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Suburban Food Bowl – Barriers to Success

October 29, 2015 @ 19:41 By Gavin Webber 7 Comments

In part two of the Suburban Food Bowl series we are going to discuss some of the barriers to starting growing your own food where you live, or if pressed for space, growing some very basic veggies in small places.

Barriers to Success

The perceived barriers to success, both physical and mental, that come to mind stem from the discussions and questions I’ve had whilst talking about growing my own food here at home.

But before I go into detail about a few of them, I just want to say that many of the barriers to growing food at home may be just in your mind.  It could be as simple as prioritising what is important in your lifestyle and making it happen. I don’t mean to sound preachy, but most of the time this self-doubt is the only reason people do not take the first step on a very rewarding journey. With that off my chest, let’s get on with it.

Time to execute

Time is always going to be a problem in our busy lives, however how much of that time is wasted doing non-productive things. For example, think about how many hours on weekends that you may spend watching TV. It’s a very passive activity with little to show for it.

Calvin and hobbes TV

By even diverting a small fraction of viewing time into more fruitful endeavours will allow you to start growing your own.

Space Considerations

Space is another factor that needs to be considered. For most urban and suburban dwellers, there is always a little space that is being underutilised around the yard, especially swathes of lawn that serves no purpose other than aesthetics.

In my humble opinion, lawns are not only a time waster (you have to maintain it), it is a valuable space where you could be growing something you and your family can eat to better sustain you.

Do a quick survey around your yard to think about all the places that you could convert to food production. Look at vertical spaces as well as horizontal. The addition of a small garden bed with a climbing frame may be ideal for snow peas in the winter, or climbing beans in the summer.

Using tight spaces for gardening.

A very tight space near the chook house that I grow all manner of things horizontally and vertically.

Lack of Water?

In our increasingly arid climate, water is going to be another barrier to growing your own food. However, how many suburban homes make good use of grey water? Grey water has been the difference between growing strong healthy fruit trees and pumpkins and not having the water resources to grow these at all.

Grey water diversion

Greywater diversion helps me grow fruit and veg.

How many homes have rainwater tanks?  These days slimline tanks of around 2300-2500 litres can be easily positioned in those out-of-the-way places, usually under the eaves of your home, and not take up valuable growing space. I have two such rainwater tanks on concrete in my carport area that was going to waste. That gives me an additional 4600 litres of water to use on my summer heirloom tomatoes!

Slimline Rainwater Tanks

Slimline Rainwater Tanks

Have a think about some of the ways you could utilise grey water for food crops, or look at places you could plumb in an inexpensive slimline tank or two.

No Good Soil In Your Yard?

Good fertile soil is always an issue in newer suburban developments. This is because the developer and builders scrape off the first thirty centimetres of topsoil when building suburban homes. Either that or when digging the foundation for the home they pile on a layer of excess clay from the hole dug for it on top of the topsoil which can be disastrous for the eager gardener.

This layer has to be removed or because this soil layer is so poor and very thick, raised garden beds must be built and fertile soil and compost brought in to compensate. To check what sort of soil you have around your yard, there is a very simple test that can be performed with a glass jar, water, and some of your soil. Check out the infographic below for a very simple test, and this post from fix.com titled Sifting Through The Soil for the basic science behind it.

Sifting Through the Soil - Analyze Your Soil
Source: Fix.com
You may have to build up the existing soil with home-made compost or buy some in to get started quickly.  We will cover raised garden beds in part four of the series.

Skint or Flat Broke?

Money, or the perceived lack of it is another barrier towards growing food. Garden beds can be upward of a few hundred dollars each to construct and fill with good soil, and some clay or glazed pots are way out of most people’s price range. However a good working food garden can be built from the simplest of materials. Upcycling is the frugal gardeners friend.

Any container that can hold soil and allow a few drainage holes to be punched through the bottom make amazing pots for growing herbs in. Larger vessels like broken laundry baskets can be converted into the most productive mushroom farm. Olive oil tins can have the top removed with a can opener and grow dwarf beans or even garlic.  Even milk cartons can be used to grow tomatoes.

All it takes is your imagination and embrace upcycling. You will be amazed what you can recover from your own waste stream.  I’ve made two wicking beds purely from recovered building materials and wooden shipping pallets and they grow the most amazing salad greens.  The fertile soil was gathered from the chicken run and worm farm for free!

Growing salad greens in a wicking bed

Wicking bed made of reclaimed wood and soil.

It’s In Your Mind

So as I said before, if you believe you can grow some of your own food, and in the process convert your suburban wasteland into a suburban food bowl, then you will most likely be successful in your endeavour.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  You can do it.

I even consider growing your own herbs as success because they are so easy to grow and so expensive to buy.  Start small and expand as you gain small wins.  So to help you along, part three of this series is going to cover in-depth how to grow food in containers, citing some of the examples I have uses or witnessed on my food growing journey.

Now I am sure there are many other barriers to success that I haven’t covered, so sound off in the comments and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.  It should make for interesting reading.

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Filed Under: food, Gardening, Green Psychology, No Dig Garden, reuse, Suburbs, Sustainable Living, vegetables, water

TGoG 102 – Can You Be Self-Sufficient in the Suburbs?

February 25, 2015 @ 21:35 By Gavin Webber Leave a Comment

Listen to the Episode Below (00:28:05)
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Tom+and+BarbaraCan you be self-sufficient in the suburbs? That is a big question. It may have worked for Tom and Barbara, but can it actually be done?

Let Gavin guide you through some of the barriers that may hinder true self-sufficiency in the suburban context.  Being self-sufficient is hard work.

There is a bit of something in this episode for everyone.  Very thought-provoking.

Also if you like the show and would like to help it continue, please visit my Patreon page and pledge a dollar or two for hosting and equipment costs. www.patreon.com/greeningofgavin is the place where you can help.

Become my patreon!

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Filed Under: Chickens, community, compost, Electricity efficiency, Fish, food, Frugal, fruit, Gardening, GreenHome, Podcast, Rain, reuse, Simplicity, skills, Suburban Food Farm, Suburbs, Sustainable Living, TGOG Podcast, vegetables, waste, water

Connecting Two Rainwater Tanks

April 28, 2014 @ 20:13 By Gavin Webber 13 Comments

One of my goals for the year was to buy and install a third rainwater tank.  After a few good months of saving, I had enough to call up the tank manufacturer in Ballarat and order one.

We got it delivered a week before Easter, so as it was raining, I thought it best to connect it right there and then.  The connection was a shocking job, and I rushed it.  So I decided to redo it over the weekend.

Connecting two rainwater tanks

The new tank is on the left.  Don’t ask me why we ordered a different colour.  Okay, I will confess.  During the ordering process, Kim and I were convinced that the original tank was the light green colour, and as it was dark and cold we didn’t bother to check.  Our bad, but not to worry because it still holds water and that is the main thing, isn’t it?

So on to the connecting business.

The dark green tank was already connected through to the irrigation systems, so I disconnected it all.

IMG_0517

I have seen some people connect the tanks at the top through the storm water drain outlet, and this does work, however the light green tank is slightly higher than the original tank, so this method would not have worked (water doesn’t run up hill).

The only option I had was to connect at the bottom via two taps and some pipe.

Two taps and the irrigation pipe

I drilled a whole in the bottom, through the threaded hole, with a 22 mm spade bit.  The hole is 25 mm, so the smaller spade bit ensures that you don’t strip the thread away.  It is a fairly simple exercise, because there is a small guide hole for the tip of the spade bit.  I removed as much of the plastic waste as possible back through the hole.  I then lined the thread with teflon plumbing tape to stop any potential leaks via the thread, and screwed in the tap.

I then fitted a reducing thread to get it down to a workable 20 mm, which is the right size for most garden fittings.

IMG_0519

With more teflon tape, it was ready to connect to the original tank.  Note; the water on the ground is from when I disconnected the two tanks to make these modifications.

IMG_0521

Then I had to work out a way to balance the two tanks without all the water going into the garden.  I found an old tap in my box of tricks.  I think I recovered this when I unplumbed the original irrigation system when we first moved in.  I keep most things like this, because a) they are expensive to buy, and b) you never know when you are going to need one!  I fitted a T-piece that had a 20 mm thread, with two 19 mm barbs.

IMG_0523

Then I pushed in two pieces of 19 mm poly pipe and clamped them.  I then measured the correct length for each pipe, then cut and connected to two 20 mm threads with barbs and clamped again.

It all lined up perfectly.  As you can see above, with the main line tap off, and the two tank taps on, it balances the water from the dark green tank to the light green one on the left.  The dark green tank is the one fed from the gutter, as I have only fitted one down pipe from the gutter.

Connecting two rainwater tanks

This is just simply magical.  The yellow tap stops the water flowing down the main-line when balancing the water.

Just one word of caution.  This is not pressure pipe and should not be used for normal plumbing installations, as it may burst.  The water in the tanks is not under pressure, so this is a fairly safe setup.  Besides, when not in use, I turn off both taps on each tank.  I have only been balancing the tanks when it has been raining to avoid any issues.  If, some time in the future that I wanted to plumb this into the toilets or laundry, I would use a plumber, who would use the correct pipe.

So there you have it.  Two connected tanks, we have increased our water storage capacity by another 2100 litres, and not a leak in sight.  I am very pleased with my efforts.

As with any project, if I can do it, anyone can! Connecting two rainwater tanks is easy. Now I have to figure out how to reconnect all those small water barrels back into the system. I better get my thinking cap on.

Can anyone think of a good use for small 100 litre water barrels?

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Filed Under: Rain, Sustainable Living, water, Water harvesting

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

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    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

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    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

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    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

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    A wonderful show!

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    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

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    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

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    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

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    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

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    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

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    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
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    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

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    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

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    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

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    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

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    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
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    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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