The question of why grow your own fruit and vegetables is something I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.
I’ve been watching a YouTube channel about a couple of Canadian guys. They are gay and married, not that the gay part should have anything to do with anyone but them. However, they are vegan and I find looking at what they cook for themselves interesting. Okay, I also think they are really funny.
Tyler and Todd
That is the name of their YouTube channel. Now, why was I telling you about this again?
Oh yeah, food, vegan. In the following episode, they made vegan chilli. I just want to say they aren’t a food channel, it is more about them living in a RV, travelling and living off-grid.
So in this vegan chilli they used Beyond Meat, a vegan meat substitute. It got me thinking about using products like that. We get Beyond Meat here, but I avoid it as much a possible because it is an American product and the carbon footprint is huge. We have The Alternative Meat Company here who does something similar.
Anyway, getting off-topic again. That type of thing is highly processed. It is something I’m trying to avoid as much as possible these days. When we eat food that is commercially processed like that we really don’t know what we are eating.
If I was making this I would use red lentils instead. I have been substituting lentils in many of the dishes I cook these days.
So, why grow your fruit and vegetables?
It is a fascinating question, don’t you think?
It would be easy to say I’m doing it because everyone is doing it right now because of Covid 19, but I think that is more a coincidence. I have so much time on my hands right these days and getting my garden ship-shape is something I can use that time for.
Okay, so for me it is about having more control over what we eat. I know what I’m using to grow the food and I know that no pesticides will be on it. Also, I know that it is mostly organic. Well, all organic really.
Yesterday I was saying to Dave, my husband, that I love that we are eating far less processed foods now. We still have to buy a lot of our fruit and veggies, but soon that will stop, I hope. He responded by saying that he thinks he feels better knowing that we getting healthier food. He also feels better in himself.
The garden
Though, I have been surprised at how being organic isn’t vegan, or so it seems. I’ve often wondered if vegans look at who grows their fruit and vegetables.
Do they care if blood and bone is used on it? You see so many things telling organic gardeners to use that.
What about animal manure? Is that allowed? Can vegans eat vegetables that were fertilised with say chook poop?
It wasn’t until I started looking at growing my own that I even thought about that. I won’t use blood and bone, but I will use manure.
What about you
Do you have a veggie garden? Why do you grow your own?
If you don’t have one, would you like one and why?
Fortunately, living in Southern California, we can grow veggies all year round– although mostly the green leafers handle the winter the best. Being into nature, there’s a personal satisfaction to seeing plants successfully grow My cherry tomatoes and bell peppers come back every year without rotating their areas. My cabbages– I only pick the leaves as needed. When completely done , I simply snip about two inches above the earth, and the stump produces new cabbages. I churn up the surrounding soil to aid in root life. My only enemies of the leaf veggies are butterflies and grasshoppers– which either lay eggs or gnaw at the leaves. So I’ve built hardware cloth cages around each plant to protect them. My rosemary bed– now thinned down to a 12 ft x 10 ft area- and my oregano have been a constant for 20 yrs. To discourage snails and other ground insects, all my veggies (except for squashes) are grown in pots placed on 2 separated bricks. After this past summer I was able to harvest corn (only 6″ ears), beets, cabbage, green onions, garlic, bell peppers, acorn squash and bush beans. My basil can be replanted with cuttings. And the cilantro eventually produces new seeds. And bok choy is the butterfly’s favorite. I always grow a couple of unprotected ones to let them feast away. Anyway, this is one of my “hobbies”, which has kept me busy– especially during these intense times. Havew a wonderful day.
Art
I wish we could grow things all year round, actually we can, there are winter things we can grow, but many things are only during summer. I have heard you don’t have snails and slugs there, maybe I should send some so you can get the full experience, lol. I am trying raised garden beds and have to admit they are better for those things. Eventually I want to get heaps of them. I need to put some nets over some of the ones out the back, I’m having trouble with moths too. I hear you about keeping you busy, it is a great things to do. Thank you Art.
I grow one or two tomato plants in a planter, enough for a few tomatoes. I’m not privileged to have property for a garden.
That’s great to hear Khürt, home grown tomatoes are so good. I used to wish I didn’t have so much garden, but now I am very happen. Thank you
I do grow some of my own. At the moment – tomatoes, green beans and spinach, I’ve also just planted Italian parsley. I do it mainly because I love doing it, but also a lot of the bought veggies are so tasteless. And I want to know what has gone into growing it – I do not use pesticides (yet) and would prefer to try natural pesticides first, if needed.
I just planted some Italian Parsley too. I really enjoy it as well, it is helping me to get fit, that’s for sure. I am the same with the pesticides. It is fun talking about gardening,I’m really enjoying the garden now, though with summer coming, how much time I can spend out there is going to change. Thank you Zelmare.
Gardening is a much better topic than politics! 😁
That can be so true. 😀 😀
I loved the video.
Thank you Cornelia.
Yes, I grow nearly all our vegetables and some of our fruit. Partly because I love to garden, and partly because I live in a rural area, and popping into the store for a bit of parsley or lettuce is a chore. And, now with Covid, avoiding the stores is an added plus. I also like the idea of knowing what been used to grow my food, and we eat much healthier when there’s an abundance of fresh ingredients right outside our door…lots of salads and stir-fry and much less processed food.
Avoiding the stores is a great reason, I want to grow all our own too. Your comment could be written by me, well except for the bit about growing it all, I’m still working on that. Thank you Carolee.
Very nice hydrangea. It reminds me of my Grandma’s garden. She also grew snowballs — big greenish white flowers. And Holly Hocks that grew taller than the garage. The garage was short but never-the-less they were amazing.
Very funny question about Vegans and how there garden grows, i.e., with blood and manure? You made me laugh because believe me if they thought of this it would have come up in the classes they taught. I attended more than one. I would have loved to ask them this and see them squirm. 😊 Wicked aren’t I?
Your Grandma’s garden sounds like it was wonderful Lena. Holly hocks are beautiful too.
I know, I would love to hear what vegans think about this, I need to find some and see what they say. No not wicked, curious, I like that better, otherwise I would be wicked too, lol.
Thank you Lena.
I grow a garden every year with tomatoes, strawberries, squash, cucumbers and peppers. They all do pretty well. I have a celery in my window growing right now. You can stick the roots in water and they grow again.
That sounds like a good crop to grow, is that the right way to say it. We are growing similar, plus a lot more, I have a lot of space really for the garden, so that is really good. I haven’t heard that about celery, others, but not that, I might have to try it. Thank you.
Celery is awesome to grow. You can cut it and then it starts growing again. Until winter comes of course 🙂
I haven’t really thought about growing it, maybe I should add it to the link, thank you.
Have you ever tried worm castings for fertilizer? We used to use that in our compost when we were gardening in California. “Worm castings are an organic form of fertilizer produced from earthworms. Also known as vermicast, worm castings manure is essentially earthworm waste, otherwise known as worm poo. As these creatures eat through compost, their waste creates an optimal soil enricher.”
I’ve thought of having a worm farm, but in the end, decided that a compost bin would be better for my garden. I have other ways of fertilising, like liquid seaweed, which is really good too. Thanks for thinking of me Sherry.
We used to buy worm castings. They are “hot” and have to be used sparingly. We mixed a small amount into the compost to enrich it before using.
I don’t know if we can buy them, but I think I will be fine with what I can get now. Good to have choices.
–I love my hydrangea near the front door, the flowers are so nice–
And poisonous!
I had no idea, but I will keep it anyway Doug, maybe if my children were still small I might change, but this one should be fine. Thanks for letting me know.
Thw hydranga is not the most ideal plant to decorate a cake with, that’s for sure!
Many plants are toxic – most if not all of the lily family are toxic to cats and dogs if memory serves.
Ever part of the Cycad is also toxic.
There’s bound to be a list somewhere.
Okay, I will remember to paint on the hydrangea and not use real ones, lol.
They are, it is unbelievable how many are. I have lillies, but don’t get them as cut flowers anymore because of our cat. I also have an angel trumpet tree which is meant to be poisonous as well. Why is everything that is so pretty so lethal as well?
I’m sure there is, but I figure if I can buy it in a nursery, I should be good, I hope anyway. Thank you Doug.
I think it’s great that more people are growing their own food. I always enjoyed having a garden, or just having some greenery around. I used to have a regular schedule where I was home 2 weeks and then gone for 2. I managed to keep MOST of my plants alive. For the last few years I haven’t had any sort of schedule and I’m gone a lot, so I’ve had to learn which plants can manage on their own for months at a time.
Citrus does the best where I’m at (Texas just S of Galveston). I have a lemon tree that makes lots of huge lemons. A couple of orange trees, a lime tree (with orange limes). They’re all doing very well. I’ve got some different grapes growing, but they haven’t started really producing yet. Pineapples grow good, but we get a freeze every couple of years so I haven’t actually gotten to try any fruit yet. I’m trying to get pomegranates, asparagus, blue berries, and raspberries to grow but haven’t had much success yet. Still working on that. I have a mini peach tree and pear tree that just started putting out fruit. Still not very good yet. I’m looking forward to trying more things. Little by little.
I’d love to get some chickens, but the racoons would probably get them.
Sounds like the garden is a bit of a puzzle. It is good to hear you have worked out what you can do. Have you considered watering with timers?
We can’t have chickens because of foxes. Thank you for sharing that Jill.