My 2010 self-sufficiency challenge

[Cornelian]

After coming out of a year to 18 months of being so ill, I need something to get me going again. So a couple of months ago I decided that in 2010 I wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible.

I decided that:

* In 2010 I will be 100% self-sufficient in vegetables and herbs.

* I will be 30% self-sufficient in fruits (only 30% as my fruit trees are as yet young and, sensibly, I know that next year they will not provide all I need). The fruits I do need will be bought in from local growers.

* I will be 100% self-sufficient in all the jams, sauces and various condiments that I use.

I should not need to buy anything in from the shops foodwise save flour, sugar, vinegar, spices, tea and coffee, and whatever dairy and meat I need. (OK, so that's a fair bit!! LOL) Dairy and meat also from local growers. I do have tea bushes planted but they're not close to providing me with enough of the good stuff just yet.

The garden had suffered terribly while I couldn't work it, but I am slowly bringing it back under cultivation again - most of the heavy pruning and weeding done and this winter (I am in the southern hemisphere, so am in winter now) will be spent in soil improvement. Also, in a fit of enthusiasm (always easy to do in the chair in front of the computer!) I ordered in seven raised beds so I can make use of otherwise unusable space. They are made of corrugated colorbond and are oval in shape and just bolt together. So all seven duly arrived, and all seven are now in place (with help from friends when I couldn't cope) and bolted in place and I am slooooooowly started to fill them with about 8 cubic yards of good soil and compost (the bases I have filled with all the prunings from the garden). It is heavy and slow and very painful work so am doing it slowly (I have been beset by terrible muscular and joint aches and pains in the past couple of months, which is either the onset of rheumatoid arthritis or a long term side effect of months of chemotherapy - need to see doc to work out which one, but it is slowing me down a bit.) But it will get done and in time for spring plantings.

I have ordered in all my seeds. My winter plantings are doing well. I will need to do a lot of growing out of containers as well.

I did sit down and work out a plan of action re where to plant everything, and if you are interested you can view it here:

http://www.victorianflowergarden.com/00 ... erplan.jpg

(I have some quince trees and a fig tree ordered to be shoehorned in somewhere, too.)

Wish me luck and enough room to plant everything!

[Flo]

I'll wish you suitable weather in each season and may the slugs, snails, cabbage white butterflies and other predators go somewhere else.

[DeneciePie]

Wow! Looks like a very ambitious project! I hope you are not planning in doing all that in a day! I really like the way you have your beds so it almost looks like a vegetable meadow instead of the usual strict squarish beds. Lovely!

[Cornelian]

I am very restricted in the way I arrange my beds - my block slopes toward the north quite markedly - so everything steps down in a series of terraces toward the northern boundary - most of the beds are actually at different levels. I'd dearly love a FLAT piece of land with regular rows but I just can't do it. Not shown on that plan are paths and patios and other areas I just can't plan on - already some of the ovals have taken up a patio area and one path I had to dig up!

[Milims]

Looks fantastic - I'm quite envious! I hope it all works out for you and that your health improves wonderfully

[Millymollymandy]

Good luck Cornelian. That looks like quite a project!

[ina]

That looks wonderful - I wish I was half as organised!

[Cornelian]

I am worried most about onions. To grow enough for what I would like to eat I'd need to cut down on other crops. I can use leeks instead of onions, but I will need to develop strategies to cope with the inevitable onion-less weeks. Onions are the one thing I can't seem to grow in pots ... unless someone has a wonderful onion in pot suggestion .... mine always die off in pots.

[MuddyWitch]

May I add my best wishes to you? I love your garden, but it does look like the spinach has had an argument with the rest of the veg

MW