Survival Gardening 101 – Essential Self-Reliance Skill

Why Survival Gardening?

Let’s not sugarcoat this. There might come a time where you can’t rely on the supermarket for your food. Strikes, famines, climate-induced catastrophes, political instability, or global pandemics – the uncertainty of our world is a crucial reason to pick up Survival Gardening.

Choose Your Crops Wisely

Not all vegetables are created equal. Some require less fuss, yield more and, luckily for beginners, tend to be the easier ones to grow.

• Tomatoes: Despite being slightly high maintenance, tomatoes provide an excellent yield, making the effort well worth it.
• Zucchini: These squash plants are almost effortless to grow, plus they produce an abundant yield.
• Kale: Hardly susceptible to pests, kale thrives in many climates, delivering a healthy, leafy green that lasts all season.
• Green Beans: If you are short on space, consider planting green beans. They grow upwards and provide a lot of pods.
• Potatoes: Simply put, potatoes are survival food. Easy to grow, packed with calories, and stored for months – a must have in every survival garden.

Plan Your Garden

With limited space, your goal is to maximize your yield. Here’s how:

1. Vertical Gardening: Use climbing structures for crops like beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
2. Succession Planting: After one crop is harvested, plant another in its place right away.
3. Companion Planting: A technique that uses the benefits of one plant to help another.

Maintaining Your Survival Garden

Knowing how to start your garden isn’t enough. You also need to learn how to keep it alive:

• Watering: Every plant has different watering needs. Overwatering is just as harmful as underwatering.
• Composting: Compost improves soil health and reduces the need for mineral fertilizers. You can make your compost from green waste and kitchen scraps.
• Weeding: Don’t underestimate those tiny weeds. They steal the nutrients intended for your plants and hinder their growth.

Preserving Your Harvest

While fresh veggies are a delight, part of the benefit of gardening is preserving food for non-growing seasons or emergency times. Explore techniques like canning, dehydrating, pickling, and freezing.

Take the Leap

Survival gardening is one of the most critical skills for self-sufficiency and preparedness. Don’t wait for a crisis to compel you into self-reliance – make the move today.