I love to grow plants. And besides the energy they bring to a home, there are several plants that one would not consider edible, but are. It is a good idea to see if there are any classes around you that deal with foraging or identify plants in your area, and several "wild" plants can be grown in containers for you to get to know them better in each stage of developement. Growing a plant can teach you so many things, namely observation skills, that are vital to being able to respond effectively in a crisis.
Being able to identify which plants are good for eating, and which are good for medicinal uses, as well as which ones to avoid, are of course the first things that come to mind. But there is more to what plants can teach us, such as listening to nature. When you watch a plant grow, and see the way it changes from day to day, you tend to look closer at the world around you. Noticing when wildlife goes quiet around predators, listening for the calls of prey animals to locate them, looking for track signs, are all part of observing our world.
Learning to care for plants teaches us to care for ourselves, to eat better, to think about where our food comes from and what is used on it, and to notice that we are part of a system of give and take, not rulers of a big ball of dirt. Learning to live with nature, to listen to the lessons she has to teach us, and how we can give back to the Earth is a very important part of learning how to survive.
So even if it is just a few pots on a patio, grow something green.
Being able to identify which plants are good for eating, and which are good for medicinal uses, as well as which ones to avoid, are of course the first things that come to mind. But there is more to what plants can teach us, such as listening to nature. When you watch a plant grow, and see the way it changes from day to day, you tend to look closer at the world around you. Noticing when wildlife goes quiet around predators, listening for the calls of prey animals to locate them, looking for track signs, are all part of observing our world.
Learning to care for plants teaches us to care for ourselves, to eat better, to think about where our food comes from and what is used on it, and to notice that we are part of a system of give and take, not rulers of a big ball of dirt. Learning to live with nature, to listen to the lessons she has to teach us, and how we can give back to the Earth is a very important part of learning how to survive.
So even if it is just a few pots on a patio, grow something green.