Prepare: Garden Time Is Just Around The Corner

There may be snow outside, but now is the time to plan your spring garden and get a jump on the competition. Growing your own food is fun, healthy, saves money and will probably save your life.

The weatherman is predicting snow again, tomorrow. Seems like the last batch just melted here, but it gave me time to scope out my planting area and start making plans. There amongst the brown grass and abandoned raised beds I can see overflowing tomato plants, corn shoots, green beans hiding in the leaves, bell peppers and fresh raspberries.

But this all means nothing if I don't get a start now on my spring garden plans. Most will get the "bug" to grow something sometime around April or May when the first warm days kick in. They wait until Saturday and then wander on down to the super garden center and find the best plants, seeds and supplies are long gone. They end up with two plastic pots and a couple of brown tomato plants for their summer bumper crop.

Don't let this happen to you.

It may be too early to start putting tender seedlings into the ground, but there is no reason not to start seed shopping right now. Seeds can be ordered online or at the retail store. There are hybrid (cross bred seeds which do not re-pollinate) or non-hybrid seeds (original or heirloom seeds which can be reclaimed from the fruit and reused the following season).

I generally pick up my seeds at the retail store and get a mix of hybrid and non-hybrid. I always get extra because they are available and I can save them for later. I keep my seeds in their original packets and store those in large coffee cans. They last well for me as I have used seeds I purchased three and four years ago without a problem.

Some advice - pick up extra "big seeds" like corn. There is generally only enough in one packet for a single planting. If you are shopping at the farm supply store and buying 100lb bags of seed, ignore this advice of course.

Lay out the garden on paper how you want it to look but don't plant anything until the danger of frost has passed. Too many gardeners take advantage of an "Indian summer" and plant too early and lose everything when that freak snow shows up.

Planting. Raised beds, pots, or tilling up the ground? What's best? I do all three. For most of my vegetables, I put together raised beds out of bricks, left over lumber and anything else around. I then tear them down at the end of the season. I use pots for herbs on the back patio. I have never had a great harvest growing tomatoes in pots, the ground works better.

I till up a large part of the yard for corn and have several growing areas which I move around.

The more growing space, the bigger the harvest. Take advantage of every corner to grow something edible. I make compost throughout the year. I throw yard and kitchen waste, old potting soil, grass, anything in the compost heap. And I turn it once a week for good effect. I don't water it much as it attracts ants, and even in a drought the heap stays fairly moist.

If rats or mice are a problem in the compost heap, get a couple of inexpensive trash cans with lids and throw the kitchen waste in those things until it breaks down then add them to the big pile.

Other than compost, I don't like to use fertilizers other than soil amendments like green sand, lava sand, earthworm castings. I don't use pesticides at all, but might have to chance that if the garden is life or death. Other than that, attracting birds and hand checking the plants is the natural and best way to get rid of pests.

Save rain water from the down spout. Get trashcans and rig them under the spouts as rain water is always better than hose water for plants. Water when needed but short duration, small waterings as it encourages the roots to grow shallow. Deep roots are the plants best friend.

Like buying food, only plant what you and the family will eat. While growing an Asian mustard plant is interesting, if you hate the taste, don't do it. Also, plant things which will produce a lot and are healthy - like tomatoes.

A garden is healthy for you, a way to save money and most likely will save you and your families' life if things keep going the way they are. Even if we hold the country together, the price of gas alone will make a garden pay for itself is lowered grocery costs and shopping trips.

Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food

Prepare: Memorial Day, baking and growing corn

Today is Memorial Day.

To celebrate, we find out that North Korea has the bomb and has successfully detonated it. This is like discovering your drunk good for nothing brother in law has your ATM card and PIN and has been in Vegas with it for two days. Only trouble can come of this.

Today we remember those who have died for our country.

Money is tight. Even if it wasn't, I don't take car trips on Memorial Day, I don't take my wife out on Valentines and we never go out New Years Eve. Why tempt fate? We stayed home this weekend waiting for word on my next commission check and counting our pennies.

A year ago, many of our friends were taking "quick" vacations this time of year usually to a family friendly resort. Not this time. Everyone is staying home or close to it. A swimming pool in the backyard is an instant vacation.

I had enough of reading about homemade bread and my wife hates to bake, so I went to the kitchen. So far I have made two loaves of oatmeal bread, one traditional white loaf, two white/wheat loaves (rising now) and a big batch of oatmeal cookies. Nothing has cost me more than one or two dollars in ingredients which I store anyway. You do have storage food don't you? Flour, sugar, salt, yeast, oil, oats? Buy these items in bulk, add them and you can make something good to eat in the kitchen. I buy them in big bags and repack them in 5 and 6 gallon buckets.

Bread making takes less time if you have the right recipe. I used one from the Joy of Cooking which described itself as fast and easy. Do you have any cookbooks or do you get all of your recipes online? What would you do if the internet was down? My oven is over thirty years old, but it works. I have to admit, it was a lot easier to bake using the Kitchen Aid. I would be up the creek without the mixer. It could be done by hand (and will be after the SHTF), but why make it harder this time.

The bread turned out better with each loaf. As of right now, I am down to a half of the last two loaves. The wife and kids ate it all despite the fact that dad made it. Which brings up another thing, guys. You can cook can't you? Remember all that stuff Heinlein said about "con a ship, plan an invasion, change a diaper..etc"? Best brush up on these skills now before you HAVE to.

The corn is coming up in the garden. I am going to put down another stand in a few days while this one is getting up there. I planted some more tomatoes and herbs this weekend. The beans took a beating in the recent rain storms, but are holding their own.

Corn is funny. Many gardeners say not to grow it as it takes up space and water. But corn is what gardening is all about to me. Kids love to watch it and its good to eat right off the stalk. All of us should be closer to where our food comes from.

My mower had a plastic bag wrapped around the blade making a big fat mess (wife told me to finally mow down that brush in the corner). I had to take it apart and remove the bag. Next some oil or something clogged up the muffler so that came off as well. This can't be much harder than a tractor, so I am ready to graduate to the big time now. ;).

I took the kids out today, let them play in the hose, cooked hot dogs outside and served them with baked beans. I practiced baseball with my son for an hour or so, his hitting is getting better each week. Have to have him ready for his division rivals this week. The whole thing set me back, what? Five bucks? How hard is this, folks?

Today is Memorial Day. You can't thank a vet on Memorial Day. This day is for the ones who never came home. The ones whose remains are buried in Europe, Asia, at sea. Those souls who wait quietly to be reunited with the rest of their platoons, squads and shipmates someday. The ones who were told, "Rest, you have done well, my son".

Today is Memorial Day. I remembered it at home, with my family in my little piece of America that was bravely provided for me and mine with the blood of men and women far, far better than me. I can do them no greater disservice than to forget their ultimate sacrifice and vainly act as if nothing in the world is wrong and that I have all the time in the world. Their actions will not be forgotten and this nation will prevail.

Enjoy the holiday, hang the flag and say a quiet prayer of thanks for those valiant souls who never saw the loving returned embrace of home.

SHTF: Gardening

Nightline had a story Thursday night about the return of the Victory Garden. As usual, they blabbed about the "sustainable, eco-friendly" reasons for growing at least some of your own food.

Despite the fact that the story was taped in the trendy, high dollar suburb of Venice, CA and most of those interviewed were well-heeled and single, just having this sort of story must be significant.

Victory Gardens hail from World War Two (they had a version in WWI as well), when the government encouraged Americans to start gardens in their backyards allowing farm produce to be sent to the troops and starving allies like England. Amazingly, at its height, 40% of the produce consumed by Americans came from backyard and community Victory gardens.

Remember, in the 1940's, most Americans either lived in rural areas or urban. There was little if any suburban dwellers. So these Victory Gardens were producing food from postage stamp sized lawns, window boxes, roof top planters and vacant lots.

Imagine what today's suburban farmer could do with their 100 x 200 lot in a modern subdivision.

Asides on the Nightline story..

There were three interviewed in the story.. a single guy, a garden consultant and a odd ball film maker who had a few raised beds in front of his ocean front home. Wow - what diversity.

They should have included a Midwestern (or anywhere in the U.S.) family with kids working a backyard garden complete with a few yard walkers who were trying to shave their grocery bills.. (and prepare for the coming food shortages.. )..

They should have included an urban dweller with a mini farm in an adjoining vacant lot..

They should have included one of those supersized community lots seen in many large urban areas..

But they didn't. Oh well.

Next up Compost.

Do you compost? I do. Everything from the kitchen in the form of vegetable and fruit waste, tea bags and coffee grinds goes into the compost heap. With spring approaching, I have my own way of expediting the compost process.

I take my large planting pots from last year and add..

- A layer of leaves.
- A layer of dirt.
- A big old pile of rotting vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, etc.
- Anther layer of dirt.
- Another layer of leaves on top.

Mash the whole thing down underneath another empty pot and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. After that time, I dump the full pot into the top pot, turn over and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. Repeat until planting time.

It works for me.

Watch out for vermin in the compost heap. Rats and mice love digging for those kitchen scraps and once you have those guys, they aren't leaving anytime soon.

I go out in the evening with a flashlight and my little Robin Hood (a kids wooden bow and arrow with the rubber tip removed and the end sharpened with a pencil sharpener). Scares the devil out of those pests.

Time to get to the hardware store and check out the seed selection. In my area, the seeds come out now and disappear at Easter (must be a Lent thing). After April, you can't find any vegetable seeds at the store.

Remember, you can produce your own food at home and it is mandatory that you start this year. There is no reason to expect our economy to support Washington's madness much longer.

Good luck!