How To: Vegetable Gardening for Survival

A survival situation can occur at the spur of the moment. Being prepared for these desperate situations will give you an advantage. During a crisis when food is scarce, having a survival vegetable garden is an ideal contingency plan. These types of gardens can be grown indoors or outdoors and will at least be able to sustain you and your family while other food sources are located.

Things You'll Need

  • Vegetables
  • Planter boxes or pots
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Organic fertilizer
  • Dehydrating or canning equipment
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select an area inside or outside your home for your garden. Depending on the size of your family, the amount of space you need will vary. For a family of four, a 50-by-50 foot plot is ideal. Indoor gardens can be created using many pots, tubs or planter boxes.

    • 2

      Choose crops that are high in nutrients and are perennial. Crops that can be grown year-round include asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, perennial onions, horseradish and a variety of herbs for medicine and seasoning. Other hearty varieties are corn that can be used for grain and cornmeal, beans, and root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, turnips and beets. Keep a stock of seeds on hand for future gardening.

    • 3

      Plant the crops in germination baskets until they sprout, then transfer to the ground or to large planter boxes or pots with organic soil and fertilizer. Designate sections for your vegetables such as a culinary herb section and a medicinal herb section. Root vegetables and vine vegetables should also have separate sections or planter boxes.

    • 4

      Dehydrate or can your vegetables after they've grown to harvest condition. Both of these methods will stand the test of time until the next harvest. Freezing is another option for storage, but electricity problems may arise; if the freezer isn't working, the food will spoil.