I hate being correct...especially in this subject matter. I have consistently advised, and recommended, urban gardening, emergency food stocking, and the creation of as much food and gasoline independence as one can manage based on location and ability........it may be, however, too late for non-believers to act.

The recent disruptions in the middle east represent dissatisfaction with the rising price of food staples and personal economic growth....some governments that can afford to, such as the House of Saud---are throwing petrol-dollars at the problem...Saudi citizens are receiving free groceries for the next year to keep them quiet and docile. Poor nations are not so lucky---don't be stupid enough to think that this poor nation status does not includes us. Disruptions in the middle east causes the cost of oil to rise---especially when investors are unprepared for reality, making standard Agra-business, petrol-food more expensive. A vicious cycle.

Little things are happening---every month I order Number 10 can's of Mountain house, freeze dried food to put away. 10 servings in each can with a shelf life of 25 years..in ordering early for next month due to present circumstances, there were only 6 available type selections at $36.00 a can----on all of Amazon? On this month's order I took what I could get. A bad sign.....

All factors indicate an increase in food cost, an increase in gasoline cost and possibly shortages of some specific staple foods and their resultant products---and remember the grocery store where you shop has probably only a 3 day supply on hand....

http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2010/10/27/the-food-crisis-of-2011/?boxes=Homepagechannels

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/0,,contentMDK:22833439~menuPK:258559~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258554,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3340417/Food-shortages-how-will-we-feed-the-world.html

75% finished now...with the water and electric going in today...we managed to accomplish a good deal over the holiday weekend..we did have to cut and patch one set of wall panels that mysteriously would not align..but other than that there have been no major setbacks once the weather allowed for us to work again.

We are learning as we go---I'd recommend getting a kit with a double door---since the single door variety we have is for very thin people carrying very tiny objects into the greenhouse. Our plan is to line the exterior with Terracotta planters for flowers, and we are installing a utility sink inside.

Once the electric and water are complete we need to install the rear wall exhaust fan, put up the shades and we are complete. Behind schedule due to the severity of this past winter here but....I cannot tell you how happy and relieved I am insuring a supply of fresh food through the winters to come. The beds along side the greenhouse you see in the photo's are our summer planting beds....

My wife JoJo is both the brains and the soul of our gardens...I do the best I can at manual labor the moron assistant.... a strong back and the ability to use a shovel are useful sometimes...my other contribution to our food supply is responsibility for the worm farm. Up to now my worm farm has been a cobbled together affair out of an old Tupperware box. Today tho I decided that if the worm farm was my gardening claim to fame then i was going to do it right.

I ordered a new worm farm structure---the above 4 drawer system from amazon.com and the below book "Worms eat my Garbage". This 4 drawer cabinet allows the worms to not only to have a safer, drier environment, but to be able to move up through the box to the next level following the compost placement leaving nothing but pure worm castings in the lower levels to be recovered. Excess moisture drains to the lowest level where you can draw off the liquid fertilizer....

This way I can fulfill my worm duties, educated---and with the proper equipment!

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.
Aesop