Butte County has had its share of disaster and turmoil. Now we face a virus that may not go away completely. Shopping for food has become a challenge. The stores are not always stocked the way they used to be. Times are challenging.

Now is a great time to rethink the backyard or front yard edible garden. This is one way that we can help ourselves. Take a cue from the “victory gardens” citizens planted during World Wars I and II, and increase your self-sufficiency by growing at least some of your food. Let's call it a Resilience Garden.

This kind of garden can be as small as some microgreens growing on a windowsill, or, if you have a deck or patio, you can fill containers with nutrient-dense vegetables. Out in the yard, you can tuck some vegetable plants into spaces around your existing landscape plants. If you have room, you can build or buy raised beds; these can be made of used lumber or even a repurposed old galvanized stock tank.

We live in a moderate climate that is great for planning and planting a food garden. Many nutrient-dense cool season vegetables can be planted now. They have a quick turnaround time, so in about thirty days you can go from planted seed to food on your plate. Leafy greens like kale and chard grow quickly. Lettuces, onions, broccoli, and beets do well in our area until it gets too warm.

To prepare for summer, plant warm season vegetable seeds indoors now, to bring out into the garden after the danger of frost has passed. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, okra, eggplant, and squash are easy to germinate in a sunny window in your house. You can still find seed in most nurseries or big box stores in our area, and seed is often available at grocery stores this time of year.

Find something to grow that will work in your yard. If you plant the right plant in the right place at the right time you should be successful. If your yard is partly shaded, lettuces, leafy greens and spinach should work for you. Perhaps you can plant your vegetables and herbs in containers that are small enough to move around to sunny spots. Think creatively: if your vegetable-growing neighbor has a sunny yard, perhaps you can trade your leafy greens for their tomatoes and squash. Work together and plan your gardens so you can share food. If you have lots of room, plant an extra row so you will have extras to give away to someone in need.

The main prerequisite for growing vegetables is to find a spot where there is sunlight and water. Watch your yard for a full day to map where the sunlight hits. The area that gets the most sun is perfect for growing summer (warm season) vegetables. If this happens to be on a patio or a deck, remember that you can use containers filled with a container soil mix to grow almost any vegetable.

Summer vegetables need 6 to 8 hours of sun. Soil amendments such as compost or manure add organic matter, improve soil tilth, and encourage healthy plant growth, allowing vegetables to be productive and nutritious. Air temperatures of 65 to 90 degrees and soil temperatures averaging of 60 to 70 degrees are ideal.

Cool weather crops grow best in air temperatures of 50 to75 degrees and soil temperatures of 50 to 65 degrees.

For a specific seed starting chart for your area, consult either the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County vegetable planting guide for the Chico valley area, or for the foothills.

Choose nutrient-dense vegetables like potatoes, cow peas, okra, shelling beans, and peppers. Tomatoes are not considered nutrient dense, but they are delicious.

Consider growing dry beans like pinto or black beans. These can be eaten fresh or allowed to dry on the vine. Once dried, they're picked and shelled. They can be stored for a long time in your pantry.

If you are unable to find dry bean seed locally, you can use dried beans from your pantry if they are not too old. Test their viability by taking a few and sprouting them as follows: place a few bean seeds onto a damp paper towel. Put the damp towel into a zip lock bag. In a few days check to see if they have sprouted. If they have, they are still viable and can be planted in the ground.

There are a few vegetables like okra and cow peas that work well together and are also drought resistant. You might consider incorporating an old Native American tradition called the “three sisters.” To do this, start by planting corn. When the corn is about five inches tall, plant pole beans around the corn stalks. The beans will use the corn as a trellis. Then plant squash or pumpkins around the beans. This method uses less water because the squash or pumpkin leaves shade the ground and help the soil retain water.

Growing popping corn is another way to prolong your food harvest. Once the corn is ready to pick, dry it and then remove the kernels from the cob. Store in an airtight container to be popped later.

Diversity in your food garden is a way to help it be more resilient. Adding some culinary herbs and pollinator-friendly flowers will invite beneficial insects to pollinate your vegetables and may help minimize undesirable bugs.

These are some basic ideas to get you started. The point of Resilience Gardening is to encourage you to see how you can grow nutritious food and share it with others. At the same time, you will spend more time outdoors in nature engaging in a healthy purposeful practice.       

The UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, call the Hotline at (530) 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.