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+
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?
Survival Gardening Survival gardening can provide fresh food for you and your family in the aftermath of a disaster. Disasters can occur at anytime and anywhere, and take many forms. Not all disasters are dramatic and natural. For some people a severe economic downturn can be a disaster. Having garden seeds on hand before a disaster strikes is like having homeowners or rental insurance. You hope you will never need it but should the need arise you will be thankful that you have it. There are many types of garden seeds available. No-Till Garden Method Most garden plots are tilled. Plant in Buckets Above ground vegetables like tomatoes require loose soil that is about 10 inches deep. Plant in Tires Root crops provide valuable nutrients but require 12 to 14 inches of loose soil in which to grow. Grow Up Vegetables that grow on a vine like cucumbers and squash only need a small spot of broken dirt. Beans Beans are easy to grow.
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 make a tool set Life without tools is barbaric. But even simple tools can be expensive in rural parts of developing countries. Import duties bump the costs up higher than they are in the States or elsewhere, and sometimes only low-quality brands are available anyway. So, to hold off future barbarians, we'd like to show how to build a simple tool set on a very low budget. Larry Bentley, the man who figured out how to make these tools, said a wise thing: "Without tools, kids don't take stuff apart, and without taking stuff apart, you don't learn how things work." These tools, Bentley says, could be in the hands of the next William Kamkambwa,who made a working wind power generator from backyard scraps in a village in Malawi. Here's Larry's quick guide to DIY tools. The tools in this guide: Saw Pliers Wooden vice Wood drill bit / star drill bit Chisel Strap hinge vice
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.
BackYard Chickens One of the Many Benefits of Raising Chickens: Composting with Chickens Recently delivered 30 yard dumpster of hay, shavings & manure - 8-27-2011 After four months of the chickens working the compost - 12-31-2011 (this picture was taken where those trees are in the first picture) Regardless of whether you would like to start raising chickens or have been raising them for decades, it’s a known fact that chickens love to scratch. By now, you must be thinking, this article is about the benefits of raising chickens, not their downsides. Because part of the chicken yard is on a slight side hill, the chickens kept on scratching everything downhill, I added boards to "terrace" the compost area. Chickens and compost are “a match made in heaven”, because of their love of digging and scratching. The high protein bugs and beneficial microbes are a favorite “snack”, as well as, the weed seeds, food scraps, and any edible green plant tossed into the compost pile. Vermont Composting Company