Who has read Animal Vegetable Miracle by B Kingsolver?

[JitterbugPerfume]

it is the story of how her family lived one year on locally grown food.There is some good information about frugal living and environmental sustainability in it .

I just started it , and I am reading a couple of other books right now too, but It looks like a treasure trove so far(first 100 pages)

[hippywife]

1. Me! Me! Me!

I am almost done with it and I'm totally on board! She and her family did it and made a very strong case for the reasons why it needs to be done.

I just not 5 minutes ago posted this in the Cooking and Baking forum here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x40395

It makes so much sense from every possible angle, I'm going to give it my best shot.

Great minds think alike! :hi:

[JitterbugPerfume]

2. Cool!

now I am off to read your post in Cooking and Baking:loveya: :hippie:

[hippywife]

3. We're also going to

convert to the square foot gardening method this year. For a small upfront investment in materials, it will provide many years of long term gain and water conservation. Other DUers in the Gardening group have used it with much success and it lends itself to even the smallest yard or even patio or deck.

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. I need to check that out!

My soil is really bad . I put compost on it etc , but it is still crappy. I have thought seriously about getting some really big containers and gardening on the deck

[silverweb]

5. Not yet.

It's definitely on my wish list, though, and I'm glad to hear you recommend it so highly.

I've got very young spinach, basil, and potato plants going nicely so far, expanding my efforts to grow in containers this year. The square-foot system looks great, but I need individual containers that I can rearrange more easily. Thus, I'm using dollar-store laundry baskets with garbage-bag liners (perforated for drainage). So far so good.

[JitterbugPerfume]

6. dollar store laundry baskets!

cool!that solution never occured to me. I can not wait to get my garden started this year :loveya: :hi:


edit-- I love that poem in your profile

[silverweb]

7. I got the idea from someone on line.

There was a man who posted that he grew all the produce he could possibly use in laundry baskets with garbage bag liners. It might have been here at DU, but I can't remember for sure where I read it.

Anyway, I thought that was an absolutely brilliant solution for those of us who don't have yards to plant in. (I'm using a paved driveway that gets lots of sun).

Glad you like the poem. It appeared in one of those very rare lucid dreams some years ago and just stayed with me. :hi:

[hippywife]

11. We are also trying to stop

supporting plastics manufacturing. I would think terra cotta pots would make more ideal planters. Sure they cost more than dollar store laundry baskets, but I think they would last longer and will at least decompose when they break.

[silverweb]

13. A worthy effort.

I used two good-sized terra cotta pots last year for my first attempt at growing tomatoes, but they were not adequate for the job. Those pots are now being used for herbs, not plants that need much more room.

There are a few reasons why terra cotta planters are not the best choice in this case:

(1) Size/weight. Terra cotta pots large enough to be practical for food production would be impossibly heavy for one person to handle. The laundry baskets are light and have handles, making them easy to move/maneuver even when full.

(2) Cost. "Sure they cost more" is really a huge issue for many of us. I'd never be able to get started if I had to wait until I could afford the number of huge terra cotta pots I'd need.

(3) Plastics manufacturing. Dollar stores sell unwanted, left-over, and discontinued items -- so buying them there is not really encouraging further manufacture of those items.

(4) Alternative materials. I searched for wicker laundry baskets before buying plastic, but they're harder to find and much more expensive. My real preference would be wicker, willow, or some other kind of natural woven basket for size/weight/sustainability, but that's just not feasible at this time.

(5) 3Rs. Putting unwanted, left-over plastic inventory to a "green" use that will recycle them many times over is at least partial redemption of their existence.

Like you, I make it a habit to try to avoid buying plastic, but it's just not always possible. At least this plastic will be put to long-term, worthy use.

[WolverineDG]

8. Awesome idea!

Thanks for sharing! I've been holding back on gardening because I don't have the time or $ to build a square foot garden!

dg

[silverweb]

10. It doesn't take much money to start.

I started very tentatively and modestly with tomatoes last year. Right now, I've got young spinach, basil, and potato plants doing well. Looking forward to starting other crops, such as beans, peas, tomatoes, green onions, and lettuces as soon as I load up on more potting soil. I started with the cheapest potting soil I could buy and now supplement with worm castings from my own worm bin/garbage recycler. Container gardening uses much less water, too.

Have fun and good luck! :hi:

[WolverineDG]

12. I found some good stuff at Lowe's

made in Texas & organic too! A medium-sized bag ran me about $3. :hi:

dg

[silverweb]

14. Thanks.

There's no Lowe's nearby, but I do get a good deal at Home Depot: a bag about as big as I can lift for $4.95.

Also, I want to get a couple of bags of vermiculite, both to mix into the planters and to use for growing sprouts in the kitchen.

I still need another 4-5 bags of soil to fill all the containers I've got waiting! :D

[WolverineDG]

9. My cousin has

she loved it!

dg