If you’re staring at the internet trying to figure out where to start with growing food, preserving it, and building some independence from the weekly grocery run — I know exactly where you are.
I grew up on a farm in New Zealand. My parents kept a big garden. And yet, when I left home to drive trucks for a living, I couldn’t grow a thing. None of those skills came with me. When I finally decided to change that — an ex-truck driver who wanted to eat better and grow some of his own food — I had to start completely from scratch.
Too Much Information Is Its Own Problem
Searching online doesn’t solve the problem — it makes it worse. Within an hour you’re buried under advice from people with immaculate gardens, full preserving pantries, and ten years of practice. What I needed wasn’t more information. I needed someone to tell me: do this today, this tomorrow, and this the day after.
That’s what this site is.
It’s built from twenty years of working this out myself — and I’ll be straight with you: a lot of those early years were more about learning what not to do than producing anything worth eating. Last year I made a costly mistake with my strawberry patch. I let wild strawberries mix with my cultivated ones. They cross-pollinated, the wild strain took over, and now I’m replanting the whole lot because the fruit is smaller and less prolific. Twenty years in, still learning.
What You’ll Find Here
No requirement to spend $300 on a bench composter before you’ve grown anything. No six acres, no big backyard, no small animals in the living room. You need a sunny window and a pot, or a balcony — that’s enough to start.
This site covers:
- Growing food — not all your food, but food you’ve grown yourself, starting with what fits your space
- Saving money — buying produce in bulk when it’s in season and preserving it yourself is cheaper and healthier than anything off a supermarket shelf
- Stocking a pantry — so a tight week, a power cut, or unexpected guests don’t catch you short
I’ll point you toward plants that are more forgiving when you’re starting out, tell you which ones need more light or different soil, and flag the mistakes I made so you don’t have to repeat them. You will still kill some plants. That’s part of it. But I can put the odds in your favour.
I started with container growing, kombucha, and homemade bread. I now have a greenhouse and garden plots — but that came later. In the beginning, I was working with exactly what I’m describing here.
If you’re not sure where to begin, the Start Here page is the right place.
Download the free checklist today, and be growing something by tomorrow.