Homestead Skills: Dig Your Own Survival Garden

The growing season is here – and with it, the opportunity to grow a “survival” garden. Does it always have to be about survival? No, of course not. You could grow a garden for your family just for the unparalleled taste and freshness of the food. You could even grow veggies to sell or trade. But if it’s a survival garden you have in mind, the biggest thing to consider is the caloric value of the food you’ll grow. You can’t live off salad (and who would want to!). There simply aren’t enough calories and nutrients in leafy veggies to sustain a human being. And the really tasty stuff isn’t the answer either. Tomatoes, peppers and similar flavorful plants are disturbingly low in calories.

What should you grow? Rather than growing a bunch of space hogging low-cal vegetables, try these healthy, higher calorie crops instead.

•           Peanuts and sunflowers (the highest calorie crops)

•           Soybeans, navy beans, chick peas and dry shelling beans

•           Kidney, lima and fava beans

•           Black eyed peas and parsnips

•           Peas, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, white potatoes

Let’s say you have a family of four to feed. Now let’s also say you’re on a budget (and who isn’t these days?). What kind of impact can your home garden have on the family dinner table? Well, depending on your menu plan and your garden’s success – your agricultural activities can have a major impact, especially during the growing season. Even you urban folks can find a place to grow. Sunny balconies are a great spot, and you can even grow living walls of food indoors if you have a sunny wall. You eat every day, so why not take an interest in your food supply and grow some food every day.

Never grown anything before? Don’t feel like you have a green thumb? That’s okay - we can get you up to speed with our updated and expanded Sustainable Gardening class, a key part of our homesteading curriculum.

Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published on bugout.com