I have a relatively large garden - about 80' X 100'. When I bought the land back in 1976 and built the log cabin, the land for the garden was stones, brush, and trees. It has taken years of gradual enlarging and working the soil to get it to it's present size.
I have a brother who is a PITA engineer who claims it is not worth growing your own vegetables, heating with wood, doing your own repairs, etc., etc. who will argue all day over anything since he knows it all. He would make the same argument that it is cheaper to buy it at the market.
I can tell you this: If anybody wants to spend their lives as couch potatoes watching reality TV shows all the time, then fine. They are not your gardening types. They are not your hunting types. They are not your fishing types. They are not your tractor owning types. They are not your welding types. They are not your "maintain your own vehicle types." I know these kind of people and they are the most boring people in the world to talk to.
On the other hand, people who like to do the things I mentioned above have a natural curiosity about life. It's not about economics. It is about learning to do something. It is about proving to yourself that you can grow your own food, heat your house with wood instead of oil, weld up something you need yourself, mow your own lawn, plow your own driveway, etc. It is about the sense of satisfaction and pride you get when you accomplish something, such as growing your own food, harvesting a deer, or doing your own maintenance and fixing. What sense of accomplishment do couch potatoes get from watching Seinfeld?
When I had three kids at home (all grown up now), I used to plant 150 tomato plants a year. One year my wife and I canned 250 quarts of tomatoes, as well as a lot of other vegetables. Sure came in handy. Now, all of the kids are 30+, they love to come home to the "homestead" and mooch some tomatoes, potatoes, play with the tractor, go to the shooting range, etc. The seven grandkids have also gotten into the act.
One last thing: I really like a type of potato called Green Mountain. Can't find them in stores, but you can still get the seed potato here in the Northeast. I grow them every year. They are the best baking potato in the world. Anyways, I have problems with Colorado potato beetles and nothing I can buy without an exterminators license will kill those things. I pick them (and the larvae) off by hand every couple of days. It started me thinking....what kind of insecticides are the big potato growers with thousands of acres of potatoes using to kill those things? Do I want to eat those potatoes?
Finally, my grandparents were all farmers. Hunting, gardening, fishing, etc., all show me how difficult life was years ago. You had to be self sufficient, independent, and a fast learner if you were going to survive. Our modern lifestyle has meant that most people today really don't have any skills at all for survival if it ever comes to that. It's sad, really, particularly after 9/11 which has proven that we can be in real serious trouble with little or no notice.
Reminds me of that country and western song about "A Country Boy Can Survive!"
Had my first home grown tomato of the season last night, and nothing can replace that pleasure. You can't buy that in a supermarket.
