Planning Your Kitchen Garden: Strategies for Success

Today, we talk about how to plan your kitchen garden, especially from the perspective of replacing dependence on the grocery store. I also cover our usual segments: Tales from the Prepper Pantry, Frugality Tip, Operation Independence and more.

Featured Event: LFTN Spring Workshop

Sponsor 1: TheWealthSteadingPodcast.com

Sponsor 2: DiscountMylarBags.com

Resources

Mad River Seeds on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/market/mad_river_seeds

Baker Creek: https://www.rareseeds.com/ 

Seed Savers Exchange: https://seedsavers.org/ 

Homegrown Cooking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbCr4DQ3KI0 

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK AND NEXT

Listener feedback - I want to move to TN, where do I go?

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Big thanks to Ryan Steva on the prepper pantry before this deep freeze
• Homegrown Cooking: Beef Heart - Next month is steak and kidney stew from Dawn and meatballs from me
• Travelling with a cooler
• Freezers are reorganized and ready for incoming lambs

Weekly Shopping Report

Based on some videos from a few prepping channels (eg. Poplar Report, Pinball Preparedness), I’m trying to be more attentive to shortages, but fortunately haven’t seen anything remarkable other than the limit of 2 on Aldi eggs.

Dollar Tree was first.  Stock is always changing there, but there were no vacant areas and I did not see duplication being used to hide low stock.  The drink selection remains good.  The food coolers are mostly full.

We did not go in to Home Depot, but the online price of a 2x4x8 remains at $3.85.

Aldi was last.  We found what we wanted.  Staple prices were: bread (20 oz. white): $1.39; eggs: $4.17 (+, limit 2); whole milk: $2.87 (-); heavy cream: $5.39; OJ: $3.69; butter: $3.79 (-); bacon: $3.99; potatoes: no tag; sugar: $2.99 (+); flour: $2.35 (+); and 80% lean ground beef: $3.79. 

Untainted regular unleaded at Weigels was still $3.59 per gallon, but the 87 octane (regular) corrupted with ethanol is only $2.79.

Frugality Tip from Margo

Today is a short and sweet simple tip. Whenever we are out shopping or whatnot I pack a small cooler with drinks and a reusable ice block. I also keep an extra insulated tumbler full of water in the car at all times. Stopping to grab a drink adds up quickly, especially with someone that drinks soda. So stop yourself from grabbing that convenience store overpriced drink and just pack a small cooler. Happy saving y'all.

~Margo

Operation Independence

Value of four rams on homestead income: $1200

Main Topic of today’s Show: Planning Your Kitchen Garden

Two ways to plan: Replacing fresh veg in season then buying shipped in “fresh” veg the rest of the year VSr eating seasonally.

• What is your goal? (Replace most food by growing your own VS supplementing and sourcing locally or regenerative options)
  • I dont care what you say - Unless you are wiling to dramatically adjust what you eat, your goal is to supplement
    • Grain example - it’s both regional and dependent on how much land you have in production: Wheat, oats, corn, beans
    • That mid-winter banana, apples, fresh summer squash, etc
    • Sugar
  • Seasonal eating method
    • Use what is here and ripe first (Bone broth story)
    • Preserve what makes sense
    • Then tap stored items when fresh is not available
  • Develop/track a cycle of preservation 
    • power pantry method of storing what you use and using what you store.
    • (Pay attention to what you really use each year and do tap into waves of abundance - cornmageddon) 

• Assessing Needs: Calculate the amount of food needed per person and how to align this dietary preferences.
  • Typical example - 2 heads of lettuce a week, means succession planting 2 heads a week, 5 lbs of tomatoes a week, means succession planting tomatoes. Also, there is an AI problem
    • The reality of vegetable seasonality - 
      • Tomatoes ripen in waves
      • Lettuce will stop producing in very hot weather
      • Location appropriate alternatives
      • Preserving surplus for “off season” use (Carrots and other “Roots”
      • Integration into the local community and compost 
  • Meals replaced method: in season and out of season - this is how to estimate % food coming from land and local sources
    • Green bean example - 65 jars - 65 meals covered, most of which will happen
    • Fresh chard, squash, etc
    • 99% meat is from here at this point
  • Choosing plants - Dont plant what you dont eat
    • Radishes story
    • Yield per plant BS on seed packets
  • Proioritize 3 things - Green beans, chard, tomatoes at the HH

Garden Layout: Talk about zoning, herbs, and succession planting.

• How much space do you have - will you have and how close is it to your house?
• What takes the most interaction? Put high maintenance stuff closer (Tomato wall)

INTERPLANTING, COVER CROPS and SUCCESSION PLANTING

• Soil Health: Your are first growing soil - HomeFoodSystems.com
• Interplanting, guilds, etc
• Succession planting and seed roulette
• Rotation - needed or not?
• Cover crops - again - homefoodsystems.com
• Sourcing seeds: Ask locally what people have success with - see if they have saved and will sell you some, participate in seed exchanges even if you have no seeds.
• I like Baker Creek, Mad River Seeds https://www.etsy.com/market/mad_river_seeds

Have fun with this! Especially if it is your first year. The first rule of homesteading is BE FEARLESS

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

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• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link