Fearing food shortages and supply chain disruptions? Wondering just what can go wrong next in a post travel virus world? Or perhaps you just want to save your little slice of the planet one leafy green at a time… People worldwide are participating in a new food game changer – Growing it yourself. Wait! this is a paradigm shift what will the neighbours think, you may be asking. Well the data is in, and people are planting more vegetable gardens than you thought, in fact it was reported by the infamous Diggers Club that almost 5 million Aussies grow their own food.
It is pleasing to see just how prominent gardening, and especially food growing, is still present in the the Australian psyche. What becomes clear at even a cursory glance, is that historically Australians are more attuned to provenance and seasonality, and they want a direct connection to their food, as in from ‘fork to fork’. With the present times being as they are, the fire to get moving, has been lit. Whatever the rationale to start growing food, whatever the motivation, the benefit from growing your own would make this article far too long. It is one of those things that needs to be experienced first hand, to fully grasp.
In fact, research revealed the impact of gardeners is grossly underestimated. Gardeners reduce waste by harvesting directly from the veggie patch to meet the needs of the kitchen, as well as preserving and processing a “glut” (less waste, less packaging, longer supply), contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial processes in supermarket agriculture. “We are lucky to have preserved a lot of food and we still have canned fruits and vegetables and jams and berries in the freezer and meat in the freezer” — Said one farmer.
There has been a surge of young people too interested in growing their own food… A group of college students, residents, and activists in Cleveland, USA have crowdfunded a community garden. They have been running a free meal delivery service for those in need, are running out of donated fresh vegetables, and are planning for the long term. They say they were thinking of Aussie Victory Gardens, which started in World War I, and in the case of the Americans, when President Woodrow Wilson asked them to plant vegetable gardens to prevent food shortages.
To our beloved readers, we pose the question – have you started your veg garden yet? Please do share what you’ve planted and your experience below. Happy planting.