Posted on 05/08/2011 2:22:00 PM PDT by orsonwb
Unless you haven’t eaten in the past several months, or you already grow all of your own produce, you’ve probably noticed that food prices have been rising dramatically. According to the USDA, the average cost to the U.S. consumer of Lettuce is up 4.5%, and fresh Tomatoes are up 4.7% from the same time last year. The recently released U.S. Labor Department consumer price index survey reports that the price of grains such as corn, wheat and soybeans has roughly doubled since last summer...
(Excerpt) Read more at howdogardener.com ...
Oh yeah rising food cost is such a huge boon...
I seldom do the shopping, but when wife was out of town in early March I had to. I discovered that the local grocer was getting $2.50 for leaf lettuce. For the first time I decided to plant lettuce, and I now have about sixty plants, forty of which I am now harvesting from. It grows like a weed, and tastes better than the stuff you get at the grocery. Unfortunately, the Texas heat will soon require that I make a final harvest of this season’s crop fairly soon. But I can replant again in September, and I fully intend to.
at least you get social security. At the rate this country is going all my generation will get a free pass to the suicide booth.
Garden list ping?
Ring-a-Ding to the Weekly Gardening Ping List
Plant some heat tolerant tomatoes, if you can keep them watered, more bang for the buck and more ways to use tomatoes.
Who needs lettuce?
When the maters, cukes, peppers and onions come in, our family eats salad made of these and nothing else but vinaigrette.
Yum!
As long s you can keep the critters out of the garden!! Something is pulling my plants down from underground including garlic and onions!!
We think it may be a chipmunk.
And I’ve given up on swiss chard because something is getting over my fencing and scarfing that down as soon as I plant it.
We have already paid for our farm share this year, so thats like money in the bank.
4% increase? I think NOT! Last year, I could buy a whole bag of tomatoes. This year, I either leave the store without any or just buy one. Ha, that’s going to come to a halt any day when my garden tomatoes ripen. Going to be eating squash any day, too. In fact, I’m eating spinach right now from the garden.
There was this thread a few days ago - “Prices at LDS canneries show inflation for food up between 11 and 49%”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2706902/posts?page=24
Living in apartments, even with patios and outdoor spaces, makes it difficult for some to grow their own. And some landlords frown on the attempts to be self-sufficient. What a shame.
Same here. I just got back from taking the neighbors some lettuces, onions, and spinach. We hadn’t gardened in a few years but with the economy we put one this year. Start up costs were a couple of cattle panels, t-posts, seeds, and tomato plants. We may break even with this year’s harvest but after that it’ll be close to free.
For those with limited space; consider Earth Boxes, global buckets, smart pots, or a small raised bed.
Just give the lettuce a hair cut and they’ll keep producing a continuous harvest for you. Same with all leafy greens. Also, same with onions, just cut the green tops and they’ll keep growing.
Also for those with limited outdoor space, try mushrooms. The legal kind! I’ve been wanting to try them in a closet but have enough stored to last a while.
If nothing else, grow some herbs on a windowsill. Those little things are one of the highest priced foodstuffs in the grocery store.
I got my garden in too, but if we don’t get rain soon here in East Texas most of my garden will die. I’d say 40% of the grass is already dead in the yard. I’m spot watering the garden trying to keep it going. We need rain badly here.
Two thoughts.
Since food and energy are not essential parts of consumers' financial burden they are not counted for inflation adjustment for real Social Security recipients (as opposed to the larger welfare recipients of SS,) it doesn't matter. So expect an Executive Order taxing home grown food.
And don't even think think about producing your own ethanol...
Before I can get gold out of my potential garden, I have to get the poison hemlock out.
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