As the economist in my place of work, I'm frequently asked for investment advice. These days I just say "land and ammunition", since I think asset growth for the next couple of years will most likely have leaves or fur. Kirstin and I got a 500% return on a squash we bought last year (600% if you include eating the first squash) through seeds in our compost, making it perhaps the best investment of 2008. When one factors in the investments in
biofuels relative to the capacity for additional oil production, now priced below its current-consumption-
replacement level of $70/barrel, it's not as crazy as it sounds. There's a small but vocal bunch of folks calling for Victory Gardens 2.0, and I don't see a way to both feed and power the nation for another 100yrs otherwise. A change in the tax code to make it easier to hire domestic help would be quite handy in that regard, but I digress.
Anyway, there's some other good reasons to support Victory Gardens:
(1) We are, in case you've forgotten, involved in a two-theater war. A little visible reminder on the home front would be a good thing, whether you support these or not, pretending they aren't there isn't good.
(2) If you like the idea of "small government", take some responsibility for feeding yourself and your family.
(3) Lawns can be pretty, but you can't make a pie out of grass clippings. Butternut squash, pumpkins, strawberries, grapes and raspberries are fairly easy to grow and you can't beat fresh-off-the-vine fresh.
If you want to see the more left-leaning coverage of this, check it out:
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/green_the_white_house
2 comments:
I take it victory gardens is a cooperative "family farm"? There are quite a few in Michigan and we have a store that works with one near by. It's kind of a pile of awesome.
I'd like to see some guidelines on composting and starting a garden with fruits and vegetables one has bought (perhaps in pots, since we don't know whether we're moving this year or not). In my one science project involving plants (does gasoline, etc., help plants grow like water does?) I had an across-the-board death rate. On the other hand, I'd love to try tomatoes and potatoes ... although raspberries sound the most awesome.
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