Growing Food at Home

By Dennis DeLaurier

INTRODUCTION

Why I wrote this book. I have been growing my food for many years. As I write this book it is March  11, 2024. As I grow and purchase food for my family, I can see a food shortage in the U.S. in the coming years of 2024 / 2025. So this book is about food security and for those who never grew any of their food.

No matter where you live, you can grow your food. If prices keep getting inflated to the point that you can no longer afford it, it won't matter if it is piled high. There are real food supply problems facing the global population. If you don't believe any of this, then ask yourself why have food prices risen so fast lately.

One thing is certain, the US is much better off than the rest of the global community as North America grows much of its food. And yes, the US is part of North America. Where the real problems lie is in the rest of the world where there are real climate-induced shortages. The climate has NOTHING to do with CO2.  2024 / 2025 may see real starvation in some locations as globally there will not be enough food to go around.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dennis DeLaurier
• Release date: Mar 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224235865

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Legal Notes

Copyright © 2024 by Dennis DeLaurier / Crescent Hill Farm.

All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

Dennis DeLaurier, Crescent Multimedia, Manor, Texas, 78653, USA

Disclaimer:

The information in this book is data researched and opinions made by the Author. This book is not professional counsel and should not be viewed or taken as such. The Author and Crescent Hill Farm specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk personal or otherwise that is incurred as a consequence directly or indirectly from the use or application of any content or recommendations in this book.

While recommendations may be made in this book, they are only that and the reader is responsible for any interpretation or use of any of the recommendations. The Reader must also realize that any recommendations may be wrong or not fit the reader's environment or actual circumstances. All of this is the responsibility of the reader alone.

Copyrights

Many of the graphics in this book are copyrighted and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 International License. Other graphics are public domain and NASA. Some graphics have been purchased or created by the author. Other copyrights are listed on the graphics or part of the text describing the graphic.

Table of Contents

Legal Notes

INTRODUCTION

Your Food Future

The Face of World 2.0

Growing food at Home

The End Game

The Big Solution

How to Start

I Am Not A Farmer

Become a Home Cropper

Why Sprouts?

Vitamins That You Eat

More on microgreens soon.

Sprouting Equipment

Adding Seeds

Spraying Your Seeds

Sprouts Under Lights

Harvesting

Tray Options

More Info

Sprouting Alternates

Sprouting Safety

Microgreens

Seed Mats

Light Blocking

Germination

Roots

Harvest Ready

Tray Options

Media

Tray Prep

Seed and Media Watering

OK you are ready now

Growing inside using solar

Welcome to the garden

Thoughts of why a garden is a necessity

What kind of garden is a necessity?

Trees and Berries

Soil

More on Soil

You must add Compost

Mix up your Compost

My Compost

Examples

Compost Bins

Ideas

Three-chambered composting bin

Other ideas on fertilizer

More ideas on fertilizer

Got Chickens and Eggs?

Recipe for Simple Tea Fertilizer

The raised garden

How to make them

David The Good’s website

Become a Home Cropper

Getting ahead with starts

Purchase your seeds from a trusted source

Seed Starting Soil

Seed Starting Containers

Plant seeds at the proper depth

Seed staring environment

Outside Watering

Drip Watering

Easy Hydroponic Growing

Growing greens and vegetables at home- No Power

Hydroponics

Powered with fish tank bubblers

Aeration (Bubbler) System

Bubbler Tops

Aeration Advantages & Disadvantages

Bubble Machine

The Parts

1 Gallon Bubbler – Herb Machine

1 Gallon Bubbler Results

No Energy Hydroponics - Kratky Hydroponic Method

The Process

How it works

Characteristics of a Non-circulating Hydroponics system

What can you grow?

Low - No Cost Systems

Growing Mediums

Sand Culture

Gravel (Aggregate) Culture

Rockwool Culture

Perlite Culture

L.E.C.A. Culture

Coconut Fiber Culture

Crescent Hill Farm Coconut Fiber Operation

Hydroponic Nutrients

Hydroponic Nutrients and pH

pH Up and pH Down

Working with nutrients

EC - TDS – PPM Great – Now I am confused.

Nutrients and PPM and EC reference table

Nutrients – What to use?

Reasons to Grow Herbs

Basil

Chamomile

Chives

Cilantro

Dill

Echinacea

Fennel

Lavender

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Stevia

Thyme

Fun Growing

Comments

Grow Bags

Grow Bag Types

Grow Bags in a Greenhouse

The Grow Circle

Grow Bag Stair Steps

Why grow in a grow bag?

Equipment

Fertilizer Injection

Growing Medium

Examples

Locations

The Greenhouse

Commercial economy Greenhouses

Build Your Own Greenhouse

Build Your Own

The Ruth Stout garden

Food Security in a Changing World

So what is on my mind?

No Rocket Science

Putting it all together:

Growing potatoes

Stealth Potatoes

Things to talk about.

Sweet Potatoes

Horse Manure

To repeat a warning.

Seeds – Wonderful Seeds

Things to think about

Seed Suggestions

Storage Vegetable List

Winter squash

Other fantastic storage Vegetable info

Saving Seeds

Thoughts and comments on seeds wonderful seeds

A Radish of an Idea

A Tomato of an Idea

Food security in a changing challenging world

Mylar Bags

Oxygen Absorbers

Storage Items

Sealing Mylar Bags

Sealing Tip

Checking the seal

Storing Mylar Bags

Grinder Mills

Dutch Oven Tip

Check your Food

Dry Food Storage

Items you can Dry Can

Learn How to Dry Can

How to do it – So let’s get started

Vacuum Packing and Sealing

Vacuum Packing and Sealing

Suggestions

Dehydrating food

Author's dehydrator

Solar (convection) Dehydration

Freeze-dried food

Canned Food

Canned Food

Spam - Spam

Home Canning in jars.

Canning Equipment

Meals Ready to Eat - MRE

Will keep you alive!

Bonus

Getting Ahead in a changing challenging world

Quotes to believe in

Is This You?

The business of the family

To continue

As I have a business. The advantages of that are:

Final Thoughts

Thank You

About the Author

Contact The Author

INTRODUCTION

Why I wrote this book . I have been growing my food for many years. As I write this book it is March  11, 2024. As I grow and purchase food for my family, I can see a food shortage in the U.S. in the coming years of 2024 / 2025. So this book is about food security and for those who never grew any of their food.

No matter where you live, you can grow your food. If prices keep getting inflated to the point that you can no longer afford it, it won’t matter if it is piled high. There are real food supply problems facing the global population. If you don’t believe any of this, then ask yourself why have food prices risen so fast lately.

One thing is certain, the US is much better off than the rest of the global community as North America grows much of its food. And yes, the US is part of North America. Where the real problems lie is in the rest of the world where there are real climate-induced shortages. The climate has NOTHING to do with CO2.  2024 / 2025 may see real starvation in some locations as globally there will not be enough food to go around.

We are now starting to see the same climate problems devastating the UK and EU here in the US. Most western parts of the US are seeing drought and it seems to be moving east. This drought has caused the Mississippi River to dry up and completely stop barge traffic and commodity deliveries. The author of this book lives in Central Texas, and it was very hot and dry from the start of spring and has not let up much in late October. Almost all the cotton south of here failed for lack of rain. If I had to survive on the food I produced this year it would have been difficult. What the heat and the drought didn’t get the bugs (especially grasshoppers) did.

So what is it all about in this book GROWING FOOD AT HOME? Over and over I will say It’s time to grow your own food or Start a garden. The answer is, probably 99% or more of people alive in the US have never missed a meal. For almost the last 90 years, the US has enjoyed just about anything it ever needed or wanted. So the feeling is that it’s just the way things are, and they will never change.

THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE

Your Food Future

Some Thoughts

Why Grow food in your home?

I can imagine what you are thinking about food after going through the Corona Virus and feeding your family. That is exactly what is going through my mind and is why I am writing this course.

We live in a JIT (Just in Time) world when it comes to food. Your local food store has at best 3 days of food on the shelf. It has a few hours of food if everyone who shops there for some reason like an ice or snow storm, hurricane, or perhaps some dangerous social problem decides to stock up. The shelves would become empty in just a few hours.

The JIT truck has just loaded up its haul to the store, The grocery store is low on some items, and that is where the trucks come in. If for some reason the trucks can’t get to the grocery store, the products that had a low inventory will soon be out and will not be replenished. Too bad – no food. Hard to realize but the difference between having food and not having any is a truck and a warehouse that runs the trucks.

What has been written above has always been that way, especially as people went from growing their food (perhaps like your grandparents) to depending on purchasing food from the local grocery store.

I would agree that it has been nice to get food from all over the US and food from many different countries. I bet you have enjoyed doing that as well. This will soon end as the JIT world is ending and world 2.0 is starting. What it all comes down to is three things:

Growing Food and processing it

Warehousing the food

Distributing the food (JIT Truck)

If any one of these three things fails, there will be little food to purchase, that is unless you grow your food which this little book is about.

All the above is what I call World 1.0. Much of world 1.0 came crumbling down at the end of 2019 into 2020 and the virus thing which I do not need to talk about.

Many people yearn for how things were like in 2019 at Christmas time, but that will never be normal again. 2019 was World 1, and we are headlong into World 2.0. World 2 will be very different as you well know as you are living it at present. From 2019 on, things started to rapidly change. Things like food and food availability became more obvious to the general public. Things like online ordering and delivery became more popular. Or order it and then have it placed in your car as you wait at the grocery store.

The Face of World 2.0

So what is World 2 .0 starting to look like? Below are some bullet points that describe how World 2.0 will and is looking . It’s not fully over yet, but it is on the way. If you have noticed during the virus outbreak, over 40 million people became unemployed. From the end of 2019 to the present (November 2022) some food prices have risen as much as 35%. It is becoming harder to get meat, and in some locations the amount you can purchase is limited. But that is just the start as the end of 2022 and into 2023 are looking bleak.

Food availability problems

Food price increases

Job losses

Social unrest

Financial problems in the US and Globally

Global crop failures

Then there are:

Fertilizer Shortages

Expensive fuel

The war in Ukraine

The wr I the idle East

Rail Strikes

Global part shortages

Grain Shortages

Reduced food output

On and on!

So as we head into 2024 / 2025, there is an increasing collection of reasons to grow our food and become our grocery store.

If you could take all the above bullet points and sum them up into two words, Food Insecurity would be those two words

So