Last year we purchased more land in East Texas. This will be our future home. We're in the process of building right now. The exciting part about the land, is the opportunity to grow Blueberries, Blackberries, Fuyu Persimmons and other high acid loving plants. We will also be growing lots more row crops. Watermelons, sweet corn, butter beans, black eye peas, pumpkins, more winter squash and many more different types of crops. Of course to get this from plans to the fields will require lots of work and field prep. Right now we've been going to the land about every other week and staying 3-4 days before coming back home. While home it's taking care of the crops, harvesting and fulfilling the box orders. To say we've be n busy is an understatement. But I enjoy it so it doesn't feel like work. I also don't have problems falling to sleep.
The down side to all this work is the expense of getting it done. I guess the good thing is that everything will be paid for without going into extreme debt.
In the next couple of months, we'll be breaking new ground, planting a few hundred berry bushes, trees and seeds. We also will be planting the greenhouse with all the crops to be transplanted in the spring.
I have concerns about our food supply chain. The seeds, some fertilizer and other growing supplies are getting harder to find. When we do find what we're looking for the costs of these have gone up by 60%. When I get calls from whole sellers looking for certain crops because they can't find it, something is going on. The best way to help the supply chain to buy local. Buying from local farms, whether it's produce or meats and dairy, it doesn't have far to go to get to your table. Plus it's keeping the local farms and ranches in business. The best way to help yourself is to start growing your own food. Start small and work your way up. Even if you just produce enough for a couple meals a month, that's money you saved. I would have thought after the shut downs and people not being able to find food for a little while, that would have been enough for people to start growing their own food. People have asked why I push " grow your own" when we sell produce. I tell them that it's not about just making money all the time but about helping people not being completely dependent on others to eat. We should never depend on another country for our food supply! Other countries ship their products into here and low ball the American Farmers. They usually don't have the same rules as we do. They also don't have to pay their workers a fair wage. So they can flood the American Market with their cheap and unhealthy crops. Most of these foreign country Farms are big giant corporate Farms in it for profit. Nothing wrong with making a profit. But when they don't have the same rules as we do, they have an unfair advantage. They can spray their crops with insecticides that are cheap and usually outlawed here. It's all about having pretty produce since most people buy with their eyes. I tell people are you buying it to eat or look at? Some of the best tasting tomatoes are some of the ugliest ones. I know cause that's what we save for us to eat. We sell the pretty stuff and eat the ugly stuff.
If your interested in growing your own and have questions. Just reach out. I'll help if I can.
