Modern systemic capitalism is built on and fueled by a manipulated state of scarcity. This state induces stress on populations, and stress creates all manner of other health issues, both mental and physical.
A soil-based food system is an attainable remedy to all of this.
That's one thing Geoff Lawton meant when he said "all the world's problems can be solved in the garden."
I'm setting up a perennial forest garden in my back yard. Perennials take a while to establish, but you hear all over this space about the "abundance of natural systems."
I wasn't seeing it.
"Wheres my strawberries?" I planted about sixty plants and at least five varieties. "I won't have goji this year, they take years to produce!" They're perennials, and need to establish themselves. "Why do I have to pinch fruits and flowers off my fruit trees? I want peaches, damnit!" It's because they'll do better next year if I let their roots grow.
Patience isn't my greatest quality.
Then I slowed down and took a walk through the small garden. See, it's all planted in about 2400 square feet in my yard. 40x60 That's a really small scale for what it is, but it takes me a long time to snake through it on the little paths I've worn between swales, trees, young berry bushes, and squash plants.
On a walk to show my friend what all was going on, we looked pretty closely at the system and how it's coming together.
"Ah, crap, there's aphids all over my corn flowers." But there's lady bugs, assassin bugs, spiders, hoverflies, wasps, mantises, and shield bugs too. Plenty to eat the aphids. Three days ago was the aphid bloom and today I can't find any of them. There's no scarcity of allies here. No shortage of help. It is abundant.
"I'm sad, there's no bees here!" Bees aren't native here. These plants don't need bees. We have wasps, flies, hummingbirds, moths, butterflies, and ants, all doing a damn good job here.
"These goji won't fruit for a few years. Wait, never mind. There's five berries here on this long cane, and half a dozen new canes coming up a foot tall from one plant!" What shortage? Where's the source of all this stress? This is growing. The soil has this all under control.
The squash is taking over. It's absolutely everywhere, reaching out over every part of the garden. From what I've seen, it's conservative to forecast 200 pounds of squash harvest this year. That's a lot of food. Just as I learn how productive this plant is, I learn how much native first nations people depended on squash as a staple. No wonder! Scarcity? Squash never heard of it!
I planted four strawberry plants in the north project this spring that were gifted to me by @mountainjewel. A week ago they had sent out runners and multiplied to eighteen plants. Today I count twenty one. I ate four berries from one plant a month or so ago. Eighty strawberries is a lot, and there's more plants in the south project. At least ten survived of the sixty some-odd plants I put out. After they fruit, they have the potential to send runners like the ones in the north side.
As I walk through, I'm literally tripping over food and medicine. The medicinal borage plants came out so strong this year that there are plants in this tiny space that I've not even touched. Their stalks are two inches wide on some of the plants! Even with eating a few of their flowers as candy daily, I haven't harvested from every plant. Candy! I'm growing candy in my yard so abundantly that I can't eat it all!
Susun Weed says "story medicine is about which story you choose to believe." Do you believe the story we're fed about the scarcity of resources that keeps you going to the store and looking to unnatural processes for your sustenance? Or do you believe the story that a one dollar pack of cucumber seeds can provide you with more fresh cucumbers than you can stand to eat in a summer?
I'm picking my story.
All action for the good of all.
Nate.
P.S. I didn't add pictures today because this post isn't about pictures. It's about picking a story. ;)
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