Story and Photos by Gregg Losinski
There was a time in America when growing your own food was a necessity. As time advanced and society became more efficient at agriculture and commerce, that need all but disappeared.
Every year there are fewer folks still around that remember having to plant Victory Gardens during World War II. In the post-war prosperity boom, having a garden was almost seen as being uncivilized or an admission of being poor.
Today, home gardening is enjoying a resurgence to save money, eat healthier and even help the planet.
Idaho is no stranger to large-scale agriculture. We still grow more famous potatoes than any other state as well as being the top trout producer in the nation. (Two commodities that require a great deal of water, but that is a discussion for a different time.)
We may not have a very long growing season here, but commercial growers and home gardening enthusiasts alike have learned to coax as much as we can from our 130-day growing season here in Idaho Falls.
When it comes to raising produce in our own backyards there is no shortage of innovation! I swear I have seen tomato plant seedlings in people's homes during the middle of winter. My sister-in-law has decided to skip the whole outdoor growing thing completely and grows an incredible range of vegetables hydroponically in her living room!
Where there is a will there is a way, especially in a place where the last and first frost nearly overlaps, and the snow can hang around until May.
Given the skyrocketing cost of produce, you can understand why some folks decide to try their hand at having a green thumb. But like many great money-saving schemes, unless you are careful, in the end you end up spending just as much as if you had bought things at the store. Last year we put in some raised beds to grow vegetables in our backyard. We should recoup our investment if eating our chemical-free veggies help us to live to 150. But the real point is the satisfaction of watching it grow and harvesting the fruits of your labor.
We all know that the fruits and vegetables sold in most grocery stores are selected for maximum eye appeal. Their taste may only be mediocre, but they are Photoshop perfect and bear little resemblance to their less photogenic siblings that get blended into sauces, juices and smoothies.
Every summer my family looks forward to the big tent that pops up on the corner of Highway 26 and Woodruff. The produce there may not always look top shelf in appearance, but it seems to taste better and be a better price. It’s nice to know that something doesn’t need to look perfect to taste good and be good for you. However, the stunted micro eggplants we raised in our garden failed to meet either criterion, but given their bug content you could say they were very high in protein.
One nice thing about having a backyard garden is that it gives you another option to dispose of your organic waste rather than sending it to the landfill. Not only does it help create a free mulch to enhance your garden, but it also gives the neighborhood squirrels a buffet to visit.
Some gardens produce quantity, others quality.
After paying six bucks for a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme, my wife’s small herb garden really saved us dollars and made sense. It also meant we could pick it fresh when we needed it and dry the rest for future use. The hops bines that I grow in my backyard allow me to give my home-brewed beer a touch of local flavor to the other bulk ingredients I buy and have shipped in.
The great thing about Idaho Falls is that even if you don’t have the skill or time to grow your own produce, there is always the Farmer’s Market down at the river. Something about the local personal touch just makes it all seem to taste better!