Survival gardens are becoming more popular these days,
especially considering the rising prices of food in the grocery store, the
harsh chemicals used to treat those foods and water supplies that grown more
tainted each day. If you aren’t familiar with what a survival garden is, it is
simply this: a veggie garden designed to produce enough food for you and your
family to live on.
Many people argue that no one can know if we are under the
threat of needing such a thing. However, in the same way that we don’t put off
planning for other disasters until the last minute, you should at least
consider the scenario, and have plans, just in case. The fact is, without food,
you won’t last long. And in a dire situation, when food becomes hard to find,
you won’t be able to expect anyone to be sharing their own stores either.
Considerations in Survival
Gardens
In a survival garden, it’s important to think about which
plants will offer the most nutrition by way of vitamins, carbs and fat. You
won’t need just sustenance, but foods that will keep you healthy and
functioning at the best possible level.
You’ll also want to at least get started working a small
plot, if for no other reason than to get some hands-on learning. A small plot
will allow you to get an idea about how hard the dirt will be to till, how the
weeds reproduce in that area and what pests you will encounter. On the other
hand, you could also give some consideration to container gardening, or raised
beds, if you have the means to do so.
When you start small, you’ll want to plant crops that are
easy to grow and that you enjoy eating, so you won’t be tempted to give up on
them if the going gets rough. A few vegetables that you’ll find easy to grow
include:
- Bush beans
- Potatoes
- Cucumbers
- Peas
With time, and as your gardening expertise grows, you can
add other crops that might take a bit more land, but that are rich in calories,
tasty to eat and fun to raise. These can include:
- Squash
- Corn
- Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Assorted Greens
- Herbs
It’s a great idea to create diversity in your garden, as
well as an array of flavors. If you can go out and pick a cabbage, and then
also pick a few herbs to flavor the dish, you’ve created something special.
This will give you a desire to continue planting more crops that can actually
be used together.
Finding Foods That Pack a Punch
If you study survival gardening, you will find that sunflower
seeds are a great way to get necessary fat into your vegetarian diet. Peanuts
are also great for this. Make sure to search out crops like these that will
meet all your nutritional needs but that are easy to grow in your own specific
region.
Keep in mind, when your garden produce starts coming on,
it’s as important to know what to do with them as it was to grow them in the
first place. Storage can be an issue sometimes, especially for crops such as
greens, cucumbers, etc. Keeping them throughout the winter months will be the
trick. We have found that these vegetables are some of the easiest to store:
- Onions
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Turnips
- Beets
Don’t forget that you will also be able to can a great many
vegetables. Tomatoes are probably the easiest to can, due to their high acidity
content, but you can also can beans, and many other veggies as well, all in a
water bath canner that really takes no more than a fire to cook over for
several hours and the jars and lids to hold them.
Specific Foods and Why They’re Good
Potatoes are actually pretty high in protein, as far as
veggies go, which make them a wonderful addition to the garden. Any variety
will work really, depending on your own preferences. They will store very well
in a place that is dark and cool, but make sure you don’t store them next to
apples, as they will both rot prematurely.
Winter squash is a great source of both calories and
vitamins. Some store better than other do, and for longer periods of time. To
find out which works best for long-term storage, you can either risk it and try
a few different ones, or ask a seasoned survival gardener who has already done
it. Another good way to store squash is to cut them into rounds, dry them
completely, pound them up and store them in airtight containers. Storage time
increases, in this way, to almost indefinitely.
In closing, we suggest that you save and store all seeds
from your heirloom vegetables (hybrid variations don’t produce viable seeds).
This ensures that if you are unable to get any more seeds, you will still be
able to have them for another garden next year. Continued seed saving keeps
this going, for years to come.