The Self-Sufficient Garden Blog
The Big One
Flood? What flood?If you follow the news at all, I’m sure you’ve seen the stories about the atmospheric rivers that have picked up water from the Pacific (by evaporation) and dumped it along the west coast, causing “historic” and “catastrophic” flooding. Yet as...
Climate Disasters vs Food Production
There is one global trend that trumps all others, and it’s not the president and his tariffs. It’s the alarming rate at which climate change catastrophes are becoming more frequent, costly, and intense. Against this onslaught sits the greatest challenge of the 21st...
The Produced-to-Consumed Ratio: 50%, 15%, or Just 5%?
One of the most exasperating tropes that crops up among food system media and analysts is the idea that industrial food production equals consumption. Because it’s such a colossal mistake—and one that misleads the public again and again—I’d like to revisit just how...
The Ultra-Local, Full-Circle Self-Sufficiency Video
It’s occurred to me that some people may want a brief but informative overview of the self-sufficiency garden food system without reading through my Substack posts in what now amounts to a book (which it eventually will be). And/or, some may just prefer a more visual...
The Industrial Hidden-Costs Economy of Illusion
The last few years have seen a veritable flood of books, articles, scientific studies, documentaries, and breathless pronouncements by leading food experts on the global food system and food insecurity. All adopt the unquestioning aim of trying to “fix”...
The Ghost of a Snake
It’s high time to post another short piece about odd happenings in the garden.One cool, sunny day last fall—it was October 18—I was strolling down a row of my beloved colored butterbeans, which even at that late date had not yet been hit by a frost....
Russian Gardening – Proof of Concept at Scale
Throughout Ultra-Local, Full Circle Self-Sufficiency you’ve seen me refer to the research of Dr. Leonid Sharashkin, who reported that household gardeners in Russia produce 50% of the country’s food on just 3% of its agricultural land. And how his work...
The Food System in Slow-Motion Freefall
Is the U.S. food system in danger?The answer is yes, but it’s not about to completely collapse overnight—it’s more like a slow cascade. Yet it’s not too early to think about growing your own food, either, just for peace of mind in case...
Diffusion of Innovations II
Rate of adoptionAll successful innovations go through an adoption curve, in which the new technology, practice, or idea reaches a critical mass. After that, it becomes self-sustaining, at least according to theory. But not all innovations are successful. For instance,...