Is it possible to grow 90% of what you eat?

[Cereus]

Anything's possible if you're willing to put in the time and effort for it. Like people have said, space is also another factor on whether or not you can meet that 90% goal or not. I've seen people in remote regions that pretty much grow 90% of what they eat. I personally want to do about 40% since it seems like a more reachable goal for me considering that I'm constantly moving and rarely stay in an area for more than 2 years at a time.

 

[Primalclaws1974]

I think you could if you restrict your diet on some things, and get used to eating all natural. The pioneers of the old west could grow just about everything except sugar, rice, and coffee, and they got on just fine. I would grow high-vitamin, high-yield produce, such as tubers, tomatoes, spinach, green beans, and peas. Melons and gourds might also be a good choice if you have the space. They are fast growing and the fruit is large.

 

[La Garden]

Sorry about reviving an old topic, but it is interesting and ChanellG provided some interesting links.

Growing up in Wisconsin even though the garden was not that big it produced a lot, and for the most part it would feed us all year long only getting things at the store were staple items like flour, milk, eggs, cheese, and coffee.
Here in Louisiana I have never even come close to growing what we did in Wisconsin even though the season is so much longer (most years 10 to 11 months out of 12).

 

[Chuck]

Sorry about reviving an old topic, but it is interesting and ChanellG provided some interesting links.

Growing up in Wisconsin even though the garden was not that big it produced a lot, and for the most part it would feed us all year long only getting things at the store were staple items like flour, milk, eggs, cheese, and coffee.
Here in Louisiana I have never even come close to growing what we did in Wisconsin even though the season is so much longer (most years 10 to 11 months out of 12).

Our growing TIME is about a year. Our seasons are very short. We can only grow certain things for a fairly short time. Take tomatoes for instance. We only have maybe 3 months from setting out transplants to harvest and that's it, from last frost until it's too hot. How about okra? It is probably the longest producer we can grow. Sow the seed mid April and harvest from June until the days shorten. We can grow potatoes but where do we store them? Not underground that's for sure. How about corn? One harvest per year. Peppers? We can really grow hot peppers for a good length of time but sweet peppers not so much. We just live in the wrong climate for production gardening. So is it possible? I guess it would be if one had a big enough garden to produce enough in a short period of time.

 

[La Garden]

After my first garden was taken out by the drought, My container garden, started the 4th of july in the middle of the hottest time of year is set up to have shade from around 1pm.

Actually in my digging through all these old thread looking to see if someone started one about what seeds used growing zone and production.

Our growing TIME is about a year. Our seasons are very short. We can only grow certain things for a fairly short time. Take tomatoes for instance. We only have maybe 3 months from setting out transplants to harvest and that's it, from last frost until it's too hot. How about okra? It is probably the longest producer we can grow. Sow the seed mid April and harvest from June until the days shorten. We can grow potatoes but where do we store them? Not underground that's for sure. How about corn? One harvest per year. Peppers? We can really grow hot peppers for a good length of time but sweet peppers not so much. We just live in the wrong climate for production gardening. So is it possible? I guess it would be if one had a big enough garden to produce enough in a short period of time.

Have to agree with the short seasons, unless intervention takes place to limit the heat.
I hate okra it is one of the southern things I just can not get use to, even just picking it you need a combat outfit on. Make a pretty flower is my one positive about the plant. My best producer has been Zucchini, which if I tend to it right will produce most of the year Have never had them out when a frost did not finally kill them, Which makes me wonder how long it could produce in a greenhouse.

 

[TomatoTango]

Everyone in this thread needs to read The Good Life by the Nearings. They grew about 99% of what they ate on about 4 hours a day (6 days a week) of labor and did NOT use animals. It’s quite difficult and nearly everyone will fail due to inexperience, inclement weather, soil infertility, and time management. I believe they did it on just a few acres.

 

[Chuck]

Everyone in this thread needs to read The Good Life by the Nearings. They grew about 99% of what they ate on about 4 hours a day (6 days a week) of labor and did NOT use animals. It’s quite difficult and nearly everyone will fail due to inexperience, inclement weather, soil infertility, and time management. I believe they did it on just a few acres.

When I was a kid my parents had a truck farm. IIRC it was 13 acres under cultivation. This was just outside of Austin, Texas. We easily grew enough for ourselves but this was also a major part of the family income. We grew produce year round, something always being harvested. We grew everything from asparagus to zucchini and my mother grew flowers and sold them retail. We didn't get rich but we ate very well.

 

[TomatoTango]

When I was a kid my parents had a truck farm. IIRC it was 13 acres under cultivation. This was just outside of Austin, Texas. We easily grew enough for ourselves but this was also a major part of the family income. We grew produce year round, something always being harvested. We grew everything from asparagus to zucchini and my mother grew flowers and sold them retail. We didn't get rich but we ate very well.

That’s similar to what the Nearings did. They sold blueberries and maple syrup to pay the bills then just grew all their own food.

 

[SQWIB]

Yeah I could do it if I could find Bacon Seeds!