Survival Garden

[Meerkat]

MAN! I could eat all winter off the outer leaves, alone on those four in the front row.
While you are rubbing salt in my wounds, can you give a poor boy any tips on growing cabbage.
Do not have to be as big or as picture perfect as yours, just not splitting open. We never get below 14F & I am going to try Red acre variety.

We put perlight,peat moss and our sandy soil in the containers. Then used compost we made from kitchen scraps ,grass and leaves I raked up.Also always bought organic herloom seeds which 5 yr.s ago was easy to find. I think the seeds make a big difference too.
We have never used artificial fertilizer anywhere on our property excpet in our hydroponic systems.
Our biggest problem was temperature in greenhouse, that could get costly in winter,but don't think that will be problem in the future since winters have been unusually warm past 6 or more years.
Veicles need repairs, woods growing in on us ,chicken pens repaired, just too much work on other things happened to continue with planting.

 

[elkhound]

here is a garden harvest pdf from msu ed dept for 100 ft row harvests. it might help to do some figuring out what one needs.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Table 4.pdf

 

[elkhound]

tater talk...looking at potatoes johnny seed says you need 1600# to plant an acre of potatoes. hoss tools says 10# per 40 foot row. in my own number crunching of various ways of planting it all depends on row width,to cut or not to cut seed potatoes along with in row spacing and so much more. but it seems my figures go from 1400# to 2500# to plant an acre.

harvest table above says average harvest of 100 ft row is 1.5# per foot of row. one year i kept accurate records and best i got was 1.8# per foot and that was a nice row of taters harvested. that year i kept with the 1.5# but the following year it was not as good.

fingerling potatoes might be best route to go in drought times as it seems from my limited growing of them they do a bit better in drought.this is my 3td season growing them so its limited experience. kennebec taters are my go to tater,then red pontiac. but i do grow purple fingerlings,french fingerlings,pinto gold,ozette(new this year),kennebec and red pontiacs.

my family is having a huge wake up call this year in the amount of taters and food in general it takes when ALL MEALS are cooked from home kitchen.

growing up and into my adult years we as a family grew 9-75foot rows of potatoes for our own use. i planted a lot of potatoes and was thinking i mighta over did it this year. well in my new garden i am going to have a failure from part of them.this ground is way more compacted that i thought and i was plagued with such heavy rains the water sat in portions multiple times. i still have some sprouted taters from last year and i may try to pull off a later harvest from them if i can get them in ground soon.just to try and make something from nothing.

 

[elkhound]

all seed will reproduce,they might not be exact item as parents from hybrids but they will produce and you can select out items of best quality to get seed from and go from there.heres a term i used once..landrace..and was told you grew up around old people and/or went to ag school long ago...lol..yes probably. anyway heirloom,landrace etc doesnt matter..did you know heirlooms came from or actual hybrids? i wont argue about this on here just presenting information for you to get best seed you can thats acclimated to your gardens. if it wont survive in it its not something you need to try and grow.

landrace
[ˈlandrās]


NOUN

1. a local cultivar or animal breed that has been improved by traditional agricultural methods.
   

 

[elkhound]

heres an example of a old heirloom thats a hybrid..its whats called a stable hubrid meaning it reproduces true to its self.

mortage lifter tomato

read description..

http://www.reimerseeds.com/mortgage-lifter-tomato.aspx
85 days. Solanum lycopersicum. Open Pollinated. The plant produces heavy yields of 1 to 2 lb pink beefsteak tomatoes. They are very sweet, meaty, juicy, and flavorful. It has a rich tomato flavor. Perfect for salads, slicing, and sandwiches. This variety was developed in the 1930s by Mr. Byles of Logan, WV to help pay off his home mortgage. He was able to pay off his $6,000 mortgage in 6 years by selling the plants for $1 each. He crossed a German Johnson, a Beefsteak, and an Italian & English variety to come up with this unique variety. An excellent choice for home gardens. A family heirloom variety from Logan, West Virginia, USA. United States Department of Agriculture, PI 647467. Disease Resistant: V, F, N. Indeterminate.


famous rutgers tomato

http://www.reimerseeds.com/rutgers-tomato.aspx

73 days. Solanum lycopersicum. Open Pollinated. Early maturing plant produces high yields of 6 to 12 oz bright red tomatoes. They are sweet and flavorful. Perfect for salads, slicing, sandwiches, and canning. It is a cross between a J.T.D. (an old New Jersey variety from the Campbell Soup Company) and a Marglobe. Crack resistant. Excellent choice for home gardens, market growers, and open field production. A heirloom variety developed in 1934 by the New Jersey Experimental Station, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. United States Department of Agriculture, PI 270209. Disease Resistant: V, F, A, St. Determinate.

 

[elkhound]

good reads from joseph lofthouse. his website and articles MEN asked him to write a few years ago.

http://garden.lofthouse.com/

https://www.motherearthnews.com/search?tags=+Lofthouse

 

[Meerkat]

here is a garden harvest pdf from msu ed dept for 100 ft row harvests. it might help to do some figuring out what one needs.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Table 4.pdf

Elkhound that is handy.

 

[Meerkat]

good reads from joseph lofthouse. his website and articles MEN asked him to write a few years ago.

http://garden.lofthouse.com/

https://www.motherearthnews.com/search?tags=+Lofthouse

Good info Elkhound.

 

[Duncan]

I like corn but its not worth the two ears per plant to plant a field of it for us now at our age. No corn in container,lol.

Exactly! The only farming tool (if you can call it that) is a Husqvarna 46 riding mower with a little trailer; I doubt if I could do much corn cultivation (or much else) with that! Besides, I only have 2½ water shares, which is less that an acre-foot; I couldn't irrigate any sort of pasture, even a one-acre one, with that.

And that's a damn shame, because corn is a pretty nutrition-dense food which can be easily stored (as corn-meal) and cooked into Good Things. I'm hoping I can keep on making new friends among the neighbors and find someone who would be willing to supply us with corn in exchange for our "money": in this case, fruit preserves, fresh eggs and .22LR ammunition.

The fact is, we can no longer be completely "self-sufficient"; we have to have trade goods or labor/skills of some kind, as well as neighbors with whom we can deal. I don't think a lot of preppers think about this....

 

[Meerkat]

Exactly! The only farming tool (if you can call it that) is a Husqvarna 46 riding mower with a little trailer; I doubt if I could do much corn cultivation (or much else) with that! Besides, I only have 2½ water shares, which is less that an acre-foot; I couldn't irrigate any sort of pasture, even a one-acre one, with that.

And that's a damn shame, because corn is a pretty nutrition-dense food which can be easily stored (as corn-meal) and cooked into Good Things. I'm hoping I can keep on making new friends among the neighbors and find someone who would be willing to supply us with corn in exchange for our "money": in this case, fruit preserves, fresh eggs and .22LR ammunition.

The fact is, we can no longer be completely "self-sufficient"; we have to have trade goods or labor/skills of some kind, as well as neighbors with whom we can deal. I don't think a lot of preppers think about this....

Thats the way Isee it and since we have always had security and law on our side it has given us too much independance to where we had to feel the need of help from others, well we are in Kansas anymore. A whole new environment and much real evil in high places. So it best to hang low and stick together if we can know who is safe.

 

[joel]

Corn is the easy gran to grow & process. It can grow up to 4 ears per stalk & the world record is 28 ears.
A stalk of carn with 2 ears that are 8-12 inches long with 16 rows of corn, has more kernel/seeds then 4 ears 6 inches long.

 

[Bacpacker]

Corn isn't hard. But it does take a lot of nitrogen and water to produce.

 

[elkhound]

half my PMC is on the ground now...survival corn my rear...baloney and donkey manure...it couldnt even stand up to our standard thunderstorms here.

 

[Duncan]

Thats the way Isee it and since we have always had security and law on our side it has given us too much independance to where we had to feel the need of help from others, well we are in Kansas anymore. A whole new environment and much real evil in high places. So it best to hang low and stick together if we can know who is safe.

I don't think that too much interdependence is necessarily a bad thing.

Remember, the folks who settled most of Utah and Idaho were refugees from religious persecution in places back east (Did you know that the State of Missouri issued an extermination order against the Mormons in 1838?), and they figured that they needed to band together to survive a trip to what are now the states of the Inter-mountain West. That "group-think" when it comes to prepping and survival has stayed with them for almost 200 years, and they have it organized down to a science. When things get tough they (and any sympathetic and supportive neighbors) simply don't go hungry.

I'm not saying that we need to tie into any group, religious or otherwise, in order to get the benefits of safety or supplies, but the whole approach of getting to know your neighbors and having them see you as someone who's willing to lend a hand is probably going to pay big dividends when the deal goes down!

 

[joel]

elkhound, thats bad. Here in S.C. I have never had that problen as a child or adult. We never planted more then 10 acres in a season. We are hill & a lot of tree lines, so maybe that is the reason.

 

[Weedygarden]

I don't think that too much interdependence is necessarily a bad thing.

Remember, the folks who settled most of Utah and Idaho were refugees from religious persecution in places back east (Did you know that the State of Missouri issued an extermination order against the Mormons in 1838?), and they figured that they needed to band together to survive a trip to what are now the states of the Inter-mountain West. That "group-think" when it comes to prepping and survival has stayed with them for almost 200 years, and they have it organized down to a science. When things get tough they (and any sympathetic and supportive neighbors) simply don't go hungry.

I'm not saying that we need to tie into any group, religious or otherwise, in order to get the benefits of safety or supplies, but the whole approach of getting to know your neighbors and having them see you as someone who's willing to lend a hand is probably going to pay big dividends when the deal goes down!

The Mormons were not just persecuted and victims. They had behaviors that needed to be dealt with by local law and political officials. Research Danites. Danites were Mormons who killed people who were apostates and other threats to the Mormon leadership.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Mormon_War
Groups supporting one another is a good thing, IMHO, but we mostly see it in some families, and certainly not all families. I know a large extended family in my home town. They have had a few tomatoes and canned them, but this year, they planted big garden plots. They planted a large section of potatoes, another of sweet corn, another of green beans, and more. This involves an older widowed father, in his 80s, his surviving children, mainly a daughter, her husband and their three sons and families. The father comes from a large family, and there are many in that town still. They have access to land because the daughter and her husband live on a large farm. The father has a large lot in town that they decided to plant a garden on this year.

 

[Meerkat]

I don't think that too much interdependence is necessarily a bad thing.

Remember, the folks who settled most of Utah and Idaho were refugees from religious persecution in places back east (Did you know that the State of Missouri issued an extermination order against the Mormons in 1838?), and they figured that they needed to band together to survive a trip to what are now the states of the Inter-mountain West. That "group-think" when it comes to prepping and survival has stayed with them for almost 200 years, and they have it organized down to a science. When things get tough they (and any sympathetic and supportive neighbors) simply don't go hungry.

I'm not saying that we need to tie into any group, religious or otherwise, in order to get the benefits of safety or supplies, but the whole approach of getting to know your neighbors and having them see you as someone who's willing to lend a hand is probably going to pay big dividends when the deal goes down!

I agree but most people here don't socialize. Maybe that will change now that the cities are under attack? Many have a false feeling of safety and think they can fight an army I guess. They are nice enough and some will lend a hand as we have also helped them. We had a few home owners meetign but that stopped and closed up since lots of new residents have moved in .

 

[LadyLocust]

@elkhound Might be of interest to you ~
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Mountain-Men-Solitary-2003-06-01/dp/B01FIZUAR4
"Buckskin Bill" (Sylvan Hart) was a bit eccentric even for his time. You can also read a quick bit about him via Wikipedia. He planted mostly root crops for winter consumption and storage longevity.

 

[Duncan]

@elkhound Might be of interest to you ~
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Mountain-Men-Solitary-2003-06-01/dp/B01FIZUAR4
"Buckskin Bill" (Sylvan Hart) was a bit eccentric even for his time. You can also read a quick bit about him via Wikipedia. He planted mostly root crops for winter consumption and storage longevity.

I did a bit of research on him and found out where he lived: Five Mile Bar in the middle of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. About 175 miles as the crow flies from where I live, but between ten and eleven hours as the Nissan Xterra drives (the last 100+ miles in 4WD).

Dawn agrees that root crops are the way to go for SHTF farming preps, and says we need to really investigate the interior of the state, where all the roads aren't.

 

[joel]

Not just corn, white potatoes & chick pea & southern peas, work well as a flour, I do not know how to make it, but I can not be too hard to do.

 

[Meerkat]

Not just corn, white potatoes & chick pea & southern peas, work well as a flour, I do not know how to make it, but I can not be too hard to do.

Joel we have acrons galore here from all these oaks.And I read that acorns can also be used to make flour. Not sure how it would taste but I guess if your hungry it may not be too bad.

 

[Terri9630]

Joel we have acrons galore here from all these oaks.And I read that acorns can also be used to make flour. Not sure how it would taste but I guess if your hungry it may not be too bad.

You need to soak them to get the tannins out first.

 

[Meerkat]

You need to soak them to get the tannins out first.

So its true we can use them ? Good news thanks.Terri,how long dod we soak them?

 

[Terri9630]

So its true we can use them ? Good news thanks.Terri,how long dod we soak them?

My grandmother used to soak them several times until the water stays clean.

 

[Meerkat]

My grandmother used to soak them several times until the water stays clean.

Thank you.

 

[Terri9630]

Your welcome. If I remember right it took several days. Here you go. How to Process Acorns and Make Acorn Flour

 

[joel]

Thanks, good video! It is my understanding that tannins is very bad for you over a long period of consumpion, this is the reason for washing it out, it also improves the taste.

 

[SheepDog]

Cereal grains are the only source of gluten. Gluten is necessary to hold baked goods together as they expand and rise.
Eggs can help but nothing makes bread and cakes like wheat, rye, barley and oat flour.
Flour made from nuts and roots are ok for thickeners but they make lousy bread.

 

[Meerkat]

Cereal grains are the only source of gluten. Gluten is necessary to hold baked goods together as they expand and rise.
Eggs can help but nothing makes bread and cakes like wheat, rye, barley and oat flour.
Flour made from nuts and roots are ok for thickeners but they make lousy bread.

Maybe fried,huh? Potato pancakes, etc,.

 

[SheepDog]

Meerkat, potato pancakes have wheat flour added, so does cornbread.