Are you planning or preparing?
Perhaps you’re doing both? Way back in the last millennium when I was but a youth, I used to join the throng in making my New Years’ resolutions. I quickly learned that I was not that resolute!! Any determination to get fitter or to get up earlier had left me standing still by the end of January. As it is my aim to live intentionally and purposefully, I now make plans for the year instead of resolutions. They can be as simple as painting the garden fence or planting a new border. I aim for a list of 6 which I write down. I somehow feel more accountable when I see those intentions in black and white. So, I have my plans for this year and now I need to make the necessary preparations to get them done.
Last year is still imposing on this one bringing its old ways with it. There has been no fresh start just more of the same. For so many, plans were thrown out of the window and we were not prepared for the rug being pulled out from under our feet. We were robbed! But now, at the beginning of this year, we can take back a little by planning to be prepared. One way to do this is to take some steps towards becoming more self -sufficient. I don’t believe in absolute self – sufficiency (I’m not convinced that really exists), so I’m not talking about living as a hermit in hair cloth on your own island! We are meant for community and interdependence. You have skills, talents and unwanted resources that I don’t have, and vice a versa, so let’s swap and share – I do love me a bit of bartering!
Growing some of your own food is a means of managing and controlling your resources. You may not have the room, time or physical health needed to stock your pantry for the year, but perhaps you could grow pots of micro-greens, herbs or sprouting seeds on a window ledge instead? It all counts and the enjoyment of eating something you’ve grown is surely matched by the psychological benefits of engaging in the activity. For those of us who are blessed with an outdoor area, now is the time to plan how we’re going to utilise it to our benefit. Many fruits and veggies can be grown in pots so we don’t even need to landscape the garden.
We can only hazard a guess at what lies ahead for us this year but we do know that the seasons won’t wait for us. We need to anticipate, prepare and work now to keep up with them. Prepare your soil for your planting plans; prepare your greenhouse for your veggie plant plans; prepare your kitchen for your preservation and storage plans. Think two seasons ahead: in winter prepare for summer and in summer prepare for winter. And, prepare where you can, for when those plans don’t work out the way you thought – because if there’s one thing certain in life, it’s that nothing is certain in life! Happy planning!
If you want to learn how to grow your own food but don’t know where to start – we have the right course for you. Visit our shop and learn how to grow Groceries from the Garden.
One is hampered from growing anything on one’s window ledge because they are all outside and thus are subjected to temperatures which are not designed to keep them healthy! But I can still remember when we used to grow veg in Kiddy, I disliked the work because of my back but I loved the result! As ever loved reading your post it made me quite homesick.