living off the grid..ish

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, eggsarascal said:

if it comes off I'll have a little veg plot ready for next year.

I hope you do better than my very reduced area, the dogs wrecked most of my veg patch and I've just picked ten snails off my five remaining courgette plants.

[eggsarascal]

4 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

I hope you do better than my very reduced area, the dogs wrecked most of my veg patch and I've just picked ten snails off my five remaining courgette plants.

Sounds like you are living the dream.

 

[trigger_andy]

I doubt there will be any noticeable rise in stalls/markets, as you say they aren't cheap. I use the farm gate stalls around here because I've only me to look out to, if I had a family the supermarkets would win every time.
 
Growing your own is the way.
 
I'm in the process of trying to rent a shed with a bit of ground for 'storage', if it comes off I'll have a little veg plot ready for next year.

I meant local people as opposed to farmers who are growing their own produce will increase and have a surplus they may wish to sell or trade.

For example, I have an abundance of eggs I simply don’t need every day. We give them away, but if there was someone with too much tomatoes I’d happily trade them.

I’m genuinely interested in how folk plan on planting and harvesting tatties with this no dig “nature knows best” ideal. I’m not talking about growing above ground in bags or tubs, that’s not natures way.

[RickandMorty]

I agree, back in the day that is how it was but I am talking way before any of us was born. Maybe pockets of it around and or when we was all young.

 

The way forward is to grow your own. It may mean eat whats in session. Also be wary of allotments, although i liked mine it get all very childish and political. Mainly old farts nothing better to do.  The other side I had a few helpful people and then a few Eastern europens got some allotments they work gard and make good allotments but they gave everyone attitude. Not saying all allotments are like this just my exp and a few people I have spoke  to.

 

Guess it's no different from anywhere egos etc. (My allotments have cultures from all over..just in case the Woke patrol are on here) everyone was being a d*ck besides a few

 

Own land, own rules grow what you want how you want.

---

 

 

[Stere]

I still think food is relatively cheap. Valid reasons to grow your own is more to get interesting & tasty stuff thats not in the shops as  it doesn't really save any money imo, as food would still have to get loads more expensive for that....

 

Grow you own both privately and as any larger enterprise,  has to compete  with the low cost  of food and the low cost of  the mass global transport of said food, from industrial scale automated/mechanized farming in regions with the ideal soil type climate to suit each crop.  That is why any modern  small mixed market gardens have to have added value (be organic/specialize in some thing unique/ have a niche) and are very hard to make any money from. Its also is why the once common historically localized  - (low food miles before it was a trendy idea) market gardens, near each city and town died out. This may change in future its current trends continue  though.

 

There is a well run local place the does veg boxes that buys in some stuff and uses  voulunteers alot for free labour, sometimes run courses etc. Prices are  more expensive and if if all labour was payed minimum wage it would probbaly be even more  v supermarkets. I mm not  extacly sure how there finacial model works but id say its more like a non profit/ charity the relies on community goodwill, and ran by people with other sources of income.

 

Also another more commercially run place has a farm shop thet buys alot of fancy more processed food lines along side the   veg  they grow. Id summarize/guess all there profit is from the stuff they buy in & that subsidized the cost of the stuff they grow. They sell posh jams etc   for 5 quid a jar v lidl that sells jam for 30p a jar. 30p a jar is cheaper than you can buy empty glass jars when I looked into it. So probaly you pay more for the jar than the jam with the lidl jam.....wouldn't be suprised if the the packaging is the higher % cost of many foodstuffs which underlines how cheap  the actually food is.

 

Also id guess why the alotment is full of the types you don't like. GYO ethos tends attracts people with "alternative" views, socialists/ hippies etc basically. Becasue they are idealists doing something the doesn't make finacial sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Stere

[RickandMorty]

Totally agree with the finance stuff. We all now the other pros and cons so I won't list them.

 

And I wish my (old) allotment was full of hippies 😆😆 i had mainly old miserable farts

[Paul in the woods]

9 hours ago, openspaceman said:

I hope you do better than my very reduced area, the dogs wrecked most of my veg patch and I've just picked ten snails off my five remaining courgette plants.

You should consider the no-dog gardening method (fence them out). Our lab has always been fairly good with the garden although she's a firm believer in pick your own. All sort fruit, tomatoes, peas etc, almost as bad as the chickens.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Paul in the woods

[Guest Gimlet]

11 hours ago, peds said:

Rather handily, the planet has been asking the same questions lately, and it'll not be an issue in a generation or twos' time.

Protip: switch to organic and regenerative practices early and avoid the rush! Either adapt to the food production systems of the future, or... don't! 

This may be of interest. This a blog from one of my biggest hedge laying clients, a 2500 acre organic farm on the Wiltshire downs:

Pertwood Organic Farm | Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

[openspaceman]

51 minutes ago, Paul in the woods said:

You should consider the no-dog gardening method (fence them out). Our lab has always been fairly good with the garden although she's a firm believer in pick your own. All sort fruit, tomatoes, peas etc, almost as bad as the chickens.

It's a small garden and they love playing tag. I try and take them out for decent long walks but I never know when they are going to descend on us.

[peds]

5 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

 

 

I meant local people as opposed to farmers 
I’m genuinely interested in how folk plan on planting and harvesting tatties with this no dig “nature knows best” ideal. I’m not talking about growing above ground in bags or tubs, that’s not natures way.
 

 

 

I mean, there's nothing stopping you from googling "potatoes no dig", if you were really that interested. 

A few guys and I were doing some experiments on no dig potatoes at a well-known organic growery. Yields were identical, labour greatly reduced.