Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Somos autossuficientes desde que criámos a horta. - We are self-sufficient ever since we created the vegetable garden.

No, it depends on the meaning! Because it means "ever since" in this sentence (talking about a point in time), it uses the indicative past tense (criámos). If it meant "provided that" or "as long as" (setting a condition), it would require the subjunctive.

Why is there an accent mark on criámos?

In European Portuguese, the acute accent on the 'a' shows that this is the past tense ("we created") rather than the present tense (criamos, "we create"). The accent also tells you to pronounce the 'a' with an open "ah" sound rather than a closed one.

I learned that "garden" is jardim. Why use horta here?

Uma horta specifically means a vegetable garden, allotment, or patch where you grow food. Um jardim is used for ornamental gardens with flowers, lawns, and decorative plants.

Why is autossuficientes spelled with a double 's'?

When a prefix ending in a vowel (like auto-) is joined to a word starting with 's' or 'r' (like suficiente), that consonant must be doubled. If it were spelled with a single 's', it would be pronounced like a 'z' because it sits between two vowels. It also ends in 's' here because it must agree with the plural "we" (somos).