Buy some green onions at the store, use the top green part and plant the lower two inches and you’ll have green tops for awhile until they bloom. They’ve very tolerant to cold and freezes. Also, if you live in a milder climate you can plant potatoes in December and have fresh baby potatoes early in the Spring. Freezes will kill the tops but they`ll keep coming back. This works well in the South.
In Winter you can grow mustard greens too if the temps don’t get any colder than 15 or 20 degrees, at least here in Central Louisiana. As long as you have milder days with temps above freezing they`ll grow well and NO BUGS!
You can plant dry beans from the store as well and you can use celery and romaine lettuce then root the bottom (leave a few leaves and stalks) and they will grow again. You can plant seeds from tomatoes from the store but you never know what type of tomato will grow because they’re usually GMO hybrid garbage - stock up on heirlooms if you can afford it. Free seeds are always great though. They charge way too much for blackeyed pea seeds so get the one pound bag and grow them that way. Most people don’t know this but you can cook and eat the leaves from blackeyed pea plants and they’re very good for you!
I always had a big garden. Raised beds - drip irrigation. Also a separate patch of Egyptian Onions ( walking onions ). Every garden should have a patch. Now my back is no longer into the bending. Trying to get the grandkids interested. Egyptian Walking Onion And other than checking the PH, I only use fish emulsion fertilizer ( NEVER CHEMICAL FERTILIZER ). Almost forgot, everyone should be aware of this company. J. L. Hudson, Seedsman Years ago you could trade seed with Hudson. I don’t know if they still do it. If I located any unusual seed, I would send some; usually ornamental; and they would offer a credit.
This is helpful information. I’m confident in my hunting abilities but I have ZERO gardening / farming knowledge. Definitely a weak area of mine that I need to work on.
ALWAYS go with raised beds. It’s worth the effort. Once established they last for many many years. Also drip irrigation. Raised beds drain well if there is heavy rain. You do not want soggy soil. You can install a basic drip irrigation system for about $100. Also lasts for years. Plant the vegetables, and just switch on the system. ORBIT makes a good timer. Poly lines ( tubing ) is cheap. Feeder lines & emitters are cheap. And so on. I cover the beds with black plastic sheeting, cut holes & plant. The sheeting mulches & retains heat. You can also incorporate a venturi feeder pickup that feeds very very small amounts of diluted liquid fish fertilizer with each watering. Orbit Irrigation | The #1 Choice of Homeowners for … Drip systems can get exotic & complicated; but it’s not at all necessary. A simple basic system will do the job. I’ve had many years of experience. All you want to do is water & feed the plants.
Other than checking the pH, I use only fish emulsion fertilizer. It has a light analysis, and it will never burn a plant. I use a very diluted amount with each watering. Since fishemulsion is naturally derived, it is considered an organic fertilizer appropriate for use in organic horticulture. In addition to having a typical N-P-K analysis of 5-2-2, fishemulsion adds micronutrients. I also occasionally use dried blood ( nitrogen ) & small amounts of iron. All natural. Lime or what’s necessary to correct the pH. Most garden soils have a pH between 5.5 and 8.0. This number helps you determine when and how to adjust your garden soil’s pH level. If the pH level is below 6, the soil is too acidic, and you need to add ground limestone. If the measurement is above 7.5, the soil is too alkaline for most vegetables, and you need to add soil sulfur. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One more thing; when I start a new raised bed, I have depleted mushroom soil delivered ( a ton or two, or more ). It’s usually made with horse manure & straw, and when it’s finished doing it job ( warm from composting in the mushroom houses ), the mushroom houses sell it. You will get some weeds, but mulching takes care of the weeds. An excellent organic additive to build soil. Any leftover mushroom soil I store on the back of the property, I just poke in watermelon seeds, and nature takes care of the rest. Watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, etc.
https://www.greenandvibrant.com/hydroponic -plans You have the benefit of sunlight when the system is outside. Really not complicated. More or less a drip system without soil.
When I do tomatoes, peppers, and similar plants, I just buy two or three plants ( easier than growing from seed ), and I do cuttings. I get maybe 20 cuttings from each plant. They root in a week or two, and they take off when planted in the garden.
Skills like farming/gardening tips are almost as important as shooting/stocking ammo and getting fit if shit ever hits the fan. I imagine that 75% of the US would die off if a great depression-like event happened due to their inability to get food alone.
If you own a home (or rent and have a backyard) you should be gardening. If you’re married, you should be making the wife garden. You can help get her set up, and let her take care of it (assuming she’s a stay at home mother like she should be raising your kids). Every man with even a tiny plot of land should be growing a garden. Stocking guns and ammo and food are crucial. Do it yourself.
We have 3 months worth of freeze dried goods, a couple of 20 gallon drums of dried beans, water filtration, jugs of stored water, alternative sources for cooking, canned goods, etc…
I’m not a prepper, nor am I a survivalist. It’s just insurance. I spent a few grand on the freeze dried food. I did not run it by my wife. I told her it’s my job to protect the family and she can make fun of me in 25 years when we hopefully haven’t needed it .
Stores can get picked clean in hours when disasters strike. There’s no reason to not be prepared for at least a few weeks, if for no other reason than basic comfort.
Pro tip: keep cheap plastic cutlery around for if you can’t use water for washing dishes. Save your plastic grocery bags too, to shit in if you can’t flush a toilet. Gross? Well, whatever. Basic hygiene starts with keeping waste away from your living area. Bags of crap can easily be isolated in the back yard or driven somewhere and tossed.
I can honestly say, living in Florida with hurricane threats you are spot on. People go insane picking the grocery stores clean and filling up with gasoline when the news hypes them up.
Been in SW Florida for 50 years. The worst I’ve experienced was 3 weeks without power.
Quite frankly, I enjoyed the hell out of it as when night fell it was time to sleep and when morning came it was time to rise and shine.
Not ready for bed yet? Okay grab a candle and we’ll play a board game.
Sorry kids. No electronics. Now figure it out and boy did they ever!
Some of my fondest memories of growing up were when we were in places and situations where the electric cord got cut or never had been to start with.
We played a lot of Monopoly, Battleship, and Clue by candle or lantern light.
Fortunately when we lost power in the winter we always had a big fireplace with lots of wood and Propane or NG, and when we went to the mountains in the spring and summer we always had plenty of candles and lanterns.
