Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Agree the economic signs aren't looking good. But you bring up a point I
want to focus on, far too many people are in difficult situations already,
and setbacks like yours can happen to almost anybody. For many, cheap
places to live and produce some of our own food are the only way to keep
our heads above water. Those of us who are more fortunate shouldn't need
national disasters to spur us to think outside the box. What you saw in
Italy tells us we can do more than we think. We don't have serious problems
with food prices or shortages yet, but the storm clouds are coming. 

Home growing and farmers markets are multiplying nationwide
http://www.localharvest.org/ but the skills and practical knowledge to grow
are almost lost, two generations after the Victory Gardens of WW II.  No
doubt more people would try their hand at growing food but don't know how.
We've been soaked in chemical-think so long we've forgotten the simple
basics that work. Those who remember or can relearn how will be in great
demand as teachers. Even the disabled may find lucrative work passing on
the knowledge. 

Try this. Go in any big bookstore and ask them for the self sufficiency
section. They'll look at  you with that big blank stare and stammer
something about not knowing what you're asking for.  I'm telling you,
skills and practical knowledge are going to be in demand, big time. 

Like Steve and others, my partner and I are far from being self sufficient
(though she has the immigrant parents' knowledge and skills from Italy),
and we had to relocate and start over developing a local network of regular
customers for produce and people we can work and swap skills and goods
with.  Once again we have to develop that community within the community.
That's what we all need as local growers. Seek out those who already
believe in the value of fresh, home grown food, those who want to learn
food preserving to eat out of season, those who have practical skills to
trade, and so forth. 

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 7/18/2006 at 11:34 PM art corbit wrote:

>I Steve,
>
>I was set up pretty good until I lost my wife a year ago last March. She
>was
>the money maker in our family (Registered Nurse with 38 years on the same
>job). I very quickly lost about every thing we had. I have been very badly
>disabled for several years and I could not pay for our home on what little
>SS I draw. I am in the process now of trying to get set back up but it is
>going to take me a while. I bought a cheap mobile home to get me by until
I
>can do better. It's in a small park so I don't have mush room to work with
>either. I do have a small garden but there are so many large trees close I
>only have a small spot that gets about 5 hours of sun a day.
>
>There are several things that could happen that would bring this nation to
>it's knees and it could happen at any minute. The one thing I fear most is
>loosing our electricity. It would be real easy to knock out a few control
>centers in our electric grids and put most of this nation in the dark. It
>would not have to be terrorist that did it either. Another thing I am
>concerned with is our economy in general. Right now people are pouring
>every
>dollar they can into real estate and the interest rate is starting to
>climb.
>If the interest rate goes very high people will start dumping this real
>estate right back in the laps of the banks and loan companies. This alone
>could be enough to bring our economy down.
>
>This increase in gasoline and fuel prices is a very dangerous move too at
>this time. One way or the other this will increase the price of everything
>you and I have to buy. The trucking industry will have no choice but raise
>their charges and when they do we will be the ones that pay that increase
>one way or the other. This will also cause a bunch of greedy people to
also
>raise their prices not because they need to but just because the want to
>make more profit. This has already started.
>
>We also have something else built into our economy that most people don't
>consider. Way too much of our economy is being supported by the sale of
>junk
>items that you and I want but really don't have to have. As this gap
closes
>you and I are going to be forced to cut back on these junk item. We will
>simply be in a position where we can no longer afford them and still buy
>the
>things we must have. This will put a strain on everything and if it is bad
>enough our entire economy will collapse.
>
>When you can go down and pump $50 in gasoline into your car or pickup and
>it
>still not be completely full we have some very serious problems. In my
part
>of the world most people simply drive too far to work and back and they
>will
>not be able to afford it. This will mean they will either move closer to
>their jobs or get a job closer to home. Either way this will cost a lot of
>extra money that we don't need to be spending right now. Look for a sharp
>increase in unemployment in the next year. This will put even more strain
>on
>our economy.
>
>We have a lot of very serious problems that most people don't even think
>about. I also believe it is very possible that something will happen in
>this
>country that will give George Bush the legal right to declare Martial Law.
>If this should happen then that will be the straw that breaks the camels
>back. I hope this doesn't happen but I will feel a lot better when the
next
>election is in the history books and Bush is out of office.
>
>Art
>
>