We are in the process of putting together a series of posts showing how we can all become more food self-sufficient. We’ll run one or two of these posts here each month.

Whether you live on the Big Island and have some land to put in a small (or large) garden, or live on O‘ahu in a condo without one inch of dirt to your name – or if you live somewhere else entirely – we are going to show you how to get some food growing.

Our mission is to:

• draw from both old ways and new ones

• keep it simple, with materials that are cheap (or free) and easy to find

• show you how to garden with minimal fertilizers or pesticides.

Some of the posts, complete with short video, will feature Macario, this blog’s photographer (and my husband) who comes from a long line of farmers. He will use our yard to demonstrate how to start, and maintain, plant foods traditional to this area that are also nutritionally useful and tasty.

Richard’s episodes will demonstrate how to grow plants when you don’t have any ground to put them in.

We might bring in some guest experts, too.

Mostly we hope that our mini-lessons will be accessible – easy to follow and useful for anybody, with or without gardening experience

The idea came about after Richard watched this YouTube video, entitled “Urban Food Growing in Havana, Cuba.”

It describes how Cubans were forced to suddenly become self-sufficient, starting in 1991 during what they call the Special Period.

From Wikipedia:

The Special Period “was defined primarily by the severe shortages of hydrocarbon energy resources in the form of gasoline, diesel, and other oil derivatives that occurred upon the implosion of economic agreements between the oil-rich Soviet Union and Cuba. The period radically transformed Cuban society and the economy, as it necessitated the successful introduction of sustainable agriculture, decreased use of automobiles, and overhauled industry, health, and diet countrywide.”

It was, of course, a very difficult time in Cuba. Many Cubans left the country, and, according to the above, those who stayed lost an average of 20 lbs. as lifestyles changed drastically and food became scarce.

It is interesting to watch that video and see a little bit about how they adapted and especially how they returned to sustainable agriculture. We can all start doing some of that now, pre-crisis. That’s what our new series of occasional posts is designed for.

Stay tuned for our first episode: How to get your compost going. After all, you’re going to have to feed all those plants.