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COV19, storms, flooding--what to do? Grow more food!

 
steward & bricolagier
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Last year we had a thread running massive floods in the US, deaths of livestock, farmers going bankrupt--what to do? Grow more food and this year, the problems are slightly different, but the solution is still the same: When the world is uncertain, grow more food.

If COV19 goes pandemic, trucks will not be running, stores won't be open, the more food you have growing, the better the chance of your family and friends coping easier. Malnutrition makes illness more likely.

It's trite to say there is one answer to everything, there's not. But having food growing makes the other answers easier to implement. And if the virus fades out, excess food is never bad. There's really no way to lose.

Grow more food!
 
steward
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I'm going to expand this a little - grow more food using permaculture principles and techniques. Why? Because those techniques require less labor so if you're down with the flu, everything's not going to die due to a couple weeks neglect!

This particularly relates to animals - you can't just hibernate in bed for a week if you've got animals to care for, but if you've looked at your system and found ways to be as efficient as possible, you'll be further ahead. Not everyone has a running creek to bring fresh water to their chickens, and I personally believe that animals should be checked daily if at all possible, because sometimes shit happens (once our rooster somehow got his foot caught in the chain that holds up their feeder - he was hanging upside down when Hubby found him but was fine once released - never happened before or since). But if the system is sound, many things can slide a little for a week without long term harm.

 
pollinator
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Sharing extra food with neighbors might help them feel less worried as well.  I'm hoping to grow extra at my dad's house this year, but as it is a first-year food garden, I'm not so confident that I will be able to do that.

 
pollinator
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In addition to food, this virus is already disrupting supply lines. It would be good to plant things to replace the various non-food items that might be hard to find for a while. Luffa gourds for scrubbing sponges, soapwort or other saponin-rich plants for laundry soap. Pyrethrum daisies for insecticide. Etc.

It might even be a good idea to grow a small patch of fiber plants like cotton or flax, just so you have fresh seeds in case you need a bigger patch later.

I noticed that my favorite wire mesh fencing is made in China, so I plan to buy a few extra rolls here and there when I can. Quail and rabbits were a few more years away in my plans, but I'd like to have all the materials I need for building their cages, just in case.
 
gardener & hugelmaster
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I think the next couple of weeks might be very telling about the total cumulative effects of the virus. It could fizzle out or it could become much worse. Either way though, more floods or another hurricane or epidemic or unemployment or something else will come along. Someone somewhere always needs help with food. Seems like the more permaculture food systems we humans establish prior to more problems developing the better off we will be. Grow more food. Sounds like a great plan!
 
steward & author
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It is a good excuse to stay home and perfect or learn a craft.  

I usually try to teach myself a new skill during flu season.  It transforms consumption time into production.
 
steward
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A lot of us now have kids at home that would normally be in school. Growing food is totally educational! And there's virus-free air outside! All the more reasons to grow more food!
children-garden-coronavirus.jpg
School's closed due to coronavirus--use the time to plant some food!
School's closed due to coronavirus--use the time to plant some food!
 
r ranson
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gardener & author
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It's autumn in the colder parts of Australia, still time to get some of the fast growing Asian greens and mustard greens planted as seeds, and radishes too, maybe even turnips. I have some kale, leek, and other green seedlings ready to be planted out now too.

It's a good time to build the soil with green manure crops, and garlic and broad beans can be planted for late spring/early summer harvest too.

We don't know what's going to unfold in the next few months, but it's better to have some nutrient dense greens in the garden rather than none at all.
 
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