survival gardening with heirlooms_ebook

8/7/2019 Survival Gardening With Heirlooms_ebook

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SURVIVAL GARDENING WithHeirlooms

Growing Nutrient-Dense Foods When All Hell Breaks Loose

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO SEEDS 4

INTRODUCTION 4

CHAPTER ONE: THEPLANTLIFECYCLE 8

CHAPTER TWO:SEEDHARVESTINGANDSTORAGE 15

PART TWO: SURVIVAL GARDENING TECHNIQUES 18

CHAPTER THREE:STARTWITHTHESOIL 19

CHAPTER FOUR:

VEGETABLEGARDENLAYOUTFORSURVIVALGARDENING 23

CHAPTER FIVE: GENERALPLANTCARE 28

CHAPTER SIX:GARDENINSECTS:GOODGUYSANDBADGUYS 35

CHAPTER SEVEN:NUTRIENTDEFICIENCIES 40

PART THREE: SPECIFIC PLANT CARE 44

BEANS,DRY 45

BEANS,FRESH 47

BEETS 49

CABBAGE 51

CARROT 53

CHARD 55

CORN,DRY 57

CORN,FRESH 59

CUCUMBER 61

LETTUCE,HEAD 63

LEAFLETTUCE 65

MELON 67

ONION,STORAGE 69

ONION,FRESH 71

Table of Contents


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PEAS 72

PEPPERS 73SPINACH 75

SQUASH,WINTER 77

TOMATO 78

CONCLUSION 80


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PART ONE:INTRODUCTION TO SEEDS

INTRODUCTION

Why you need the survival seed bank

Chancesaregreatthatifyouarereadingthisbookyouhave

alreadypurchasedtheSurvivalSeedBank.Thatmeansyou

haveatleastapartialunderstandingofwhytheseedsyou

arestoringaresoimportantforthefutureofyourfamily.You

maynotcurrentlyhaveafullunderstandingofjusthowdire

theworldfoodsituationis.Youmaynotquitecomprehend

whynongeneticallymodiedseedslikethoseintheSurvival

SeedBankcouldtrulysavethelifeofyouandyourfamily,if

necessary.Thisiswhyyouneedtheseseeds:

HaveyouheardaboutthegiantseedvaultupinNorway?Therearemillionsofseeds

storedtosupposedlyprotecttheplanetincaseofalossofgeneticdiversity.Theseeds

willsupposedlybeusedtogrowfoodintheeventofamajorcatastrophe.Thepractical

matteroffactisthattheseedsintheseedbankarecontrolledbygovernmentagencies

aroundtheworldandareunlikelytodoanythingtohelpindividualfamiliesintheeventof

amassiveworldfoodshortage.Signsofafoodshortagearealreadyevident.Youmay

thinkyoucanjustrunoutandbuyseedsfromthehardwarestoretogrowyourownfood

ifsuchashortagehappens.

That is simply not true.The reason: most of those seeds are hybrids or genetically

modiedseeds.Youmaybeabletogrowplentyoffoodforoneyear,butyouwontbe

abletosavetheseedforgrowingthenextyear.ThatiswheretheSurvivalSeedBank

comesin.


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No GMOs

The survival seed bank contains only open pollinated varieties of highly nutritious

heirloom vegetable varieties. There are no genetically modied beasts here. While

geneticallymodiedandhybridseedmightproducemorefoodintheshortrun,ittakes

laboratoriesfullofhighlytrainedtechnicianstoperpetuateavailabilityofseedfromyear

toyear.Byonlymakinghybridseedavailable,seedcompaniesareessentiallyholding

regularfamilieshostageifyoudontbuytheirproducts,youcanteat.Openpollinated

seedsaredifferent,anddifculttolayyourhandsonifyoudontknowwheretolook.

Not just any open pollinated or heirloom variety of seed will work. Because open

pollinatedseedscancrosswitheachother,unlesstheyarefarmedandharvestedwith

caretokeepcertainvarietiesawayfromeachother,theseedscanlosevigorfromyear

toyear.TheSurvivalSeedBankseedsaresomeofthestrongestvarietiesyoucanuse

togrowasurvivalgarden.Thisbookwillteachyouhowtogrowtheseplantssothatyou

cancontinuetoharvestandsaveseedsthatwillbeviablefromyeartoyear.Thatiswhy

eachaspectofthisbookissoimportant.TheSurvivalSeedBankwillnotonlyproducea

yearssupplyoffoodforafamilyifgivengoodcare,itwillcontinuetoprovideseedsfor

subsequentyearswhentheseedsareplantedandcaredforaccordingtoinstructions

inthisbook.

Frequently asked questions

AscreatorsoftheSurvivalSeedBank,wearefrequentlyaskedseveralquestionsabout

storageanduseofourseeds.Youasked,soweanswered.

Q.Howlongwilltheseedsinmysurvivalseedbanklast?

A. Thatdependsentirelyonwhereyoustoretheseeds.Seedsarelivingthings,and

are affected by temperature and humidity. Our seeds are packaged intwo layers of

packagingdesignedtokeepastablemoisturelevelinsidetheseedpacks.Ifkeptin

anordinarycool,darkplace,theseseedscouldlastfortwentyyearsorso.Ifkeptina

freezerwithlowhumidity,theycankeepforuptoonehundredyears.


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Q. Whyareheirloomseedssohardtondcommercially?

A.AroundtheendofWorldWarII,conglomerateseedcompaniesstartedpromotinghybridseeds.Withindustrialagriculturemakingsmallscalefarmingimpracticalformost

families,homegardeningandfarming,alongwithfoodpreservingandseedsavingskills

begantoslipaway.Atthatpoint,thelargeseedcompaniesgottheupperhand.Today,

heirloomseedsandopenpollinatedvarietiesareonlygrownandharvestedatahandful

oflocationsbysmallfarmers.Moreandmorepeoplearestockpilingheirloomseeds,

whichisdecreasingtheavailabilityrapidly.

Q.HowcanIprotectmysurvivalseedbankfrombeingtaken?A.TheSurvivalSeedBankisaself-containedunitthatcanbekeptinthefreezerwhen

conditionsallow,toprolongthelifeofseeds.Ifnecessary,thecontainercanbeburied,

asitiswater-proof,andtheseedsaredouble-vacuumsealed.Toburytheseedbank,it

hastobesealedwithPVCcement,whichcanbepurchasedatanylocalhardwarestore.

How we selected our included seeds

Buildingaseedbankthatwillfeedafamilyintimesofcrisesisnosmallorder.Actually

acquiringtheseedsinatimelyfashionsothatpeoplewillhavetheseedstheyneed

toplantagardenwhentheyneedagardenisevenmoredifcult.Whenwesetabout

gatheringaproleofseedsthatwouldhelpafamilybeselfsufcientintimesofworld

foodshortages,weconsideredthefollowingcharacteristicsoftheplants:

Healthbenetsandnutrientsprovided

Easeofgrowthforfamilyfoodproduction

Storageofthenishedproduct

Easeandreliabilityofharvestingseedsforperpetuatingyourseedbank

Wearecondentthatwiththeseinstructionsandtheseedscarefullyselectedforthe

survival seed bank that even people with very little gardening experience can grow

enoughfoodtosupporttheirfamilyifnecessary.


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You CAN do this!!Whatmakesussocondentthatpeoplewithnogardeningexperiencecangrowtheir

ownfood?Well,peoplewithnoformaltraininggrowbeautifulgardens-somefromthe

rsttimetheyputtheirshovelintheground.Vegetablesarenotalotdifferentfromother

oweringplantsbecausetheyareoweringplants.Wethinkthat,actually,ifpeoplewho

growowersfortheirhobbyreadthisbooktheywouldgrownicerlookingowers.That

isbecausewhenyouknowhowaplantgrows,youcanbettertakecareofit.Whenyou

knowhowtobuildthesoilfrommaterialsalreadyonhand,youcanrecyclewhatison

yourlandbackintotheland.Itreallyiseasierthansomesurvivalgardeningbookswould

leadyoutobelieve.Wellshowyouhow.


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CHAPTER ONE: THE PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Parts of a Plant

Inordertoproperlycareforyourplants,youneedtoknowaboutthepartsoftheplant

andtheplantlifecycle.Thisknowledgewillhelpyoudotherightthingstotherightplant

partsothatyoucanharvestabountyofvegetablesandperpetuateyourseedbankfor

thenextyear.Includedbelowisadiagramofaplant,andaglossaryofitsbasicparts.

Plant Parts GlossaryRoot Thecollectivetermforallofthe(typically)

below-groundpartsoftheplant.

Primary Roots Largestrootsoftheplants.They

serveasstorageunitsforsomeplants,likepotatoes.

Plantsthathavelargeprimaryrootsandfewlateral

rootsaresaidtohaveataproot.Dandelionshave

taproots,whichiswhytheyaresohardtouproot.

Vegetablesthat areactually taproots are carrots,

beets,parsnipsandturnips.

Lateral Roots Medium sized roots that lead

fromtheroothairstotheprimaryroots.Theyare

primarilyconductorsofuidswithintheplants.

Root Hairs-Roothairsarewheretherealworkoftherootsisdone.Theroothairssoak

upwaterandnutrientsthatarethentransportedtothelateralandprimaryroots.The

roothairsaremicroscopicandeasilydisrupted.Theirdisruptioncaninterferewithplant

growthbecausetheplantcannottakeupthewaterandnutrientsitneeds.

Theroothairsalsohelpestablishthewatertensionbetweenthetopoftheleavesthat

areevaporatingwaterandthebottomoftheplantthatistakingupwater.Thisiscalled

capillaryaction.


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Shootthecollectivetermforallabovegroundpartsoftheplant.

StemThestructuralsupportsystemandprimaryverticalwaterandsugarconducting

partoftheplant.Thecellsthatmovewaterandsugarupanddownthroughtheplants

arecalledvascularbundles.

LeafTheleafiswherephotosynthesistoproducefoodoccurs.Thephotosynthesis

takesplaceinmoleculescalledchloroplaststhatabsorblight.

FlowerTheoweristhereproductivepartoftheplant.Fromtheowerdevelopstheseedsand,whenapplicable,thefruit.

Fruit Afruitisthecompositionofmaterialthatcontainsalloftheplantseeds.Tomatoes

arefruits,asareacorns.Earsofcornareactuallythefruitofthecornplantbecausethey

arederivedfromthereproductivepartofthecornplant,theowers(tassels).

Axillary Bud These buds sprout from the intersection of the leaf with the stem.

Sometimes,youwillwanttopinchoffthesebudssothatthemainplantgrowslarger.

Apical MeristemTheverytopoftheshootwheretheplant

grows. The apical meristem releases plant hormones that

keeplateralbudsfromsprouting.Ifyouwantamorefull,bushy

plant,youwillneedtopinchofftheapicalmeristem.

Crown Thisistheareaoftheplantwheretherootmeetsthe

shoot.Generally,thecrownisjustabovethesoilline.

Petiole The leaf stem. This is the part of the leaf that

connectstotheplantstem.Thepetiolecarrieswater,nutrients

andgas(carbondioxideandoxygen)toandfromtheleaf.


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Parts of the Plant: Food Plants

Knowingwhichpartoftheplantyouareeating,andthereforeharvesting,willhelpyou

harvesttheplantcorrectly.

Roots These vegetables are roots or modied roots: potatoes, carrots, turnips,

radishes,parsnips

StemsThesefoodsthatyougrowarethestemsofthe

plant:rhubarb,gingerroot,asparagus

LeavesThesefoodsthatyougrowaretheleavesoftheplant:

spinach,swisschard,lettuce,cabbage,kale,basil,sage,parsley,

celery (The leaf stalk, or petiole is what makes up the celery

sticksweeat),onions,leeks

FlowersThesefoodsthatyougrowareactuallythe

owersoftheplant:broccoli,cauliower,artichoke

FruitsThesefoodsthatyougrowarethefruitsoftheplant:

peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash,

corn,eggplant,cucumbers,melons,beans,strawberry,raspberry,

blueberry


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Parts of Flowers

The owers are the reproductive part of the plant. It is important to know the parts

ofa owerso thatyou can perpetuateyourvegetable seedstashfrom yeartoyear.

AlloftheplantsinyourSurvivalSeedBankwillcontinuetoproduceviableseedsfor

manyyears,butsomeoftheplantsneedtobegrowninoppositecornersofthegarden

becausetheycancrosspollinate.Floweringplantsaredividedintotwogroups,dicots

andmonocots.Thisreferstothenumberofleaveswithintheseed,andseedleaves

arecalledcotoleydons.So,dicotshavetwoseedleavesontheplantembryoswithin

theseedsandmonocotshaveoneseedleaf.Theowerpartsaresimilar,butoccurin

differentmultiplesasshowninthediagrambelow.

Withinyourseedpack,theonlymonocotplantsarethecornseeds.Monocotsarethings

likelilies,andgrasses.Cornisbasicallydomesticatedgrass.Belowisadiagramofthe

partsofaower.Youcanseethattheovaryoftheower,whencutupanddown,looks

alotlikeatomatothathasbeencutfromtoptobottom,longitudinally.Duringpollination,

pollenfromoneplantistransferredbywind,animalsorwatertothestigmaofanother

plant,causingfertilizationandreproduction.So-calledopenpollinatedvarietieswill

self-sustainwithoutintervention.


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Hybridsresultfromthecrossingoftwoverydistinctvarieties.

Theresultingseedshavewhatiscalledhybridvigor,meaningthattheyareuniform

androbust,butyoucannotgetthesameplantsthenextyearifyousavetheseedsfrom

thefruitsoftheplantsthatgrowasaresultofthehybridseeds.Notsovigorous.

Parts of Seeds

Inadditiontothepartsoftheower,itisuseful

toknowthepartsofaseedandunderstandhow

theseedworks.Aseedhasababyplantinsideit.

Thatistheembryo.Seedsalsohavefoodstored

insidethem.Whenseedsarekeptatoptimum

temperatureandhumidityconditions,theycan

lastforyears.Theprotectiveouterlayerofthe

seediscalledtheseedcoat.Whenaseedis

givenconditionsfavorableforgrowing,usually

involvingwater,theembryowillbegingrowing,burstthroughtheseedcoatandbegin

settingdownrootsandpushingupashoot.Someseedsrequiremorethanjustwater

andsoiltobeginsprouting.Theyneedtobenicked,burnedorotherwisetreated.Most

oftheseedsinthesurvivalseedbankdonotneedspecialtreatmentinordertosprout,

buttheseedbankdoescomewithaseedgerminationjumpstartsolutionthatwillbegin

breakingdowntheseedcoatforfastersprouting.


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Plant Life Cycle

Basically,aseedsproutsandproducesaplantthatowersandproducesseeds,that

thensprout.The cyclecontinues.Annual plants completethisentire lifecyclewithin

oneseason.Biennialstaketwoyearstocompletetheirlifecycle.Aseedwillsprout,the

plantwillgrowleavesandstoreenergy.Then,itwillundergoaperiodofdormancy.After

theperiodofdormancy,theplantwillre-sprout,owerandproduceseeds.Perennials

arealmostacombinationofannualsandbiennials.Perennialplantscansprout,ower

andproduceseedsinoneyear,butatthesametimetheyaredoingthat,theyarealso

storingenergytosurviveadormantperiodtobeabletore-sproutagain.Mostofyour

vegetableplantswillbegrownasannuals,thoughtosaveseedforthefollowingyear,

youwillgrowsomeasbiennials.


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Plant Life Cycles and Harvest

Eachplantthatyoueatwillbeharvestedatadifferentpointduringitslifecycle.You

canpartiallydiscernwhenbypayingattentiontowhichpartoftheplantyoueat.For

example,ifyouwanttoharvestlargebeets,youneedtopullthemupaftertheyhave

had time to store lots of starches to grow a big root, but before they turn hard and

leathery,preparingtooverwintertosetseedthenextyear.Yougenerallyharvestaplant

foreatingatadifferenttimethanyouwouldharvestitforseed-butnotalways.Pumpkins

andotherwintersquashareharvestedatthesametimeforeatingandseedsaving,as

arebeans.

Thatisbecausetheyareactuallyfruits,botanicallyspeaking,andwhenthefruitsare

ripe,theseedsaretoo.Animalseatinganddispersingtheseedsisonemechanismby

whichtheseplantsreproduce.Rootandleafvegetablesareharvestedatdifferenttimes

foreatingandreproducing.Manyrootvegetablesarebiennials.Theyusethesugars

storedoverthewinterintherootstructuresothattheymayre-sproutandsetseedsthe

followingyear.

Ifyouwanttoeatthem,youharvestduringtherstyear.Becauseofthedifferences

betweeneachtypeofplant,partthreeofthisbookdetailshowtogrow,harvestandsave

seedfromseedforeachtypeofplantincludedintheSurvivalSeedBank.Ifyouneed

specicinstructionsforanysingletypeofplant,refertoitssectionlaterinthebook.


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CHAPTER TWO:

SEED HARVESTING AND STORAGE

TheseedsselectedfortheSurvivalGardenkitareallopen-pollinated.Thatmeansthat

aslongasyougrowthem,followinginstructions,youwillbeabletosaveseedstoplant

thefollowingseason.Eachplanthasslightlydifferentharvestingrequirements,which

willbedetailedinthesectionaboutindividualplants.

When to Harvest

Harvestingforseedsavingisdifferentthanharvestingforeating.Seedsaregenerally

readywhenthefruitsaredryorripe.Manybeansareharvestedwhenthepodsaredry,

whereastomatoesarereadyforharvestingwhenthefruitisripe.Itdependsuponthe

dispersalmechanismoftheseed.Seedswitheshyfruitsaregenerallydispersedby

beingeaten,andthusarereadytoharvestwhenthefruitisripe.

How to Harvest

Youultimatelywanttopreparetheseedsforstorage.Todothis,youmustrstharvest

theseedswhentheyarereadyandseparatetheseedsfromotherbitsofdriedmaterial

orfromjuicyesh.Ifaplantproducesseedsthatdryontheirown,youcancollectseeds

intheeld,justusingabag.Ifyouneedtoseparatetheseedsfromtheeshofthefruit,

pickthefruitsandbringtheminside,hand-pickingtheseedsfromthefruits.


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How to Prepare for Storage

Seedsneedtobecompletelyfreeofanyothermaterialthatisnottheseed.Inthecase

ofdrybeans,theyneedtobeoutoftheirpods.Tomatoandmelonseedsneedtohave

all extraeshremoved fromtheseeds. Anyextra driedmaterialaround the seedis

calledchaff.(Hencethesayingseparatethewheatfromthechaff.)Removingthis

materialiscalledthreshing.

Inordertostoreseedsinthefreezer,wheretheywillbemoststable,youneedtodry

outtheseedstocontainnomorethan8%moisture.Youcanusesilicageltodryout

theseeds.Youcantellifabeanseedisdryenoughifyousmackitwithahammeranditshattersinsteadofmashes.Tousethesilicagel,putseedsinpaperpacketsandput

thepacketsinthesilicagelbeads.Afteraboutsixdays,checktheseeds.Todryoutthe

gel,useamicrowaveorfollowtheinstructionsforair-dryingforre-use.

Where to Store

Whereyoustoreyourseedswillhavethesinglegreatestimpactonhowlongtheylast.

Ideally,youwillfreezeyourseedsinafreezerthatdoesnotcontainotherfoodwhich

could produce ethylene. If you freeze your seeds, you need to leave the container

inwhichtheyarefrozenouttocometoroomtemperaturebeforeyouopenitsothat

condensationdoesnotformontheseeds,whichcouldcausethemtomoldorstartto

sprout.

Ideally, the temperature and humidity will add up to the number 100 when you add

themtogether.Forinstance,ifyoustoreseedsat40degreesFahrenheit,youwantno

morethan60%humidity.Ifpossible,vacuumsealyourseeds-suckingallairoutofthe

packagethatholdstheseedsforstorage.Thelessairandwaterinyourseedcontainer,thelongertheseedswilllast.

How Long to Store

Ifyourseedsareproperlyharvestedandpacked,andstoredinaverycoldclimatewith

lowhumidity,theycanlastfortwentyormoreyears.Thetemperatureandhumidity

controlisimperativeforsuccessfulseedstorage.


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Containers for Storage

Getthemostlifeoutofyourseedsbyusingtherightcontainerstostorethem.Metaland

Glasscontainersarethemostair-tighttypesofcontainers.Inordertokeepdiseases

andfungioutofyourseeds,youdoneedtothoroughlydrytheseeds,andstoreina

low-humidity,lowmoistureandlowtemperaturelocation.


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PART TWO:SURVIVAL GARDENING

TECHNIQUES

Atsome pointin the not-so-distantfuture, you may berequired togrow foodtofeed

yourfamily,regardlessofwhetherornotyouhavegardeningorfarmingexperience.As

witheveryindustrythathasgrownfromataskonceperformedbyeachfamily,farming

isalsocommercializedandindustrialized,andchildrenfromurbanareasactuallythink

foodgrowsonthegrocerystoreshelves.Ifyouarecalledupontogrowfoodtofeed

yourfamily,ifyouhavetheSurvivalSeedBank,growingthatfoodwillactuallybepretty

easy.Sothatyoucangetthebeststartgardening,andhavegoodresultswhenyour

lifeliterallydependsonit,thenextsectionusesalloftheinformationyoulearnedfrom

therstpartofthebooktoteachyouhowtogrowtheplantsandfeedyourselfandyour

family.


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CHAPTER THREE: START WITH THE SOIL

Eachsoilpicturedabovelooksverydifferent,dependinguponwhereitisandwhatisgrowingontopof it. For thatreason, itisveryimportant for you togettoknowyour

ownsoil-itscharacteristics,insandouts,andwhatyoumightneedtoaddtoittomake

itproductiveforgrowingplants.Keepinmind,thereisnoreallybadsoil,itisjustthat

eachsoilcontainsdifferentnutrients,hasadifferentpHandadifferentstructure.Some

plantswilldobetterthanothersoneachdifferenttypeofsoil.


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Assessing soil

Youcandoasoiltest,butchancesaregreatthatyouwontreallybeabletodothat,or

havetimetodothatifyoureallydoneedtogrowyoursurvivalgarden.Youcanjudge

whetheryoumightneedtoaddthingstoyoursoilorworkonitabitbyfeelingthesoil.

Grabahandfulofsoilfromaboutaninchbelowthesurface.Doesitfeelsandy?Does

itfeelsticky?Or,doesitfeellikenicepiecrustjustbeforeyourrollit?Ifitisthelatter,

thesoilisgoodtogo.Ifthesoiliseitherverysandyorverysticky,youmaywanttoadd

somecompostifyoucan.

Ifyoudonthavecompostforyourrstyear,donotworry-youcanstillplantyourgarden

andmakecompostwhileitisgrowingsothatyoucanreplenishthesoilaftertherst

year.Ifyoucan,youwillwanttogetsomeProtoGrowfertilizertousewithyoursurvival

garden,especiallyifyoudonothaveaccesstocompost.Itcontainsallessentialmicro

andmacronutrientsforhealthyplantgrowth,andcanhelpyoujumpstartyourcompost,

too.

Preparing the Soil

Ifyouhavethechancetoprepareyoursoilforplanting,thisiswhatisrecommended:

Ifyoudonthavetimeortheequipmenttoturnoveranentiregarden,digstripsof

grassuptoformrowstoholdthevegetables.

Inthesoilyouhaveuncoveredinwhichtogrowvegetables,digdownaboutsixto

eightinches,addingcompost.Ifyoucannotaddcompost,simplyplanttheseedsand

fertilizewithProtoGrow.

Onceyoursurvivalgardenisgoing,digupanotherareaofthelawntopreparefor

nextyearsgarden.Inthatarea,chopupgrassclippings,leavesandplant-based

kitchenscrapsandspreadthem inaone totwoinch layerover thesoil.Thisis a

broadcompostingmethod.

Afteraboutthreetoveweeks,turnthesoilunder.Youcanthenaddanotherlayer

ofcompost.Thisisaslow,butmanageablewayofmakingyourgardenmorefertile,

onepatchatatime.


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You can also mow areas of the yard that you would like to garden, scalping it

repeatedly.

Eventually,thegrasswilldie,youcanturnitunder,anditwilldecompose,addingorganic

mattertothesoilandfreeingmorespaceforyourgarden.Again,thesearesurvival

gardentips.Thisisnotnecessarilytheeasiestwaytomakeavegetablegardenifyou

haveamplegasolineandpowerequipment,butitistheeasiestandmostproductive

waytomakeavegetablegardenifyouonlyhavehandtoolsandlimited

soilamendments.

Making Your Own Compost

Atsomepointduringyoursurvivalgardening,youwillwanttomakecompostsothat

youcanreplenishyoursoil.Makingacompostpileisrelativelyeasyandagoodwayto

recycleyourvegetablescraps.Dontlethighlytechnicalcompostingbooksscareyou

away.Youcanmakeacoolcompostpilethatwillcookoverthesummerwhileyoutend

yourrstyearofvegetablessothatyoucanreplenishyoursoilforyournextcrops.


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Building a Compost Pile

To buildan effective compost pile,you need

to mix green and brown materials. Green

materialsarehighinnitrogen.Freshleaves,

grass clippings, plant-based kitchen scraps

and animal manures have lots of nitrogen.

Twigs,woodchipsanddriedleaveshaveless

nitrogen in relation to carbon. For your pile

towork, you needtoalternatelayers ofboth

types of materials. To jump-start your pile,

addsomeProtoGrowfertilizeroracoupleof

shovelsfullofsoil.Thiswilladdthebacterianeededtobreakdownthematerials.Keep

thepilemoist,butnotwet.Ifyoufeelheatrisingfromthepile,turnit.Ifnot,youcan

leaveittodecompose.

Symptoms Problem Solution

Thecomposthasabadodor. Notenoughair SolutionTurnit.Adddrymaterialifthepileistoowet.

Thecenterofthepileisdry. Notenoughwater Moistenandturnthepile.

Thecompostisdampand

warmonlyinthemiddle.Toosmall

Collectmorematerialandmixtheold

ingredientsintoanewpile.Turnthepile.

Theheapisdampandsweet-

smelling,butstillwillnotheatup.Lackofnitrogen.

Mixinanitrogensourcelikefreshgrassclippings,manure,

compostedpoultrymanure,Bloodmeal,orureafertilizer.


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CHAPTER FOUR:

VEGETABLE GARDEN LAYOUT FOR

SURVIVAL GARDENING

Laying out a vegetable garden for survival gardening is different than laying out a

vegetablegardenasahobby.Thefoodyougrowinyoursurvivalgardenwillneedto

feedyourfamilyforasubstantialamountoftime.Youwillneedtobeabletocontinuously

harvestseedsthatareviable,meaningtheywillsproutandgrowthesameplantthenext

year.Youraccesstopesticides,fertilizersandherbicidesmaybelimited,soyouneedto

createyourgardendesign/layouttomaximizecompanionplantingsofplantsthatwork

togethertostayhealthyandproductive.

Factors to Consider

Youwillneedtothinkaboutthefollowingfactorswhenlayingoutyoursurvivalgarden:LightDoyouhaveshadeproblems.Doyouneedtoremoveatreetoletmorelight

intoyourgarden?

WaterAretherewaterrestrictionsgoingon?Doyouhavelimitedaccesstowater?

Hastherebeenanongoingdroughtinyourarea?Ifso,youmightneedtospaceyour

plantingsfurtherapartsothateachplanthasmoreaccesstowateronitsown.

Soil type Doyouhaveaheavyclaysoil,aloamysoilorasandysoil?Youmightneed

todosomesoilamendmentsbeforeyoucanbeginplanting.


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The planting combinations you select will vary depending upon the conditions and

availabilityoflightandwater,aswellasyouravailableequipment.Someplantscannotbeplantedtooclosetoeachother,ortheywillcross-pollinateandproducehybridseeds

thateitherwontgerminate,orwillnotreliablyproducefoodduringthenextyear.

Companion Planting

Companion planting is the practice of growing complimentary plants together. For

instance,radishesaregoodforwardingawaycucumberbeetles.Theycanbeplanted

around cucurbits like squash, cucumbers and melons to help dissuade pests from

attacking those plants. Onions, garlic and chives make good companion plants for

cabbage,broccoliandothermembersofthecabbagefamily.Below,aresomecompanion

plantingsuggestionstohelpyourplantshelpeachother.

Plant Companion(s) and Effects

Asparagus Tomatoes,parsley,basil

BasilTomatoes(improvesgrowth&avor);saidtodislikerue;repelsies&mosquitoes

BeanPotatoes,carrots,cucumbers,cauliower,cabbage,summersavory,mostotherveggies&herbs

Bean(bush)Sunowers(beanslikepartialshade,unlessyouliveupnorth,sunowersattractbirds&beesforpollination),cucumbers(combinationofheavyandlightfeeders),potatoes,corn,celery,summersavory

BeeBalm Tomatoes(improvesgrowth&avor).

Beet Onions,kohlrabi

BorageTomatoes(attractsbees,deterstomatoworm,improvesgrowth&avor),squash,strawberries

CabbageFamily(broccoli,brusselssprouts,cabbage,cauliower,kale,kohlrabi)

Potatoes,celery,dill,chamomile,sage,thyme,mint,pennyroyal,rosemary,lavender,beets,onions;aromaticplantsdetercabbageworms

Caraway Loosenssoil;planthereandthere

Carrot Peas,lettuce,chives,onions,leeks,rosemary,sage,tomatoes

Catnip Plantinborders;protectsagainsteabeetles


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Celery Leeks,tomatoes,bushbeans,cauliower,cabbage

Chamomile Cabbage,onions

Chervil Radishes(improvesgrowth&avor).

ChiveCarrots;plantaroundbaseoffruittreestodiscourageinsectsfromclimbingtrunk

Corn Potatoes,peas,beans,cucumbers,pumpkin,squash

Cucumber Beans,corn,peas,radishes,sunowers

DeadNettle Potatoes(deterspotatobugs)

Dill Cabbage(improvesgrowth&health),carrots

Eggplant Beans

Fennel Mostplantsaresupposedtodislikeit.

Flax Carrots,potatoes

GarlicRoses & raspberries (deters Japanese beetle); with herbs to enhancetheirproductionofessentialoils;plantliberallythroughoutgardentodeterpests

Horseradish Potatoes (deters potato beetle); around plum trees to discouragecurculios

Hyssop Cabbage(deterscabbagemoths),grapes;keepawayfromradishes

LambsQuarters Nutritiousedibleweeds;allowtogrowinmodestamountsinthecorn

Leek Onions,celery,carrots

LemonBalm Hereandthereinthegarden

MarigoldThe workhorse of pest deterrents; keeps soil free of nematodes;discouragesmanyinsects;plantfreelythroughoutthegarden.

Marjoram Hereandthereinthegarden

Mint Cabbagefamily;tomatoes;deterscabbagemoth

NasturtiumTomatoes, radish, cabbage, cucumbers; plant under fruit trees; detersaphids&pestsofcurcurbits

OnionBeets, strawberries, tomato, lettuce (protects against slugs), beans(protectsagainstants),summersavory

Parsley Tomato,asparagus


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PeaSquash(whensquashfollowspeasuptrellis),plusgrowswellwithalmostanyvegetable;addsnitrogentothesoil

Petunia Protectsbeans;benecialthroughoutgarden

PotatoHorseradish,beans,corn,cabbage,marigold,limas,eggplant(asatrapcropforpotatobeetle)

PotMarigoldHelps tomato, but plant throughout garden as deterrent to asparagusbeetle,tomatoworm&manyothergardenpests

Pumpkin Corn

Radish Peas,nasturtium,lettuce,cucumbers;ageneralaidinrepellinginsects

RosemaryCarrots, beans, cabbage, sage; deters cabbage moth, bean beetles &carroty

Rue Roses&raspberries;detersJapanesebeetle;keepawayfrombasil

Sage Rosemary,carrots,cabbage,peas,beans;deterssomeinsects

Soybean Growswithanything;helpseverything

Spinach Strawberries

Squash Nasturtium,corn

Strawberry Bushbeans,spinach,borage,lettuce(asaborder)

SummerSavory Beans,onions;detersbeanbeetles

Sunower Cucumber

TansyPlantunderfruittrees;deterspestsofroses& raspberries;detersyinginsects,alsoJapanesebeetles,stripedcucumberbeetles,squashbugs;detersants

Tarragon Goodthroughoutgarden

Thyme Hereandthereingarden;deterscabbageworm

Tomato Chives,onion,parsley,asparagus,marigold,nasturtium,carrot,limas

Valerian Goodanywhereingarden

Wormwood Asaborder,keepsanimalsfromthegarden

YarrowPlantalongborders,nearpaths,neararomaticherbs;enhancesessential

oilproductionofherbs


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Other Companion Planting Tips

Inadditiontotheplantingtipsfromabove,plantingtheseplantscanhelpkeepaway

pestinsectsandlurebenecialinsectstothegarden.

MintWorkswellwhenplantedaroundcabbages.Detersaphidsandothercabbage

pests.

MarigoldsHelpswithnematodesuppressionanddetersotheryinginsects.

BasilAphidsdonotlikebasil.

Flowering Plants and Herbs Scattering owering plants and herbs among your

vegetableswillhelpattractbenecialinsectsandbirds,whichwillalsohelpyought

unwantedinsects.

Keep Away

Therearesomeplantsthatarecross-pollinatingandneedtobekeptawayfromeachothertoreliablyharvestseedsfromyeartoyear.Youneedtoseparatesquash,and

cucumberssothattheydonotcross-pollinate.Growingthemonseparatesidesofthe

gardenwilldothetrick.Plantsinthecabbagefamilyarenotoriousforcross-pollinating,

aswell.Youmayactuallywanttohand-pollinateafewplantsofeachcultivarortype,and

keepthemenclosedbyascreentokeepthemfromcrosspollinating.Moreinformation

aboutcross-pollinationriskforeachplanttypewillbegiveninindividualplantsections.


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CHAPTER FIVE: GENERAL PLANT CARE

Regardlessofthevegetablevarietyyouaregrowing,youwillneedtounderstandsome

basicfundamentalsofplantcare.Learningtheseskillswillallowyoutogrowhealthy

vegetablesforyourfamily.Morespeciccareinstructionsarelistedwitheachvegetable

inthenextsection.

Planting

Someplantsarebestplantedbydirect-sowingtheseeds into the ground, while others do well when

grownfromtransplants.Itdependsupontheplant

and your location. Some plants need a long time

from germination to maturity, and will not reach

maturityifdirect-sown.Forexample,somevarieties

ofonionstake100ormoredaystoreachmaturity.

Theremightnotbeenoughtimeiftheyaredirect-

sownincoolerclimates.

Aneasywaytostartvegetablesfromseedindoors

istomakepotsoutofnewspaper.Youcanusean

open-ended glass and a piece of black and white

newspaper.(Youcanalsousepaperbags,recycled

bills-anythingthatisntglossy.Rollthepaperaround

theglass.Pushtheextrapaperattheendintothe

glass. Then remove the glass and fold the non-bunchedendpaperunder.Youcanllthepotswith

pottingsoilorregulargardensoil.

Theplantscanbeplanteddirectlyintothegroundintheirpaperpotsbecausethepaper

willbiodegrade.Ifyouhavetroublegettingthepapertosticktogether,youcancoverit

withapastemadefromourandwater.Letthepotsdrybeforeusingthemifyouuse

theourpaste.


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Thedepthofplantingwilldependupon

theindividualseed.Someseedsdonotliketo becovered bysoil atall, though

most seeds-even very tiny seeds-will

benet from a sprinklingof light-weight

compost or potting mix. For instance,

lettuceseedsdobestwhenjustbarely

coveredwithalightdustingofsoil,while

beanseedsorpeascanbeplantedas

muchasoneinchbelowthesoilline.Readtheinstructionsonyourseedpackage.Whenpossible,erronthesideofnotcoveringthemenough,ratherthancoveringtoo

much.

Always thoroughly water the planting row before you plant so that you do not have

towatersoheavilythatyouwashawaytheseeds.Ifyouaregoingtoplanttheseed

indoors,growthemuntiltheyhavetheirsecondsetoftrueleaves,atleast.Thenleave

theplantsoutsideforaweekorsotoacclimate.Thisiscalledhardeningoff.Thenyou

canplanttheplantsoutsideintheplantingbed.

Watering

Wateringisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofplantcare,

andoneofthemostdifculttoteach.Plantsneeddifferent

amounts ofwater atdifferentpoints during their life cycle.

Germinatingseedsneedtobekeptmoist,butnotsoaking

wet,untiltheyhavetheirsecondsetoftrueleavesandhaverootsystemslargeenoughtosoakupthewatertheyneed.

Vegetables grow fairly fast, and need quite a bit of water

throughouttheirlifecycle;however,theystillshouldnever

bekeptsoakingwet.Itisbettertowaterdeeplyafewtimesaweek,thanshallowlyevery

day.


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Aruleofthumbistocounttotenoneveryplant,andthengobackandwateragain,

countingtoten.Whenpossible,alwayshand-wateryourplantswithahose,wateringwandandbreaker.Thebreakermakesthestreamofwatersofter.

Always water at the base of the plant, never on

the leaves and stems, if you can help it. This is

especially important ifyou are wateringlateinthe

evening.Watersittingonleavesovernightcanlead

tospreadofdisease.

Onewaytoconservewateristomakeyourowndrip-

irrigationsystemwithemptiedtwo-litersodabottles.

You can basically ll the bottle with water, poke a

verysmallholenearthelid,replacethelid,andput

thebottleupside-downinthegroundwiththeholeinthebottleclosesttotheplant.The

waterwillgraduallydripout.Intimesofextremewaterstress,thismethodcansaveyour

plants.Thepictureshowsamodiedversionofthismethod,onlyitusesanattachment.

Youmaynotbeabletogettheattachment.Themain

pointisthatyouletthewaterleakoutveryslowly.

Notlettingthewaterevaporateisalsokey.

Youcancollectyourownwaterinarainbarrelthat

collectswaterfromtheroofofyourhouseduringa

rain.Therainbarrelwatercanthenbedistributedby

hoseattachedorbywateringcan.


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Mulching

Mulchingwillalsobekeytoyoursurvivalgarden.

To grow vegetables successfully with little input,

youneedtoconserveresourcesincludingwater,

nutrientsandenergy.Mulchhelpsyouconserve

theseitems.Mulchalsohelpspreventweedseeds

from sprouting and regulates soil temperature.

Therearemanytypesofmulch.Foryourpurposes,

youwillwanttouseanorganictypeofmulchthat

breaks down to add nutrients back into the soil.

Youwillwanttousecompostedleaves,compost,

shreddedbarkmulch,shreddednewspapers,orgrassclippingstomulchyourgarden.

Water,airandnutrientsneedtopassthroughthemulch,whichmeansthatyoushouldnt

useplastictarpsorbagsunlessyouhavenootherchoice.Additionally,landscapefabric

doesntmakeagoodmulchforsomeonewhoneedstobecarefultoputnutrientsback

into theirgardenbecauseitblocks weed seeds, but alsoblocksorganic matter from

beingre-incorporatedintothesoil.Afteracoupleofyears,landscapefabriclosesits

effectivenessalmostentirelybecausealayerofsoilwillhavebeguntobuildup,which

providesanidealplaceforweedseedstosprout.

Ifyouusematerialsfromaroundyouryardtomulch,beawarethatyourplantsmight

needsomesupplementalfertilizer.Uncompostedwoodymaterialslikewoodchipscan

actuallylowerthenitrogenlevelinsoilasthebacteriathatdigeststhemusesnitrogento

breakdownthematerials.BelowisalistwithC:Nratios.

High Nitrogen Materials: C:N

GrassClippings19:1

SewageSludge(digested)16:1

FoodWastes15:1

CowManure20:1

HorseManure25:1


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High Carbon Materials:

LeavesandFoliage40-80:1

Bark100-130:1

Paper170:1

WoodandSawdust300-700:1

If you have a choice of materials to use as mulch, it is better to use high nitrogen

materialssothatyoudonottakenutrientsawayfromyourplants.Makesurethatyou

leaveaboutaninchorsobetweentheplantstemandthemulch.Thedark,humid

environmentthatthemulchcreatesaroundtheplantsisperfectforfungiandbacterial,

aswellasinsectstotakehold.Leavingthespacewillhelppreventthoseproblemsfrom

gettingoutofhand.

Weeding

Therearereasonsbeyondaestheticstoweedthe

garden.Weedscompetewitheachotherandyour

gardenplantsforfood,water,spaceandsunlight.Whenyourlifedependsuponthesuccessofyour

vegetablegarden,youdontwantweedstogetin

theway.Mulchwillhelpkeepweedsfromtaking

over.Youcanalsoweedbyhand,pullingoutthe

weedsoneatatime,orwithaweedingforkorhoe.

Withweeding,itismostimportanttopreventweeds

fromgoingtoseed.Oncethathappens,younot

only have the problem of the weed for the current growing season, but also for the

subsequentgrowingseasons.Ifitisahot,sunnydayandweedsaresmall,hoeingthem

upandleavingthemoutforthesuntodrywillusuallydothetrick.Becarefulnottoadd

yourweedstothecompostpileifyourpiledoesnotheatuptoformhotcompost.If

youuseweedsthathavegonetoseedfromacoolcompostpile,youwillputtheweed

seedsbackintoyourgarden.


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Fertilizing

Ifyouhaveheardthesayingyouarewhatyoueat,knowthatthephraserefersto

plants,aswell.Plantsareonlyasnutritiousaswhattheycantakein.Someplantswill

synthesizecertaincompoundsmorethanothers,buttogrowsuperior,nutrient-dense

foods,youneedtohavegoodsoilandfeedyourplantsaccordingly.ProtoGrowisa

great,seaweedbasedfertilizerthatisnaturalinorigins,andprovidesallofthemicro-

nutrientsneededtogrowplantsforsubsistence.

Pinching

Whetheryoupinchyourplantsdependsonyouraim.Pinching

canproduceamorefullplant.Itcanalsoremoveun-productive

side-shoots.Removingowersorbudsensuresthatthebuds

that are left develop into larger fruits. People who garden

forcompetitionoftenremoveowersandbudssothatthey

areonlygrowingonefruitperplant.Giantpumpkinsarean

exampleofthis.Whilegrowingyourownfood,though,you

aremorelikelytowanttogrowsmaller,morenumerousandnutritiousfruits.Youwouldthinorprunetoallowlighttoreach

allofthefruitspossible.Tomatoessometimesneedpinchingorpruningtokeeplarge,

rangyplantsundercontrolandtoallowlighttoreachallofthefruits.Theimageabove

showssomeonepinchingoffabudsothatitdoesnotsproutatthebaseofanalready

prolicstem.

Staking

Alloftheplantsyougrowforfoodwereoncewildplants,and

couldholdthemselvesup.Sincewehavebeendomesticating

theplants,selectingandgrowingtheplantsthathavethebiggest

fruits,mosttenderleaves,etc.someoftheplantshavegottento

apointwheretheycantholdthemselvesup.Thatiswhenyou

needtostake.Plantsthatwillcommonlyneedstakingandare

includedintheSurvivalSeedBankaretomatoes,peppers,and

polebeans.


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Youcanusealmostanythingyoucanndtostake

yourplants.Woodstakes,coat-hangarsthathavebeenstraightened,orstringrunningfromapegin

thegroundtoaclotheslineabove.Thepurposeof

thestakingistogivetheplantthesupportitneedsto

growwithoutthestembreaking,whichwouldcause

adisruptionoftheowofwaterandnutrients.

Thinning

Inordertoendupwithenoughplantsmakingittomaturitytofeed

your family, you will need to plant more seeds than you plan to

harvest.Thatmeansthatinordertobringyourplantstomaturity,

ifsomeoftheseedsarenotruinedbydisease,insectsorother

calamity,youwillhavetothin.Lettuce,radishandspinachplants

aremostnotorious.Youknowitistimetothinasplantsbeginto

crowdeachother.Itisthatsimple.Dependinguponhowcrowded

yourrowsare,youmightneedtodoseveralroundsofthinning.

Harvesting

Aftermonths(orweeks)ofhardwork,itistimetoharvest!Manyplantscanbeharvested

atvarioustimesofripeness.Spinachcanbeeatenwhentheleavesaretiny,andwhen

theplanthasbeengrowingforsometime.Thesamegoesforswisschardandkale.

Other plants should be harvested at specic times for freshness and ripeness. To

preservefoodforfutureuse,harvestatpeakfreshness.Forinstance,tomatoeswillbe

deeplycolored,buttheirskinwillstillbetaughtoverthefruit.

Ifyouareharvestingandwouldliketoleavetheplanttokeepgrowing,donotpinchout

thetopoftheplant.Pickleavesfromthesides.Harvestingvariessomuchfromplant

toplantthatmorein-depthinformationwillbecoveredforeachplantindividually.


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CHAPTER SIX

GARDEN INSECTS: GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS

Evenwiththemostcarefulplanningandwatchfuleye,youwillstillendupwithpests

inyourgarden.Becauseyourcapacitytoeradicateyourgardenofpestswilllielargely

initemsyouhavearoundyourhome,theremediespresentedforcontrollingpestsare

largelythoseyoucanmakeyourself.Thepestsdiscussedarethemostcommonpests

toafictvegetablegardens.

Benecial Insects

Theseinsectsareworker-beesthatactuallyhelpyouinthegarden.Makesurethatyou

doeverythingpossibletokeeptheseinsectsaround.

Ladybugs Ladybugs are beetles, and there are hundreds

of different species. You can keep ladybugs in your garden,

eliminatingpestsbynotsprayinginsecticides.Aphidsareone

of their favorite foods. A healthy population of ladybugs can

completelyeliminateaphidsasaprobleminyourgarden.

Lacewings The larval form

of the lacewing is actually the

heavy lifter when it comes to

keeping your garden free of

pests. The larvae will pretty

much stay put in your garden

ifyouareluckyenoughtolure

themthere.Theadultsdoyaway,butwilloftenlayeggsbefore

theyy.Theyaremosteffectiveatcontrollingsoft-bodiedinsectslike

mitesandaphids.


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Big-eyed bugsIfyoudonthaveapestthattheseguysliketo

eat,theycanliveonpollenuntilapestshowsup.Theyeatmites,aphids,smallcaterpillarsandjustaboutanyothergardenpestyou

canthinkof.

Parasitic Wasps There are several

species of parasitic wasps. Most of

themareuniquelyadaptedtoonlyattack

aspecicpest,though.Iftheyendup

inyouryard,youcanfeelthankful,butshouldnt gotogreatlengths trying togetthem. Theywork

onpestsbylayingtheireggsinsidethehostinsect.Thelarva

hatchesinsidethepestandeatsitalivefromtheinsideout.

Insects that Cause Damage

Theseinsectscausealotofdamageinvegetablegardens.Belowaretheirpictures,

identifyingcharacteristicsandhomeremediestobanishthedetrimentalinsects.

Aphids Everyone hates to look out into their yard and

seeanaphidinfestation.Thisisbecauseaphidsreproduce

rapidly,andeverystateoftheinsectdoesdamage.Aphids

damageplantsbysuckingthejuicesoutoftheplantleaves.

Theyproduceastickysubstancecalledhoneydew,which

antslike.Ifyouhaveanaphidproblem,chancesaregreat

thatyouwilleventuallyhaveanantproblem,aswell.Antsfarmtheaphidsforthehoneydew.Youcancontrolaphidswithadilutedsoapywater

mixturethatdriesoutthe animalsbecausetheydo not haveahardoutercoatingto

protectthem.Youcanalsousehighpressurewatertoblasttheaphidsoffoftheplants.

Ladybugslovetoeataphids,too.


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Grubs/Japanese Beetles Japanese beetles do a lot of

damageineveryform.Thegrubs(thelarvalform)eattherootsofplants.Theyalsoattractmoles,whicheatthegrubsand

maketunnelsintheyard.

Theyareatriplethreat.Japanesebeetleseattheleavesofthe

plantsandowers.Itisnotagoodideatousepheromonetraps

totrapbeetlesbecausethetrapscanactuallylurebeetlesfrom

neighboringgardens.Thebestwaytocontrolthebeetlesisto

controlthelarvae-thegrubs.MilkySporeisabacterialdiseasethatcanbeappliedtothelawnandwillkillthegrubs.Non-plant

parasiticnematodesalsodestroygrubs,andcanself-sustaina

population.Youhavetoapplythemilkysporeattherighttime

inordertohavethebestgrubcontrol.

Potato Beetles Thesebugsmainlyliketoeattheleaves

ofplants.Theywilleattomatoesandeggplants,though.

If the insects are active during peak owering, the plant

canbeheavilydamaged.Becausetheyareahard-bodied

insect,insecticidalsoapsdonthaveabigeffect.Itismuch

easier totry toprevent the eggs from hatching by using

insecticidalsoaptodryouttheeggs.Encouragingladybugs

andlacewingpopulationsalsohelps,becausethosetwoinsectswilleattheeggsofthe

potatobugs.

Cabbage Worms Cabbage loopers eat the leaves

of almost every type of plant. They also eat holes in

beanpodsandwilleatthroughearsofcorn.Thereare

numerouspesticidestocontrolcabbageloopers.BT,a

bacteria,canalsobeusedtocontrolthebugs.Ifyou

donthavepesticideresourcesavailable,youcanhand-

pickthecaterpillarsandplacetheminajarwithrubbing

alcoholtokillthem.


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Cutworm Cutwormsmostlyeatatnight,andthey

doclimbupthestemsofplantsandeattheminhalf,whichiswheretheygettheirnamecutworm.Birds

liketoeatcutworms,somakeyourgardenasbird-

friendly as possible. Additionally, you can protect

yourplantstemsbymakingacardboardorplastic

collartoputovertheplant,andpushdownintothesoil.Thatisa barriermethodof

protection.

SlugSlugseatholesinplantleavesandcanwreckacropquickly.Theyareactiveatnight,buttheycanbe

controlled.Ashallow,straight-sidedcontainerofbeer,

sunkintothesoilsothelipislevelwiththesoilwillattract

slugs.Wateringintheearlymorningsothesoildries

outatnightisalsogoodforcontrol.Slugscanbekept

awayfromplantswithasprinklingofdiatomaceouseartharoundtheplant,aswell.

Cucumber Beetle Cucumberbeetlesliketoeatpretty

much everything in sight. In order tokeep them from

eating young leaves of newly emerging plants, cover

theplantswithanenettingorsheets.Thereissome

evidencethatplantingradishesalongsidetheplantsthat

couldbeaffectedbycucumberbeetleswillkeepthem

away.

MealybugMealybugssuckthesapoutofplantsandsecrete

honeydew,whichattractsantsandsootymould.Inorderto

controlmealybugs,youwillneedtocontroltheants,because

theantswillprotectthemealybugs.Antsdonotlikemint,

andcanbecontrolledwithmintextract.Youcanmakemint

extract by boiling several cups of fresh mint with a cup of

water. Squeeze out the waterand spray the concentrated

mintextractontheants.


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Spider MiteSpidermiteslaytheireggsnearthemid-veinof

leaves.Whentheyoungspidermiteshatch,theysuckouttheplantjuices.Mitesbecomeoutofhandwhentheplantisoverly

dry.Thebestwaytoridthegardenofmitesistoencourage

ladybugstoliveinthegarden.Mitesaresoft-bodiedinsects,so

theycanalsobecontrolledwithamixtureofsoapandwater.

Tomato HornwormTomatohornwormseatthestems

andleavesoftomatoplants.Theeasiestwaytocontrolthesebeastsistohand-pickthemfromtheplants.


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CHAPTER SEVEN: NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

Thissectionwillgiveyouagoodoverviewofsomeproblemsthatarelikelytocropup

(punintended!)inyoursurvivalgarden.Halfthebattlewithplantsiscorrectlydiagnosing

the problemifthere isone.Unless you can correctly diagnose, you cannot correctly

treat.

Nutrient Deciencies

Becausenutrientsaresuchamajorcomponentofsurvivalgardening,andgardeningforsubsistence,whenplantshavenutrientdeciencies,theymustbecorrectedimmediately.

For new gardeners, identifying nutrient deciencies can be tricky. Below is a list of

essentialplantnutrients,alongwithapictureanddescriptionofthephysicalsymptoms

ofadeciencyofthatnutrient.

Nitrogen Entire plant is light green in color; lower

leavesareyellow;growthisstunted.

Phosphorous Entire plant is bluish-green, often

developing a red orpurplish cast;lower leaves may be

yellow,dryingtoagreenish-browntoblackcolor;growth

maybestunted.

PotassiumLeaveshaveapaperyappearance;dead

areasalongtheedgesoftheleaves;growthisstunted.


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Magnesium Lower leaves turn yellow along the tips and

marginandbetweentheveins;thelowerleaveswilt.

Calcium Young stems and new

leaves die. Causes blossom end

rotintomatoes.

Zinc Leaf tissue between the veins is lighter in color;

yellowed;paperyinappearance.

IronLeaftissueappearsyellow,whiletheveinsremain

green.

Copper Leaf edges appear dark green or blue; leaf

edgescurlupward;youngleavespermanentlywilt.

SulfurYoungleavesturnpalegreen,whiletheolderleaves

remaingreen;plantisstuntedandspindly.


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Manganese Growth is stunted; lower leaves have a

checkeredpatternofyellowandgreen.

Molybdenum Leaves are stunted, pale green, and

malformed.

BoronYoungleavesarescorchedattipsandmargins.

pH Issues OnefactorthathighlyinuencesnutrientuptakeisthepHofthesolution.

Most plants do best in a pH range of 6.2-6.8, which is slightly acidic. (A pH of 7 is

neutral.)Anythingabove7isalkaline,anythingbelow6isconsideredtobeacidic.While

plantsvaryintheirpHneeds,mostwilldowellinthe6.2-6.8range.Ifyourplantsare

exhibitingnutrientdeciencies,oneoftherstthingstodointermsoftreatment,before

youaddanythingtoyoursoil,istotestthepH.

NutrientuptakeisaffectedbythepHofthesoil.BelowisachartfromCornellUniversity

thatshowsthemostcommonandnecessaryplantnutrientsandthepHlevelsatwhich

they become unavailable to plants. (Unavailable means that the nutrient might be

present,butisnotinaformthatplantscaneasilytakeup.Thenutrientmightbebound

withotherelementsandstuckinthesoil.)


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Nutrient Availability

ThediagramatbottomclearlyillustratestheoptimumpHforgrowingplants.TherearepHtestingkitsthatwillhelpyoutestthepHofyoursoil.YoucanbuypHtestingkits

inexpensively,andtheyareworththemoney.


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PART THREE:SPECIFIC PLANT CARE

Specic Plant Care (Alphabetical by Plant Type)

EachtypeofplantthatyouwillgrowfromyourSurvivalSeedKitrequiresitsowncare,harvestingandstorage.Thegeneralgardeninginstructionswillhelpyoumakethemost

ofyourseedkit,butthewayyouwillbeabletogrowandperpetuateyourseedkitisby

followingtheinstructionsforindividualplantslistedinthissection.Becausethevarieties

varyfromseedkittoseedkit,dependinguponseedavailability,thissectioncontains

informationabouthowtogroweachtypeofplant,ratherthanaspeciccultivar.Some

cultivars will have more specic instructions, which will be included on the packets.

Thisinformationwillhelpyouthinkabouthowtolayoutyourgarden,andcareforthe

differentplanttypes.Eachoftheseseedvarietieswasalsoselectedbecauseofitseaseofstorageandpreservation.Formoreinformationoncanningandstoringfood,please

seehttp://www.foodshortageusa.com.

Included for each plant is the following information:

Planting/transplanting, Watering, Harvesting for Eating, Harvesting Seed, Preserving

Seed,andNutritionalBenets.


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BEANS, DRY

Planting/transplanting

Sowseedsoutdoorsafterthedangeroffrosthaspastandthesoilandairtemperatures

arewarm.Plantseeds1deepand2apartinrows24to36apart.Polebeanswill

needsupport.Ifyouaregrowingtwodifferenttypesofbeansfordrying,plantthemon

oppositesidesofthegarden,astheywillcross-pollinatewitheachother.

Watering

Watertoestablishthebeans.Onceestablished,beansdonotneedasmuchwater.

Harvesting

Manydry beanscan beeatenyoungandgreen,if necessary.The mainpurposeof

growingdrybeansistopreservethebeansdrytore-hydratelaterinthewinter,orsave

foranothertime.Waituntilthebeansaredryontheirstalkstoharvest.

Harvesting seed

Beanseedpodsthatareleftonthevinetodrycanshatterupontouch.Carefullyclose

yourhandaroundthepodandpulltheentirepodofftheplantandplaceitinyourharvest

container.

Preserving seed

Itisalwaysbesttosaveseedfromplantsthatripenrstandarefreefromdisease.

Harvestseedpodswhencompletelydry,crushinaclothorburlapsackandwinnowthe

seedsfromthechaff.Ifyouhavetopullyourcropbeforeithascompletelydried,hang

theplantsupsidedowninaburlapbagandletthemdry.Assoonastheyaredry,store

theminacool,dry,darklocation.


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Nutritional benets

You eat only the seeds of dry beans. Before you can eat them, you have to shell

them.Beansareatremendoussourceofprotein.Pairedwithcorn,amealwilldeliver

a complete protein, orthe components needed asbuildingblocksfor proteins with

allnecessaryaminoacids.BeansarealsorichinBvitamins,ber,iron,calciumand

phosphorous.


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BEANS, FRESH


Sowseedsoutdoorsafterthedangeroffrosthaspastandthesoilandairtemperatures

arewarm.Plantseeds1deepand2apartinrows24to36apart.Polebeanswill

needsupport.Ifyouaregrowingtwodifferenttypesofbeansfordrying,plantthemon

oppositesidesofthegarden,astheywillcross-pollinatewitheachother.

Watering

Watertoestablishthebeans.Onceestablished,beansdonotneedasmuchwater.

Harvesting

Youcaneatthesebeanswhiletheyarestillyoungandtender.Harvestbeforethepods

begintovisiblyswellwiththeseedsinside.Ifnotpreserved,freshbeansarebesteaten

within acouple ofdaysof harvesting. The mainpurposeof growingdry beansis to

preservethebeansdrytore-hydratelaterinthewinter,orsaveforanothertime.Wait

untilthebeansaredryontheirstalkstoharvest.

Harvesting seed

Beanseedpodsthatareleftonthevinetodrycanshatterupontouch.Carefullycloseyourhandaroundthepodandpulltheentirepodofftheplantandplaceitinyourharvest

container.

Preserving seed

Itisalwaysbesttosaveseedfromplantsthatripenrstandarefreefromdisease.

Harvestseedpodswhencompletelydry,crushinaclothorburlapsackandwinnowthe

seedsfromthechaff.


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Ifyouhavetopullyourcropbeforeithascompletelydried,hangtheplantsupsidedown

inaburlapbagandletthemdry.Assoonastheyaredry,storetheminacool,dry,darklocation.

Nutritional benets

Youeatthebean-podandallforfreshbeans.Beforeyoucaneatthem,youhaveto

shellthem.Beansareatremendoussourceofprotein.Pairedwithcorn,amealwill

deliveracompleteprotein,orthecomponentsneededasbuildingblocksforproteins

withallnecessaryaminoacids. BeansarealsorichinBvitamins,ber,iron,calcium

andphosphorous.


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BEETS


Sow seedsoutdoors inthespring,6-8seeds per foot deepinrows20-24apart.

Minimum soil temperature must be 40 F. Thin the beets, leaving at least 4 inches

betweeneachplant.Youcaneattheyounggreensinsalads.Forseedsaving,plant

beetsinthelatesummer,earlyfall.Theseplantswillboltorgotoseedthefollowing

spring.

Watering

Beetsarefastgrowersandneedafairamountofwater,especiallyasthetemperatures

warm.Youcantelliftheyneedtobewaterediftheirtopswilt.

Harvesting

Beetscanbeharvestedforeatingatanypointduringtheirdevelopment.Itisbetterto

eatthebeetswhentheyareyoungerandmoretender.

Harvesting seed

Beetsarebiennial,whichmeansthattheywillnotsetseeduntilthesecondyear.Beets

willcross-pollinate.Varietiesmustbeseparatedbymilefromotherbeetsthesecond

year when going to seed. Beets are fairly frost tolerant and will overwinter in mild

climatesifwellmulched.Innorthernclimatestrimleavesto2andstorerootsinslightly

dampsawdustorsandinarootcellaroverthewinter.Rootsstore4-6monthsat32-40

F.Replantinthespringandharvestseedheadswhendry.Toavoidcross-pollination

withotherplantsinthesamefamily,foldtheseedstockoverandplaceabagoverit,

staplingthebagtokeepinsectsandpollenout.


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Preserving seed

Breakapartthebeetseedclustersbyplacingina bagandgentlyrollingwitharolling

pin.Storetheseedsinanair-tightcontainerinacool,drylocation.Youwillalwaysneed

toplant more beet seedsthan you want nished beetsbecause,evencommercially

grownbeetseedgerminationratesare75%afteroneperfectyearofstorage.

Nutritional benets

Beetsarehighinantioxidants.Theyprovidelargeamountsoffolate,manganese,dietary

ber,potassium,vitaminC,tryptophan,ironandphosphorous.


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CABBAGE


Sowindoorsdeepinpotsorats8weeksbeforethelastfrost.Thinseedlingswhen

2tallandtransplantintoindividualpots.Plantoutdoors24apartinrows36apart

whenalightfrostisstillpossible.

Watering

Cabbageplantsneedanaverageamountofwater.Ifyouaregoingtooverwinterplants

tosetoutinthespring,beginwateringthestoredplantsinthelatewinterbeforeyou

plantthemoutside.

Harvesting

Cuttheheadsofanycabbageyouwishtoeatwhentheheadsarefullandrm.Keep

the rootsontheplant and wrapthecabbageinnewspapers. Storeinacool, humid

location.

Harvesting seed

Biennial.Cabbagewillcross-pollinatewithallotherBrassicaoleracea,(broccoli,kale,

turnips)soisolateby1milethesecondyearwhengoingtoseed,orbagthetopsoftheplantstoisolate.Donotharvestheadsonplantsyouintendtosaveforseed.Carefully

digtheplantsandpottheminsand.Storeplantsbetween32-40F.Plantbackoutin

earlyspringandallowtobolt.YoucancutanXinthetopofthecabbageheadtomake

iteasierfortheseedstalktogrowoutofthehead.Harvestseedpodswhendryand

cleanbyhand.Thepodswillripengraduallyfromthebottomoftheplanttothetopof

thestalk.Thepodsmustcometomaturityfullywhilestillattachedtotheplant,orthey

willnotgerminatewellthenextyear.


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Harvest each pod as it is ripe. If you want to save seeds from numerous types of

Brassica,itisagoodideatoalternategrowingyearsforconsumptionandharvest.

Preserving seed

Theseedforcabbageplantsdoesnotrequireanyspecialtreatment.Onlytobekeptin

acool,drylocation.

Nutritional benets

HighinvitaminsA,B,CandE.Italsohassomeanti-cancerproperties.Goodsourceofwaterandber.


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CARROT


Carrotsgrowbestwhendirect-seededinaverylightsoilthathasamixtureofsandand

peat.Thisissothattheirrootscandevelopproperlyandreachdownintothesoil.Sow

seedsoutdoorsintheearlyspring3-4weeksbeforethelastfrostorassoonasthesoil

canbeworked.Sowseedsdeepmakingsuretormlypresssoilagainsttheseeds

forgoodsoilcontact.Keepmoistforoptimalgermination.Thinto1-4dependingonthe

sizeofmaturecarrots.

Watering

Carrotsmustbekeptevenlymoistsothattheydonotsplitopenwhenwatered.They

donotliketobesoggy,butkeptmoistthroughoutgrowing.FeedusingaliquidfoodlikecompostteaorProtoGrow.Donotfeedwithmanureorheavycompost,asthatcan

causethecarrotrootstosplitandbecomeextrahairy.

Harvesting

You will need to thin carrots as they grow, leaving about four inches between each

carrot.Ifthecarrotsaretooclosetogether,theywillbestunted.Youcanharvestcarrots

andstorethemforseveralmonthsbycuttingofftheirtopsandpackingthemindrystraw

ordryleaves.Theywillkeeppackedthiswayforveorsixmonthsifkeptat80-90%

humidity.

Harvesting seed

Carrotsarebiennials,whichmeanstheywillproduceforeatingduringtherstyearand

seedthesecondyear.Carrotswillcross-pollinate,soisolatemilefromothercarrots

andQueenAnnesLacethesecondyearwhengoingtoseed.


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Digupcarrotsinthefallbeforeahardfrost.Trimthetopsto1andstorerootsinslightly

dampsawdust,sandorleavesinarootcellaroverthewinter.Replantinthespringandharvestseedheadswhendry.

Preserving seed

Theowerofacarrotiscalledanumbel.Harvestseedaseachumbeldriesout.You

cansavetheseedsinadry,low-humidity,coollocationforseveralyears.

Nutritional benets

Orangeandyellowcarrotsarethemostnutritiousvarieties.Theyarehighinvitamin

A,ber,vitaminB1,vitaminB2,vitaminB6,vitaminC,vitaminK,biotin,potassiumand

thiamine.


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CHARD


Sowseedsoutdoorsearlyinthespring.Plantseedsdeepand4apartinrows20-

24apart.Thinseedlingstooneevery12.Minimumsoiltemperatureshouldbeatleast

40F.Chardisveryheatresistantandwillkeepproducingthroughthesummer,lling

inwhenspringgreensaredone.

Watering

Asagreen,chardneedsafairamountofwater,andwillproduceprolicallyifwatered

frequently.Ifyouharvestthewholeplantatonce,cuttingdowntowithintwoinchesof

theground,waterandfeedtheplantwithliquidfertilizerandtheplantwillcomeback

andkeepgoing.

Harvesting

SwissChardcanbecontinuallyharvestedthroughoutthegrowingseason.Youngchard

canbeeatenassaladgreens,justasyouwouldeatyoungbeetgreens.Toharvest

largerchardplants,cuttheouter-mostleavesforeating,lettingtheinsideleavesgrow

andmature.Youcancutthewholeplantdowntoafewinchesabovethesoillineand

itwillcomeback.

Harvesting seed

VarietiesmustbeseparatedbymilefromallotherBetavulgariswhengoingtoseed.

Willoverwinterinmildclimatesifwellmulched.Innorthernclimatestrimleavesto2

andstorerootsinsawdustorsandinarootcellar.Rootswillstore4-6monthsat32-40

F.Replantinthespringandharvestseedheadswhendry.


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Preserving seed

Youwillharvesttheseedduringthesecondgrowingseason.Youcanharvesttheseed

byhandpullingitfromtheplantinthegarden.Ifitrainsalotinyourareaduringthe

summer,bringtheowerstalksinsideandhangupsidedowninabagtofulldry.

Nutritional benets

HighinvitaminA,KandC.Goodsourceofber.


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CORN, DRY


Sowseedsoutdoorsonlyafterthedangeroffrosthaspassed.Cornwillnotgerminate

properlywhenthesoilisstillcoldinthespring.Sowseeds1deepevery3-4inrows

3-4apart. Thinthe seedlings to8 apartaftertheplants comeup. Cornshould be

plantedina3-4rowblock(insteadofonelongrow)toensurewelllled-outears.

Watering

Cornisuniquelyadaptedtowaterstress.Youwillknowwhentheplantisstressedifthe

leavescurlinward.Atthattime,youwillwanttowaterthecornpatch.

Harvesting

Drycornisprimarilyusedtogrindforcornmeal.Youwillwanttowaituntilthecornis

completelydrytoharvestandshell.

Harvesting seed

Allcornvarietiesarewind-pollinatedandwillcross-pollinatewitheachother.Varieties

shouldbehand-pollinatedorisolatedby1miletoensurepurity.Youcanalsogrowat

leasttwohundredplantsofeachvarietyclosetogethertoensurepurity.Allowearstodryontheplants,harvestandshell.

Preserving seed

Topreservegeneticdiversityofseedcorn,takeearsfromatleasttwentyvedifferent

plantstoharvest. Cornseedsmustbecompletelydrybeforestorage-muchlikebean

seeds.


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Nutritional benets

Good source of vitamin B1 (thiamin), folate, dietary ber, vitamin C, phosphorus,

manganese, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Together with beans, corn also forms a

completeproteinwithallofthenecessarybuildingblocksofDNA.


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CORN, FRESH


Sowseedsoutdoorsonlyafterthedangeroffrosthaspassed.Cornwillnotgerminate

properlywhenthesoilisstillcoldinthespring.Sowseeds1deepevery3-4inrows

3-4apart. Thinthe seedlings to8 apartaftertheplants comeup. Cornshould be

plantedina3-4rowblocktoensurewelllled-outears.

Watering

Cornisuniquelyadaptedtowaterstress.Youwillknowwhentheplantisstressedif

theleavescurlinward.Atthattime,youwillwanttowaterthecornpatch.Sweetcorn

benetsfromafeedingofcompostorliquidfertilizeronceduringitsgrowthcycle.

Harvesting

Harvestsweetcornwhenthesilkshavejustbarelystartedtoturnbrown.Ifyoupierce

akernelwithyourthumbnail,andmilkshootsout,thecornisreadytoeat.Pulltheear

offthestalkandleavethestalkwithaneartoripenforseed.

Harvesting seed

Allcornvarietiesarewind-pollinatedandwillcross-pollinatewitheachother.Varietiesshouldbehand-pollinatedorisolatedby1miletoensurepurity.Allowearstodryonthe

plants,harvestandshell.

Preserving seed

Topreservegeneticdiversityofseedcorn,takeearsfromatleasttwentyvedifferent

plantstoharvest. Cornseedsmustbecompletelydrybeforestorage-muchlikebean

seeds.


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Nutritional benets

Good source of vitamin B1 (thiamin), folate, dietary ber, vitamin C, phosphorus,manganese, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Together with beans, corn also forms a

completeproteinwithallofthenecessarybuildingblocksofDNA.


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CUCUMBER


Sow6-8seedsoutdoors1deepin12diameterhillsspaced6aparteachwayaweek

afterthelastfrostwhensoiliswarm.Pinchoffallbut3-4ofthestrongestseedlings.

Canbestartedindoorsinpotsorats3-4weeksbeforethelastfrostforanearlier

harvest.Togrowmoreinasmallerspace,trainthecucumbersuptrellises.

Watering

Cucumbersneedfrequentwatering.

Harvesting

Harvestcucumbersbeforetheyreachfullsize.Iftheyarestartingtofadeandturn

yellow,theyaretooold.

Harvesting seed

Toharvestviablecucumberseed,youwillneedtohand-pollinatethecucumbers.Move

pollenfromoneowertotheother.Handpollinateduringthetimeof11hourdaysand

moderateheattogetthebestseedresults.Letfruitsthatyouwillharvestforseed

maturepastoptimumeatingstage.Theywillbegintosoftenandturndifferentcolors.

Preserving seed

To preservethe seeds, cut open the cucumbersand scoop seedsintoa largebowl.

Theseedswillneedtobefermentedforaboutthreedaysinenoughwatertocoverthe

seeds. Stirtheseedstwiceaday.Whentheseedshavesettledtothebottomofthe

bowl.Addmorewaterandallowthedebristooattothetop.Thendrytheseedsona

cookiesheetandstoreinanair-tight,coolcontainer.


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Nutritional benets

Cucumbersaregoodsourcesofthefollowingvitaminsandnutrients(aslongasyoueat

themwiththepeel):vitaminC,molybdenum,vitaminA,potassium,manganese,folate,

dietaryber,tryptophan,andmagnesium.


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LETTUCE, HEAD


Sowseedsoutdoorsdeepand1apart.Thinto8apartforlooseleafand12for

headlettuce.Doeswellwhensoiltemperatureisbelow80F.,trytoavoidplantingin

themiddleofsummer.Keepsoilmoistforuptotwoweeksafterplanting.

Watering

Lettuceismostlywater,andassuch,needsalargeamountofwater.

Harvesting

Harvestheadlettucewhentheheadisfullyformedandtaught.Lettucecanbestored

inhumidareasforacoupleofmonths.

Harvesting seed

Inordertolettheplantsbolt,orgotoseed,youmayneedtocutanopeninginthe

topofthelettuceheadsothattheseedstalkcanpushitswaythrough.Thereisonly

aslightchanceofcross-pollinationbetweenlettuces.Asaprecautionseparateby25

fromothervarietiesthataregoingtoseed.Allowplantstoboltandformseedstalks.

Seedheadsmayneedtobeprotectedfrombirddamageandrainwhendrying.Seedsareproducedovera2-3weekperiodandwillrequirerepeatedharvesting.

Preserving seed

Lettuceplantscontainalargeamountofchaffwhenharvested.Topreservetheseed,

youwillneedtolettheseedsdryinabag,andthencleanthechafffromtheseedsby

usinggraduallysmallerscreens.


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Nutritional benets

Lettuceisagoodsourceofber.It isalsohighinVitaminE,Iron,Folate,Carotenes,

Potassium,andVitaminC.


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LEAF LETTUCE


Sowseedsoutdoorsdeepand1apart.Thinto8apartforlooseleafand12for

headlettuce.Doeswellwhensoiltemperatureisbelow80F.,trytoavoidplantingin

themiddleofsummer.Keepsoilmoistforuptotwoweeksafterplanting.

Watering

Lettuceismostlywater,andassuch,needsalargeamountofwater.

Harvesting

Harvestleaflettucebypickingtheouter-mostleavesandleavingtheinnerleavesto

mature.Lettucecanbeeatenatallstagesofgrowthbeforetheleavesdevelopawoody

mid-rib.

Harvesting seed

Thereis only a slight chance ofcross-pollinationbetweenlettuces. As a precaution

separateby 25 fromother varieties thatare goingto seed. Allowplantstobolt and

formseedstalks. Seedheads may needtobe protected frombirddamage and rain

whendrying. Seedsareproduced overa 2-3 weekperiod and willrequirerepeatedharvesting.

Preserving seed

Lettuceplantscontainalargeamountofchaffwhenharvested.Topreservetheseed,

youwillneedtolettheseedsdryinabag,andthencleanthechafffromtheseedsby

usinggraduallysmallerscreens.


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Nutritional benets

Lettuceisagoodsourceofber.It isalsohighinVitaminE,Iron,Folate,Carotenes,

Potassium,andVitaminC.


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MELON


Bestwhendirectseededinwarmsoilafterthedangeroffrosthaspassed.Plant6-8

seeds1deepin12diameterhillsspaced6aparteachway.Aftergerminationpinch

offallbut3-4ofthestrongestseedlings.

Watering

Melonsneedgooddrainageinordertonotrot.Makesurethatthegroundslopesdown

andawayfromthemelon.

Harvesting

Itisaneternalquestionwhenthemelonsareripeenoughtopick.Theygenerallyneed

vemonthsfromgerminationtomaturity.Ifyouliveinanareawherethesummersare

tooshort,youcanuseblackplastictoheatthesoil.

Harvesting seed

Itiseasytoharvestseed,butdifculttogrowenoughviableseedforsavingfrommelons.

Insect pollinationis best,butmelons stillonlyproduceviableseed with 20% oftheir

owers.

Preserving seed

Melons will cross-pollinate, so isolate mile from other melons (cantaloupes,

muskmelons,honeydew,snakemelonandArmeniancucumberswillallcross).Always

saveseedsfromdisease-free,earlyripeningmelons.Washseedsfromripemelonsin

astraineranddry.Seedsarereadytostorewhentheybreakinsteadofbend.


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Nutritional benets

MelonsarehighinvitaminA,VitaminCandcalcium.


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ONION, STORAGE


Start seedlings indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting. You may need to soak the

seedsfortwoorthreehoursbeforeplanting.Sowseedsinatsdeepandspaced1

inalldirections.Transplantassoonasthesoilcanbeworkedinthespring.

Watering

Theimportantpartofgrowingonionsiswhentostopwatering.Theonionsmustdryin

ordertostorewell.

Harvesting

Thebestonionsforstoragearemedium-sized,withnothickneck.Loosenbulbswitha

forkandletthemdryoutsideforafewdays.Thenbringtheminsideandstorethemin

meshbagsinacool,drylocationthatisdark.

Harvesting seed

Biennial. Onions cross-pollinate and should be isolated by 1 mile from other onions

goingtoseed.Selectonlythebestbulbsforseed.Bulbsstore3-6monthsat32-45F.

Plantoutbulbsinearlyspringandallowthemtoformseedheads.Whentheheadsstarttodry,cutoff,dryfurtherandthresh.

Preserving seed

Youneedtostoreseedinacool,drylocationinanairtightcontainer.


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Nutritional benets

Onionsprovidealotoftracenutrients.Theyaregoodsourcesofthefollowing:chromium,

vitaminC,dietaryber,manganese,molybdenum,vitaminB6(pyridoxine),tryptophan,

folate,potassium,phosphorus,andcopper.


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ONION, FRESH


Theseonionsarealsocalledbunchingonions.Startseedlingsindoors4-6weeksbefore

transplanting.Sowseedsinatsdeepandspaced1inalldirections.Transplantas

soonasthesoilcanbeworkedinthespring.

Watering

Bunchingonionsdonotneedalotofextrawaterotherthanrainfall.

Harvesting

Youcanharvestandeatbunchingonionsatvirtuallyanypartofthelifecycle.Justpull

upfromtheground,washandeat.

Harvesting seed

Biennial. Onions cross-pollinate and should be isolated by 1 mile from other onions

goingtoseed.Selectonlythebestbulbsforseed.Bulbsstore3-6monthsat32-45F.

Plantoutbulbsinearlyspringandallowthemtoformseedheads.

Preserving seed

Whentheheadsstarttodry,cutoff,dryfurtherandthresh.Theseonionsdonotkeep

wellforeating.

Nutritional benets

Onionsprovidealotoftracenutrients.Theyaregoodsourcesofthefollowing:chromium,

vitaminC,dietaryber,manganese,molybdenum,vitaminB6(pyridoxine),tryptophan,

folate,potassium,phosphorus,andcopper.


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PEAS


Peascanbesownassoonasthesoilcanbepreparedinthespring.Sowseedsto1

deepwith3betweenseedsinrows24apart.Climbingpeaswillneedsupport.Double

rowscanbeplantedoneachsideofatrellis.Peasthriveincoolweather.

Watering

Peasdonotneedalotofsupplementalwater.

Harvesting

Yourpeavarietywilldeterminewhenyouharvestitforeating.Somepeasareharvested

toeat,podandall,assnaps,whileotherpeasfattenandareeatenshelled.Payattention

tothepackagingtoknowwhentoharvestyourpeasforeatingfresh.

Harvesting seed

Peavarietiesshouldbeseparatedby50toensurepureseed.Selectthehealthiest

plantsforseed.Allowpodstodryontheplantbeforeharvestingandseparateseeds

frompodsbyhand.Ifbirdsstarteatingtheseedsbeforethepodsarecompletelydry,

theycanbeharvestedslightlygreenandbroughtindoorstodry.

Preserving seed

Savetheseedincool,dry,darklocations.

Nutritional benets

Peasarenutritiousfoods,providingprotein,aswellasvitaminK,manganese,vitamin

C,dietaryber,vitaminB1(thiamin),andfolate.


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PEPPERS


Startseedlingsindoors8weeksbeforetransplanting.Sowseedsdeep.Keepsoil

moistandnear80F.usingbottomheat.Peppersmaytaketwoweekstogerminate.

Transplant outdoors when daytime soil temperatures are near 80F and night time

temperaturesareabove50F.

Watering

Keepwateringtoaminimumuntilthepepperhassetitsrstfruit.Thiswillincreasefruit-

set.Thenwaterregularly,lettingthesoildryoutbetweenwaterings.

Harvesting

Greenpeppersareactuallytheun-ripevarietiesofredandyellowpeppers.Youcan

harvestpeppersforeatingatanystageaftertheybegingrowing.Hotpepperscanbe

pickedandallowedtodry.

Harvesting seed

Pepperswillcross-pollinate,soseparatebyatleast500orplantininsect-proofcages

coveredwithwindowscreen.Selectpeppersthatareripe,fullycoloredandshownosignsofdiseasetosaveforseed.Removeseedsoffcoreandplaceonapaperplate

todry.

Preserving seed

Storeseedsinacool,dry,darkarea.


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Nutritional benets

Peppersprovidethefollowingbenetsforyourdiet:manganese,vitaminK,iron,and

dietaryber.


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SPINACH


Sowseedsoutdoorsdeepand1apart.Spinachgrowsbestincoolweatherand

shouldbeplantedearlyinthespringorinlatesummertoproduceafallcrop.Forbest

yield,harvestcontinuallyandmakesuccessiveplantingsevery10days.

Watering

Spinachneedstobewateredregularly.

Harvesting

Spinachcan beharvestedforeatingatanytimeduring its lifecycle. Itis difcultto

growmorethanonevarietyofspinachatatimeifyouplanonsavingtheseed.Youcan

alternatevarietiesforthispurpose.

Harvesting seed

Spinach will cross-pollinate with wind-blown pollen from other spinach varieties.

Commercialseedcropsareseparatedby5-10milestoensurepurity,buthomegardeners

canreducethatdistance.Harvestseedswhentheyarecompletelydryontheplant.It

maybenecessarytowearleatherglovesbecausetheseedscanbeveryprickly.

Preserving seed

Seedsmustbecompletelydrybeforepreserving.


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Nutritional benets

Spinachisoneofthehealthiestfoodsavailable.Itprovidesawealthofvitaminsand

minerals,including:vitaminK,vitaminA,manganese,folate,magnesium,iron,vitaminC,

vitaminB2(riboavin),calcium,potassium,vitaminB6(pyridoxine),tryptophan,dietary

ber,copper,vitaminB1(thiamin),protein,phosphorus,zinc,vitaminE,omega3fatty

acids,vitaminB3(niacin),andselenium.


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SQUASH, WINTER


Sowseedsoutd

survival gardening with heirlooms_ebook

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