Author Bill Kibbyn just wrote a wonderful book called “Deep Economy.” In one part of the book he suggests that we might be better off to eat locally and supply ourselves more locally. This book has to do with world supplies, consumption, and markets. It highlights the renewal of methods of providing ourselves with energy, food, entertainment, activities and education more locally. Now I’ve got an even better idea.

Let me ask you the reader a simple question. If there is nothing in the house to eat for dinner, why would you want to search for your car keys, than go out and move some bikes and playthings from behind the car, back the car out of the garage, than find the kids and tell them you are going to the store for a few items. After backing out and turning around you now drive slowly down your street. Than while you wait and finally turn onto the boulevard, than drive five or ten minutes through traffic. Then have to try and find a parking place near the grocery store. You end up going around the block twice before you finally give up and drive into the back parking lot. Then in your hurry you forget to note where your car is parked. After looking for a cart and getting in the store, you look over the groceries and decide the fresh vegetable department looks so good you are almost ready to buy a salad by getting a container and go through the salad bar, but then you realize you are a little short of money this week, and you know this is a lot more expensive, so why not prepare it yourself. In fact, buy all the ingredients and let the kids help prepare dinner tonight. So as you look through the different kinds of lettuce, radishes and onions and all the good things that go into a salad. You finally make your selection. Each individual item goes into a separate plastic bag. And then you are ready to scoot out of the door, but of course this is late afternoon and supper time so many others have the same idea so the lines are long, even the express line. There must be someone up there who has more than ten items. I remember a comedian who came over from Russia who said he decided he didn’t belong in the express line because he had a whole loaf of bread with at least 15 slices in it. Ha-ha. Anyhow it was funny when he was on the stage.

Next step is to use your credit card which then increases the time to pay but, it doesn’t have to be paid for another couple of weeks. So you are in the clear for a while, and then it is out into the parking lot to try and find your car. I remember my Mother in Law, a very funny lady, who said she always puts a big red ribbon on top of her car antennae but of course no one has antennae’s anymore on their cars, so that won’t help. But you finally find it and it is a slow drive home. Once you are there and parked, it is now a matter of finding the kids. Getting them home and washed and ask them to help prepare the salad tonight.

Now my question to you is this. Why on earth would anyone do all of that? Spending the time, the money, the gasoline, the hassle, when they could step outside their back door and in two or three minutes pick the same items, fresh, organically grown, non-contaminated, won’t be recalled, and most important, won’t be handled by anyone else. And no credit card to use. In fact, each child could pick their own which is now a special treat, rather than just having to wash and trim the vegetables from the plastic bags from the grocery store.

What would the table side conversation be if you had been to the store? Would it have anything to do with family, or vegetables, or health, or anything like that? Probably not. It would involve subjects like we don’t have much time, the roads were so crowded, and the store was just packed, more irritation. But if you had your own Square Foot Garden right outside your back door, I’ll bet you the conversation would be around the garden, the vegetables you were growing, and harvesting, and eating, and what else could you grow, and why didn’t we do this a long time ago.

Remember Square Foot Gardening has a special advantage when each child has their own box. They only need a 3’ by 3’, but that produces 9 square feet of gardening space and produces nine different crops. Having the children sit down with pen and paper and listing nine different things they would like to grow is a lesson in itself in penmanship, spelling, name pronunciation, reading a seed catalog, selecting, comparing, and getting the kids to think a little, and think about what they would like to eat. It might even get some of them to evaluate the pros and cons of having something like radishes which are ready in four weeks, where a different plant like peppers may take a couple of months before you harvest anything.

Now of course this example started with you having to go to the store to shop for dinner tonight, which is not always necessary. You might go to the grocery store two or three times a week and do several days shopping. But I think it illiterates the point of the simplicity and the savings in time, energy, harassment, and dollars to have your own garden. It is virtually free, and it is also free from hassle, worry, and time consuming activities.

Time you could be spending with your family!

Next week I’m going to tell you all how easy it is to start a Square Foot Garden at your house. It doesn’t matter where you live, how big or small your yard is, even if you live in an apartment or condo, I’ll show you how to start.

If you can’t wait till then, go to our web site, guess what the name is ? squarefootgardening.com of course, see your learning already.

See you next week and Happy Gardening. Mel Bartholomew