A very good day to all. This post is not meant to sound condescending and I am not trying to preach to the choir. I am new here and am not sure if this has been covered yet. Forgive me if I am rehashing an older post.
Most of us are now seeing our vehicle fuels, home fuels and food prices increasing. As we know, this is just the beginning and this situation is only likely to worsen over time. Depending on the duration of the current disruptions and the impact upon our crucial farming operations, we could see even more empty shelves in the Autumn/Winter and next year.
So what happens when there is no resupply? We know the cities will erupt and there is likely to be awful things occurring during that time. It really is a tragedy as much of this could be avoided right now if people would come together and begin planting food. The folks in charge (the f*$%£rs) really have done a super job at dividing us all and pitting groups against one another - it is almost like it was planned It is likely to get really bad but if you can just outlast everyone else in your area, you may just get through this.
I would like to urge all the wonderful people here to buy heirloom seeds especially, and to get growing. This is for the longer-term type situation as some people may not have enough space to stock up with prepared food items to last them years. I know that some of you may live in an apartment/flats; some may not have a garden; some may only have a very small garden. Please do not despair.
Flat/apartment dwellers: have you considered using large plastic buckets (brewing buckets) and compost to grow potatoes inside? It may look weird to any visitors and it may be best to meet or entertain outside of your place. Can you keep quail or rabbit in your dwelling? Can you use your window sills or balconies without drawing undue attention? Perhaps grow edible flowering varieties (primrose - all parts edible) instead of more obvious food items like tomatoes, for example. Mushrooms are easy to grow indoors and may be worth considering. You can buy gardening 'pockets' for vertical growing from Amazon (by all means check for other suppliers or make your own) and you can hang these on your doors or even on your walls, if the situation really does get that desperate. Also consider bulk buying mixed pulse and grain and seed varieties for sprouting and eat the nutritious sprouts - remembering to let a crop flower and seed so you have some for next year.
Small garden owners: same advice as above. Think about calorie rich foods over variety and plant as much as you can. Raised beds are good as you can increase your growing area by making the beds deeper ... think of a rectangular shape that fits in a part of your garden and then make it taller - it gives more cubic space for growing things like potatoes and you'll get many more. Vertical gardening is useful as you could plant your salad or strawberry or other compact types plants in them. Also consider small, quiet animals.
What if I have no garden: Okay, same advice as above. Do you have access to any green spaces? Verges, abandoned ground, public land, recreation grounds, parks, woodlands - this type of thing. Try to find a spot that is out of sight for passers by and consider planting something in there. I know this is far from ideal and I'm sorry. But if you have planted a few potato plants or fruit trees in a corner of the woods and only you know where they are, this may just help in a pinch. The goal is to try to outlast the other guys.
Some of you may well be on a very tight budget - I know I am. The heirloom varieties can be a lot more expensive but are well worth the investment, if you can keep a few plants over for a seed crop. F1 hybrids are a lovely, cheap way to grow a lot of food in a hurry but caution must be used. Many of these seeds go sterile after a few plantings. So NEVER plant an F1 variety (say a lettuce plant) and an heirloom lettuce plant variety at the SAME TIME in case of cross pollination from bees, as your heirloom type will be ruined.
Please also consider getting your hunting, fishing, foraging and wild food skills up to scratch. These skills may just save your life.
My sincere apologies if this came off as condescending or preachy. Please know this was not my intent. I know that many of you already know this stuff. This was for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed and asking "where do I start?"
The thought of people - especially children - going hungry is weighing on me very heavily just now. I don't have much space and I don't have much money but I am going to be planting food EVERYWHERE!
My best wishes to all you wonderful people, no matter where you are. I don't know who needs to hear this today but please remember you are not alone.
Most of us are now seeing our vehicle fuels, home fuels and food prices increasing. As we know, this is just the beginning and this situation is only likely to worsen over time. Depending on the duration of the current disruptions and the impact upon our crucial farming operations, we could see even more empty shelves in the Autumn/Winter and next year.
So what happens when there is no resupply? We know the cities will erupt and there is likely to be awful things occurring during that time. It really is a tragedy as much of this could be avoided right now if people would come together and begin planting food. The folks in charge (the f*$%£rs) really have done a super job at dividing us all and pitting groups against one another - it is almost like it was planned It is likely to get really bad but if you can just outlast everyone else in your area, you may just get through this.
I would like to urge all the wonderful people here to buy heirloom seeds especially, and to get growing. This is for the longer-term type situation as some people may not have enough space to stock up with prepared food items to last them years. I know that some of you may live in an apartment/flats; some may not have a garden; some may only have a very small garden. Please do not despair.
Flat/apartment dwellers: have you considered using large plastic buckets (brewing buckets) and compost to grow potatoes inside? It may look weird to any visitors and it may be best to meet or entertain outside of your place. Can you keep quail or rabbit in your dwelling? Can you use your window sills or balconies without drawing undue attention? Perhaps grow edible flowering varieties (primrose - all parts edible) instead of more obvious food items like tomatoes, for example. Mushrooms are easy to grow indoors and may be worth considering. You can buy gardening 'pockets' for vertical growing from Amazon (by all means check for other suppliers or make your own) and you can hang these on your doors or even on your walls, if the situation really does get that desperate. Also consider bulk buying mixed pulse and grain and seed varieties for sprouting and eat the nutritious sprouts - remembering to let a crop flower and seed so you have some for next year.
Small garden owners: same advice as above. Think about calorie rich foods over variety and plant as much as you can. Raised beds are good as you can increase your growing area by making the beds deeper ... think of a rectangular shape that fits in a part of your garden and then make it taller - it gives more cubic space for growing things like potatoes and you'll get many more. Vertical gardening is useful as you could plant your salad or strawberry or other compact types plants in them. Also consider small, quiet animals.
What if I have no garden: Okay, same advice as above. Do you have access to any green spaces? Verges, abandoned ground, public land, recreation grounds, parks, woodlands - this type of thing. Try to find a spot that is out of sight for passers by and consider planting something in there. I know this is far from ideal and I'm sorry. But if you have planted a few potato plants or fruit trees in a corner of the woods and only you know where they are, this may just help in a pinch. The goal is to try to outlast the other guys.
Some of you may well be on a very tight budget - I know I am. The heirloom varieties can be a lot more expensive but are well worth the investment, if you can keep a few plants over for a seed crop. F1 hybrids are a lovely, cheap way to grow a lot of food in a hurry but caution must be used. Many of these seeds go sterile after a few plantings. So NEVER plant an F1 variety (say a lettuce plant) and an heirloom lettuce plant variety at the SAME TIME in case of cross pollination from bees, as your heirloom type will be ruined.
Please also consider getting your hunting, fishing, foraging and wild food skills up to scratch. These skills may just save your life.
My sincere apologies if this came off as condescending or preachy. Please know this was not my intent. I know that many of you already know this stuff. This was for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed and asking "where do I start?"
The thought of people - especially children - going hungry is weighing on me very heavily just now. I don't have much space and I don't have much money but I am going to be planting food EVERYWHERE!
My best wishes to all you wonderful people, no matter where you are. I don't know who needs to hear this today but please remember you are not alone.