Ever wonder how the Solar System impacts life on the third rock from the Sun?  I can tell you that societies throughout history have looked to and learned from the Stars.   Currently the Earth is being impacted by the Suns quiet phase known as the Grand Solar Minimum (AKA GSM).  Put plainly this means the Sun has entered a quiet period in which no Solar Flares nor Solar Storms take place on the Sun.    NASA calls this Solar Cycle 25, and is expecting this to last until mid-2025.    GSM impact all aspects of life on Earth, from cooling temps, which lead to crop losses, which can lead to famine. I urge you to prepare to grow some of your own food.

So how does this impact your ability to Garden?   To prepare for the future look to the past, specifically the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715) which brought plummeting temperatures, crop loss, famine, and the deaths of hundreds of millions of people ACROSS the planet Earth.  Yep, so if you are living in a specific hardiness zone be prepared for changes, have grow houses that are durable and can sustain powerful storms.  You might even have to plan to add heat to your grow houses, if the sky is clouded over for prolonged growth periods

Health of your Soil  the quality of your soil is essential to bring about nutrient dense foods such as Potatoes and Legumes (AKA beans), I would avoid heavy water reliant plants such as Corn and Squash. Healthy soils also help to combat some however, not all bugs.  Stick to a few heavy crop producers to allow you to get a good amount of calories out of your gardens (aka Yield). Soils should also be rich in minerals to allow beneficial organisms such as ribosoms to thrive and help your crops grow.  You can should consider leveraging worms to help improve your soil quality as their castings help the soil health too.  Other ways to add nutrients are via additives such as crushed volcanic rock which is very rich in minerals, or rock dust is a great alternative.  I would avoid as much petroleum based fertilizers as possible. However, in a time of urgent need utilize it to get some yield out of the gardens.  Another great way to augment your soil while preventing it from drying and blowing away is to plant a cover crop. Typically they are white or red clovers but you could use just about anything that has a deep root system such as radish or native grasses to your region.   The clovers and radish help remove Nitrogen from the Air and put it back into the soil.  That's cool if you ask me.

Soil temperature is critical to growing everything, learn when to plant is critical. However, under GSM know these time frames might change. Also think about how a shorter growing season will impact your garden planning. 

All living things need water to survive your garden will be no different, start to think about water capture systems that you can utilize to supply water to your gardens. Simple ideas can go a long way during the rainy season, buckets, containers can naturally capture rainwater, think of it as water harvesting!

In Summary - you better be prepared for several lean years and start now so you are ahead of those stampeding into the big box stores for supplies to do the same.  

Enjoy getting your hands dirty!