HJL,
I get excited to read each daily posting. I think how I could make it better and more applicable to my “plan”. I read another very thought provoking article, Eating after TEOTWAWKI, where the author talks about growing a garden and some environmental issues he has run into. What to grow and how much of each is certainly a question all of us have. JWR and many others in this blog have addressed sweat equity and the idea that one knows more not by reading but through experience. In my ten years of gardening, I’ve also experienced my fair share of environmental disasters during this time. For those of you just getting started prepping or have done it their whole lives, I wish to add two thoughts. First, think about a time in the near future where all you eat comes from a garden, storage food, MRE’s, or hunting. This sudden change in diet will, for most of us, cause all kinds of Gastrointestinal (GI) issues. One thing that’s easy to grow are leafy greens: spinach, lettuces, kale, arugula, dandelions, collard greens, and mustard greens. By consuming more salads or roughage, many GI issues can be mitigated. If we all ate a few more salads currently, most of us will find that those “extra pounds” will “fall right off”. Make sure your gardening plans include eating more greens. They grow well in all months, except the heat of summer. The second thought is how/where to grow. Many people enjoy growing a traditional garden outside, with the use of a tiller and some hand tools. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that, and some bountiful harvests can be had. Most of the food is ready for harvest around the same time, and people put up what they’ve harvested. Very few people succeed on a year-to-year basis. I measure “success” by their ability to put away enough food for a year, save seeds, and avoid all that nature has to throw at them– drought, wet conditions, storms, wind, heat, early fall, late springs, pests, and animals. After I’d had enough of nature a few summers ago, I began my studies of commercial farming, specifically using greenhouses, and how those commercial farmers have crops year around. By using a green house, one has more control over nature. Pest control, humidity control, cooler summers, warmer winters, pest control, and rodent control can all be factors that allow a farmer the ability to consistently produce fresh food all year long. When the balloon goes up, you should have all of this in place, seeds stocked up, and production underway. A good place to start learning is on YouTube; search “geothermal greenhouse” to learn many different ways to grow. Go visit and learn from commercial farmers in your area. I hope that my thoughts allow you to harvest more food, give you new ideas, and that you use any extra for charity! Proverbs 3:5 – A.M. In N.C.