Going Local, Part One: growing your own food in Victoria, BC
The local food movement is growing as people become more aware of the consequences of relying on mass-produced, chemically treated food grown far, far away and shipped in using massive amounts of fossil fuel.
There are two ways to eat more local food. The first is to grow your own. This gives you the most control over what you eat and what goes into it. To those of you who have never even picked up a rake, I say to you:
It is incredibly easy to grow food.
I have a small garden myself, and despite my total lack of experience and often hectic schedule, what seeds I have planted have so far managed to survive just fine. The time I have spent this year around my plants and those of others in my household (my father-in-law is an avid gardener) has shown me just haw willing plants are to grow without any help, and whatever the weather.
Admittedly, proper care improves health and performance, but there is nothing mystical about the basic process. Don’t let inexperience scare you off if you want to give food gardening a go. It’s hard to break a plant.
Growing vegetables does not require a huge plot of land, an enormous array of tools, and years of experience. It is possible to supplement your diet with the vegetables you have reared if the only things you have are a patio or balcony and a container or two. A few feet of dirt can yield a surprising amount of food.
There are abundant resources for the aspiring gardener. Some of them are here:
Books:
- Bolen Books in Hillside Mall has a decent gardening section including a lot of books on organic, container and small plot gardening.
- Dig This, on Johnson Street has a small but pretty cool library as well as a good selection of heirloom seeds, tools and garden decorations.
Seeds:
- Dig This, on Johnson by Store Street
- Brother Nature is an island-based, organically grown seed provider
- The Garden Path is a Victoria based organization that provides an organic seed catalogue, among other things
- Salt Spring Seeds has an impressive variety of heritage and heirloom seeds
- Seeds of Diversity is Canada’s seed saving network
Other:
- The Garden Path offers lectures and workshops to groups, clubs etc, garden consultations to those with a yard and a bit of cash, and a gardening course offered by the site’s creator
- The Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre offers online information and on-site workshops on both composting and gardening
- People on the Lower Mainland might find this list helpful
- Instructables has some good DIY tips and instructions
This is just a very modest list to get you started, and just scratches the surface of what is available out there, so if anyone knows of other places and resources I haven’t mentioned, please post it here, and I will add it to the list.
Next Monday, Going Local, Part Two – supporting local farms
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