Crisis Gardening: growing food in uncertain times

In any crisis that threatens the normal functioning of society, it's imperative that you take control of your food supply. The global supply chains that we rely upon are very fragile and easily disrupted, which can inevitably cause food shortages. 

As we've seen with the COVID-19 situation, in times of fear, panic, and confusion, there are no guarantees that you'll able to walk into the supermarket and buy the produce you need.

More importantly, as a permaculturist, you don't want to find yourself amongst the panicking mob fighting for the last scraps of food. You want to be out there, in your garden, growing food for your family, and sharing the surplus with the people from your local community (including the frenzied multitude).

As I outlined in my post concerning the Great Reset, I believe that the 2020s will be a challenging decade. A decade where our "normal" life will be punctuated by different (fast-developing) emergencies that'll put pressure, amongst everything else, on food production and distribution.

During these testing times, you'll have to be able to rapidly and effectively produce your own food, especially vegetables, as they have reliable yields, are easy to plant and grow quickly, and can provide you with all the necessary calories and nutrition within a very short timeframe.

With that in mind, regardless of where you are or what amount of space you have available, you'll want to plant a crisis garden – a garden that will allow you to provide sustenance for yourself and your loved ones, and for you to stay healthy and sane.

On this page, you'll find a series of my crisis-gardening posts that'll take you through all the steps, from planning what and how much to grow, to designing, prepping and planting the garden. Click the big red button to read more about each of these steps.

Step 1. Planning How Much to Grow

Determine what you’ll grow, and in what amounts to be able to feed yourself and your family.

Step 2. Choosing the Garden Location

Pick the best location for your crisis garden using the site assessment protocol.

Step 3. Designing the Layout

Determine the layout of your crisis garden with the three-step permaculture design method.

Step 4. Garden Bed Preparations

Learn how to prepare your crisis  garden beds for planting your vegetable crops.

You can think of this series as a crisis garden establishment protocol that you can always refer to when establishing a new crisis garden from scratch. Make sure to bookmark the page, so it's always easily accessible.

If you found this page and the series helpful, share it with your friends who are in the process of setting up and planting their (crisis) garden.

And don't forget to subscribe to my email list so that you can receive timely advice on how to use permaculture knowledge and tools to weather emerging crises.

Talk soon, 

-William



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