Category: Contest

Get Going on Gardening – Part 3, by St. Funogas

28

Figure out the crop timing for your exact location The last frost date indicated on the USDA frost maps is only a ballpark figure for your area. You should have a garden journal where you keep track of the date each year for future reference and planning. Some crops such as beets, turnips, potatoes, and radishes can take some frost. Other crops like tomatoes, peppers, and sweet potatoes will be pretty upset if you plant them and they get frosted so don’t take any chances with those. Timing is important for other reasons as well. Some crops should be harvested …


Get Going on Gardening – Part 2, by St. Funogas

24

(Continued from Part 1.) If you’re on a tighter budget, then there are inexpensive ways to create a lot of compost for next year’s garden. You can start a huge compost pile by cleaning out chicken coops, animal stalls, obtaining mushroom spawn from your local mushroom farm, adding grass clippings, Starbucks coffee grounds, dead leaves, etc. Do some googling and brainstorming to come up with ideas on how to get as much organic material as possible to get a huge first-year compost pile going. The woodier and the chunkier the materials, the slower they will compost so avoid things like …


Get Going on Gardening – Part 1, by St. Funogas

26

If you seriously think we’re going to be facing some kind of a TEOTWAWKI situation sometime in our future then you can’t get started soon enough on learning how to garden. Among preppers, the majority of us probably don’t have a two-year supply of food on hand, even if any friends and relatives show up. And if most states lose 18-25% of their deer population every year in a managed 10-day hunt, I’m guessing that in the free-for-all that will ensue after the SHTF, most big game will quickly become nearly extinct — like it was in most states by …


When Do We Change Masks? – Part 3, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

15

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) When the mask (and goggles?) is done in the “toaster,” then bag it in a fresh carry bag along with the goggles for your next adventure! (And why this challenging routine? It’s because not only do sneeze and cough droplets carry COVID-19 but even breathing produces a mist of viruses. And those particles are so small they can stay suspended in the air for up to 3 hours. All of these droplets and particles settle out on surfaces and the floor. And this virus is so incredibly contagious that persons who use …


When Do We Change Masks? – Part 2, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

61

(Continued from Part 1.) GET SUNNY! Another option would be to expose your contaminated masks to sunlight. The UV component in sunlight will kill viruses. And if you position the mask just right, as the sun moves across the sky it will irradiate the entire face of the mask without any part being shaded and untreated. (You could even hang your masks from a clothesline if you clip the clothespin to one of the tabs where the strap attaches to the mask proper.) Unfortunately, for the Shepherdess and I and many other preppers, the weather here in Spokane does not …


When Do We Change Masks? – Part 1, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

62

Editor’s Introductory Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series.  It was written by one of the most prolific contributors to SurvivalBlog. We’ve posted more than 50 of his articles and letter over the past 15 years. — You have your N-95 filter masks. Now how to you get the maximum use out of them? They’re “disposable.” But can you safely re-use them? Does anybody have “enough” masks? Fluorescent powder distribution. https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4109-x DUST? So, when DO we change masks? Well… The tiny virus-containing droplets take a LONG time to actually plug up a filter mask (unlike dust or smoke). …


Generators for Family Readiness – Part 2, by Greg X.

8

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Starting Electric starting is a nice feature. An electric starter motor spins the engine faster than pull starting increasing the probability that the engine starts. The starter keeps the engine spinning longer because a starter rope always runs out of length. My wife can push the start button and if your back is hurt “the button” still works. Gasoline engines are easier to pull-start than diesels. There are some small diesel engines with compression release that can be pull started, but it can be tough even for a 3-kW engine. We put …


Generators for Family Readiness – Part 1, by Greg X.

27

Many of us own a generator. But how much research did you do before purchasing yours? Generator system integration into you home power design is frequently a series of tradeoffs. I’m going to cover how generators work, potential design features, trade-offs, and strategic considerations. I actually own four generators of various capacities, fuel types, and features, each for slightly different purposes. I also work doing generator fleet maintenance. Key Components I like to break generators down into an alternator, and engine, a DC control system, an AC control system, a fuel system and a cooling system. Generator sets are typically …


The Ultimate Prepper Vehicle, by Spotlight

38

I will admit that the title that I chose for this article was mostly tongue-in-cheek. There is obviously, no ultimate prepper vehicle. What works for me may not work for you. However, I do want to take the opportunity to make the case for what I think is an excellent prepper vehicle: the minivan. Yes, the lowly, oft-mocked minivan. The “Loser Cruiser” as one of my buddies put it when I drove up one day. As I sensed he was attacking my manhood I responded that if he was getting his manhood from the car he drove, he had much …


Preps for Coronavirus by A.J.S.

82

Coronarvirus Simplified and Explained with Suggested Actions At this late stage the time for preparedness has largely passed but it is not entirely too late. Please read the following and consider either preparing accordingly or supplementing your current preps accordingly. Background Info: The novel coronavirus (COVID 19) currently spreading rapidly around the globe is reportedly spread primarily by droplets (think the size droplets you get when you sneeze–big enough to feel most of the time) with some spread being reported by airborne particles (think the size of the dust motes that you see suspended in the air if the sunlight …


Useful Transceivers for Most Preppers, by Tunnel Rabbit

35

Preamble The goal of this article to provide readers, the average preppers radio operator, with useful choices that may be capable of meeting a required level of performance. These are some inexpensive, or low power radio options that do not require an Amateur Radio License in the U.S.. Antenna choice is a very important to the part of providing reliable communications within a 10 to 20 mile radius using low powered radios. Terrain also plays an important role. If one located 50 feet higher than the average elevation of the surrounding terrain, the distance it may transmit and receive is …


Coronavirus: More Thoughts on N95 Masks, by Survivormann99

83

First, I should mention that I have no medical training beyond the first aid level. The purpose of this article is to address questions that have been of concern to me, and to toss out ideas on which others with more training and experience can comment on . As the news about the coronavirus was gaining more attention nationally, a relative pooh-poohed the coronavirus threat by citing the annual number of flu fatalities as being a basis for comparison. In a subsequent response, he said, “Well, I’m going to keep doing what I always do. After all, what can I …


A Prepping Reality Check – Part 4, by Mama Bear

14

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article series.) Security/Defense There have been many articles on the blog about security and defense. Let me just throw out a few thoughts. What is the field of fire from each side of your grid-down retreat? Have you practiced with your family/group how to defend your retreat? Paintball is great for this. Have you thought about how far you are willing to go to defend your supplies, your home, your family? Have you thought about a procedure for admitting additional people to the retreat? Have you thought about which of your friends/family you …


A Prepping Reality Check – Part 3, by Mama Bear

21

(Continued from Part 2.) Communication Communication methods must be well thought out, ahead of time. Most communication methods that are mentioned on the blogs/literature involve electronics such as ham radios, CB radios, walkie-talkies, portable radios, etc. All of these require some source of power. As discussed earlier, computers are very fragile and should not be depended on for communications. What power source does your communications technology use? Do you have backups? If using rechargeable batteries, how many times can they be recharged before they die? Are your communication methods subject to eavesdropping? (HINT: the answer is yes.) How will you …


A Prepping Reality Check – Part 2, by Mama Bear

40

(Continued from Part 1.) Now that you have decided on a physical location that provides the best probability of survival for you and your family, let’s look at the next stage. Food Production Do you plant a garden each year? If not, why not? When you plant your garden each year, where does your seed come from? If you are ordering seed each year from a catalog or internet or purchasing seed at a local store, how are you going to plant your garden when that is not available? If you are raising hybrid or GMO varieties, how will you …