Aquaponic Food Production for Long Term Survival, by Stone of Scone

Food storage is important for short term survival, and everyone should have at least a six months to a multi-year food supply. But long term survival requires that you grow your own food. Whether it is TEOTWAWKI or just losing your income because you were laid off from your job, a home food production system is essential to your security.

Most successful food production systems involve using a greenhouse for year round food production, as a greenhouse extends the growing season, and shields your crops from severe weather. Another advantage is that a greenhouse is better protected from nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare than open field farming. And a greenhouse has greater physical security than an open field against pests and animals that might want to share in your harvest, whether they have four legs or two.

One problem with a greenhouse is providing an efficient watering system that doesn’t require you to hand water your plants, and that will reclaim the run-off or excess water that would otherwise be lost into the floor of the greenhouse. Water is always an expense, and if your city water supply or electric powered well pump is not working, then it would be almost impossible to manually haul enough water by hand to maintain your greenhouse plants. Another problem is how to keep the temperature of the greenhouse stable without using propane or electric heaters. A greenhouse needs to store the heat collected during the day, and slowly release this heat so that the plants won’t freeze when the sun goes down. I believe that the concept of “Aquaponics” solves both of these problems, and is the perfect technique for growing food off the grid in a greenhouse.

Aquaponics is a combination of Hydroponics (growing plants in water), and Aquaculture (growing fish in water). Aquaponics uses low energy water pumps to move the water from the fish tank through a gravel-filled bed to filter the water for the fish, while providing water for the plants growing in the gravel bed. The low pressure water pumps recycle the water for continuous use, and require a very small amount of electricity power which can be provided by a solar panel.

The fish in an Aquaponic system are a good survival protein source, but more importantly the fish create ammonia as a waste product, which provides fertilizer for the plants. The fish ammonia is converted into liquid nitrate fertilizer by autotrophic bacteria that reside in the gravel-filled growing beds, which is where the plants are raised. The water pump moves the water from fish tank into the gravel filled grow beds and back to the fish tank, thereby watering all of the plants automatically, while purifying the water for the fish by removing the ammonia. Around 98% of the water is conserved and reused, with very little makeup water needed. This solves the large water consumption problem that most greenhouses have. And, the large amount of water contained in the fish tank (ours has nearly 1,000 gallons) acts as a temperature buffer, which moderates the daily swings in temperature in the greenhouse by storing the excess heat during the day, and gently emitting the heat each night to keep the plants from freezing. The thermal storage capacity of the water based Aquaponic system fully complements any “Solar Greenhouse” design.

Aquaponics produces a large amount of organically grown food, as much if not more than a standard hydroponic greenhouse, without purchasing any hydroponic chemicals. Once you have the system set up, it pretty much runs itself with much less effort than traditional gardening. And if you can grow your own fish food from duckweed, black soldier fly larvae, earthworms, crickets, etc., then the system becomes almost completely self contained.

Our setup is pretty simple, and cost around $1,500. We built a small greenhouse frame using recycled wood. Inside we built our Aquaponic structure that is 8′ x 8′ wide and 8′ tall. The foundation of the structure is an 8′ x 8′ wide by 2′ deep fish tank made out of 2×12 lumber lined with a 12 mil rubber liner, all of which rests on concrete blocks. Above the fish tank are 4 gravel filled grow-beds mounted on 8′ tall 4×4 posts. The grow beds are wooden boxes made from 2×12 lumber that are 8′ long, 2′ 6″ wide, and one foot deep. The grow-beds are spaced 5′ and 8′ off the ground directly above the fish tank, mounted on top of each other like bunk beds with a walkway between them. Since the grow-beds are only 2′ 6″ wide, there is room between them for a 3′ catwalk over the fish tank to let us stand and work between the two sets of stacked grow-beds.

There are a lot of ways to build a cheaper aquaponic system. Once way is by using recycled plastic barrels for the fish tanks, and making the grow beds by cutting plastic barrels longways and laying them on their sides on a wooden rack and filling them with gravel, and then plumbing everything together with PVC pipe. You can also do it on a small scale with a standard aquarium and small water pump to push water through your potted plants on the windowsill, as long as you have a place for a “biofilter” such as a gravel filled bed or refugium where the bacteria that changes the ammonia into nitrogen can reside.

A working “biofilter” is the key ingredient to a good aquaponics system, as the bacteria in the biofilter keeps the fish water clean, and changes ammonia into nitrogen for the plants. The bacteria need to reside in a wet environment that has plenty of oxygen, and little or no light. A gravel bed that is alternately flooded and drained, is perfect for this type of bacteria to thrive in. Other aquaponic solutions, such as Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) and Deep Water Raft Technique, use a large amount of netting submerged in the water to give a place for the bacteria to reside. We chose a grow-bed filled with 1 foot of gravel as our biofilter, as it is simpler to build.

The bacteria in the gravel biofilter changes the ammonia into nitrogen in two steps. The first step is performed by the Nitrosomonas bacteria, which changes the total fish ammonia (NH3 and NH4+) into nitrite (NO2). The next process is accomplished by the Nitrobacter bacteria that changes the nitrite (NO2) into nitrate (NO3), which the plants use as fertilizer. The ammonia and nitrites are very toxic to fish, while the nitrates are fairly harmless, so it is important to monitor the bacteria by testing the water quality using the inexpensive aquarium test strips sold at any pet store. As long as you have a large amount of gravel or other media for the bacteria to colonize, your water quality won’t be an issue. If you are using sterile media, you won’t have any bacteria to start with, and you will need to purchase the bacteria from an aquarium shop or from Fritz-Zyme. We used gravel from a creek, as the Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter bacteria is always abundant in river gravel. Since these two types of bacteria work in tandem and do not reproduce quickly, it may take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to ramp up the bacteria to full production. So, it may important not to add a large number of fish at the same time unless you already have a good supply of bacteria at work in your system.

Our first step in construction of our Aquaponic system was to lay an 8′ x 8′ “carpet” of around 40 concrete blocks for the foundation of the fish tank. It took a long time to get the blocks level using a spirit level and a long 2×4, but this is probably the most crucial part of the construction. The next step was to build the fish tank out of wood, that would ultimately be fitted with a rubber liner. I created a square box out of 2×12 lumber standing on their edges, that was a little less than 8′ x 8′ and held together by wood screws. I designed it so that the 2×12’s had an extra 3.5″ overlap or “flap” on each of the corners, so I could drill holes and put carriage bolts through the 4×4 posts and 2×12 sides from two different directions on each of the outside corners. This holds the wood seams together. It is very important to “overbuild” the tank seams on a wooden fish tank with carriage bolts, wood screws, etc. as the water pressure is very great. Once I had my square box built, I made sure it was perfectly “square” by measuring the distances diagonally across from each corner. When these two distances were the same, I knew it was square. Then I covered what was to be the bottom of the tank with 8′ long 2x4s, nailed into the 2x12s with a 2″ gap between each 2×4. When I turned the 8’x8′ box over and placed it on the concrete block foundation, the gaps between the 2x4s allowed me to put shims between the blocks and the 2x4s, so that each concrete block was helping to evenly support the 2x4s that held up the fish tank.

For the bottom of the fish tank, I nailed an 8’x8′ section of heavy duty 1″ flooring over the 2x4s that were shimmed against the concrete blocks. The next step was to secure the second set of 2x12s standing on edge on top of the first set, to bring the fish tank up to two feet in depth. I again secured it to the 4x4s with carriage bolts in all of the corners, all the while making sure the 4×4 posts were plumb. Copious amounts of wood screws were added wherever possible. After this I inserted the rubber liner to make the tank hold water.

I calculated the weight of the water in the tank as follows: 8′ x 8′ x 2′ equals 128 cubic feet of water, times 7.5 gallons per cubic foot, equals 960 gallons of water. With around eight pounds per gallon, this would give a total of 7,680 pounds of water, not to mention the gravel beds. So, I am giving a lot of detail on how to over-engineer the fish tank, as with this much weight and water, there will be no small failures, only big ones.

Now this is a very large tank, and as you can always add more grow-beds or an NFT system to the tank, but it is not so easy to add another fish tank that is incorporated with the pumps into the same aquaponic system. The general ratio from the research I have read is that you can use 2 cubic feet of gravel growbed for each cubic feet of water in the fish tank. Since I plan to feed my family off this system, I thought it was better to start with a moderately large fish tank, and then add more grow beds later. And, the larger your tank, the less problems you will have with any rapid changes in temperature, pH, Ammonia, or other problems. A larger tank with over 500 gallons of water buffers most problems, and gives you more time to find a solution and correct it.

The construction of the grow beds was much easier, as there were no real water pressure issues. I nailed 2x12s to the upright 4×4 posts to form boxes that are 8′ long, and 2’6″ wide. For the bottom of the grow-beds, I nailed 2x4s laid on their sides, and covered them with 1″ flooring, topped off with the same 12 mil rubber liner I used on the fish tank, which I purchased at FarmTek.

The next part was the plumbing. I used rubber Uniseal bulkheads to hold the 1″ PVC pipe straight up for a stand pipe drain in the bottom of each grow bed. The Uniseal is great, you just drill a hole with a hole saw through the rubber liner and 1″ flooring in the growbed, and insert the rubber Uniseal bulkhead, and then slide the PVC pipe through the bulkhead. The 1″ PVC pipe is a tight fit, but there are no leaks, and you can pull the pipe out later if you have a problem. To keep the gravel away from the stand pipe, I used a 3″ PVC pipe about 8″ long that I drilled with about 50 ¼” holes and nested the 3″ pipe around the 1″ standpipe.

By stacking the grow-beds on top of each other like bunk beds and placing the inputs and drains on opposite ends, and I make the water traverse the entire length of each of the two gravel-filled grow-beds in the stack before it can return to the fish tank. I use two 330 gallon per hour fountain pumps I got from Lowe’s to pump water to the top growbed. Since it takes about 15 minutes for the grow-beds to fill up, and about 45 minutes for them to drain, I set a timer that runs the pumps for 15 minutes on the hour. This gives me the “ebb and flow” water system that is crucial to aquaponics. Each growbed needs to fill up with water to irrigate the plants and the bacteria for the system to operate. But each growbed also needs to dump all of the water back out, so that oxygen can reach the plant roots, and the bacteria can function. If you don’t drain the water, you will have an anaerobic condition (no oxygen), and your plant roots will die and harmful types of bacteria will begin to develop.

One way to create an “ebb and flow”, or “flood and drain” cycle is to use a Bell Siphon, which will automatically siphon all of the water out of the grow bed once it reaches a certain depth. Bell siphons are widely used in Aquaponics, and the University of Hawaii has a good research PDF on how to build one. However, the bell siphon can malfunction, and they assume that your water pumps will run continuously. That is, with a bell siphon, if your pumps quit working, you may end up with a grow bed half full of water and no drainage. I opted to build something simpler, with just a 6″ long stand pipe out of 1″ PVC, with a ¼” drain hole just above the bulkhead. The stand pipe is the main drain pipe, that sticks straight up and keeps the water from ever cresting higher than 6″ deep, as it will just flow into the pipe. The ¼” drain hole just above the bulkhead keeps a continual drain going, but the amount of water it relieves is less than the 330 gallon per hour pump is putting into the growbed. So, after the growbed fills up and the water crests over the standpipe, the timer will shut the water off and the rest of the water will slowly flow back out through the ¼” hole at the bottom of the standpipe. I found this approach to be more energy efficient for an off-grid system, and the water retention period in the growbeds is long enough for the ammonia-eliminating bacteria to function completely.

Using “free” river gravel for the media in the grow bed is the cheapest option possible, but other media options are vermiculite, perlite, expanded clay balls (which are sold under the trade names of Hydroton and LECA for Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate), and coconut fiber, which is also called “coir”. We have tried adding a layer of coir over our river gravel, and found that it makes it easier to start the plants from seed over planting directly in the river gravel. The coir does not deteriorate, is PH neutral, and wicks the water up to keep the seeds moist for germination. You can get 35 pounds of coir in compressed bricks from Terra Prima Industries for around $70 with shipping.

Fish selection is another topic for Aquaponics. Tilapia are the most commonly used fish, as they are herbivores that eat algae and aquatic plants, grow very fast, handle crowding well, and are very prolific breeders. Tilapia are mouth-brooders, and raise their young inside the mother’s mouth. Tilapia have a lot of advantages, but they cannot handle cold water. The White Nile Tilapia, which grows the fastest of the species, will show stress at water temperatures less than 62 degrees, and will die at 55 degrees. The Blue Tilapia is the most cold tolerant, but will die at temperatures less than 50 degrees. Tilapia really need 80 degree water. If you are off the grid in a cold climate with Tilapia, you will need to find a way to heat the water to these temperatures, year round. This means some sort of solar thermal panel that will thermo-siphon or otherwise pump hot water up to the fish tank. Fish cannot handle thermal shock or any quick changes in water temperature, so you will have to construct some sort of heat exchanger that can fit inside the fish tank. This adds a lot of complexity to an off grid food production system.

For this reason, I chose to go with Bluegill, as they can handle water temperatures down to 39 degrees, and the greenhouse always keeps the water at least that warm without assistance. Another reason I chose Bluegill is that they are much cheaper than Tilapia, as I cannot get Tilapia locally. The “Tilapia Source” is a great company to work with, but they would have to overnight them to me for $70, plus charge $2 a fish – for a total of $170 for 50 Tilapia fingerlings. Instead, I bought 100 Bluegill for only $40.00 from Farley’s Fish Farm from their truck that came to our local Farmer’s Co-Op. Farley’s serves about 12 or 13 states here in the Southeast USA, and I found them to be a very reasonable resource for fish.

Bluegill is a good fish for Aquaponics, as they handle crowding well, can tolerate various PH and other water quality issues, and do not generally eat each other. Other fish used in Aquaponics are Catfish, Yellow Perch, Bass, Koi, Goldfish, and sometimes Trout.

I had a minor problem in the beginning with a fish disease called “Columnaris”, which I diagnosed from from a “Fish Pharmacy” web site. Columnaris is a small white growth that occurs on the fins. The Fish Pharmacy web site had a toxic pharmacy solution for every fish problem. However, in Aquaponics you are not going to be able to treat the fish with anything that is not organic, or that you would not eat yourself. This excludes all of the anti-fungal treatments, or any medicine that contains some type of poison. Even the regular antibiotics that are meant for fish are not meant for humans to eat, and need to be excluded. I found from research on the web that Columnaris responds well to the addition of salt and other minerals to the water, on the order of 1 tablespoon for every 50 gallons of water. For my setup, I put over a cup of sea salt into the water, and the disease has began to retreat, with only one fish still showing signs. Columnaris is in almost every fish tank, and probably came in with the fish, or in the river gravel I used. It finds an opening when the fish are mishandled in some way. My mistake was to not acclimate the temperature of the fish when I brought them home in a bag from the fish truck, which created a lot of stress. We should have let the bag float in the water for 15 minutes before letting the fish out. The thermal shock and other rough handling I did on day one is probably the reason for the Columnaris problem. But since I only had to add sea salt to the fish tank to correct the problem, I will have no worries about eating the fish at some point. I can discard any fish that show signs of Columnaris, if they still have that problem when I harvest, and only eat the best. I know exactly how these fish have been raised, and what has gone into them, which is much better than what you buy at the supermarket. But what I find most reassuring about raising and eating fish I raise is that when the fish are eaten fresh, there are very few diseases that fish have can be passed on to humans, unlike the trichina worms that pigs can give to humans, tularemia in rabbits, tetanus in horse meat, etc. These diseases can kill you if you live in a time without access to modern medicine. Columnaris won’t hurt humans, and aquaponically raised fish will not generally have diseases that affect humans, and so are a very healthy source of protein.

But the real purpose of the fish in Aquaponics is not just for food, but to provide the ammonia to power the bacteria-based fertilization system. If you don’t have fish, any organic ammonia source can work. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, the ammonia contained in human urine can work just as well as what the fish produce, and while waiting for my fish to arrive, I actually used this technique to jump start the bacteria in the system. The result was that the water clarity improved once the bacteria were given enough ammonia to thrive. Another option if you don’t have fish is to use the ammonia and nitrogen found in a “manure tea”, which is made by placing horse manure in a burlap bag and immersing it in the water tank for short periods of time.

Dissolved oxygen in the water is another important topic. Using an air pump to diffuse oxygen through airstones in the fish tank improves water quality by helping the aerobic bacteria to grow and the fish to be active and healthy. Without an air pump, you cannot raise enough fish to power the nitrogen needs of the plants. I purchased a 65 liter/minute Eco Plus Commercial Air Pump from AquaCave for $79.95. This pulls 35 watts on 110 AC, and is quite sufficient, as it easily powers four 12 inch airstones in the tank, plus 4 48″ flexible air curtain diffusers I buried under the gravel in the grow-beds to help aerate the bacteria there. This is a floating piston commercial type of air pump, as the standard diaphragm pumps would not have enough power or longevity. For a backup system when the power goes out, I bought a 25 watt 12 volt DC air compressor from AquaCave that runs directly from a 125 amp-hour marine battery, which gives over 2 days of run time. To kick in the DC compressor when the 110 AC power goes out, we used a small plug-in DC transformer to hold open a relay, both of which we ordered from Jameco. When the 110 power goes out, the transformer loses current, and the relay closes which completes the circuit for the DC compressor to draw power from the battery. For a large Aquaponic system with over 100 fish, you have to have redundant air systems, for if the fish go for more than four hours without air they will asphyxiate.

In calculating our total power consumption for running the Aquaponic system using solar panels, the two 330 gallon per hour water pumps for the grow-beds draw 13 watts each, but run only 15 minutes each hour, for an average hourly usage of 6.5 watts. Adding the 25 watt DC air compressor gives a very low total power consumption rate of 31.5 watts. Solar panels and a few marine batteries can easily power this system if you are permanently off grid, and I hope to do this soon.

But to be truly off-grid with Aquaponics involves more than just using solar panels, as you need to create your own fish food as input to the system. Right now, I am using some water containers to grow Duckweed (which is an aquatic plant with high protein that the fish love), but mainly rely on Purina catfish food to feed the fish. To close the loop that would make me independent, I will be building a compost pod that harvests Black Soldier Fly Larvae, along with giving the fish the earthworms from the compost pile. Another protein source I am using is a small electric light about 4 inches over the fish tank with a timer that turns on at night. The bugs fly in and bounce against the light and into the fish tank, where the bluegill snap them up. Now that’s a good bug lamp!

The output of produce from the Aquaponic setup is phenomenal. The cucumbers, tomatoes and basil are growing about 3 times faster than in my container garden, and 5-6 times faster than using traditional soil techniques. For more scientific proof on the superiority of Aquaponic gardening, a Canadian research group has written a paper that indicates how Aquaponics outperforms hydroponics. Will Allen of Growing Power has a great video that shows how he grows 1 million pounds of food on 3 acres using Aquaponics. The tremendous production potential of Aquaponics over traditional gardening techniques should make anyone that has a greenhouse investigate Aquaponics.

My next step for the Aquaponic project has been to develop a Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) setup, which consists of running the fish effluent through 20′ long sections of vinyl gutters, which feeds the plants that are mounted with their roots in the gutters. Thin plywood is mounted on top of the gutters, with a 2″ hole drilled every 6 to 8 inches. Inside the holes I put nylon netting that holds some pea gravel to provide support for the plant roots in the nutrient-rich fish water. The top of the plants grow on top of the plywood. The gutters have a 40:1 slope (6″ over 20′), and a small pump puts water into the high end, with the water transversing the gutters and draining back into the fish tank. This is nearly identical to a standard hydroponic setup, except I am using renewable fish effluent from the fish tank instead of purchasing standard hydroponic chemicals to feed the plants.

YouTube is an excellent video resource for understanding the various Aquaponic systems. A quick search on YouTube for “Aquaponics” will bring up many videos. Be sure to find the videos by Will Allen at Growing Power (an aquaponic farm in downtown Milwaukee ), or by Nelson and Pade who did much of the original Aquaponic research, or any videos by “Backyard Aquaponics” which is located in Western Australia. Aquaponics is very big in Australia as it is a good solution for gardening in a dry climate. One of the best technical articles online to understand the technology of Aquaponics is “Optimization of Backyard Aquaponic Systems.” Any articles written by Dr. James Rakocy of the University of the Virgin Islands would provide another expert source for Aquaponics. Wikipedia also has a good article that gives an excellent overview of Aquaponics, and the picture in Wikipedia of the “small portable Aquaponic system” (which came from Growing Power) is the model I used for my system. I just kept looking at this picture, and it finally dawned on me how simple this is. For more technical advice, the book “Aquaponic Food Production” by Nelson and Pade will teach you everything you need to know.

Most preppers live, or hope to live, as far away from the city as possible. But the problem with rural life is the lack of a steady income. An Aquaponic greenhouse can potentially earn enough to make rural living possible, as long as you can occasionally get to a market to sell your produce. Aquaponics is the only type of hydroponic vegetables that can be certified 100% organic, as all other types of hydroponic vegetables use inorganic chemicals for their nutrients. Premium organically raised vegetables will command much higher prices at restaurants and stores that cater to health conscious buyers. But Aquaponics gives you something that no other organic producer can create, and that is, organic produce with roots that have never touched any soil. You can sell lettuce and other vegetables with the roots attached, as no dirt will have ever been on your roots. By leaving the roots attached and not injuring the plant, the “living lettuce” and other vegetables you sell will keep much longer and your profit will be greater.

The one final thing I have to say about Aquaponics is that it gives any prepper something even better than a nearly endless supply of food, and that is, a large quantity of water. If everything else fails and I end up eating all my fish and produce, I still have 960 gallons of water that I can filter and use. In fact, if I extract the water as it comes out of the gravel-filled grow beds, it already has a good amount of filtration, and is probably healthier to drink than the chlorinated and fluoride filled water that comes out of a city tap. Every prepper needs a large amount of stored water, and this is a great way to do it.

Food Security: A Pantry and a Garden by Marianna

Believing as I do that a tragedy of some form is coming, I expressed to my husband that food security is a great place to start.  As he is somewhat skeptical of what may come, he did agree that a food investment is not frivolous.  We have four children and already know what feeding six people a day is like and are used to buying in bulk and shopping smart.  Our food security began by starting a pantry.  Since our house was built in the 1920s, it has a peculiar little room (about 10’ x 10’) off the kitchen with a built in china cabinet which attaches to the dining room.  This was Providence for us. 

I have created a very efficient pantry with the  purchase of three large wire shelving units with 4 adjustable shelves from Sam’s at somewhere around $30 each (what a steal!).  I also inherited a 5 foot tall used dresser of solid wood with five spacious drawers, which I keep in there.   I store rice, beans, pasta, salt, sugar, cereal, oats, water in plastic fruit juice bottles, and about 3 months or more of canned foods, all that we use on a reasonably regular basis.  Anything non-perishable that we eat, I have a back up. I have also stored toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, tissues and the like, taking advantage of sales. None of the food items are strictly ‘survival’ foods.  All are part of the regular diet, even though we have our seasons for particular dishes.  I buy more heavily foods that store for five years+, like canned salmon and potted meat.  Wheat is still an intention of mine.  I store a year’s worth of vitamins in the drawers, along with candy that I hope the kids will forget about from Easter and parties.  First aid supplies would also go nicely there, along with herbal remedies that should be kept from light.  I have stocked up more on dry herbs from Wal-Mart and used them on ice cream to treat ear infections, colds and other minor problems in my children with success, until I can expand my knowledge about liquid herbs, which are more of an investment.

My previous garden attempts have been dismal failures when it came to growing anything edible.  I love fresh produce and it is a large part of my diet.  This year, we have had plenty of squash and cucumbers from my first real garden, and everything I planted will bear fruit: tomatoes, eggplant, chives, dill, corn, and maybe a pumpkin.  Our soil is red clay, and after my first soil test ever, I realized it is very acidic. The soil test was easy to get.  I used an old pickle jars, dug six different holes around the garden, and took dirt from each, about 6 inches down.  Then my husband dropped it off at the county extension office and paid $6.  My pH was 5.8, which explains to me why my previous garden did not succeed.

My real secret was to follow almost exactly the advice in the book How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons (7th edition).  One big advantage of this method, when looking ahead to hard times, is that is requires no tractor or tiller.  The other big advantage is that it works, even for beginners and dummies, like me.  It does require manual labor in the spring, every spring, and this requires real conviction.  Many times I told myself, I will overcome my difficulties and push forward.  When the final, most difficult work came, I had to push not only myself, but my husband, and this was a serious mind game!  We have never worked that hard for any garden, landscaping, or any other project I can think of.  Except moving.

This method is organic, yet I found it easy and not expensive to do, and I live in a small town.  Its focus is the soil.  Having good soil means success.  It is also intensive, claiming to grow four times as much from the same land required for traditional gardening.  I think that is fine, but bugs like squash vine borers are a real killer, and go largely unseen.  Next year I will be ready for them!  Preparing the soil uses only a D-handle flat spade and a spading fork.  Initial preparation requires some amendments, which can easily be done now, and won’t be required in future years.  Composting is a must, and the book gives good advice about that, too.  After loosening the soil with the spading fork (12 inches or so), add sand and composted cow manure or the like and work it in again. (Keeping the grown moist makes this much easier.)  Exact amounts are given in cubic feet for your first garden of 100 square feet, which is recommended for the first year.  Then, by using trenches of 1 foot deep and long, by about four feet wide, you use your spading fork again to loosen the subsoil another 12 inches or so.  The soil is never mixed.  Sand and compost are supposed to stay in the upper layer.  Once the first trench is dug, the soil is placed in buckets and the second trench is dug and moved into the first trench.  Now the lower foot of soil is exposed and loosened with the spading fork.  Moving that foot of dirt was tough.  My husband and I used two shovels and lots of muscle, because with clay, it is usually a block.  After repeating to the end of the garden, the last trench is then filled with the dirt in the buckets, and you have effectively loosened 2 feet of soil down from the surface!  This allows roots to really penetrate and make very healthy plants (even in clay).  Also, use a piece of plywood to step on to prevent compacting the soil.  This produces a raised bed, due to all the air added to the soil. 

After smoothing and breaking clods, broadcast by hand all soil amendments and fertilizers.  (As the season went on, I was amazed how the clods broke up!) I found the suggestion for a nitrogen source, alfalfa meal, at a local feed store, as well as ground granite for potassium (packaged for chickens).  I used bone meal for phosphate, but did not prefer it, due to the animals it attracts.  By traveling to a bigger city, I’m sure I can find phosphate rock for next year.  I also added lime and wood ash to raise the pH.  Then I worked these amendments into the top three inches of soil and planted my seedlings.  I watered everyday from a well, using a fan sprayer attachment in a rainbow fashion, so as not to further compact the soil.  I saw nothing but beautiful growth for about a month and a half.  I began to pick squash bugs and cucumber beetles by hand, but it was no problem using leather gloves and a plastic disposable water bottle for their new residence.  I would scrape and squash the eggs in my gloves.  Then I discovered some squash vine borers and I had to intervene with poison.  The book that taught me by means of pictures was Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening: Controlling Pests and Diseases.  Dusting with pyrethrin was its recommendation, and I did see a slowdown in the effects of the borers after using it, but this requires vigilance and should be done once a week.  Different areas have different pests, so next year I will know that I am vulnerable to them.  Another suggestion was to use insecticidal soap once a week near the ground where the eggs are laid.

This first year of mine as a true novice showed me that experience is the real key.  Mistakes I made are many: I smothered some of my plants by planting too close.  Not protecting against the borers.  (Especially with the pumpkin—I intend to find a more resistant cultivar next year.)  Skip the corn—my garden is too small for it.  Give the vines a place to grow.  The cucumbers seem to be growing in harmony with everything else, but they are really everywhere.  Plant small plants, like bell peppers (the biggest failure) and eggplant and herbs on the south side of the garden, so they will get more sun.

But I am so proud of my success: my daughter is positively sick of squash. (Two of my children love it!)  I give it away, along with my cucumbers, and there is a plentiful supply.  Next year I will learn to prune my tomatoes, but they are producing well and growing large in cages my friend gave me.   Before the end of the summer, I will learn to save seeds and store them, and I will learn to grow seedlings, too!  Most of my plants are heirloom, thanks to a local man who sells them.  This is a game of ‘I can do it if I try.’  I feel thankful for the gift of good advice.  Without that, I wouldn’t have the confidence I do to keep going.  My book also describes how to plant a garden for complete subsistence, and this method has been done in India with great success.

Lastly, I feel I should mention that the useful area in our garden was only 50 square feet after it was all said and done.  Next year, it’ll be 100 square feet!

Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

The latest books on top of my pile include:

  • You’ll probably recall my mentions of Enola Gay, the editor of the excellent Paratus Familia blog. I recently received a review copy of her new book: The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases. This book covers 20 uncommon diseases including Bubonic plague, Cholera, Malaria, Radiation Poisoning, Smallpox, Typhoid Fever. Also includes a special section dealing with home treatment of Influenza. The book has recipes, treatment of symptoms, shopping lists and more. Much of the information is also applicable to more common diseases. For example, the details on making your own Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) apply to any disease that creates diarrhea. The book was compiled by Enola Gay, Grace Tome, and Maid Elizabeth with Maurice Masar, MD, LMCC, FRSPH.  On Saturday afternoon, I spent about an hour and a half reading through it.  It is an amazingly succinct compilation of 20 uncommon diseases that are mostly now eradicated in First World countries, but still prevalent in Third World countries. Presumably, these could easily reemerge in the event of a TEOTWAWKI  event.  The book covers the disease symptoms, treatment of symptoms and recipes for hydration and treatments.  Many of the diseases mentioned are most easily cured by antibiotics, of which Enola and the good doctor give a list in the book. [JWR Adds: Since it is often very difficult to procure a decent stock of antibiotics for disaster preparedness through a local doctor, I recommend that SurvivalBlog readers in the U.S. use the consulting services SurvivingHealthy.com. Following consultation, they can provide responsible adults with a variety of antibiotic preparedness packs.] The author’s provisos include the following: “This book is not intended to replace your family doctor or other health professional.  We merely  compiled facts and put them together in a format we found convenient and easily readable.  We did our best to eliminate non-essential medical terminology and present nothing but the absolute bare essential information needed to identify, treat and contain disease.” The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases is available from Paratus Familia Press for $17.95 + $3.99 postage. They take payment via postal money orders or PayPal.
  • The Big Book of Family Eye Care by Dr. Joseph Di Girolamo. An excellent general reference. Unlike the typical first aid books, Di Girolamo’s book goes into considerable detail about eye anatomy and there are detailed chapters on eye injuries and systemic diseases. In her review on Amazon, reader Vicky Henzel sums up the book: “This is definitely a book that everyone needs to have. It is written at a level the average everyday person can understand. No matter how hard my own doctor tries to explain things, I’m still leaving feeling like I didn’t totally understand what was said. This book takes care of that. I feel like I’m sitting down having a regular normal conversation. It’s easy to read and easy to understand. It’s also an awesome reference to have for in between my visits with my own doctor. It would be a mistake to not have this book in your home.” Likewise, I recommend getting a copy of this book for you home medical library. An eye injury that might be considered “minor” in the present day might be a threat to one’s vision or even their life, in a world without modern medical care.

Letter Re: A Prepper Goes to College

JWR:
S. John’s article on higher education generated some great responses, many of which urged careful attention to choosing an area of study that would be of practical use if/when TSHTF, engineering, medicine or nursing rather than law, English, sociology or political science.  I couldn’t agree more that practical skills will be needed.   In spite of the general disrepute in which lawyers are held, however, I’d like to suggest that law is and will always be a practical skill.

If I claimed that 90% (or even 95%) of all knowledge in the field of medicine has been acquired in the last 200 years, I doubt anyone would find that surprising.  In a true collapse scenario, how much of that knowledge will still be practical?   Much of it depends on supplies, equipment and medications that will simply not be available, at least in the short run, but maybe forever.  However, what does remain practical will be much more accurate and useful than what was known 200 years ago.   Many of the basic principles of today’s medicine were unknown back then.   In fact, in case of illness or injury, you’d probably be safer today in the hands of a reasonably well-read layperson with a well-stocked medicine cabinet than in the care of a doctor and hospital from the 1810s.

On the other hand, if a time-traveling lawyer from Abe Lincoln’s era were dropped into the middle of a modern courtroom, after recovering from the shock of the modern technology of law and the presence of women, he would find most of the basic principles familiar.  After all, commercial and property transactions and dispute resolution have been going on for thousands of years, and the law has been distilling its wisdom on how to deal with such transactions all along.   The modern emphasis in media law on crime, civil rights, governmental regulation, and personal injury masks the reality that most law most people see and touch in daily life is commercial law.   It is just so thoroughly integrated in our daily lives that we don’t notice it. 

A good engineer may be able to build a bridge that will stand up to the traffic on it, but either a warrior’s skills or a lawyer’s skills will be needed to make sure the bridge is built on land whose owner won’t just tear it down again.   Throughout human history, that’s what lawyers have done – found ways and developed systems that substitute contracts for wars, so that human ingenuity can be harnessed through commerce and its fruits can be made more secure.  That’s not to say warriors can be dispensed with.  There will always be those who breach contracts, break laws and try to get their way through force or fraud.  Warriors will be needed on the front lines to stop them, capture them and compel them to submit to the law.

A good lawyer has a base of knowledge on how to identify and solve problems that has been distilled over more than two thousand years of human trial and error.   Ironically, preppers are among the people most like lawyers in their thought processes:   Both think beyond the expectation that tomorrow will be just like today, that the sailing will always be smooth; they think about all the things that could go wrong and then try to plan and prepare for them.

Everyone who does attend college would be well advised to take a basic course in legal principles, especially one with a focus on commercial principles.   Whether or not TSHTF, knowing what is involved in making contracts and learning how to read and think about them is a “survival skill” for life.

Having said that, I’m not sure modern legal education is as focused as it used to be on transmitting and refining that base of knowledge.   The mailings I get from my old law school suggest the focus has changed to one of training do-gooders, challenging “privilege” and implementing “social justice.”  – Anonymous Attorney

Economics and Investing:

It was no great surprise on Monday to see spot gold punch through the $1,600 per ounce level for the first time ever, and spot silver back up above $40 per ounce. But just wait…. If Greece defaults on its sovereign debt, there could be some real fireworks in the metals markets. (And in the credit markets, and the FOREX currencies market…)

Loyal content contributor F.G. sent this news item: Wealthy Britons Prepare To Flee

Central Banks’ First-Half Gold Buying Surpasses 2010 Total. (Thanks to Jeff B. for the link.)

Michael W. sent this: Free seeds helping Americans get by, live healthier

Brain in Michigan suggested this by Bob Chapman: Crisis And Collapse Unfortunate but Inevitable.

Items from The Economatrix:

Moody’s Will Cut 7,000 Top-Rated Muni’s if U.S. Downgraded, Reviewing More

15 Examples That Show Many Americans Have Become So Desperate That They Will Do Almost Anything For Money

Economic Outlook Grim If No Debt Deal Reached

Regulators Shut Two Banks in Georgia, One in Florida

US Debt Standoff Threatens to Turn Crisis into Catastrophe

Odds ‘n Sods:

Captain Anaconda sent this MiiU link: AxMan’s $30 Bug Out Bag. (I’m hoping that the MiiU wiki continues to grow.)

   o o o

If you must live in California, then at least live in a county where you have a reasonable chance of getting a CCW permit. Here is a useful map.

   o o o

Commentary from Tamara, over at View From The Porch: On brain drains and foot voting…

   o o o

The Idaho County Free Press reported that a Christian Reformed Church is forming in the Clearwater Valley of north-central Idaho. Those interested are invited to attend the initial Q&A session Thursday, July 21, at the Kamiah Visitors Center Meeting Room from 7-9 p.m.

   o o o

Jonathan B. found a piece on closed loop aquaponics, developed in Switzerland: Farming of the future takes root

Smoke and Mirrors: The Full Implications of the U.S. National Debt

We are told by U.S. Treasury officials and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that the Federal Government’s debt is now just over 100% of our nation’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and while this level of debt is “alarming”, it is “still sustainable.” Meanwhile, Greece’s sovereign debt is now 157% of its GDP, and the nation is on the verge of default and collapse. I presume that Joe Sixpack here in the U.S. sees the news headlines and says to Mrs. Sixpack: “Wow, those poor Greeks. I’m glad that we don’t live there. I wouldn’t feel safe, living in Greece.” Unfortunately, Joe hasn’t been told the whole story.

You see, the “official” National Debt is only around $14.3 Trillion Dollars. But we’ve been lied to. Our actual long term obligations (including the full run costs of Federal retirement programs including Postal Service employees and military pensions) are enormous. We have an aging population. U.S. Census Bureau population figures project that 20.7% of the population will be 65 years or older by 2050. (Currently, it is only around 12.5%.) So our long term obligations are actually far, far greater than the official “National Debt.” All the debt instruments may not yet exist, but one way or another, Uncle Sugar is going to have to come up with a lot more money than just $14.3Trillion. An estimate published by the Heritage Foundation in 2006 mentioned long term obligations of $45.5 trillion. Other estimates range higher: $53 Trillion, or $60 Trillion, or $63 Trillion, or $65 Trillion, or $70 Trillion, or $99 Trillion, or even $130 Trillion. Of these figures, I think that the GAAP-based $70 Trillion estimate is the most accurate. But even that is a shot in the dark, when you consider that future inflation and interest rates are almost impossible to predict. And even just picturing just $1 Trillion (much less $70 trillion) is mind-boggling.

Recognizing that that $70 trillion is nearly 500% of GDP, and that it equates to $233,000 for every man woman and child in United States, we’re in a heap of trouble. There is absolutely no way that this debt can ever be paid off–at least in the absence of mass inflation. (Wherein the debts would be paid in “Dollars” that would have a the purchasing power of just a fraction of cent.) America’s sovereign debt makes the Greek debt look like a pittance. For comparison, the sovereign debt of Greece is only around €340 billion ($481 Billion USD), with European banks are on the hook for about 17% if it.)

Testimony before Congress back in 2005 showed that that by 2070, Federal outlays on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would jump from 16% of GDP to 28% of GDP. And this came with the rosy expectation that interest expenses would not increase at all. It also had ridiculously low estimates for inflation and subsequent cost of living adjustments (COLAs). This report is typical of the deliberate under-reporting and “rose colored glasses” estimates of future debt obligation figures with low interest rates and low inflation.

The Bottom Line
Reaching a logical conclusion to the foregoing, we can rightly surmise that the debt merry-go-round cannot continue forever. Simple demographics and the mathematics of compounding interest dictate that a debt collapse is unavoidable. As former Comptroller General David Walker (the chief auditor the Federal government until 2008) put it: “We face a demographic tsunami [that] will never recede.”

Please soberly consider the implications of the National Debt, and think through what it means for you and your children. In the years to come, we can expect to see higher taxes, a panoply of new fees and fines, decreased pension benefits, and orchestrated currency inflation. Simultaneously, we will face a declining standard of living, shortages, riots, higher property crime rates, labor protests, currency devaluations, currency expatriation controls, bank runs, forced redistribution of wealth, and “social justice” programs that will nationalize entire industries and expropriate productive farmland. This may very well spin out of control until the wealth redistribution and social engineering schemes resemble those in Pol Pot’s Cambodia, or Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.

Protect yourself by moving to a lightly-populated region such as the American Redoubt where you will be well-removed from the major cities, and become as a self-sufficient as possible. (There are thousands of articles in the free SurvivalBlog archives that describe how to do so.) I also strongly recommend getting out of U.S. Dollars. Re-invest in practical, barterable tangibles, as quickly as possible. Be sure to make your portfolio diverse, because you never know what items the Powers That Be will decide to tax heavily or even ban from possession. It is foolish to buy all gold, all silver, all guns, all ammunition, or all farmland. Again, be diverse, and keep a low profile. Oh, and keep your passport up to date.

Pat’s Product Review: Springfield Armory M1A

1

I hear from quite a few SurvivalBlog readers about my articles. Most of you are pretty knowledgeable, polite and have questions. There’s a few SurvivalBlog readers who are rude, it’s okay, we’re all entitled to our opinions. When you’re reading a review of any product, be it a gun, knife, camping gear, or whatever, you must remember, you are reading the opinion of the writer. Although I’ve been writing about firearms and knives for almost 20-years now, and I’ve been a shooter for more than 40 years, I don’t consider myself an “expert” of any sort. Instead, I call myself a serious student. When you read my reviews, you are reading what I have learned from testing a particular product. My opinion is based on many years experience, and based on my evaluation of the products being tested.

I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree with my findings, especially when it comes to guns and knives. While I might think that a particular gun I tested is right for me, it may not be right for someone else. The sample gun I tested might have operated without any malfunctions, and your same model of the same gun might have problems. Bad guns slip through the QC at the best firearms factories – it’s just a fact of life. However, I believe most gun companies are quick to resolve any problems you might have with their firearms – at least based on my own experiences over many years dealing with gun companies.

Okay, up for review today is the Springfield Armory M1A “Loaded” 7.62×51 NATO battle rifle. I cut my teeth on the old military M14 in basic training at Ft. Ord, California back in 1969. About the only complaint I had at that time was the weight of the M14, which was close to 10 pounds. I went into BCT at Ft. Ord weighing in at a whopping 130 pounds. I came out of my infantry school at Ft. Lewis, Washington at 165 pounds. The M14 was heavy, at least for me, and some other soldiers who were small-framed and who didn’t weigh a lot. Then again, a lot of the bigger guys also complained about the weight of the M14. The Springfield Armory M1A is a semiauto only version of the venerable M14 – for the most part.

I was also a member of the Illinois State Rifle and Pistol Team, when I worked full-time for the Illinois National Guard. We were issued match-grade M14s and M1911s for competition. We were also supplied with all the ammo we wanted – how I wish I had taken advantage of that – I’d probably still have match ammo to this day – hindsight is wonderful! Our match-grade M14s could easily shoot 1 MOA if we did our part. I competed in quite a few high-powered rifle matches while on the team, and usually won in my division – I was (and still am) into guns and do a lot of shooting. The Springfield Armory M1A Loaded rifle offers exceptional value and performance with it’s American walnut stock, air gauged medium weight national match barrel in either stainless steel or chrome poly. There is also a national match trigger assembly, although not as nicely done as the one I had on my M14 competition rifle. The front sight and non-hooded rear sight assemblies are also national match, along with the flash suppressor.

With a 22″ barrel, the M1A seems like it’s actually longer than it actually is. However, when you compare it to most standard high-powered hunting rifles, the barrel is actually shorter, and when you compare it to most magnum caliber high-powered hunting rifles, the barrel is actually shorter on the M1A. The trigger is a military two-stage, that is matched tuned to 4.5-5 lbs – and I’ve actually found on most M1A models that I’ve examined (and owned) the trigger pull as lighter. Overall length of the Springfield Armory M1A is 44.3″ which isn’t too bad for a battle rifle.

I’m totally ashamed to say, I don’t currently owned a Springfield Armory M1A – I know, I know – 50-lashes with a wet noodle. However, the last M1A I owned was a Loaded model, and it wasn’t that long ago that I owned this rifle. It was one of those “why did I trade that gun?” deals that haunts a man for many years. My last sample M1A had the chrome moly barrel, which I prefer, as I think chrome moly barrels offer a little better accuracy of stainless barrels. I have no scientific proof of this, only my own experience.

I can honestly say that, I’ve probably fired tens of thousands of rounds through various M1A rifles over the years, and through my military issued match M14, so I have formed some opinions based on my experience with these types of rifles. I believe the M1A is a very reliable rifle, and I don’t ever recall one having any sort of malfunction – period! And, I have fed all manner of 7.62×51 NATO ammo through these rifles. We’re talking reloaded ammo, Russian-made steel-cased ammo, match-grade military ammo, military surplus ammo and commercial .308 ammo with a 150 grain bullet weight- and the M1A just keeps on perking along, so long as you clean ’em once in a while and give ’em a little bit of lube.

The M1A is a very rugged rifle, to be sure. It’s basically a clone of the M14, withonly semiauto fire possible. The M14 was a work horse, and so is the Springfield Armory M1A – they are meant for serious use, in all manner of weather – be it rain, snow, mud or whatever you might throw at it – the M1A can handle it. I always liked the looks of the American walnut stock. However, my next M1A will have a polymer fiberglass stock on it. I live in the western part of Oregon, and we get a lot of rain here. So, I worry about a stock warping under those conditions if I’m forced to live out in the boonies due to an end of the world scenario. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

The M1A is gas operated, with a short-stroke piston. I’ve never seen a short-stroke piston go “bad” but I imagine it can happen. Just wipe the piston down every now and then and they are good to go. I’ve also found that the flash suppressor on the M1A and M14 to be pretty effective, considering that you’re shooting a high-powered round. I absolutely love the sights on the M1A as well, they are fast to pick-up, and easy to adjust. Once your front sight is centered properly, you should never had to touch it again. The front sight on an M1A need no adjustment. All adjustments are through the rear sight, that is windage and elevation adjustable with only your fingers.

The Springfield Armory M1A only comes with one 10-rd magazine, and I’ve yet to figure out why this is. I understand during the magazine ban, that Springfield was supplying 10-rd mags, but I don’t know why they are still doing so. In any case, quality 20-rd M14 mags are easy enough to find. Just steer clear of cheap M14 magazines that Sportsman’s Guide, a large mail-order company sells. They claim to be military surplus M14 mags – they aren’t! Some of the best M14/M1A 20-rd mags being produced today are from Checkmate Industries. You can still find genuine military surplus M14 mags, but they cost more than the brand-new Checkmate magazines – get Checkmate, and you won’t be sorry. Checkmate is currently a contract maker for M14 magazines to the US military. So you will be getting mil-spec M14 mags. They run around $25 each and they are well worth it. With a little care, they will last a lifetime.

My late friend, Chuck Karwan, who was a well-known knife and gun writer, did an article for me, when I was publishing and editing a little newsletter called “Police Hot Sheet .” Chuck’s article was on the police using the M1A as a sniper’s rifle on a SWAT team. Chuck made an excellent argument in favor of the M1A over a bolt action rifle. One of the points Chuck brought up was that a second and third shot was fast to get off than you could from a bolt action rifle – I concur with Chuck on this. And, the M1A is very accurate at least in my testing – you can get 1 MOA if you do your part and you have ammo your rifle likes.

The M1A would be an outstanding addition to any survival battery. The gun can be used as a battle rifle, or as a sniper’s rifle if the need arises. When I shot high-powered rifle competition with my old M14 we shot out to 600-yards with open sights – no scopes – and our team would routinely beat civilian shooters with bolt action rifles with scopes on ’em. Go figure? If you do you part, you can hit a man out in the open at 600-yards with your M1A, if you do your part. You can also lay down a lot of fire-power with the M1A in a CQB situation and there’s not many places you can hide from a .308 round. When I lived in Colorado, my late friend, Tim Caruso, and I used to regularly go up in the mountains and do a lot of shooting, or on his small tract of land, and we could “cut down” some pretty big pine trees with a full 20 round magazine of .308 ammo. Unless it is huge, you can’t hide behind a tree and escape a 7.62mm NATO ball round.

There aren’t many spare parts you need to keep on-hand to keep an M1A going. Perhaps a recoil spring, and maybe a spare firing pin and extractor for your bolt. However, don’t attempt to replace the firing pin or extractor without the proper bolt disassembly tool and the training to do so. The M1A isn’t all that hard to work on for the most part. And, I’ve never had one break on me – although I have worked on broken ones when I was being training as a military armorer. Anything mechanical can break, but I think the M1A would serve you well, and with a little bit of maintenance and cleaning, the gun won’t break down on you when you need it the most.

As I’ve said many times, quality doesn’t come cheap, and you can expect to pay around $1,800 for a Loaded M1A, and a little bit less for a Standard version M1A from Springfield Armory. There are other models of the M1A available, and be sure to check them out on the Springfield Armory web site. You can usually find some M1As at most gun shows, too. Be advised, the M1A is always in short supply, and don’t expect to walk into most smaller gun shops and find one on the rack. You can find Chinese clones of the M1A at gun shows, and most are pretty decent rifles, but only after some expensive work. However, if you want the real deal, then you have to get your hands on an M1A, you won’t be sorry, trust me on this.

I wish I could report something negative about the Springfield Armory M1A, but on the samples I’ve owned over the years, I never had any problems. And, my next battle rifle purchase will be an M1A of some sort! And, it won’t be sold or traded later on! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Labor Requirements Expectations, Post Collapse

Hello James:

This letter is an attempt to throw some stakes into the ground that might serve as  a realistic basis for “expectation management”.

People’s ability to soldier onward under adverse conditions is very closely tied to the alignment (or gap) between expectations and the reality of the moment.   People who have had every advantage have given up and committed suicide because their expectation was that they were destined to become the Chief Executive Officer of a Fortune 500 company before their 45th birthday.  Others greet every morning with relentless cheerfulness even though their day meant 10 hours of mopping floors, because mopping floors was better than what they expected….at least they were not on their knees scrubbing.

So what might a post-whatever lifestyle look like from a work standpoint?  That is pretty easy to describe if we use a 1880-1920 life style as a basis.  There are ample ergonomic studies from the period and, more recently, sports fitness studies of Old Order Amish.

In a very, very condensed form, expect an amount of physical effort that is the equivalent of walking between 10 and 18 miles, 6 days out of the week.  Younger men will be closer to  18 miles a day (6 hours of walking).  Older men (over 55) and women will be closer to the 10 miles a day (3 hours of walking). 

If you are lucky enough to have tools that are appropriately designed for post-whatever, and if you have draft animals, you can cut those estimates by 50%.

If you are cutting firewood with a hand-saw you might be able to cut wood 3 hours a day if you do no other work.  That is why you will configure your work space (yard) so you can squeeze in 30 minutes of wood cutting every cool evening.  You cannot afford to only do 3 hours of productive work in a day because there will be so many other demands on your time.  You will likely be lamed up by the second day due to the unusual muscle groups you over-stress in 3 hours of hand sawing.  You will move your woodshed close to the house because you will not be able to afford a long walk time (wasted time) if you are only going to make 30 minutes of sawdust.

You will fantasize about wood stoves that can use longer pieces of wood.

The math of physical work is that most of the energy burn is in moving your own body-weight.  A 160 pound man carrying a 40 pound pack is burning 80% of his Calories moving his body and 25% moving wheat, or wood, or fertilizer.  You will find yourself becoming  very inventive at packing-and-strapping to get the optimum load per trip.  You will fantasize about carts, wagons, wheelbarrows and burros.

You will never find yourself walking anywhere without carrying something…and at best carrying something in each direction.  It is not unheard of to put the woodshed between the outhouse and the dwelling.  Putting the woodshed on skids means that you can move the woodshed when you move the outhouse.

“Modern” ergonomics is now heart-rate based because there are factors that stress the body that do not produce productive work.  You have to shake your head because two of the prime examples of these stresses is heat stress and water stress.  When you are working for yourself you get smart about matching the big calorie-burn jobs to the thermometer.  You also get good at dressing in layers so you can tune your clothing to reject enough heat.  Amish are not stupid.  I found that the most suitable top for really rough work is a pull-over with the top half closed with laces.  Zippers and buttons are the Achilles’ heal of most tops when your are cutting brush and doing other rough work.

I apologize for the abruptness and jerkiness of the writing, but it is a case of banging it out and hitting send or not getting it written.

God’s blessing upon you and your family

Two Letters Re: Unleaded Spout Solution for NATO Gas Cans

Dear JWR:
In his Letter Re: Unleaded Spout Solution for NATO Gas Cans  in the July 14th edition of SurvivalBlog, writer Lee H. wrote that “Like many others that bought military surplus steel NATO fuel cans, I was frustrated by the fact that only large diameter leaded fuel spouts were available for these cans.” Happily, this is not the case.

HQ Company (“Surplus and Survival headquarters”) in Colorado Springs, Colorado offers both screw-on type nozzles for the old U.S. military Jerry cans as well as the clamp-on NATO-type fuel can spout, both of which have their tips reduced for use with U.S. vehicles with restrictors at the filler cap to allow the use only of pump nozzles meant for unleaded fuel.  They also offer other fuel-can related bits and pieces, including replacement gaskets, can carriers for motor vehicle [and generator trailer] mounting,  and retaining straps.

I have no connection to the company other than being a satisfied customer, very pleased with the reasonable pricing, acceptable quality and prompt shipping I’ve encountered in past dealings with the firm. I would also note, however, that their Colorado location is advantageous for those of us in the Redoubt States area, as that reduces shipping costs. – George S.

Jim,
Since I discovered the Safety Siphon [hose] I haven’t cared whether cans have CARB compliant spouts or improper size hoses or whatever.  I don’t pour gas any longer. I get them at my local Bass Pro Shop, but they are available lots of places. Regards, – Del

Two Letters Re: Fast-Deploying Paracord Bundles

Jim:
I saw this YouTube video two years ago demonstrating how to make a “rip-cord” style paracord bracelet. I made one, but not for a bracelet. Instead of a wallet chain, I have a paracord rip-cord chain with about 30 feet. Same principle, and super-easy to unwind! One warning: When unwound, it’s ‘loopy’ so when unwinding, if possible, try straightening it as you go. – Tangalor

 

James;
This World News clip on how to tie fast deploying paracord bundles could be a good way to keep the young ones busy on a rainy day.

Your blog is a great source of information and inspiration.  Thanks for your efforts. – Dave C.

Letter Re: Update on Midget White Turkeys

Dear Mr. Rawles:
A few months ago I sent in an article titled, ‘Midget White Turkey, the Perfect Homestead Bird’.  The article described everything as it was…then.  But we’ve had a few hitches and I thought if people are preparing for serious times, they might want to know some of the problems we’ve also faced (and are facing) raising turkeys, especially since Survivalblog keeps a ‘library’ of all the articles that come in and someone might be using our article as a guide.

After the first successful hatch, we were unable to raise a second one.  Multiple candlings showed most eggs were fertile and began to grow, but then the eggs died.  Changes of nest, weather, which birds were allowed to set, etc., did no good.  Clutch after clutch failed to hatch.  The eggs that were incubated didn’t hatch, either. 

There really isn’t much out there about Midget Whites, but we finally found someone at a hatchery who was able to shed light on our problem.  It seems that turkey eggs only have about a 50% hatch rate even among the experts.  The hatchery lady said we were very lucky on our first hatch.  The key, she said, is to be sure to have clean eggs, even washing them in a solution designed for eggs.  Bacteria is said to be the big culprit in losses, but there are also tight protocols for incubators.  We don’t mind working hard if we get birds out of this!  We’re following the new lead now and hope to have more success.  But we would like your readers to know that if the 50% hatch rate is true, this isn’t the ultimate meat bird we were recommending and hoping for ourselves. 

The breed doesn’t have to be artificially inseminated, is hardy in winter, the birds are calm to work with, and all the rest we said is true.  But without better hatch rates, the feed to meat conversion rate is pretty bad. – L.C.

Economics and Investing:

Does this sound familiar? Iran’s Economic Spiral: Country to Cut ‘4 Zeros’ Off of National Currency. (A hat tip to F.J. for the link.) The same thing could eventually happen here. If it does, anyone holding coinage will reap a huge overnight profit. (Since coinage is usually not part of a currency exchange.) Have you been stocking up on Nickels?

Items from The Economatrix:

Ireland’s Debt Junked as Euro Crisis Spreads

The Beginning of the End of Europe

Eurozone Hits The Fan:  Gold Price Surging & Silver Begins to Make a Move

A Run on the United States Government

Alternative Markets, Barter Systems, Local Co-ops are the Lifeboats that Will Save Us

Gold is Our Defense Against the Fiat Currency Graveyard

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeff B. wrote to mention this site: DNSDown.com. FWIW, our IP address is: 64.92.111.122. Please make note of it–both in your browser’s bookmarks file and on the back of a business card in your wallet. And just in case this blog (or even the whole Internet) ever disappears, a SurvivalBlog 5-Year Archive CD-ROM is available for just $14.95. Production of the CD-ROM will end on August 1st, so order soon! (We are currently developing a prototype with a new vendor. Stay tuned.)

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Reader John R. mentioned the trailer for a high budget Hollywood movie with lots of big name actors that is scheduled for release on September 9th: Contagion. Note that it mentions birds as vectors. The scenario looks a bit like something out of SurvivalBlog, to me.

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C.R.W. suggested this over at Don’t Tread On Me: The Only Six Choices In Your Russian Roulette Future

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I just heard about the Spokane Sustainable Preparedness Expo, being held on July 31st, at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center. Please note: The organizers just used the same stock photo of a cabin on an alpine lake for their poster and book that had been used on the cover of the new Third Edition of Joel Skousen’s excellent book: Strategic Relocation–North American Guide to Safe Places. However, I’m fairly confident that the expo organizers are not associated with Joel Skousen or his publishing ventures!