Liberty Garden for Freedom

Americans are one of the most resilient people groups on the planet. If something doesn’t work out, we find another way. Our mindset and lifestyle is steeped in individual freedom. It is written into our founding documents and secured by an all knowing and all loving God, who first gave us freedom. What if I told you that there is an economic storm coming that will shake America to its core. The enemy is from within…a government that printed too much unbacked currency, people that over extended themselves in debt, a war that cut off fertilizer and fuel, an administration that prevented its people from working and shut down our own supplies of fuel, and the “coincidences” that continue to burn down our food infrastructure.  Something big is coming… Something that could take away our freedom loving way of life. You see we can live without a lot of things, but food isn’t one of them. As soon as food is insecure, liberty is easy to uproot. A national digital currency that would allow unprecedented access to our bank accounts. Qualifications that may include injections or certain behavior deemed favorable in the sight of the ruling party (and of course praised by the propaganda machines that we call mass media). Does that sound like freedom to you? Nor does it to the majority of liberty-loving Americans. So how can a garden help maintain freedom?

A Liberty Garden is a cultivation of survival food that stabilizes our supply chain with local edibles. If all able bodied Americans planted whatever they could in whatever space God has given them to do so, there would be no food insecurity. The church would not only be in a place to avoid being victims but would also be in a position to help the greater community. See the signs, fertilizer has multiplied in price, diesel prices will paralyze the food chain, fires have destroyed many food processing plants, weather has not cooperated with planting in many areas of the country, and the government is not responding to our need for energy independence. This is not doom and gloom. We as freedom loving Americans can take action: we can plant a Liberty Garden to preserve our future freedoms. There is still time to act. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, and beans are all good nourishing foods that love summer.

Plant a Liberty Garden even if you don’t think you can garden. If I can do it, so can you. I definitely do not have a green thumb. This summer can be your Liberty Garden training ground. Practice for next year, since it will very likely be a multi year food shortage struggle. With intentional practice, you will get better. Remember this is not an exercise on how to completely cut yourself off from all of society. You will be able to supplement with food you buy. It is just this: the more food you grow, the more money you can save and the more surplus you will have to bless others. Don’t let fear of failure prevent your opportunity to grow.

Access to sun: Since access to sun can be a barrier to growing a full garden, here is a list of vegetables for those who have limited access to full sun. You will be surprised at how much you can grow in shade. Often there are parts of your property that do have sun even if your yard is mostly shade. You can still utilize the limited sun with grow bags. Ten gallon grow bags can hold large tomato and potato plants. 

• Shade Vegetables that do well:

Basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, lettuce (summer), spinach (summer), kale (summer or under deciduous tree), Swiss card  (summer or under deciduous tree), broccoli  (summer or under deciduous tree), peas  (summer or under deciduous tree), radish, green onions, bell peppers

• Vegetable that grow in shade, but better in sun 

Bulb onions, cherry tomatoes, egg plants, squash, green beans, 

• Vegetables that need Sun

Corn, larger tomatoes, chilies, potatoes, cucumbers, okra, 

A Liberty Garden is not limited to plants. To fully stabilize our food supply, we must include all that is needed to grow food and nourish the body. That encompasses the full life cycle of growing. Animals are the easiest way to acquire the needed nutrients for growing both body and garden. I bought 2 sheep. Sure I dream of sheep milk lattes. But when someone asked me why I got them, I said I wanted their poop. St. Croix are parasite resistant, weed eating, poop generating, four legged mowers. They will eat my weeds and give me fertilizer. A good return if you ask me, especially if I get sheep milk lattes someday. We also acquired guinea fowl. They don’t require feed from a feed store (that keeps going up in price), and they eat ticks. They eat a lot of other bugs, but I am most interested in their tick eating ability. And for the price of my ticks, I get eggs, another fair trade. The last thing we are thinking of buying to secure our food supply are Idaho Pasture Pigs. They are non-aggressive, weed eating, non-rooting, marbled-meat making, forest loving, faster growing heritage pigs. As far as cost per pound of meat, pig is hard to beat. Unfortunately, we don’t have a ton of pasture, so I plan on buying all the food needed to grow the pigs before I even get the pigs. Food is going up, even for animals. Food is one of the best investments you can make right now. By buying food that I know I will need later, I will save hundreds of dollars, if not thousands. 

Survival Food Considerations

• Calories: Most foods people grow in their gardens are not calorie dense. Humans need a denser base of calories like corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, beans, oats, and many more. Pick some calorie dense foods to grow.
• Protein: Protein is super important. The complete balance of amino acids is difficult to get through plants. Sorry, vegans. Americans are not willing to eat the vast diversity of plant material needed to acquire a true protein balance. We are just not willing to consume a wide enough range. Pizza, nachos, and fake meat substitutes are not complete. They simply serve to fill the stomach and displace more nutrient dense sources of food.
• Non-GMO: GMOs are modified in a way that is outside of the natural, God-given reproductive system. They require additional purchases of pesticides and herbicides that aren’t healthful. They also do not reproduce themselves, so you will have to continue buying them. It would be prudent to buy heritage seeds that will continue to naturally produce seed for the following year.
• Nutrient Density: Some plants have more nutrient density than others, even for the same vegetable. Purple varieties have much more nutrient density and often taste the same as their plain counterparts. 
• Bugs, pests, and Disease: They are coming for your food. Knowing this ahead of time will help you prepare. Don’t wait until the problem comes: pre-buy or make the solution: Diatomaceous earth, neem, pyrethrum, and cayenne spray. Build a deer barrier. It doesn’t have to be expensive.
• Use materials you have: compost, trees for building, leaves, propagate seeds and plants from organic vegetables you buy. I just grew a lemon and a mango tree from seed. You-Tube has a wealth of knowledge. David the Good’s book Plants for Everyone is a great source of potential food knowledge.
• Local Support: Buy local when possible and be sure to properly compensate your farmer. In a food crisis, every farm is needed. If a farmer can’t make a living, they will have to gain employment elsewhere.  Production and operating costs have gone up, compensation will need to increase.

It’s not too late, and there is no time to waste. Secure your future freedom by planting a Liberty Garden right now. There are additional helpful hints in my last blog post: Plant Hope. Plant a Liberty Garden to secure America’s freedom and bless those around you.

PS. The prices aren’t near as high as they will go. The packaged goods on the shelf right now are last year’s harvest. It is a good idea to buy canned goods at today’s prices in addition to planting a garden.