I know many here are already doing it. But for those who aren't, what is stopping you? Post it here and maybe more experienced gardeners can offer advice.
I myself do not have lots of land but I've found a way to pack lots of food in a small space. You have to start somewhere, I would at least start with getting your seeds now. If you have beans and rice stored, then you have your calories, but even just growing some high nutrient greens in your window will help keep you healthy so you aren't surviving just on the limited nutrients offered by beans and rice.
And here is something many people probably haven't considered. You can raise meat rabbits inside if need be. So if you are in an apartment, meat rabbits, high nutrient greens in the window, and a good supply of beans and rice is better than nothing. The rabbits will also give you clean pellet fertilizer for your little garden. Raising worms in a plastic bin will also give you fertilizer for basically free once set up.
There are lots of other options for different needs. I can't urge it enough, grow food now. Also, start canning too. When food comes in, either from your garden or if you catch a good sale at the store, preserve it now for hard times later. Canning your meats insures you have meat even if the electricity goes out. Buy your canning supplies now, while they are available, they are one of the first things to vanish from shelves when there is a scare. Same with seeds. Buy now.
You can also consider quail for meat and eggs if you can’t raise any protein outside (apartment dwellers, HOA restrictions, etc). They are small but prolific!
And much more quiet than chickens.
I like rareseeds.com for the heirloom seeds.
Me too. I also like botanical interests. I have really good results with their seeds and they run great sales often.
Just started past summer with 10 gal grow pots on patio. Easier to manage for me then digging in the dirt. So-so supply of tomatoes because I was late getting them in. Experimenting with eggplant now.
I've had wild success with eggplants and peppers in grow bags. Tomatoes not as much unless I grow the dwarf varieties.
Also know that some food producing plants are perennials. That means if you take care of them correctly at the end of the growing season, they will come back stronger and with better yield in the spring. Today I dug up my bell pepper and jalapeno plants and prepared them for the winter. here's how:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsdmD54Bsu4
Yes! Asparagus, ginger, tumeric, all keep going. Peppers and eggplants too. I overwinter mine. I currently have a 3 year old tabasco still producing.
Chives and garlic chives are survivors for me, they become houseplants during the winter.
Open pollinated for easier seed saving
I have a huge garden area. Set up by previous owner. Ground is sand so I it rises beds in. Everything starts out great but then as soon as fruit sets it stRts dying. I can get one or two veggies off and then it quits producing. Potatoes cescame u great but then leaves curled up plant withered and died. Potatoes were about the size of a marble.
We are on a well.
Anyone have this issue or know what it could be?
We have goats and chickens so we may. Have to do that all meat diet if there is an emergency.
Maybe more water. Sand doesn’t hold water. Compost and mulch.
Make sure to compost the chicken poo for a season before spreading in soil. You can get soil tests to see nutrients missing.
Could be a number of things. Probably a deficiency of some kind. Leaf curl usually happens when a plant is stressed, much of the time from herbicides that blow in. But on a potato plant I'm not sure if an herbicide would affect it that much. Plants that fruit need a lot of nutrients. If they grow green and tall at first they probably have enough nitrogen, so many low on something else. Do you amend your beds with fresh compost or fertilizer before you plant?
More compost. Get some neptunes harvest fertilizer to boost fertility during fruiting
Meat quail is fairly easy and they lay cute little eggs.
Absolutely! Quail are on my list for my next livestock to add to my tiny homestead.
Buy Moringa olifera seeds on-line. Cheap. They are called “a grocery store in a tree” or “the vitamin tree.” They have more essential nutrients, micro nutrients, vitamins, minerals and such than almost anything else. You can eat almost every part of the tree. Do an on-line search and read up, you’ll be amazed. They plant them en mass in farms in Africa to combat starvation there.
Eat seed pods, leaves, flowers and roots. Lots of videos on how to cook, stir fry, dry, use, etc.
They are a small tree, but can grow larger with the right conditions. You can grow them indoors in a pot (larger pot better). They are messy. But hardy. They love almost any soil condition. Seeds are about the size of a marble.
They grow almost anywhere, drought resistant, heat tolerant, will often come back after frost or snow (but better protected). Soak seeds overnight (best but not necessary) then plant (preferably in place outdoors). One caveat…don’t over water. And if you plant in a small-ish starter pot, no smaller then a 1gal, be very careful when transplanting. Young roots are very sensitive and cranky and may die. I transplant when they are about a foot tall. Two seeds per pot or hole.
I grow them here in AZ. I find it very interesting that most have never heard of this tree and I’ve never seen it for sale in nurseries anywhere.
Buy seeds now.
Edit…also good for dogs, chickens and such. Don’t know about cats.
I'll be looking into this!!!
No good for zone 7. I can grow them inside... Is it worth it?
“Is it worth it?”
Well, that’s up to you and depends on your level of preparedness.
Imo, I’d try in your zone anyway, in a protected spot and indoors. Should the worst happen and your supplies get taken or used up…your tree/house plant (that no one is going to steal) will provide amazing nutrition.
I don’t understand why everyone, especially pepes, aren’t growing these. Ah, well.
I didn't mean if it's worth it... Bad phrasing. I meant will it thrive even in a pot?
I'm going to give it a go.
Ah, got it.
I actually won one of these. https://www.gardentowerproject.com/ They give one away a month on FB. This was my first summer and my crop didn't do so well. Will put more work into enriching the soil next year. I only have a small patio space in which to work.
Interesting! I use greenstalks but I'll admit they were a mighty investment. I did manage to get them all on sale though. They grow enormous amounts of food.
Don't discount having a little herb garden as well, for flavors and for medicinal purposes. Most herbs are pretty easy to grow - just make sure they have the proper water and sun and they'll take off on their own.
absolutely. herbs are medicine.
posts like this bother me
Why?? What's wrong with being more independent?
being disabled and unable to do this, it makes me feel as if I am going to starve.
People with experience can help you think of things you can do to provide some food for yourself that you may not have thought of. What is your disability? You don't have to till soil to grow food.
Family? Neighbors? Church help?
See my comment above.
There's a wealth of knowledge here. Why are you bothered?
If you cant do this (I'm in a similar position because apartment living) buy a fuck ton of rice and canned goods.
Hey... not everyone is going to make it through...
Moment of silence for diabled pede.
RIP.
I don't know why you were downvoted for being considerate, a lot of people must have cauterised compassion synapses.
Considerate? Pffftttt….
I'm actually disabled myself and can relate, but I got a really good laugh at my own comment - probably some form of sick, morbid projection.
Ah, dark humor. Best wishes to you, pede.