If you’ve tried growing your own food, what challenges did you face when you were first getting started? I’m really curious—what do you find confusing or difficult about gardening, permaculture, or growing your own food?
There are many people interested in living a more sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle, so I’m also wondering what might be holding them back from getting started.
Growing your own food requires a tremendous amount of time and patience, which many people simply don’t have.
Especially when you’re starting from scratch, it can be particularly challenging. Historically, each generation would pass down their knowledge and skills, so people learned from those with experience. This meant you were less likely to face the discouragement of widespread crop failures across multiple seasons, as there was always someone knowledgeable to guide you. If you did experience failures, it was a matter of survival for the whole community.
Absolutely! Having tools and resources, like manure and seeds, readily available certainly made a big difference. The historical community aspect of growing food was crucial and cannot be overstated—it provided support, knowledge, and shared resources that made the process much easier.
Another thought that crossed my mind: We often complain about local wildlife destroying our crops, but historically, this would have been seen as an opportunity. With plenty of deer, squirrels, and rabbits around, it would have been a chance to trap and hunt, providing not only meat but also fur.
“Take care of the land, and it will take care of you.” There is ample evidence from cultural landscapes showing that when people tend to the land, it can enhance biodiversity and provide abundant food sources.
My local tool library offers both garden tools and seeds for free. Additionally, you can often find seeds for free or at very low cost at local seed swap events and some seed exchange sites, which may only ask for postage. If you need links, just let me know—I’d be happy to help!
Growing your own food can often be more expensive and less reliable. After growing food for about a decade, we lost our entire garden to nature this year. People generally prefer their food sources to be dependable.
Additionally, many people overlook the fact that modern kitchens aren’t typically designed for processing and preserving large quantities of food.