The 12 Rules of Survival The 12 Rules of Survival has been out of a couple of years now, but it never hurts to reread them. Read the whole book “ Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why ” if you get an opportunity! Also, check out his new book “Lucy” at www.laurencegonzales.com ! By Laurence Gonzales As a journalist, I’ve been writing about accidents for more than thirty years. Survival should be thought of as a journey, a vision quest of the sort that native Americans have had as a rite of passage for thousands of years. Don’t fall into the deadly trap of denial or of immobilizing fear. Many people who in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, died simply because they told themselves that everything was going to be all right. Survivors see opportunity, even good, in their situation, however grim. In the initial crisis, survivors are not ruled by fear; instead, they make use of it. Survivors also manage pain well. Yes you might die. Now, What is the reason for this?
Survival Garden, Be Prepared For Disaster or Food Shortage Emergency Growing A Survival Garden May Soon Become A Necessity! Have you considered that... survival gardening may soon be a true matter of survival and not just a choice? With the rapid decline of our financial system and food supply, grocery store produce and other products, may soon be at a crisis level shortage like we have never seen. At that point, gardening would no longer be a "choice" for a more self sufficient lifestyle, it would be a matter of survival for everyone! With the costs of living rising all the time, you can see the practical benefits of growing your own garden... you can save money, increase your family's health, and become more self sufficient all at the same time by growing vegetables in your backyard. Take advantage of whatever garden space you have, even if your garden may not provide all the food that you need, it will have a dramatic effect in reducing your food bill. Consider some of the benefits of growing your own garden... 1. Small Garden Space Larger Garden Space
Create a Garden Journal - Guest Post Today's guest post comes from Karen at Chicken Sense. Karen blogs about gardening, cooking, sewing, and living in the country. Below she shares some resources to get you started on creating a garden journal. A great rainy day project is to begin a garden journal. Your garden journal can be as simple as a notebook, blank paper, and pencil; or free printable garden journal pages found online; or you can purchase software garden journals; or buy spiral bound garden journal books. Free Garden Journal Pages to Print Garden Journal Software and Books to Purchase Would like to see your post featured here?
Extreme Urban Gardening: Straw Bale Gardens Here’s a very simple technique for gardening in tight spots and in places with no/terrible soil (from the arctic circle to the desert to an asphalt jungle). It’s also a great way to garden if you have limited mobility (in a wheel chair). What is Straw Bale Gardening? You simply plant your garden in straw bales. Here’s an example of what a straw bale garden looks like (via author/expert Joel Karsten — he’s got a good book on the topic and he teaches it in seminars) As you can see, the basic technique is actually quite simple. How to grow a Straw Bale Garden There are lots of techniques on how to grow a straw bale garden. Days 1 to 3: Water the bales thoroughly and keep them damp.Days 4 to 6: Sprinkle each bale with ½ cup urea (46-0-0) and water well into bales. Essentially, plant the seedlings like you would do in the ground. Remember, the bales (like most above ground gardening techniques) will need extra water and fertilizer during the early period. Plants Number Per Bale
3 Ways to Hoard Food for an Emergency Edit Article Where to buyWhat to buyWhere to keep it Edited by Aplin8378, Krystle, Teresa, Derrick Hensley and 5 others We live in uncertain times, with war, natural disasters, and economical instability causing fears of interruptions to our food supply. Ad Steps 1Identify which foods you want to hoard. Method 1 of 3: Where to buy 1 Make sure you have at least £300/$490/342 Euro's (these are equivalent as of the seventh of May, 2011).2Go to a shop that sells canned foods and drinks. Method 2 of 3: What to buy 1Tinned and dried foods are best, as they last for a long time. 2 Think about what tinned foods your family/you eat the most. 7 Buy plenty of bottles of water, and cartons of squash, juice etc. Method 3 of 3: Where to keep it 1 Make sure there is a supply of liquid and food in every room, to start with. 2 Find somewhere dry, cool and clean to store the food and liquid, where it is unlikely to grow mouldy, or be eaten by rats, mice or other pests. Tips Warnings
Jackie’s tips for hardcore homesteading by Jackie Clay Many of us have a garden and enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer and fall. Maybe we even have a few chickens for eggs and meat. But many of us may want to extend our homesteading to what I call "hard-core" homesteading. This is serious homesteading, aimed at being able to provide your family with nearly all of its basic needs. Luckily, most of us with a piece of out-of-the-way land can become nearly "store-bought-free," raising much of what we need in nearly the same way as did our ancestors. There is a vast difference between this type of survival homesteading and stars-in-the-eyes, back-to-nature, recreational homesteading to relieve stress and provide enjoyment. The survival garden It has been said that one can raise enough food for a family of four in a 50- by 50-foot space. When one needs a garden to put up food, not only for the winter but possibly for a year or two, we're talking about at least an acre of intense cropping. You can't grow everything, everywhere.
Garbage Gardening Down below this jungle of tomato and snap pea plants lies layers of organic waste and lots of composting worms busily converting the materials into rich vermicompost. As I mentioned a while back (and written about recently on Red Worm Composting), I’m involved in a pretty sizable restaurant food waste composting project this year. In a nutshell, I am receiving hundreds of pounds (per week) of fruit and vegetable waste from a very popular local restaurant and have been composting these materials on my property. Given the quantity of wastes, I’ve had to get a little creative with my methods, and I’ve certainly discovered some methods that really work well, and others that…well…don’t work quite so well! Most of my efforts have focused on various forms of vermicomposting. I have been adding lots of food scraps to my traditional worm bin systems, but I’ve also been creating a variety of large-scale outdoor systems to help me to deal with all the waste.
How to Build a Survivalist Homestead - A Complete Guide The author is a retired U.S. Army sergeant with a background in infantry, logistics and administrative and security training. He currently heads his own security firm and is an adjunct faculty member with the University of New Hampshire teaching seminars on home food production.-The editors. It is a home in which you can live in a real-world/present-time economy and social order, yet at the same time practice on a regular basis the survival skills you may need later. All of this is accomplished while still living a normal life-style with access to work, schools, emergency services and stores, etc. The survivalist homestead offers one more very important option. In planning a survivalist homestead there are three concepts which must be incorporated into your thinking from the start and which must be adhered to if the goals are to be met. Plan A and Plan B-Plan A is that part of all planning of your homestead which has to do with dealing in the present/real world time frame. 1. 2. 3. 4.
37 things you should hoard – or is it 55? Randomly checking emails today I came across a link that stated there were 37 thing I should hoard in case of emergency. We may have one or two snow storms this season so I clicked the link. Sadly, there was nothing there. I did a google search and found that the 37 things I wanted to look at was not a list, but a book. It had honestly never occurred to me to stock up on cat food… (maybe in part because I buy his food by tens of pounds) They had some good points with the list though. So, in lieu of politics at this time (I have numerous posts that I keep meaning to write and somehow hours slip away from me) and since it’s almost snowy season time – check out some lists of things you should hoard: Check out the particulars of this list here – as the lists are long and include some of their own shopping links. This list includes things like water containers, tarps, it’s pretty extensive. One thing that many people talk about is a 72-hour kit. 1.
Survival Food Series: 25 Survival Seeds You Need For Your Garden Living off the land sounds as inviting as Christmas dinner. But many have hardly had adequate experience being “farmers.” In fact, many have had no experience at all when it comes to planting anything. That being said, the day is slowly approaching where each of us may have to trade in our company identification badges for a shovel and a pair of overalls. Educating yourself on farming topics such as mirco farming, planting for the seasons, natural insect repellents, seed collection and seed storage could help prepare for an upcoming economic crisis. Start Practicing The only way to be fully prepared as far as growing plants is concerned is to practice, practice, practice. With each gardening experience will come more wisdom on how to handle a larger garden. Survival Seeds These seeds that were chosen were based upon their yield quantities, *ease in growing, nutritional content and for the season they are planted in. Sources: Google+
Micro Forest Garden – installation Following on from designing a microforest garden recently, it was time to realise the design! Harris led the charge, helped by forest garden interns Minoru and Kelly, as well as all the students of the forest garden design course. This micro forest garden was to be established on a very compacted piece of ground that had formerly been a road. Yikes. As with many plantings on this crazy patch of land of ours (read: everywhere except the creekflat), it was time to get out the crowbar to dig the holes… but it all turned out splendidly! Conceptual group design for the microforest garden, done during the course by students The final design. The site, shortly after it ceased being a road in Spring 2011… A year later, during the microforest garden install… Paths and beds in, it’s time for the plantathon The particular parameters of this site include that, in a heavy rain event, there is a large amount of surface runoff due to the compaction uphill. But who knows what the future will bring.