Living Car Free - Subsistence Garden as a Way to Reduce Petroleum Usage and Emissions?

This might not be directly related to being 'car free' but lately I've been thinking and reading about all the resources used to grow and transport food via the prevalent system (about 1/5 of all oil consumption in the US is used for the production and transport of food). For those who aren't familiar here's an admittedly cursory summary:

- The process of growing conventional industrial agriculture is costly because copious amounts of fertilizer and pesticides (derived from potroleum) are used. In addition to all the energy required to produce fertalizer and petroleum, the run-off from these chemicals causes significant environmental problems. And since much of this food is used to produce food animals of high-density operations, this adds another level of environmental degradation.

- Organic food is only moderately less detrimental. Most 'organic' food is produced on a massive scale similar to conventional industrial agriculture. In most cases there are only 2 significant differences: Instead of using synthetic fertilizer and pesticides, organic operations use naturally derived substitutes; Organic food animals are given organic feed and don't receive anti-biotics, otherwise they usually live in the same type of crowded, filthy conditions.

- Regardless of whether the food is organic or not, transporting food requires tremendous energy.

Thinking about all these environmental problems related to agricultural food production and transport, it seems a significant way to reduce environmental impact is to grow some of your own food. This eliminates most of the energy related to production (replacing synthetic fertilizer energy with infinite sun energy and crop rotation) and transport (if you live close to your garden the only thing you need to transport is seeds). Also, if a garden is well managed it will require little or no pesticide.

I realize it's probably not possible for someone to get all their food from their own garden, but do you think this can be an effective way to reduce environmental impact?

Yes I think it does help as well as "buying local" Try to only buy foods that are produced within a 100 mile radius of your home. We have a local IGA that actually owns a canning plant and buys local produce to can for his own store label. He also tries to feature local produce and products. I am fortunate to live in an area of the country where we produce just about everything food wise. The only notable exceptions being citrus/tropical fruits, and coffee...gotta have my coffee. With these I try to offset the impact by buying fair trade and/or organically grown. We actually run a couple of different gardens here. I have my squarefoot gardens (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/) and my MIL runs a 1/4 acre conventional garden. The SF gardening system really works. The only major issue I have had so far has been ants. I had to pull up two squares and redo them after the ants took over during the winter months:rolleyes: I do mine organically. We don't strictly adhere to organic principles on the larger garden but we keep chemicals to a minimum and try to use the organic methods of pest control first. Also check out your local CSA's (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/) and Farmer's Markets. We just got a farmer's market in my nearby little town. I am waiting to see how well it works this year. The rules for it are very basic, it must be a local product produced within a 50 mile radius and no resellers. I also have several farms in a 15 mile radius of where I live that sell produce at their roadside stands. I usually don't plant much of the stuff they sell. FWIW we still live on the remaining 40 acres of my wife's family farm. We had chickens up until the foxes ate all of them. We live trapped and removed over a dozen red and couple of gray fox so we will give that a try again this year. We are also looking at getting a couple of dairy goats. We have also replenished the orchards with fruit and nut trees but we are probably about 4-6 years out on getting much out of them.

Aaron:)

I have my squarefoot gardens (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/) and my MIL runs a 1/4 acre conventional garden. The SF gardening system really works. The only major issue I have had so far has been ants. I had to pull up two squares and redo them after the ants took over during the winter months:rolleyes: I do mine organically. We don't strictly adhere to organic principles on the larger garden but we keep chemicals to a minimum and try to use the organic methods of pest control first. Also check out your local CSA's (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/) and Farmer's Markets.

Aaron:)
We covered a little of this in an earlier thread...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=282640

But YES!!!!! it is possible to do all of the above with a small vegetable garden. I have had one for the last 6 years and we normally grow enough tomatoes and lettuce and salad things for 4-5 months. Zucchini enough for 2 lifetimes... My wife also grows a lot of herbs and tomatoes from pots on the veranda. If you haven't witnessed it before, you'll never imagine how many cherry tomatoes you can grow from one plant.

One problem I had last year was that I did so much cycling, that I neglected the weeding. Tomatoes output from my 4 garden plants was hardly enough to keep me through September. I'm going to attempt this Square foot method thisyear using a much smaller area that I intend to work intensively. The garden should be less than 200 square feet

But to answer your question, the average suburban backyard has enough space to keep a family of 4 in vegetables. The key element is WORK. You need to put some time into it. Stop mowing the lawn!

I'm gonna grow tobacco in mine and make a fortune... I'm baaaaad :D

Did you know the number one cash crop in America is Marijuana..

Some good ideas on this forum...but isn't it hard to rotate crops in such a small area. You've got to fallow some space...

I'm gonna grow tobacco in mine and make a fortune... I'm baaaaad :D

Did you know the number one cash crop in America is Marijuana..

Some good ideas on this forum...but isn't it hard to rotate crops in such a small area. You've got to fallow some space...
I'm no expert on this, but the Square Foot gardening method does give a few good hints about effective crop rotation. I've been in the habit of moving my tomatoes from one are of the garden to another. I keep a good compost pile and mulch much of the leaves in the fall. It seems to have worked so far, except for last year's weed infestation.

I've just started a garden myself... Never done it before so it's definitely a work in progress. As Gerv pointed out, it is work - sometimes strenuous, hard labor type of work - but I have found that I relish time spent "working" in the garden. I've lost a couple of pounds too!

Absolutely.

you could buy a couple chickens for eggs too ;) then maybe move up to a cow.

Chicken!
http://www.invaderzim.tv/images/chickylicky.jpg

Iirc, even without transportation, organic food still requires ~40% of the fossil fuel inputs most food requires. That 40% is pretty much the labor overhead. If you feel you can do it, go ahead, but it's very time/labor consuming. In terms of emissions, there are many more low hanging fruit imo.

you could buy a couple chickens for eggs too ;) then maybe move up to a cow.
What about a goat? I think they require less space and can eat just about anything. Good points everyone, sounds very doable, even for an urbanite like me.

As for the crop rotation, I've read that if you rotate between legumes and leafy vegies, this will keep a good balance of nitrogen and other nutrients (leafy vegies remove N from the soil, while legumes add it).

Can we share what we grow?
Tepary beans, a wide variety of lettuci, amaranth, brocolli, several basil varieties, tomatoes, many pepper varieties, squash, garlic, fennel, artichoke, radishes, okra, mandarin tangellos and more!

Al

Iirc, even without transportation, organic food still requires ~40% of the fossil fuel inputs most food requires. That 40% is pretty much the labor overhead. If you feel you can do it, go ahead, but it's very time/labor consuming. In terms of emissions, there are many more low hanging fruit imo.
Perhaps you are right, but I would argue few of the other "low hanging fruit" would provide as much personal satisfaction as a garden. You should probably do those other things, too, but plant a garden if you can. It will save you from at least a few hours in front of the boob tube.

I'm just doing tomatoes and basil this year. This is the first season when I've had space right outside my house for gardening. I don't want to freak out my new landlord by doing too much the first year. I'm betting he'll beg me to plant more next year, after he samples the bounty this year.

In the past I've used community gardens. This is a good option for people in apartments or condos.

Of course we got 3.5 inches of snow yesterday, so it's a bit early to start planting!

I've got 6 tomatoe plants started from seeds, 3 jalepeno plants from seeds, about 6 onions that came back from last years crop (last year was very dry, so they never really even grew at all).
I'll add some green beans, mustard greens, okra, and some cucumbers. This should provide about 2/3 of the families vegetables for the next 5 months or so.

Perhaps you are right, but I would argue few of the other "low hanging fruit" would provide as much personal satisfaction as a garden. You should probably do those other things, too, but plant a garden if you can. It will save you from at least a few hours in front of the boob tube.

That's true. But so would raising sheep or growing cotton, creating fabric, and knitting socks... :p
To each their own. I'm just stating that validating a garden from an emissions perspective isn't exactly reasonable if we're really concerned about emissions, unless we're the .00001% that's minimized them in all other aspects. Simply wanting to grow something otoh, is just that, and can stand on it's own w/o any superfluous motivation. :)

That's true. But so would raising sheep or growing cotton, creating fabric, and knitting socks... :p
To each their own. I'm just stating that validating a garden from an emissions perspective isn't exactly reasonable if we're really concerned about emissions, unless we're the .00001% that's minimized them in all other aspects. Simply wanting to grow something otoh, is just that, and can stand on it's own w/o any superfluous motivation. :)
In the grand scheme of things, and I'm talking like 50 years or more into the future, I think gardens will be a mainstay of the economy, just like they were in past centuries and as recently as World War II. There are two reasons I think this. First is the obvious environmental advantages. Second, like you say, is the sheer joy that most people get when they raise their own food. And especially when they eat it with loved ones in their own community!

One of the great things about the current crises we face is that we will have a chance to start over again, and rediscover the joys of living in small sustainable communities.

No cows here, they are too expensive in more ways than one. I do vote for the goats though. We are going to be adding a couple of dairy goats in the next year or so. So homemade cheese is on it's way. I really enjoy the time I spend at home in my gardens and on the farm.

Aaron:)

Cows fart methane, a greenhouse gas.

Just sayin'.....

:)

Cows fart methane, a greenhouse gas.

Just sayin'.....

:)


So do people:D

So do people:D
True, but not in the same quantities. Really, I remember in global warming discussions 30 years ago, cow farts were mentioned as a "serious" issue. I guess we've gotten beyound that now!

My issue with cows is the amount it takes to feed one and do you want to guess how much a vet visit costs if the freakin' thing gets sick? My grandparents were dairy farmers and ran some beef cattle on the side...goats however are a lot less prone to sickness than cattle and are small enough they could be transported on a bike trailer if necessary:D

Aaron:)

One of the great things about the current crises we face is that we will have a chance to start over again, and rediscover the joys of living in small sustainable communities.

I'm betting things turn out a little more Mad-Max than all that. Maybe after the oil wars, the water wars, and the we-don't-have-any-ideas-other-than-war wars, some great, great, great grandchildren might be groing a bean or two... but I wouldn't count on it.

...goats however are a lot less prone to sickness than cattle and are small enough they could be transported on a bike trailer if necessary:D

Aaron:)

That's something I'd love to see - a goat being transported on a bike trailer :D

You're other points about goats are especially salient. They are heartier than cattle and capable of a more versatile diet (isn't it true that goats can eat almost any form of vegetation that isn't poisonous, or is that a common misconception).

From what my grandparents told me, subsistence household gardening here in Texas was mostly about corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, chickens, blackberries, strawberries, figs and peaches.

From what my grandparents told me, subsistence household gardening here in Texas was mostly about corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, chickens, blackberries, strawberries, figs and peaches.

Sounds like a great diet, especially the figs and peaches. Do you know how large a typical subsistence garden would have been? Would it fit in the back of a suburban nightmare house?

Sounds like a great diet, especially the figs and peaches. Do you know how large a typical subsistence garden would have been? Would it fit in the back of a suburban nightmare house?
Actually it wasn't a great diet. One of my great great grandmothers died of pellagra (niacin deficiency), which is a big risk of a corn based diet. That happened a lot in the Southern U.S. before they understood about vitamins.

I think a big problem with most suburban gardens is not enough sunlight. I don't know about acreage requirements.

EDIT: Here's a guess about acreage requirements. I have records about an ancestor who was a subsistence farmer in Northeast Mississippi. There were eight people in the family and he had seven acres under cultivation. Probably chickens and maybe a couple of pigs. So I'd guess, one acre per person? Someone else probably has a better answer.

That's something I'd love to see - a goat being transported on a bike trailer :D

You're other points about goats are especially salient. They are heartier than cattle and capable of a more versatile diet (isn't it true that goats can eat almost any form of vegetation that isn't poisonous, or is that a common misconception).

That makes cutting what's left of the grass easy, just tie up the goat in a different part of the lawn each day, and when it's good and fat, you eat your lawnmower, try doing that with a gasoline powered mower:D

That's something I'd love to see - a goat being transported on a bike trailer :D

You're other points about goats are especially salient. They are heartier than cattle and capable of a more versatile diet (isn't it true that goats can eat almost any form of vegetation that isn't poisonous, or is that a common misconception).
They will eat just about anything green. In fact I have found out that they absolutely love Kudzu and will eat about 1/2 an acre a year, and when they are done it doesn't grow back, they eat it roots and all. When we get our goats I will see about getting a picture of one on a bike trailer or xtracycle. We are looking at one of the pygmy breeds.

Aaron:)

right now im eating a tortilla, homemade humas, avocado, sprout, lettuce wrap w/ muenster cheese...but, i grew the lettuce myself in a cup on the window sil. I just wanted to let you all know that its ****in tasty and knowing that i grew some of it makes it several times better... :)

In the grand scheme of things, and I'm talking like 50 years or more into the future, I think gardens will be a mainstay of the economy, just like they were in past centuries and as recently as World War II. There are two reasons I think this. First is the obvious environmental advantages. Second, like you say, is the sheer joy that most people get when they raise their own food. And especially when they eat it with loved ones in their own community!

One of the great things about the current crises we face is that we will have a chance to start over again, and rediscover the joys of living in small sustainable communities.

Absolutely, +1

Yet another reason (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-12-ecoli-leafy-greens_N.htm) to grow your own...I still contend that if we were getting our food from a local supply this would be a minor to non issue. By centralizing our food supply we have opened ourselves up to this type of problem. Along with the Peanut Butter and several other's.

Aaron:)

One problem I see newbies undergoing is that they start gardening thinking they will get enough to feed them for a year. In fact, true subsistence gardening would take a lot of work and, more importantly, a lot of know-how. If you have never planted seeds, I would recommend starting really humbly, like trying a few tomatoes in pots and so on. I currently have 4 pots where I planted one lettuce seed in each pot. This garden project will deliver enough lettuce to feed me for about 10 days. By the time I finish that lettuce, I hope to have some more in my small garden. What you really want to avoid is having a ton of lettuce ready to harvest.

One problem I see newbies undergoing is that they start gardening thinking they will get enough to feed them for a year. In fact, true subsistence gardening would take a lot of work and, more importantly, a lot of know-how. If you have never planted seeds, I would recommend starting really humbly, like trying a few tomatoes in pots and so on. I currently have 4 pots where I planted one lettuce seed in each pot. This garden project will deliver enough lettuce to feed me for about 10 days. By the time I finish that lettuce, I hope to have some more in my small garden. What you really want to avoid is having a ton of lettuce ready to harvest.

That is why the SFG method is so great. You can stagger your plantings and they are easy to keep up with. Radishes are easy to grow too...as long as you don't pull them up to check on the progress:p

Aaron:)

We covered a little of this in an earlier thread...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=282640

But YES!!!!! it is possible to do all of the above with a small vegetable garden. I have had one for the last 6 years and we normally grow enough tomatoes and lettuce and salad things for 4-5 months. Zucchini enough for 2 lifetimes... My wife also grows a lot of herbs and tomatoes from pots on the veranda. If you haven't witnessed it before, you'll never imagine how many cherry tomatoes you can grow from one plant.



How do you keep your zucchini from going bad all year? Or can it not be eaten throughout the winter?

From what my grandparents told me, subsistence household gardening here in Texas was mostly about corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, chickens, blackberries, strawberries, figs and peaches.

Man, I'm getting hungry.

From what my grandparents told me, subsistence household gardening here in Texas was mostly about corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, chickens, blackberries, strawberries, figs and peaches.


Sounds good! Here, for my great-grandparents, it was corn, wheat, oats, apples, blueberries, fish, chicken, pork, eggs, potatoes, cabbage, beans.

Before the Europeans came, it was fish, venison, bear, squash, beans, berries, wild rice, turkey.

Every area has a bounty of delicious food that grows well in that area or is native to the region.

How do you keep your zucchini from going bad all year? Or can it not be eaten throughout the winter?
There usually is a boatload of zucchini at some point in the growing season. Last year I cut them up and did a quick boil or parboil (?), where you steam them for about a minutes, cool and freeze them. I then use them in stir fry over the winter.

I think there are probably other things you can do to preserver them... Anyone?

For tomatoes, you can make spaghetti sauce and bottle or freeze it.

Those are about the only items I have kept over the winter.

But if you grow too much cabbage and carrot, those things keep very well over the winter. In fact, I often find carrots in the ground that survive the dreadful winter here.

There usually is a boatload of zucchini at some point in the growing season. Last year I cut them up and did a quick boil or parboil (?), where you steam them for about a minutes, cool and freeze them. I then use them in stir fry over the winter.

The technical term is "blanch".


to treat food with boiling water in order to loosen skin, to preserve colour, to remove natural bitterness or to destroy harmful bacteria prior to freezing. Two methods are used, the first being to plunge the food to be blanched into boiling water whilst the second is to place the items to be blanched in cold water and bring briefly to the boil. The second method is typically used for onions, sweetbreads and for taking the saltiness out of bacon.

The technical term is "blanch".
Blanch... yes.. I forgot. Where I come from (Newfoundland), we call it parboil, but I never hear anyone here mention the term. But it is English... apparently

par·boil (pärboil)
tr.v. par·boiled, par·boil·ing, par·boils
1. To cook partially by boiling for a brief period: parboiled and then sautéed the new potatoes.
2. To subject to intense, often uncomfortable heat.

There usually is a boatload of zucchini at some point in the growing season. Last year I cut them up and did a quick boil or parboil (?), where you steam them for about a minutes, cool and freeze them. I then use them in stir fry over the winter.

I think there are probably other things you can do to preserver them... Anyone?

For tomatoes, you can make spaghetti sauce and bottle or freeze it.

Those are about the only items I have kept over the winter.

But if you grow too much cabbage and carrot, those things keep very well over the winter. In fact, I often find carrots in the ground that survive the dreadful winter here.

The traditional way to keep most home produce long term is to can it. You use canning jars and either a large pot or pressure cooker, depending on the acidity of the item, to heat the jars and kill any bacteria. There are plenty of good resources to provide guidance on how to do this safely. Not doing it safely generally means botulism poisoning, which is very serious.

Freezing is certainly easier to do, but requires a large freezer. Canned items need no refrigeration until the jar is opened.

Some crops, like root vegetables and potatoes, keep well in cool dark areas for several months without any other preparation.

BTW, before you decide that growing your own crops is the way to go, determine how much you need to grow during the growing season to supply you with food year-round. One problem with growing your own food is most places do not have proper conditions to bring in a crop continuously. So you have to harvest large quantities and prepare them for long-term storage. Each crop has it's own peak harvest, so you need to plan accordingly.

Items such as beans can be dried and stored for long periods.
Many vegetables can be dried in the oven and stored that way. Simply boiling them will rehydrate them.
Fruits can be dried this way also. In fact, bananas and apples are quite tasty when dehyrated, IMO.

I live on what was farmland until about 1905. I'm not sure what they grew then, but Philadelphia-area farms these days produce dairy, beef, apples, peaches, pears, turnips, potatoes, yams, carrots, lettuce, and spinach in vast quantities, and you can buy it from locally managed farm stands. Much of the stuff is certified organic, too.

In my neighborhood the ground usually receives direct sunlight for a fairly short period of time because there isnt too much room between houses. I'm sure there are some things we could grow at home, though. I suspect backyard gardens could supply about 3% of this neighborhood's food needs, but the area within 200 miles could supply the rest.

Don't forget open pollinated seeds. There are lots of forums and groups that trade seeds with each other, Gardeners are generous too, some will send free seeds to those that come and ask. Wonderful, heirloom varieties. In my little suburban backyard (what grass?) I grow tomatoes, oranges, lemons, pluots,apricots, apples, almonds, cherries, plums, onions, squash, pumpkin,peppers, eggplant, lettuce, herbs, and cucumber. And I keep 3 chickens for eggs and eating bugs. My favorite addition to my soil is used coffee grounds from the local coffeehouse.

.
In my neighborhood the ground usually receives direct sunlight for a fairly short period of time because there isnt too much room between houses. I'm sure there are some things we could grow at home, though. I suspect backyard gardens could supply about 3% of this neighborhood's food needs, but the area within 200 miles could supply the rest.

Check out community gardening if your yard isn't suitable for gardening, or if you don't have a yard. I did this for several years, in 3 different cities.

Most cities, AFAIK, have community gardening programs. They turn vacant lots into roto-tilled gardens for people to use, usually free of charge. Some of them provide other services, such as tool lending, books, plants and seeds, crop sharing, and much else. One member of this forum helped to build a greenhouse by a community garden here in Lansing. Residents can use the greenhouse to start plants that they transplant to their gardens.

Using a bike to get to the community garden is no big deal, especially if the garden provides tools -- or tool lockers where you can store your own tools. When I was a kid, my sister and I gardened at our dad's workplace. We rode our bikes there (about 4 miles, IIRC) several times a week to tend the garden.

Actually it wasn't a great diet. One of my great great grandmothers died of pellagra (niacin deficiency), which is a big risk of a corn based diet. That happened a lot in the Southern U.S. before they understood about vitamins.

But isn't chicken a great source of niacin?

But isn't chicken a great source of niacin?
Sure is, if you have it.

The older folks in my family used to talk a lot about the Great Depression. In fact, sometimes it seemed they talked about little else. Anyway, not everyone had plenty of meat back then. It's still scarce in much of the world.

I suspect a lot of peak oil doomerism and anxiety comes from a collective memory of the Great Depression and (at least in the South) the Civil War experience.

With modern standards of living and knowledge of nutrition, I don't think local food and gardening need to contribute to malnutrition!

That is why the SFG method is so great. You can stagger your plantings and they are easy to keep up with. Radishes are easy to grow too...as long as you don't pull them up to check on the progress:p

Aaron:)

I had a baby radish with my salad last night for dinner - all from my garden. For someone who has never grown anything in her life, that was pretty thrilling! Tasty too :)

I had a baby radish with my salad last night for dinner - all from my garden. For someone who has never grown anything in her life, that was pretty thrilling! Tasty too :)
I know it's a long way to go from your first baby radish of the season to full subsistence gardening, but, the way I look at it is every lettuce that wasn't trucked from California is a plus... (unless you life in California.) I think if people put as much effort into their vegetable gardens as they do in their lawns, we'd be a lot closer to the goal of self-sufficiency.

I am going to get one of these:

http://www.aerogrow.com/