Category: Gardening

A Widow’s View of Preparedness, by Catherine T.

I am a widow of over three years whose youngest son was serving our country in the Middle East when my husband’s death happened.  My husband lost his job and was forced into early retirement before his death.  I will not go into the details of all the turmoil then and of having a child home with injuries of war.  In a SHTF situation there will be many people with war injuries in our own neighborhoods.  My other children and I are so glad he is still alive.  My income dropped further not long after this.   It was the end …


Family-Scale Permaculture Gardening, by Tod P.

I started trying to grow my own food, on a small scale, about 10 years ago.  Only this year, did I really begin to see the possibility of growing most of what we need to feed our family.  I have learned to garden through a combination of books, experimentation and tips from others.  I would like to share some of my education and sources so that others can ramp up to self-sufficiency faster than the time it took me.  Permaculture.  Previous SurvivalBlog contributors have mentioned the term “permaculture”.  It is a general term that describes (mostly) self-sustaining production through diversity, …


A Corn Chronicle, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

This spring I purchased Painted Mountain Corn seed from two suppliers following the stirring encouragement of New Ordinance (“Rocky Mountain Corn: The Secret Weapon”). In spring of 2012 seed was selling for around $20/lb. This fall I see it’s commonly selling for around $30/lb and up! I’m planning on saving a lot of seed, selling a little, and experimenting with cooking this amazing field corn in a variety of ways. (Remember, it’s field corn, not sweet corn. You dry it and grind it into flour to make tortillas, tamales, chips, and much more!) GROWING Using a marked measuring line, I …


From the Kitchen to the Garden, by G.T.

1

Let’s just say I have a fair amount of time on my hands and not a whole lot of money. Add to that a curious mind with a bit of a preparedness mindset and you get someone who likes to experiment with produce and gardening. I wanted to share some of my experiences with growing plants straight out of my kitchen, often from produce bought at the grocery store that was meant to be eaten but didn’t make it to the table, or had the seeds removed first. If you’ve seen some of the propaganda out these days on our food supply, …


Survival Uses For Stretch Wrap, by James M.

Not Saran Wrap, I’m talking about what is commonly referred to as pallet wrap. I thought there was no way possible that something as versatile and useful as stretch wrap could have been overlooked in the survival community, but after hours of searching it certainly looks that way. I’ve only found a few vague references to other possible uses for it. Today I hope to enlighten you and further prepare you for TEOTWAWKI. Firstly, it’s a lot of bang for your buck. You can pick up an 18 inch wide roll of stretch wrap that’s 1,500 feet long for less …



Fruit Trees: The Long Term Garden Companion, by Christopher G.

With the cost of groceries going up peppers know that being self-sufficient and creating their own garden is critical, but are you really looking at plants for the long term? Heirloom variety plants like tomatoes are essential to keep around, but if a day comes that you can no longer buy those seeds it is going to be a real pain to try and sort the seeds out from your food source. Taking a closer look at adding fruiting trees to your property and where they can fit into your landscape will make a huge difference in what your land …


Two Letters Re: The Aesthetic Pantry: Trading Ornamentals for Edibles

Dear James, In his otherwise excellent article on replacing ornamental species of plants with useful, edible species in landscaping, Matthew C. mistakenly advises getting rid of hawthorns (medium and small size perennial shrubs). Hawthorn is valuable medicinally, tactically, and nutritionally. Hawthorn is one of the most potent heart and blood pressure medications available.  It has been extensively researched, and has been approved by the German Commission E Report.  Unlike digitalis, which is much better known, hawthorn is extremely non-toxic, and is not known to interact with any other medications.  The earliest recorded medicinal use was in ancient Greece. In a …


The Aesthetic Pantry: Trading Ornamentals for Edibles, by Matthew C.

Henri Frederic Amiel once said, “Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.” While once standing on the kopjes of South Africa, gripped by the panoramic view of vast bushveld, scrub thorn, and columns of azure African sky, the condition of my spirit was one of breathtaking wonder at our God’s creation.  When once overlooking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, eyeing this deep and seemingly never ending chasm of layered and painted earth, the provision of my soul was that of mute and wide-eyed awe. Twice, the state of my existence soared on the wings of angels when …


Two Letters Re: Grow Your Own Nutrient Dense Fruits and Vegetables

James, You are correct about the risks of only using a wood mulch in gardening.  In his book Gardening When It Counts, Steve Solomon discusses the normal carbon/nitrogen ratio in soil — 12:1 — and compares that to various fertilizers.  Woody products such as tree bark can have C/N ratios in excess of 100:1, causing "nitrogen robbing": the nitrogen already in the soil is retained by soil microbes until the wood decomposes and the excess carbon is burnt off, leaving even less nitrogen for the plants in the meantime.  As you mention, it can take years for wood to decompose, leaving the …


Letter Re: Grow Your Own Nutrient Dense Fruits and Vegetables

Dear James: Thank you for your wonderful blog – my husband and I are daily readers.  In response to C.F.B.’s excellent article dated September 30th titled Grow Your Own Nutrient Dense Fruits and Vegetables, I would like to expound on his suggestion that gardeners employ a no-till method for raising their own nutritious produce. I humbly suggest that your many readers watch a film on the Internet from a devout Christian man who has let the Lord lead him to his current no-till method of gardening, called Back To Eden.  I found it very interesting that this man felt called …


Grow Your Own Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, by C.F.B.

Let’s face it.  When we get to point that you can’t call out, use a computer, or find a stop light that is working, our stash of stored food will eventually become depleted.  We will all become more and more dependent on local produce.  Even if food is available for purchase, many people will want to grow some of their own.  For most of us, growing our own fruits and vegetables in an efficient manner will be a challenge.  How successful we are in gardening will very much depend on our individual knowledge and skills.  If you have never gardened, …


The Complete Cycle Of Life, by Terry I.

Imagine a market place in your back yard for fresh homegrown fish, herbs, fruits and vegetables.  Best part of this is that you grew it and know what’s in it.  No pesticides or unwanted hormones and additives.  Plus the market is open 24/7. My Hawaii Experience  Living on an island  and having everything shipped into it makes for the worst case disaster when mother nature or human nature turns bad.  From total communications failure to coastal ports devastation, Hawaii would suffer the worst of all the states in the shortest amount of time.  A large population on island Oahu would …


Tatume Squash For Your Survival Garden, by John D.

2

When most people think of post collapse survival, one of the major topics that first comes to mind is food.  The internet is full of articles and forums dedicated to canning, hunting, gathering, and of course, gardening.  What I don’t often find, are articles specifically dedicated to a particular item of food to be grown in a garden, explaining perhaps why it would be a beneficial plant to start growing now.  For me and my own gardening, I have gone from complete and utter newbie, to successful builder of soil and harvester of many delicious edibles.  Through out this period …


Getting On The Bandwagon — 30 Steps For Mainstream Preppers, by Boreal C.

People who are interested in preparedness seem to love lists.   So, I have compiled a list of 30 steps that may be useful for average families who don’t necessarily have a hideout in the mountains (yet).  This list is by no means all-inclusive and it presumes a basic background in preparedness.  In other words, I hope you have been reading this blog for a long time already!  I am a proud military wife and mother of two grade school students.  I have a master’s degree in chemistry.  We are just an average family trying to get by in uncertain times. …