Growing your own Food: Resources

Regrowing from your food scraps can be such a fun and rewarding process that can fill up your kitchen, and give you extra! I see it as a move to regain personal power and eat well-though the ways to achieving it are much much harder for some than others.

There are many different ways to approach gardening. Do you only have 10$ to spare a month for it? Only have a one time amount to go at it with? Going to use scraps from work, home, a dumpster? Every option is a viable option, You can garden! And I hope that I can make it somewhat more digestible for you.

It can be extremely overwhelming for some to try and break into this world of gardening. Though I hope in time everyone can come to understand that it was our natural knowledge before it was stolen from us and sold back. In order to take the knowledge back and make it so that simply growing food it is not privatized for future generations we must first simply, take the jump.

Starting off

What Can be regrown/ what's available?

Rather you are finding things to grow through:

Work Scraps,

Dumpster Scraps,

Food Scraps,

Foraging

Seed Banks Libraries

Food Drives/ banks

it is all a respected option.

Once you identify what is near you compare it to

this list

Next thoughts

What Can be regrown/ what's available?

It's important to make sure you are avoiding sterile seeds if you want to regrow from your scraps. Sterile seeds in this sense means the seeds will not produce a new body. It does not mean sterile In the sense of sterilization from contaminants. You can understand more about rather or not your produce is grown from sterile seeds by looking up the company name and looking for who their suppliers, parent companies, associate companies, and subsidiaries are- among other things. Look into your food and the history of these practices here.

Look for non-hybrid varieties: Seeds labeled as "open-pollinated" or "heirloom" are more likely to produce viable seeds that you can save and replant.
Check seed descriptions: Seed catalogs or packets often indicate whether a variety is a hybrid or open-pollinated.
Support seed saving initiatives: Organizations and communities that promote seed saving often offer non-hybrid seeds.
Research where your food is coming from

continued thinking

Dumpster Scrap Tips

-Where you are growing ( inside, outside, in ground, hanging pots, raised bed )

(if outside you need to worry about soil contamination)

-How much time do you have to give? Do you want low or high maintenance?

-What level are you trying to grow at? Is it just for snacks, meals, resell?

Keep these and more questions in your mind when choosing what to grow

Your Soil

Dumpster Scrap Tips

Many restaurants and businesses throw away produce that does not fit their aesthetic needs, and simply just scraps. Identify the restaurants opening/closing schedule and assume the dumpsters have prep waste from 3 hours before opening to opening.

Identify the resources available and the method in which you need to use to regrow it.

When getting food from dumpsters to regrow it does have less dangers than retrieving food to eat but you still need to keep multiple factors in mind.

-Chemical waste from cleaning

-Broken Glass

-Rotten Food

-Maybe rats and raccoons

Closing shifts often throw out more chemical waste that could be of harm to your health and produce re-growing probability.

Your Soil

Avoiding soil contaminants

Testing your soil for environmental things

Environmental disasters happen much more often than we realize and companies pay big money to cover them up. Throughout all of the years of industrialization in the United States many things have gone un reported to homeowners and renters alike. I highly advise that you research environmental contamination into watersheds and top soil near you if you can not test your soil.

What to do:

Research your property's history: If you know what the land was used for in the past, it can give you clues about potential contaminants.
Soil testing: Look for tests that specifically check for heavy metals and other chemicals. Some labs offer comprehensive packages.
Consider a "bioassay": This is a simple test where you plant sensitive plants in your soil to see if they grow normally. It can give you a general idea if something is inhibiting growth.
Contact your local extension office: They can provide advice on soil testing and potential issues in your area.
If you live in a well populated area it is best to assume you have contaminated soil. This simply means having raised garden beds, hanging pots, etc are advised for health purposes. Odds are that the soil is probably contaminated and the effects from contaminated food is not advisable.

Testing your soil for environmental things

Know Your Soil's pH: pH measures how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Most plants thrive in a slightly acidic to neutral range. If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, plants can't absorb nutrients properly, even if they're present.

At-Home Soil Testing: Mix one-half cup vinegar with a scoop of soil. If it fizzes or bubbles, your soil is alkaline. Mix one-half cup water with a scoop of soil, then add baking soda. If it fizzes or bubbles, your soil is acidic. If neither reaction occurs, your soil is balanced, or neutral

Ph tests are typically less than 15$ in stores as well

2.Nutrient Levels: Soil tests reveal the levels of essential nutrients like phosphorus and potassium. This helps you determine if you need to add fertilizer and how much, preventing over- or under-fertilizing.

can also be found in stores

Identify Problems: Testing can uncover issues like high lead levels or poor drainage, allowing you to take corrective measures before planting.

Avoiding Sterilized Seeds

Buy food from Local Farmers

Testing your soil before gardening is a smart move for a few key reasons:

Know Your Soil's pH: pH measures how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Most plants thrive in a slightly acidic to neutral range. If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, plants can't absorb nutrients properly, even if they're present.
Nutrient Levels: Soil tests reveal the levels of essential nutrients like phosphorus and potassium. This helps you determine if you need to add fertilizer and how much, preventing over- or under-fertilizing.
Identify Problems: Testing can uncover issues like high lead levels or poor drainage, allowing you to take corrective measures before planting.

Buy food from Local Farmers

Food from local famers not only helps support local economy, but is the number 1 way we can help farmers stabilize themselves. It is essential to support local agriculture before illegal Monopoly's target them. In the search bar at the top of the page linked below you can find local farms near you

Farm Finder

Soil Resources

Dirtmatch.com

A guide for communities

free dirt

A guide for communities

Soil guide for communities

here

PDF food id

A guide for communities

People advice on finding Soil

found out your soil has contaminants ? Learn more about healing your soil with plants (that you can't eat yet)

pytoremedation

People advice on finding Soil

pytoremedation

Impact of soil contaminants

People advice on finding Soil

Impact of soil contaminants

True leaf market vegetable growing guide

Cornell

USDA guide

People advice on finding Soil

Impact of soil contaminants

Understanding soil risks and hazards

nrcs

Growing Resources

Buy food from Local Farmers or Go to Seed Banks

Food from local famers who still have heirloom seeds not only helps support local economy. It is essential to support local agriculture before illegal Monopoly's target them.

Farm Finder

PDF food id

Buy food from Local Farmers or Go to Seed Banks

Pdf to help individuals understand categories

Grocery Botany

Vegetable Growing Guide

Buy food from Local Farmers or Go to Seed Banks

Vegetable Growing Guide

True leaf market vegetable growing guide

Veggie

Fruit Growing Guide

Mushroom growing guide

Vegetable Growing Guide

Cornell guide to growing fruit at home

fruity

Mushroom growing guide

For Food

mushy

Mushroom growing guide

Medicinal

psych

'Gardening basics for Dummies'

Companion planting guide

'Gardening basics for Dummies'

What can grow well with what

learn

Planting Calendar

'Gardening basics for Dummies'

Planting Calendar

What grows best outside and when, Farmers Almanac

here

Garden Bed resources

Places you can borrow tools

Places you can find free materials

Library's often have free Tool Lending Programs. Call your local library!

Home Depot has tool rental programs

Lowes also has tool rental programs

localtools.org has loaner programs

Neighbors

Friends

Family

Places you can find free materials

Junk Yards,

Behind Stores near dumpsters,

Discarded Pallets, (be sure to avoid treated ones)

Trash Dumps ( talk to your dump employee)

Construction Sites

Schools dump

Social Media

Thrift Stores

Places with lots of incoming shipments

Liquor Stores dumps

Neighbors

Locally Owned Restaurants possibly have discarded pallets you could speak to owners about

Mega Stores might have discarded ones

Pallet raised Garden Bed

Places you can find free materials

17 Recycled Gardening Ideas

Pallet Raised Garden beds are a good way to be cost efficient if you do not have a lot of funds to spend. If you make a pallet raised bed it is important to familiarize yourself with the stamp used to identify treated pallets. Treated pallets will taint your produce.. Below is a text post on how to make Pallet Raised Beds

instructional