Now there’s a great way to ruin my day–tell me we’re facing a steep rise in food inflation and my grocery bill is going to hit the roof. Wheat, soy, corn, milk, meat, it’s all going up. Up, up, up. Add this to the fact that our economy isn’t in the greatest of shape and I’d say someone needs a spanking.
Yes, Mother Nature is being a very bad girl this year, though I will give her credit for showering my state of Florida with rain (and won’t mention that she chose to do so while I was on vacation in the sunny–not!–Florida Keys), she is killing the middle of the country with her drought conditions. In fact, it’s going have a global impact. Even the price of eggs is expected to shoot up–aagh!
Now my kids won’t miss things like chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers (yes, it’s all going to be affected), but they will miss their eggs and toast. Make that French toast for my daughter. On the positive, I think this drought provides an excellent incentive to go grain-free. Just think of it, you’ll be healthy, your joints will be happy and your moods will please everyone around you. 🙂 It’ll be great! Except for one small problem: we have no rain and the price of fresh vegetables is sky-rocketing.
Hmph. Well, that brings me back to the garden, I guess. Now I’m not suggesting you folks in the southern half of the country head outdoors and start tilling dirt (please don’t–you might keel over from heat stroke) but it would be a good idea to start planning for your fall garden. You gardeners in the northern half start adding rows while you can. And while you’re planning and adding, make sure you have a good rain collection system nearby. It will help save on the cost of water. Check out how one homeowner managed the task of homemade cistern. Easy!
Another good idea is to go hydropnic; the method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. And the water is recycled through the system for added efficiency. Perfect! And completely out of Mother Nature’s hands. Fast, too. Need salad in a week? Grow hydroponically! You can use towers or buckets–your choice.
No matter which way you choose to garden, now is as good a time as any to consider the prospect. The food you grow is a lot cheaper than the food you buy. It’s fresher and healthier, provided you go 100% organic. But I heard cheaper and THAT’S the bottom line when it comes to food inflation.
Those tomatoes made my mouth water. I am in the middle of the dry, dry, dry midwest. I can’t water everything but I have been able to water my tomatoes so they look promising even though they are still green.
I feel your pain. The heat and high temps around here are TOUGH on a plant, despite the dogged effort of my lone sprinkler! It’s one of the reasons I’m solarizing the garden and have limited my beds to peanuts for the time being. They don’t mind the heat. But next month? Get ready pumpkins–we’re going in!
I’ll also start another batch of tomatoes and peppers, but indoors. Where it’s safe. 🙂