In the previous post on food security we looked at three staple foods – tomatoes, onions, and carrots – to get an idea of how much of each of them a person might need to grow to be more food secure. This time we are going to continue on and look at three more garden favorites.
Potatoes
Many urban gardeners don’t think they have enough room to grow potatoes, but that’s just not true. With innovations like the “potato condo”, lots of spuds can be grown in the relatively small footprint of 4 square feet. If you use this vertical gardening method you can grow more in less space and can get by with 4 plants per person. Growing the traditional way, the average need per person is 10 plants.
Storing potatoes through the cold season is as easy as keeping them in a cool, dark space in a closet or basement.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are easy to grow and a single vine is enough to provide two people with enough for fresh eating and pickling alike. If you choose a bush-type cucumber plant, two bushes per person is a good starting point.
The best method for storing cucumbers is pickling.
Beans
There are a lot of sources that will tell you to grow more than a dozen bush bean plants per person for adequate supplies, but I have found that for average eaters, 6 bean plants is enough.
Beans can be pressure canned or blanched and frozen for long term storage.
4 Ways to Increase Food Security
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My goal is to produce as much produce as I eat plus a little left over to give away. I plant heirlooms so that I can save the seeds and eventually get a natural adaptation that is best for my particular environment. I’m trying out at least one new type of fruit and vegetable each year to find the things that grow best here and that I like. I’m also starting to grow mushrooms because they’re a great source of protein and taste good. And, sometime this year, I will start raising chickens and keeping bees. Good thing I’m retired because all of this is going to be a full-time job :).