Thursday 9 July 2015

Independence Days Challenge: Week Six

I won't be doing a post today like the previous weeks as we have been away all week! It was wonderful to get back though. Whirlwind and I went straight to the garden to check on all the babies! One daffodil had flowered and lots of tiny pea plants have just pushed through the earth. Just a reminder of how much I need to get done before spring really arrives.

Next week, I should have lots to talk about. The chickens laid 16 eggs yesterday - they are really back on track now. 

So just some links for this week (and not much else!)


  •  This is a great story about Jill Redwood. She has lived off-grid for 30 years here in Victoria, and is an inspiration. Exactly how I would like to live.




  • 5 Variations of a String Trellis for Tomatoes. I am looking at how I would like to set up for tomatoes this year. I have always just grown them against a fence with a wooden trellis on the fence. But this year I want to do it properly! Which method do you use for growing tomatoes?

  • Creating a Food Forest - great article for explaining the whys and hows of food forest gardening. Particularly useful is the table at the end listing planting guilds for various fruit trees. This is how I will be planting my fruit trees out this year - no straight line orchard for me!
Image from halifaxgardennetwork.wordpress.com. Some interesting info here.


The news from Greece in the last week has really revved me up. There has also been a lot of discussion here in Australia about food security issues as large tracts of agricultural land, as well as other parts of the supply chain such as transport and port facilities, are being sold to overseas interests. Food security is crucial and I am not convinced that the government are necessarily looking out for the people. It is up to us to look after ourselves, our families and neighbours. And we need to act sooner, as later may be too late. 



Both above images from theorganicprepper.ca

I know which photo I would rather my future was like. I don't like to be a doom and gloomer, but I am truly worried that the first photo is in our foreseeable future and I don't want that for my children. So I plan to work hard to make us as food secure as possible.

How do you feel? Are you worried about the near future? What are you planning? What do you think is the most important thing to focus on?





4 comments:

  1. your plans sound great :) maybe next year I'll make an actual plan for setting out the garden rather than plonking everything in haha. your post has made me think about garden security though. not just in a SHTF situation, but in general, our village is small but My Empire is quite big, compared to some, and having need space means growing more and growing more means there would probably be a few unscrupulous passers by (and neighbours come to think of it) who would take advantage. I wonder where I can get barbed wire....

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    1. It is a difficult thing to think about. Although we are on 8 acres, we have many neighbours and are on a major highway. So any food I am growing is in plain sight. I am still trying to work out whether it would be better to be in a more secluded area. I don't want to be paranoid, but I do want to be prepared. Hard decision.

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  2. I rather like picture #2 as well. :) Prudence over panic is my motto! We garden, we can and fill our pantry shelves, we raise chickens for meat and eggs, we heat with wood, we have a well, we trust in God, and we consider the ant... (Proverbs 6:6-8). Thanks for sharing, Jayne. Praying for the best and trusting in God,
    xo Lisa

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    1. I particularly like the last two things you do, Lisa. I must always remember that it is in God's hands, no matter what we may do. Thanks for reminding me, as I can tend towards being a worrier which does noone any good at all.

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