the effects this has had. You either can get the product you want or it isn't available. And, if it is available, its' at a much higher cost. This also reflects the reality of higher labor and other input costs.

I am a firmer than ever believer that this is the year where food will be the center focus of news stories. After all, food is perhaps the most important item needed for survival - other than maybe water. I don't have a crystal ball to predict things and have never tried to do so. But, I can see with my own eyes the slight unraveling of things that were for so long taken for granted. Food usually experiences a period of inflation before it starts to show signs of shortages. In spots, we have seen both happening.

The reason for this blog post is to highlight the need for people to begin growing their own food. This statement is based on a set of facts that are rooted in reality. The UN has stated that the world agricultural systems have been producing less food for each of the last 3 years. In the US, there has been a steady decline in food production for the last 2-3 years. The reasons for this are so varied that it would take up pages and pages of writing. I'm not interested in that.

I am not a prepper nor alarmist. My belief is actually this. It would be wise to start producing more of our own food as the supply chain (more importantly - supplies) becomes less dependable. I see 2022 as a year of tightening supplies and higher inflation. And, given this, I am being more intentional about what crops I am going to grow and how many. Its as simple as that. No grand plan, no frantic push.

As this is my direction, this blog will reflect the new reality. I hope I can assist anyone who wants to do the same or, for that matter, who just wants to grow a more productive vegetable garden. I've been gardening for over almost 50 years and have a very wide experience level. Again, take this for what it's worth. Everyone has to decide for themselves. I hope you will continue to watch this blog and start watching if you already aren't. I look forward to the coming year with much anticipation. Look for an upcoming post about where we are at this time. Until next time, Happy Gardening Everyone.

Spring planting is about to begin!!!!

 Well, if you need proof that Spring is about to burst forward, I will be happy to oblige. I emailed three of the companies with whom I do most of my business. I inquired regarding the availability of onion and potato starts. Two of the three responded within an hour or so. Both had onion starts and one had potatoes while the other was expecting them this coming week. The third company never responded.

Given that it is getting real close for plantings, I decided to check the progress of my various composters to get a gauge of where I stand when I distribute the soil over my beds. All looks good as can be seen in the pictures here.

I took my rototiller and ran over the beds to cut down the rye. Once I completed that, I waited two days and ran the tiller through the beds again to cut the remaining live rye further. Now fun will begin. I will mix the various bags of manure and manure/compost mixes I have accumulated in with the leaf mold and compost I have processed over winter. One point to mention here is that I will sift my leafmold and compost to remove the big pieces. I will take those big pieces and put them in one of my composters to allow them to continue to decay. My plants in the greenhouse are doing very well despite the warm temps we have been having. I am keeping the vent window open which seems to help with the temps both in the day and overnight.
I went out today to water the plants given all the unusually warmer temps. Seems I will be needing to cut some lettuce and spinach soon. Here is one of my planters of lettuce that shows one batch of lettuce.

I have many other pots of spinach and lettuce which I need to cut also. There will be many more salads to come in the near future.
During this past week, I set to the task of getting the bamboo poles in for my fence. After two days, I was able to get the poles completed. I will have to now get the fencing bought and installed. Here is a snap of what the garden now looks like.

So, progress is being made on many fronts. I have seedlings growing in the basement, plants continuing to grow in the greenhouse and many "to do" items on my list. One by one, I will hopefully get these finished. There definitely won't be any lack of work to complete nor blogs to write.
So, until next time, Happy Gardening Everyone.