Homesteaders work hard to cultivate the plants in their garden. However, something as small as a weed can wreak havoc even in the most carefully maintained yard. Thankfully, there are two tips that can help you get rid of pesky weeds. (h/t to OldWorldGardenFarms.com)

Did you know that most of the weeds in your garden show up because you work too hard? By easing up on the gardening tasks, you can significantly reduce your weeding chores.

How do weeds end up in your garden?

Like vegetables, weeds have to be “planted.” But while you intentionally plant vegetable seeds, weed seeds invade your garden at will.

Weed seeds will occasionally find their way into the garden surface. Some seeds are blown in by the wind while others may be carried and left behind by birds and other wildlife. Unfortunately, you also unknowingly help weed seeds on the surface get planted.

Whenever garden soil is disturbed by hoeing, shoveling, or tilling, the next crop of weed seeds is planted. This then becomes a vicious cycle that will annoy even the most hardworking gardener.

How to effectively eliminate garden weeds

Not working too hard doesn’t mean neglecting your garden if you want to get rid of weeds. It just means that you can focus on other tasks in your homestead instead of doing things that may aggravate your weed problem.

Here are two secrets to successfully eliminating garden weeds.

1. Don’t till and hoe too much.

It may be considered a crucial gardening tool, but the rototiller is a major planter of weeds. Rototillers are used to rip up sod and prepare the soil for a new garden, but the tool also creates more work and problems in an established garden. Rototillers can be expensive to buy, maintain, and use, and they are weed-planting machines.

In late fall and winter, weed seeds find their way onto the surface of the soil in your garden. These seeds often lay dormant. However, when spring rolls around, using a rototiller will flip the soil along with hundreds or even thousands of weed seeds. This then distributes the seeds all over your vegetable garden.

Once these seeds get a chance to germinate, they will double or triple the weeds in your soil, starting the weed cycle. You will spend a lot of time trying various methods to get rid of the weeds sprouting from the freshly tilled rows and around your plants.

Using a rototiller every few days only tills under the weeds in the rows while hoeing works weeds between the plants. Both these activities only replant more weeds in the soil, which is the last thing you need if you want your garden to thrive.

Tilling and hoeing also affect the soil structure of your garden. The heavy foot traffic and wheels rolling behind a tiller will compact the soil, and a vegetable plant’s growth may be stunted if its roots are compacted. This is one reason to try cultivating a raised row garden, which doesn’t require any tilling on your end. (Related: Tips for starting your own organic garden.)

2. Always cover your soil.

Another easy way to eliminate weeds in your garden is by covering the soil. Once you do this, very few weed seeds will germinate in your garden.

During the growing season, cover all of your walking rows with mulch so you don’t have to spend too much time maintaining them.

You can cover your garden soil with at least six inches of the following materials:

• Bark chips
• Grass clippings
• Newspaper (a biodegradable and garden-safe material)
• Shredded leaves
• Straw

Once the soil is covered, mulch around plants to keep weed seeds out. Use at least two to three inches of mulching around your plants and in your growing rows.

The mulch will help keep out weeds while the compost provides the plants with added nutrients. Make sure you always cover bare soil to keep weeds out of your garden.

Cover your crops in the fall

Lastly, you should plant a fall cover crop every year. When you leave garden soil bare during the winter, you run the risk of creating next year’s weeds. Aside from preventing weeds from sprouting, cover crops help put nutrients back into the soil which your vegetable crop took out while they were growing.

Refrain from tilling and hoeing too much to keep your garden weed-free and don’t forget to put mulch to keep your crops healthy.

Sources include:

OldWorldGardenFarms.com

SundayGardener.net

Disasters can happen at any moment. You might not be able to avoid them, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare for them. Having a proper survival plan in place can definitely help you get through even the most difficult situations. Improve your chances of survival by following these essential disaster preparedness tips when SHTF. (h/t to Survivopedia.com)

Learn what potential disasters your area could face

Different geographical locations face different kinds of natural disasters. Read up on your local area’s history to find out what kind of disasters your area is prone to. Does your area frequently experience hurricanes, earthquakes, or other natural calamities? Once you know the past, you can be better prepared for the future. Finding out what you are likely to face can go a long way in helping you formulate your survival plan. (Related: You need to know these 8 essential survival tips to prepare you for the next catastrophe.)

Sign up for emergency alerts

It is important to stay informed and up-to-date on your local news and weather reports. Nowadays, you can easily sign up to receive emergency alerts on your cell phone. That way, you can always know ahead of time when severe weather is on its way.  There are also plenty of emergency apps you can download on your phone that can serve as useful tools when SHTF.

Prepare your family’s emergency kits and bug-out bags

You and your family members should each have a 72-hour emergency kit containing all the essential items that you need to survive for at least that amount of time. If you need to make a sudden evacuation, you should also have bug-out bags ready in easily accessible areas in your home. Some preppers may combine both their emergency kit and bug-out bag in one convenient pack. Depending on your needs and priorities, you can choose to do the same. Some of the important items you should pack include water, food, first aid supplies, flashlights, blankets, a cell phone charger, a multipurpose tool, spare cash, and personal hygiene items. Make sure that you and your family members know how to properly use the items in your emergency kits and bug-out bags.

Learn your local area’s evacuation routes and shelter locations

In dire emergency situations, you might need to bug out somewhere else until it is safe for you and your loved ones to return home. In this case, knowing your local area’s evacuation routes and shelter locations can certainly come in handy, especially if you and your family are separated when the disaster hits. Planning a designated meeting point can let you and your family know where to go, even if the cell phone towers are down and no one has any access to other forms of communication.

Do an indoor and outdoor home assessment

On the other hand, there might also be times when it is simply safer to stay put and bug in. In this case, you will need to do a thorough assessment of the interior and exterior of you home to make sure that it can provide ample protection when SHTF. Get rid of any dead trees or overhanging branches that may pose as hazards during a hurricane. You may also need to upgrade your home’s security and defense systems. Additionally, you should make an inventory of the supplies you will need to wait out a potential disaster and stock up on these items.

Learn more disaster preparedness tips by going to Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

Survivopedia.com

WorkingMother.com

When SHTF, you do what you must to survive, especially when it is a matter of life and death. Sometimes, that might include doing things that are ethically or morally questionable. After all, isn’t scavenging practically the same as looting? Well, not exactly. Some people might consider both to be stealing, but survival scavenging is slightly more justified in that it isn’t just about taking what you want. It’s about finding things that you need to survive. It is also more justified if you only take from items that have been discarded or are no longer being used. In a sense, you are giving new life to something that has outlived its original purpose. Here are a few useful tips you should follow when scavenging for supplies post-SHTF. (h/t to ModernSurvivalOnline.com)

Survival scavenging should only be done as a last resort

Before even considering survival scavenging, you must first exhaust all other possible options. There are plenty of legal ways to get food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies. Perhaps there might be emergency shelters in your area that are still accepting people. Churches and community centers are also places that are often welcoming to those in need. Only when you have tried every viable option and still come back empty-handed should you attempt survival scavenging. (Related: Survival scavenging: 10 Items you can re-purpose when SHTF.)

Make a scavenging plan

Carefully think about what you specifically need, and then make your plan based around those items. Think about where you might be able to find these items. As much as possible, you should never scavenge alone. Not only will it be easier for you to work as a team, but you will be able to get help in case anything happens to you or anyone else in your group. To scavenge more efficiently, you should start looking in areas that are the furthest away, and then work your way back toward your camp. If you have a map, you should mark the areas that you have already checked, so that you can avoid scavenging in the same area twice.

Send a scout before doing any actual scavenging

You don’t want to be caught red-handed in case the owner of the items you are rummaging through is actually still there. Before doing anything else, you should first send a scout to make sure no one else is in the vicinity or has any rightful claim to the items. If possible, your scout should be equipped with binoculars, a radio, and a gun for self-defense. The scout should use the binoculars to survey the area for several hours to ensure that it is safe to scavenge there and that there are no bandits lying around. They can then communicate with the rest of your group using the radio and inform them if the area is worth the trouble or not.

Know how to react if you are confronted

On the off chance that you do get caught red-handed while scavenging, you should know the proper protocol to avoid escalating the conflict to a potentially deadly situation. It is important to make no sudden moves, as the person who caught you might be armed with a gun. Try to give off a non-threatening vibe by remaining cool, calm, collected, and friendly. Apologize profusely and clearly explain to the other person what you are doing and why. They might be reasonable and let you have the items. If they aren’t, then don’t push your luck. Leave and don’t come back.

Learn more tips on survival scavenging by going to Survival.news.

Sources include:

ModernSurvivalOnline.com

UrbanSurvivalSite.com

Preppers are frugal and unless it’s absolutely necessary, they won’t spend money on anything that they can make, grow, find, or trade for. This is why it’s important to know how to make biochar, which can boost soil health in your garden, and charcoal, which is used for cooking fuel. (h/t to HomesteadSurvivalSite.com.)

What is biochar?

Biochar is a porous material that can help retain water and nutrients in the soil. This material can significantly boost your garden crop yield since your plants will have access to healthier soil. Certain kinds of biochar can even immobilize heavy metals, herbicides, hormones, and pesticides.

Additionally, biochar can reduce nitrogen oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions from soils. Biochar is “a multi-faceted strategy,” and it produces bio-oil during pyrolysis (decomposition caused by high temperatures) that could replace fossil fuels.

Biochar can improve garden soil by cleaning it and binding together pesticides and other contaminants. This porous material also binds good nutrients together, such as nitrogen, to prevent leaching.

There are other good reasons to use biochar for your garden soil, and one of the main benefits is that is can boost your crop yield by as much as 40 percent. (Related: For the organic farmer: Grow healthier plants with organic fertilizer mixed with compost tea.)

How to make charcoal

Follow the steps below to make charcoal, which you can use to stay warm during winter or to cook outdoors when you’re camping, hiking, or when you run out of fuel for your stove.

You will need:

• Plenty of wood
• A small open top steel barrel (at least 30 gallons)
• A larger open top steel barrel (55-gallon recommended) Drill some air vent holes around the bottom of the larger barrel so oxygen can get sucked inside.

Steps:

1. Fill the smaller barrel with wood that you want to turn into charcoal and biochar.
2. Carefully load the small barrel into the larger barrel. To make things easier, flip both barrels to their sides, then slide the small barrel (top first) into the bigger barrel.
3. Stand the barrels upright, then center the smaller barrel. The sealed end of the smaller barrel should be on top with the open end face-down on the bottom of the larger barrel. This will produce an oven effect once you start burning the wood.
4. Load more wood into the larger barrel, and make sure to get it all around the inner burn chamber, all the way down to the bottom. Don’t pack the wood too tight so the fire burns evenly.
5. Use a bit of accelerant to get the fire going, then set the wood on fire.
6. Keep an eye on the burning wood, and move the material down towards the sides to make room for more wood. As the inner burn chamber heats up, all of the flammable gases are burned off and turned into pure carbon.
7. Let the wood burn for at least three or four hours until it’s burned down completely.
8. Let the wood cool off, then flip the drums to their side. Slide out the small drum to get your homemade charcoal.

Use the charcoal for your next barbecue, or start a campfire in your backyard.

How to make biochar

You can also use the charcoal you made from the first guide to make biochar for your garden.

You will need:

• Charcoal
• A hammer
• A bucket
• Organic fertilizer (e.g., worm casting tea)
• Water

Steps:

1. Place the charcoal in a piece of cloth (that you don’t mind getting dirty), then smash the charcoal until they turn into pea-sized pieces.
2. Put the smashed charcoal in a bucket filled with organic fertilizer and water. Make sure there’s enough water in the bucket to cover the charcoal and the fertilizer.
3. Let the charcoal soak for several days. The nooks and crannies in the charcoal will absorb the fertilizer/water mixture to produce a nutritious addition for your garden soil.

Make your own charcoal so you can stay warm and cook outdoors whenever you want, then use the biochar to boost your vegetable garden yield.

Sources include:

HomesteadSurvivalSite.com

Biochar.international

In case SHTF, you will need a well-stocked pantry if you plan to wait out whatever disaster will be occurring in the world outside. However, for your long-term survival, you will need to think of your food supply not just as a means of avoiding starvation, but also as a way to get the right amount of nutrients in your body. You will need a variety of high-quality, nutrient-dense foods, since not all survival foods are created equal. Here are some of the best survival foods you should stock up on for your survival pantry. (h/t to Survivopedia.com.)

Meats

Your body needs plenty of protein, especially if you are in a survival situation. Fortunately, animal meat contains all of the eight essential amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. Beef jerky is delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. You can get 12 grams of high-quality protein from an ounce of cured or smoked beef jerky. Another way to stockpile meat is to make pemmican, which is a classic “native” survival food that is made of a combination of fruit and dehydrated meat. If processed and stored properly, it can have a shelf life of at least 50 years. You can also stock up on canned meats. If you have the resources, you might even want to consider raising your own livestock as a viable protein source. (Related: The top sources of protein in a survival homestead.)

Fish

Canned fish are cost-efficient survival foods that you can easily stock up on, even if you have a limited budget. They even conveniently come in pre-cooked and ready-to-eat forms. Tuna, sardines, salmon, herring, and other fatty fish are rich sources of nutrients and healthy fats. You can easily buy sardines in bulk, since they have such incredibly long shelf lives. As much as possible, try to stock up on fish that was caught in the wild. Try to avoid “farmed fish” as the way they are grown often strips away any health benefits your body could gain from eating them.

Dairy products

Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and butter, can help supplement your protein and calcium intake. If you are already raising livestock, you can raise goats to provide milk and even make cheese, butter, and other dairy products from this milk. Alternatively, you can stock up on dried, powdered milk. It might not be as appetizing as fresh milk, but with enough practice, you can even learn to make your own yogurt, cheese, pudding, or bread out of it. Cheese can store for a very long time, especially when frozen.

Fruits and vegetables

You’ll be missing out on plenty of essential vitamins and minerals if you don’t include a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables in your survival pantry. You can even save the seeds to grow your own survival garden. Even if they won’t be fresh, dehydrated fruits are nutrient-dense, lightweight, and easy to store. They are excellent sources of carbohydrates and simple sugars. You can add them to other recipes or eat them on their own. Mix them with some nuts and grains to create a healthy trail mix. Some ideal fruits that you should stock up on include dried prunes, apricots, figs, cranberries, and raisins.

Sources include:

Survivopedia.com

SkilledSurvival.com

Self-reliance means being able to take care of yourself without needing help from anyone else. This might be one of the most important skills you can learn to prepare yourself for when SHTF, but it can also help you to get through any difficult situation in your everyday life. It can give you the chance to become a more independent and well-rounded individual. That way, you can live life on your own terms and better plan for your future. Here are some useful tips you can follow to become a more self-reliant person. (h/t to FoodStorageMoms.com.)

Learn how to cook from scratch

No matter how much money you have, there may come a time when you will be unable to simply buy pre-cooked meals at a store or restaurant. You might find yourself all alone during a survival situation. In this scenario, you will have to make do with whatever you have stocked in your pantry or refrigerator. This is also an excellent reason to always keep your pantry well-stocked. Either way, you will need to make a meal from scratch or end up going to bed hungry. Fortunately, learning how to cook basic meals shouldn’t be too hard if you have access to the internet. There are plenty of tutorial videos you can watch to pick up a few easy recipes that make use of common ingredients. If you want a more hands-on approach, you can enroll in a cooking class and learn directly from experts. You can even exchange tips with like-minded people.

Grow an edible garden

Another step you can take towards total self-reliance is to grow your own food supply. What could possibly be more satisfying by cooking a meal from scratch using the vegetables you grew yourself? Even if you don’t reach the level of complete, self-reliant food production, growing an edible garden can certainly supplement your existing food supply. An edible garden can even help you save on expenses. Why make a trip to your local grocery store when you can easily get your fresh pick of produce right in your backyard? The best part is that you aren’t limited by the availability of your favorite fruits and vegetables on the market. As long as you can grow it, you get to eat it. (Related: Self-reliance in the city: One family proves it’s possible.)

Learn more practical skills

You can gain a sense of accomplishment by learning a variety of new and useful skills. With a wider and more diverse skill set, you will become less likely to feel helpless when faced with a challenging situation. Self-reliance can push you out of your comfort zone and force you to adapt to any scenario. It can move you along the right path to self-improvement and progress. Why stop at cooking and gardening? There are so many practical skills out there just waiting for you to learn them. You can apply these skills during a survival situation or even in your everyday life. What is important is that you never stop learning. With an arsenal of practical skills at your disposal, you can overcome anything.

Make a reasonable budget and commit to it

If you really want to save money, it will require discipline. You will have to let go of the occasional luxuries to focus on what you actually need to get by. Live on less money than you make, so that you can set aside money for the future. Try to save a minimum of at least a dollar a week. This can be a feasible goal and you can use the money as an emergency fund if ever SHTF. Another practical skill you can learn is how to make basic repairs. This can also help you to save money, since you will be able to avoid buying items to replace broken ones.

Sources include:

FoodStorageMoms.com

TheLawOfAttraction.com

Homesteaders prioritize self-reliance and the cultivation of organic produce, but this doesn’t mean you can’t make your home garden look pretty. If you want to beautify your property, start a practice called edible landscaping. (h/t to RockinWHomestead.com)

What is edible landscaping?

Edible landscaping represents a different take on how to design and interact with yards and urban green spaces. The practice prioritizes the cultivation of food-producing plants and native perennials, and it helps home gardeners create green space and provide healthy, fresh food to their family.

Replacing even just a fraction of traditional lawns with edible landscapes designed around locally appropriate plants offers various benefits.

These benefits require little to no irrigation or fertilizer and can increase food production potential in cities, as well as attract pollinators and improve ecological diversity.

Flowers for your edible landscape

Edible flowers are a common feature of edible landscapes. But flowering plants aren’t just pretty, they also attract pollinators that can help your fruit-bearing plants thrive. (Related: Edible Landscaping Ideas For Small Spaces.)

Popular options include daisies, lilacs, pansies, and sunflowers.

Edible flowers can also be used for food decorating and subtle flavoring.

Herbs for your edible landscape

Herbs are another staple in edible landscapes. You can plant the following herbs in your yard:

• Basil and thyme – Basil and thyme are beautiful additions to any garden. Both herbs are fairly easy to grow, and you can use them both as nutritious ingredients in different dishes.
• Chives – Chives bear beautiful flowers that can add to the aesthetic appeal of your garden. This delicious herb is also the perfect addition to baked potatoes and other savory side dishes.
• Mint – Mint is an extremely versatile herb that grows easily. This herb is a perfect spread for areas that you want to cover with foliage. If you don’t want mint to spread, plant it in large containers.

Another option is to grow herbal tea plants so you have access to ingredients for herbal teas all year long.

Shrubs for your edible landscape

Shrubs are a nice addition to your edible landscape because they’re often of medium height. Shrubs can be used to bridge the gap between trees and shorter plants, like edible flowers. Additionally, shrubs can function as wildlife deterrents and windbreaks.

Plan ahead when selecting a shrub, and use a plant that produces something your family likes to eat. You also need to choose the right shrub for a site. Plant something that can thrive in your location so you don’t waste any of your resources.

You can plant the following shrubs in your landscape based on your needs and preferences:

• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Fig
• Currants
• Gooseberries
• Pomegranate
• Raspberries
• Rosemary
• Rugosa roses/beach roses

Trees for your edible landscape

If your yard is spacious enough, you can include fruit or medicinal trees in your edible landscape. Check which fruit tree varieties suit your geographic area.

Your options include:

• Apple trees – Apple trees are popular among home gardeners, especially since you can choose from many different kinds. If you don’t have enough time to look after full-sized fruit trees, try cultivating crabapples, which are perfect for cooking and require less maintenance.
• Cherry trees – Cherry trees produce tasty fruit that looks great in any yard.
• Olive trees – Plant olive trees if you want a savory harvest.
• Pine trees – Pine trees have medicinal properties. The dried bark peels of pine trees or tea brewed from pine needles contain vitamin C, which can boost your immunity. Pine needle tea and bark also has vitamin A, which can improve your eye health.

Vegetable for your edible landscape

If you already have a traditional vegetable garden plot but you still want to boost your crop yield, you can grow annual edibles in your regular landscape.

Listed below are vegetables that you can incorporate into your edible landscape:

• Carrots and radishes –Both carrots and radishes produce edible greens and taproots that are nutritious.
• Lettuce and Swiss chard – These beautiful, leafy vegetables can cover the ground with different shades of green.
• Tomatoes – While tomatoes are scientifically classified as a fruit, they’re often included in gardens because they’re beautiful. Tomatoes also produce nutritious vegetables for your kitchen.

You can also intermix these edible plants to make your landscape stand out.

Like with other aspects of home gardening, the only thing that limits your edible landscaping ideas is your imagination.

Sources include:

RockinWHomestead.com

FoodRevolution.org

OrganicFacts.net

Finding shelter should be your top priority if you ever get lost somewhere far away from civilization. While extreme thirst or hunger can take anywhere from three days to a few weeks to kill you, exposure to the harsh elements can quickly take your life in a matter of hours. The good news is that you don’t need a lot of experience or equipment to build your own temporary shelter. When SHTF, here are four survival shelters you can build using only what nature can provide. (h/t to PreppersWill.com)

Round lodge shelter

One of the simplest shelters that can be built with minimal equipment, the round lodge shelter takes its architectural influences from many different cultures. Part Native American tipi and part wickiup, the round lodge shelter is built in a triangular cone shape that can provide adequate protection from the wind, rain, and sun. At the same time, this shelter can accommodate a small fire inside it. A smoke hole in the roof of the shelter can also provide proper ventilation. To build your round lodge shelter, you must first collect tree limbs and branches that are around five to eight feet long in length. Next, find a form of thatching, such as grass, that you can use to tie the branches together. Next, stack the branches in the shape of a triangular cone. Once your shelter begins to take form, you can create a doorway by horizontally placing a few branches together in the opening of your shelter, just a few feet off the ground.

Lean-to shelter

This primitive shelter is one of the most widely used makeshift shelters, since it can easily be put together in less than an hour. Its basic, one-sided design makes it easy to build using nearly any kind of material. However, this simple design has two main drawbacks. First, a lean-to shelter can only provide protection from one side, such as protection against strong winds that only blow in one direction. Second, it doesn’t retain heat very well. A lean-to shelter can still be incredibly useful in certain situations, but it is not meant to provide long-term shelter. To build your lean-to shelter, try to find two trees that can support a stout pole between them. Next, secure the pole horizontally across the trees to serve as a support strut. Then, stack more poles and branches along the support strut to create a slanted wall. Cover the exterior of this wall with leaves, grass, palm fronds, or any other vegetation you can find.

Leaf hut

The two-sided leaf hut is basically an upgraded version of a lean-to shelter. This allows it to provide greater insulation and protection against the elements. To build a leaf hut, you will first need to find a sturdy pole around eight- to 12-feet long. Next, prop your ridge pole against a natural fork formation, such as a stump, tree, rock, or two forked prop sticks. Create “ribs” along your ridge pole by stacking branches at an angle on both sides of the pole. Cover the walls with moss, grass, leaves, pine needles, and other vegetation, but keep the ribs close together to prevent the covering from falling through. Around two to three feet of vegetation on each side of your leaf hut should be enough to trap heat and air keep you dry inside. (Related: How to make a formidable temporary shelter when SHTF.)

Snow cave

Being stranded in a snowy area can leave you with limited options for a survival shelter. You might have no other choice but to build a snow cave. However, great caution must be taken in building this shelter. If built incorrectly, it might not be able to provide proper ventilation. The ceiling might even collapse and bury you alive. Still, with enough practice, you should be able to safely create your own snow cave by finding a deep, solid snowbank and digging into the immediate left of it. Create a “cold well” by forming a tunnel into a low spot, where the cold air can accumulate. Past the cold well, you can start digging upwards to create a solid base for a sleeping platform. Lastly, dig a six-inch wide hole at the roof of your snow cave for ventilation.

Sources include:

PreppersWill.com

OutdoorLife.com

If you have a home garden, you need to prepare ahead of time so you can still harvest crops even during winter. After all, you wouldn’t want to run out of resources just when the weather starts getting frosty again, would you? (h/t to MDCreekmore.com).

Factors to consider for cold climate gardening

While it’s better to grow your own vegetables, you need to consider some factors, such as space (or a lack of it), to devise a gardening system that works for you. If you don’t have a yard or a home garden, you can still grow herbs or sprouts indoors. Every step counts if you want to minimize your exposure to chemically-treated foods and other products.

Below are some things that you need to consider, along with your own needs and growing zone, before you start growing crops that will survive during winter. (Related: How to prepare your survival garden for winter.)

Will these crops thrive in your growing zone? 

Ask fellow home gardeners to learn what kinds of crops can grow in your zone. Make use of the space you have, and only grow what you can consume so you don’t waste time and effort.

What kinds of dried, frozen, or tinned foods are cheaper to buy than cultivate?

If dried beans, grains, and legumes are cheaper to buy, plant something else that can thrive in your zone.

Can you eat or use the whole plant?

You can compost any spent vegetables, but you must prioritize crops that have the most edible parts, even those that take up space for a long time, like:

• Garlic – Garlic is a cool climate vegetable that you can plant very close together in rows. Thin out the shoots as they grow. You can first use the shoots, then move on to the slightly swollen bulbs as green garlic starts to bulb up. Once the bulbs really start to swell as the weather warms, give the remaining garlic some space to encourage the growth of large bulbs. If you have leftover garlic, plant it by the time it’s ready to sprout again in autumn. Smoke excess garlic to make them last a couple of months longer in your fridge.
• Broccoli – Broccoli produces little flowering side shoots for a long time. The leaves can also be eaten as greens. Remember, broccoli that matures during cool weather produces healthy heads that taste sweeter than those harvested at any other time. To get the best-tasting broccoli, harvest broccoli heads while the buds are just starting to swell but before the yellow petals start to grow.
• Carrots – Carrots grow fast, and you can use the tops as steamed or salad greens and in soups. Alternatively, you can use carrot tops to make pesto.
• Parsley – Parsley produces lush leaves until it flowers and goes to seed. Parsley flowers will help attract insects to your garden. In the second year, you can start collecting parsley seeds. Green seeds can be added to salads and soups, but after the seeds have dried on the plant you can use them as a cooking spice. When it’s time to pull the plant out, clean the root and use it to flavor stock.
• Radish – Radish grows very fast. When planted at the right time, some winter varieties of radish will overwinter in your garden. Young radish leaves can be used in salads or as steamed greens.

Before you switch to a diet of fruits, vegetables, and foraged foods, double-check the nutrient profiles of the foods you plan to eat to ensure that they provide you with enough nutrients. Consult a healthcare professional to determine if any of the crops that you grow will interfere with the medications that you take.

Always plan ahead so when winter comes, you can still harvest crops in your home garden.

Sources include:

MDCreekmore.com

GoodHousekeeping.com

Imagine hiking in the middle of the woods with a friend. You are both careful, but the terrain is rough and rocky. Suddenly, your friend trips and falls. You go check on your friend, and make sure that no bones are broken. However, as your friend tries to stand up, he or she experiences a sharp pain in the knees and falls back down. Your friend has just suffered a knee sprain. You are both miles away from civilization. What are you going to do now? (h/t to SurvivalSullivan.com).

What are sprains?

Ligaments are the strong, connective tissues that connect two or more bones at a joint, most commonly in the knees and ankles. They are meant to hold your bones in place and restrict movement. If the ligaments either get stretched or torn, this is what results in a sprain. Strains are similar injuries that involve the tendons, which are tissues that connect muscles to the bone. You will know if your friend is suffering from a knee sprain or strain if he or she exhibits common sprain symptoms such as pain, swelling or inflammation, and restricted range of motion. Both injuries are also often accompanied by a popping or snapping sound when they first happen. Knee sprains are not as severe or serious as fractures and broken bones, since it is often only one or more of the four supportive ligaments that get damaged, rather than the joint or the bone itself. However, this injury should still be properly treated to prevent further damage which could lead to arthritis and other disabilities later on. (Related: Medical preparedness: How to treat minor injuries in the field.)

Treat sprains by following the RICE principle

Your main goal in treating a knee sprain is to reduce the amount of swelling in the affected area until help can arrive. The RICE principle is an easy-to-remember acronym that can help you remember what to do in case of joint injuries, such as sprains or strains. Here is what you need to do to treat your friend’s knee sprain:

• Rest. Sprains require plenty of rest to heal. Any unnecessary weight on the joint, especially if it’s your full body weight, will only aggravate the injury and the amount of pain. Your friend will have to avoid standing or walking. Let your friend remain sitting or lying down until help arrives. Keep your friend calm and still to help avoid any unnecessary movements.
• Ice. Placing ice on the affected area can help reduce swelling and inflammation. If you are in a snowy area, you can wrap some snow in a piece of cloth to create a makeshift ice pack. In case you do not have access to ice, you can soak the injury in cool water or wet a piece of cloth and apply it on the injury.
• Compression. You can reduce further swelling by wrapping the affected area with a firm and snug elastic bandage. Make sure that the compress is not too tight, as that may cut off the supply of blood to the affected area. You can also gently massage and stretch the area to encourage circulation.
• Elevation. Elevation isn’t about maximum height. It’s simply about raising the injured area above the heart. As long as the knee is above heart level, gravity will help prevent additional swelling. If the sprain is mild, you will only have to keep the knee elevated for around 20 minutes. However, if the injury is serious, it may require overnight elevation.

If your friend is experiencing severe pain and inflammation, you can give him/her some ibuprofen or acetaminophen to alleviate the symptoms. Once you are both back in civilization, make sure to have the injury looked at by a medical professional. If a sprain is neglected, it may eventually develop further complications.

Be prepared for any medical emergencies when SHTF by going to Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

SurvivalSullivan.com

BackPacker.com