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Foraging, Hunting and Fishing (Page 1)
Recommended Books
The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! by Carleen Madigan
American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood
The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times by Carol Deppe
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham
Ancient Agriculture: From Foraging to Farming by Michael and Mary Woods
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener by Fern Marshall Bradley and Barbara W. Ellis
Growing 101 Herbs That Heal by Tammi Hartung.
Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation by Deborah Madison
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring
Websites:
Gardening 101
Sunset Magazine
Gardening Basics - multiple articles
Seeds of Change
40 Gardening Tips
Beekeeping Mother Earth News
Permaculture - articles and discussion forum Permies.com
Permaculture - Key Concepts
Permaculture Institute
Growing Vegetables Organically (PDF)
12-page guide from the University of Georgia
Vegetable gardening
University of Florida
Growing fruit and nut trees
U.C. Davis
Farming for Your Food
Plants are not difficult to grow. They require sunlight, a little fertilizer, water and a big pile of dirt, peat moss, gravel, clay, shredded coconut, sawdust or some other growing medium that will hold the roots in place and allow water to pass though slowly. Plant roots should be able to spread out downward through your soil several inches without any light penetrating or the medium becoming bone dry.
(Experienced gardeners can skip to Page 3.)
In order to grow and flower, plants also need to absorb minerals and other nutrients through their roots. You should add manuer, compost, seaweed, fish emulsion (dried up and ground fish carcusses), blood or bone meal, nitrogen or other any fertilizer that's close at hand to your soil. Many food plants also need bees to pollenate their flowers. In time, each plant produces cellulose in its stalk, chlorofill in its leaves, flowers (which beget fruit), and other organic materials. From this bounty, you can make your meals, medicine, cloth, cordage and building supplies.
What to grow, when and where
All plant species have their own particular habitat requirements, just like animals. So what you can reasonably expect to grow depends on your latitude (on Earth), altitude (elevation above sea level), the surrounding geography (which affects the amount of precipitation), the pH of the soil, and your local weather. If you're up in the mountains, for instance, your growing season will be pretty short. If you live in the tropics, your soil will be heavily acidic (great for coffee, bad for zuchinni). If you live on the far side of a high mountain chain (away from the ocean), you probably don't see much rain coming your way, although the occasional flash flood may be pretty intense. Closer to a seacoast, you'll notice that the soil contains a lot of sand, there's a lot of fog in the summer and the temperature never gets hot enough for bell peppers.
With so many variables to juggle around, a prospective grower inevitably turn to a gardening encyclopedia or plant propagation bible (like the American Horticultural Society book on the right) for help. These books provide the growing specs for a large number of plant species. Consider making copies of some of these pages for your survival binder as you read along.
To get a 4-8 week jump on the growing season, a grower may also build a greenhouse. This is especially helpful at higher elevations and where winters are severe. A greenhouse is a simple outbuilding with lots of glass or plastic sheeting fastened to a wood frame. That enables plenty of sunlight to beam inside, but keeps out the cold and frost of spring and fall, the scorching heat of summer, and all those pesky critters that like to eat tender green leaves. With a greenhouse, you can start sprouting seeds in March or April (or any other time of year), then transplant your seedlings (baby plants) outdoors in May for a summer harvest. Experienced gardeners who know their plant specs well take advantage of two or three growing seasons each year. Lettuce, broccoli and pumpkin, for example, despise the heat and therefore grow better in the fall. In a survival situation, that knowledge will be worth its weight in gold, so be sure to take the time and read a propagation bible.
Something else to think about: In the wake of a mega-disaster, you may not be able to buy garden supplies or seeds. That's why it's essential to assemble what you need in advance. Nowadays an almost inexhaustible invntory of seed varieties are available for purchase online. Heirloom (i.e. traditional) and organic seeds are preferable to modern hybrids and genetically mutated crops, at least from a biological perspective. Unfortunately, seeds have a shelf life of about 4-5 years, and even less than that if you don't keep them in a cool, dark, relatively dry place. So you may have to replace them periodically. If you do decide to stockpile seeds, remember to include herbs and medicinal plants on your shopping list.
What you buy will also depend on where you plan to evacuate to. You may have to cast a broad net when ordering so you can be ready to plant in multiple environments. Read the section Evacuation Strategies for more on this subject.
The Basics of Vegetable Gardening
Here's an overview of the gardening process, followed by a closer look at smallscale farming:
1. Where to plant your first garden
If you ultimately evacuate to the wilderness and have to settle in for the long haul, choosing a good spot to garden or farm will amount to a life-and-death decision. If the crops fail in one spot, it may be too late in the season to try again at another location. Regardless, during the first year in your new home, you'll have to think small, which most likely means a vegetable garden.
If a flat, open field is hard to come by, you can always terrace a slope for a workable irrigation scheme, or cut down trees to let in more sunlight. Access to a reliable water source year round will probably be the first priority in selecting a site. After that, your choice of garden ground should meet the following criteria:
- fertile (make sure other vegetation in the area is thriving)
- free of toxic chemicals and natural contaminants (like oily eucalyptus leaves)
- resistant to a bug infestation
- not littered with buried rocks too heavy or numerous to move
- not bone-dry hardpan
2. Soil Preparation
Master gardeners are known to fret a lot about the pH level of their soil. Depending on your location, this can be either a non-concern or a total showstopper. Generally speaking, in temperate climates (i.e. under 2000 feet above sea level and about halfway between the Equator and axis poles), most food crops and herbs need a semi-acidic pH level between 4.0 and 6.5. A pH level above 7 is considered too alkaline, so you might have to add an acidic substance (e.g. coffee grounds) to get the figure down before you start planting. On the other hand, if you dump a lot of coffee into an already suitable pH level, you run the risk of making your soil too acidic. See Practical Chemistry for a longer discussion about pH.
At any rate, ideal soil for crop-growing is composed of roughly equal parts river sand, silt (aka rock flour) and clay, with about 5 percent organic matter (dead leaves, etc.) mixed in. (Don't mix in any sea sand, since that contains salt.)To insure good drainage, dig down about two feet. The term hardpan, by the way, refers to clay that's so solidly clumped together to be as impenetrable as concrete. The ox-driven, iron ploughshare was invented in antiquity to get around this problem. Irrigation helps to loosen up the ground.
For vegetables, it's standard practice to plant rows of raised beds. When the plants are big enough, dig ditch canals between the rows and run water down the channels to irrigate roots evenly on both sides .
If you're thinking about an evacuation spot outside of a temperate climate, you'll have additional challenges. Regions high above sea level have shorter growing seasons and get a lot more frost in the spring and fall. Interior regions, meanwhile tend to be extremely arid if a nearby mountain chain blocks the moist air from a seacoast. (In the United States, areas just east of the Sierras and Rockies feature high chaparral and experience a lot of bad weather.) On the other hand, latitudes nearer the Equator experience hotter temperatures, more rain, lush growth and much higher acidic pH levels. This is where coffee, cocoa beans and bananas grow - not grapes, potatoes, carrots and apples.
As a general guideline, plants require soil with a variety of minerals and other trace elements. Besides that, a little stimulus is needed in order for plants to aborb them, something provided for by the presence of microorganisms. Worms likewise contribute to the release of nutrients.
See the world climate link to the right for more on this subject.
3. Ways to Propagate (Start) Plants
There are four methods for starting brand new plants in a garden. It's worth it to take the time and learn all of them, since the more versatility you have, the higher yields you can produce in the shortest amount of time.
Seeds - Seeds are produced by live plants at a certain time in their growth cycles. Collect them directly from the plants, off the ground or from the excrement of seed-eating animals. Ripe seeds are generally plump, dry and colored something other than green. Next, separate the seeds from any shells or chaff using a screen or by hand if they're big enough to handle. Store them in labeled paper envelopes without any added moisture; otherwise, they will grow mold. They should remain viable for up to several years in cold, dry places like a freezer or, if the seeds come from tropical plants, at room temperature out of the light. Before planting seeds, you'll have to replicate their natural process leading up to germination -- whether it's soaking them in water, alternating freezing and thawing (i.e. stratification), scraping or slightly cutting open the skin (scarification) etc. Plant seeds at twice the depth of their diameter in the moist, tightly packed soil of a seed flats, containers, or directing in the garden. Keep the soil constantly moist so tender roots don't dry up. Don't use any fertilizer, either, until they reach the seedling stage, with a well established root base.
Cuttings - Not all plants can be grown from cuttings, but many can. A small branch is removed of the plant when it's in optimum health, then planted in its own soil to produce a clone of the original. Snip off 2 to 3 inches of new growth on a plant. Remove the leaves at the bottom of the cutting's stem so you'll have an inch or two of empty nodes to stick under the soil. From these nodes new roots will emerge. Dip them in rooting hormone, if you've got it. (You can make your own rooting enhancer by mixing ground up seaweed, especially kelp, in a little water. Plant the new root into a hole you've prepared in a container or the ground, then gently push in the soil around the root so that everything's snug. Prune the remaining leaves a little, since your baby roots won't be able to service all that real estate.
Root Division - Here you simply dig a root ball out of the soil, then use a sharp knife to separate the whole plant into two or more divisions containing roots and crown. Replant the sections immediately and prune as needed. Try to avoid undertaking this task at high noon or on really hot days, since roots are extremely delicate whenever they're removed from the soil.
Some plant species cast out runners and offshoots, parts of which often take root in the ground on their own. You can learn which ones they are by observation, then replicate the process by snipping off lengths and pinning them into prepared soil yourself. Use forked twigs or unwound paper clips (that you re-bend) to secure the runners near the new root growth.
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Grafting - By far the most complicated form of propagation, grafting combines the stem of one plant onto another that's already rooted in the ground. In many cases the two plants are from different stocks (although the same genus or species), with the goal of combining the best features of both. For instance, you may want to produce a fruit tree that doesn't tower so high that you can't reach the fruit at harvest time. Thus, you'll combine it with a smaller stock. There are several grafting techniques, including spliced-side, whip, apical wedge and spliced-side veneer, whip-and-tongue, all of which require training and practice. Grafting also requires expert knowledge of rootstocks. On the up side, this form of propagation can produce fruits and other crops more rapidly than other methods, so it's worth learning.
4. Gardening Essentials
Know your growing times and requirements for sunlight:
Most vegetables take 2 to 4 months from the day their seeds sprout to the day they bear fruit, but some take longer. Keep in mind that the sun's trajectory across the sky will change as the months go by. For instance, a completely shaded spot on April Fool's Day may be getting nine hours of daily sunlight by the time the summer solstice arrives on June 21st. (That assumes you live in the northern hemisphere. Below the equator, the seasons play out in reverse.)
One way to stay on top of each plant's particulars is to photocopy the A-Z vegetable section of the American Horticulture Society's Plant Propagation book, or another guide. Knowing the best time of year for planting different vegetables, how much sun they require, the pH level and the altitude they'll grow in is critical information when your survival depends on a good harvest.
Get a jump on the season using flats and containers.
Flats are boxes made of wood or plastic that hold enough soil for you to sprout four or five rows of seeds in a safe place out of the cold. The dimensions of the flat are typically 12 to 18 inches long, 10 to 15 inches wide, and 3 to 4 inches deep. Several slats on the bottom of the box should have an eighth inch opening between them to allow water to easily drain. Fill the box with a silty soil - about 8 to 25 percent dirt and the rest lighter material that keeps the soil loose. Don't add any fertilizer to flats or containers used to propagate seeds.
Water the soil, cover the box and keep it sheltered and warm (e.g. off the cold ground) while the seeds germinate. Remember to re-water the soil daily so it stays moist. Once the seeds sprout, uncover the box. After the second set of leaves form, transplant the seedlings into the ground or small containers. Whenever transplanting, always protect the roots from direct sunlight and heat since they're extremely sensitive to both. Have your holes in the ground or containers ready to go before you start, then water the new soil immediately.
continued on right side of page...
Setting up a Farm: Page 3
Copyright 2009 - 2011 TheCityEdition.com
Prepare your garden ground carefully.
When preparing your garden for plant growth, dig and aerate the soil so the roots of your plants will have room to spread and dive downward. The depth you dig depends on the size of what you're planting, but the general rule is to excavate a shovel's length down (at minimum), and at least two shovel lengths for root vegetables like potatoes and carrots.
Learning to mulch dry leaves and mix the material in to loosen up a hard clay soil is a critical skill. Some plants prefer "loamy" soils. Some grow well near the ocean, where the soil is full of sand and drains quickly. Cacti and succulents like a less aerated, drier ground.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the growing preferences of different plants, visit a garden store or college nursery and examine the soil in the different varieties of potted plants. As mentioned early, getting the right pH is also important, so ask questions or read up on this subject so you'll have an idea of what "amendments" you may need to add to the ground or plant containers.
Build a compost heap to use for fertilizer
Whether it's cow dung, food scraps, rotting leaves or coffee grounds, a compost heap is essential when there's no general store around to sell you fertilizer. It provides soil with an abundant supply of sulfur, microorganisms and other nutrients found in organic matter. Just keep in mind that the different materials you throw onto your heap can alter the pH of the soil. Keep coffee grounds, banana peels and other non-native scraps to a minimum and spread the finished product around your garden in small quantities over time.
Because compost heaps attract insects and can sprout seeds voluntarily, they should be placed away from where your food crops grow. A little sunlight helps heat up the mixture but save the full sunlight for your plants. Mix dry and wet materials into your compost heap, after chopping it all up in three-quarter inch pieces. Eventually, red worms will crawl up into the compost and expedite the process of decomposition by leaps and bounds. Ants and flies, on the other hand, should be kept out of the heap. However, never spray them with insecticide, as the lethal chemicals will ultimately get passed along to the soil.
As your compost materials decompose, a granular mulch that's dark, uniform-looking and odorless will show up at the bottom of the pile. Every few days, use a pitchfork or other tool to turn the heap, scooping out the finished product. Whenever you spread compost around the garden, water the area immediately afterwards. That wards off insects who will otherwise smell the compost from afar and start heading towards it.
If you're in a hurry to fertilize your garden, fish emulsion will do the trick. This soil addition is composed of ground freshwater fish and fish excrement. Organic gardeners also use blood and bone meal.
Always plant more seeds, seedlings and grafts than you need
A lot can and will go wrong in the course of a growing cycle. Bug infestations, plant disease, marauding birds and rodents, unseasonal weather and drainage problems may cost you half or more of your harvest, so factor in high losses when you plan your garden or farm.
5.Take a pro-active approach to pests and plant diseases.
It takes two months or more to grow a tender seedling, but only a few minutes for one little bird, snail or rodent to nibble its leaves down to the stem, effectively destroying it. If you're smart, you'll spend that germination period planning for and constructing a line of defenses that will be ready on the day you start transplanting. Indivudual enclosers and other physical barriers can be made out plastic, cardboard or any other scrap material that's handy. To guard against an assault by air, cover the area a few inches above each plant with a mesh screen or simple lattice weave of vines. Once the plant leaves start to harden and multiply, you can remove the enclosure.
Rodents, deer and other mammals may attack at any time during the growing season, fencing your fields may also be necessary. By stuffing thorny branches and sticky brush in between the rails and posts, you'll provide enough of a deterrent to keep your crops unmolested.
Even in a good year, insects, fungi, scales and aphids will eliminate 20 or 30 percent of your harvest. That figure jumps even higher during an era of climate instability. That's because weather that alternates from one extreme to another will almost invariably generate huge pest infestations. If you recall the biblical story of Exodus, seven years of plenty in Egypt were followed by seven years of famine.
As for the mechanics of how this works: During a fertile period, insects multiply because of the favorable conditions and bounty of good eats. Then the years of drought arrive, eliminating the lush terrain and food supply. The situation causes grasshoppers and other creatures to form superswarms that set off on their own exodus. They scour the land, devouring everything green in their path.
One way to head off an invasion is to scout out areas -- especially in low-lying foothills, lakes and ponds -- where insects tend to proliferate. Grasshoppers, for instance, lay eggs in the top soil. So if you're diligent about turning digging up thsese breeding grounds every few days, you might succeed in disrupting the cycle of reproduction. You'll also need to construct portable ground covers that can be quickly laid out over your fields in advance of an approaching swarm . (See "Super Swarms", a 2007 episode from the History Channel's Mega-Disaster series, for an in-depth look at this threat.)
Of course, your garden-variety, everyday pests can be kept at bay simply by monitoring your crops and not over-watering. Keep your compost pile and any dead leaves away from your growing area.
Interspersing different crops across one tract (aka companion planting) allows competing insects to face off against each other, thus providing an effortless means of regulating their quanities. In particular, ladybugs, wasps, frogs and the preying mantiss are stalwart soldiers you'll want to enlist in the cause. In citrus groves, large carnivorous ants (if you can find them) will eat any insects that land on the fruit.
At night, you can light torches in trees near your agricultural tracts. The light will draw insects away from their intended targets. You can also prepare a natural insecticide by grounding up Chrysanthemum flowers into a powder and spreading it around your garden.
Snails should be gathered and relocated a hundred yards or more from the garden before they start consuming your strawberries.
Aphids and scales are common organisms that attach themselves to the bottom of leaves. They're visible to the naked eye and can be washed off leaves with soapy water, or simply a strong jet of water. You'll know somethings wrong when your leaves start turning yellow and shriveling up. In the case of heavy infestation, quickly break off the affected leaves and branches and dispose of the waste.