Poor Man Survival
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A Digest of Urban
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Victory Gardens-Everyone Can Save
Have you ever noticed that you crave seasonal fruits and vegetables?
That's because our bodies need the nutrients that we get from the different
foods that are grown in those seasons.
During and after World War II, the concept of the Victory Garden
was introduced to the nation. Individual backyard gardeners and farmers
produced the same amount of food as did the entire commercial farming industry.
It was a great success, and every family that participated felt a sense of
accomplishment by doing it.
The current economy is demanding the return of the backyard gardens
as a way to ensure that each and every family is self-sufficient in hard
economic times. Saving your own seeds from your personal harvest is a way to
lower your cost of living. Eating the food that you have grown is the best
nutrition that you can get.
To that end, here is some advice from my colleague Peggy Layton on
the steps you need to take in order to start your own garden and become
self-sufficient:
Getting started growing a garden
- First
you prepare a plot of flat ground that gets full sun during the day.
Figure out how much growing space you have. Turn the soil over with a
shovel and add compost or other organic material. Till it with a hand or
motorized tiller to mix it up. Rake it to level it out.
- Plan
out the garden plots and plant accordingly. A garden planned in advance
will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Lettuce can be grown in
tight quarters, but tomatoes need to be spaced about 2 feet apart. Growing
and spacing requirements are provided on seed packets, in catalogs, and on
nursery tags.
- You can
grow vegetables in containers or in pots on a patio or porch. Lettuce is a
great pot plant. Certain varieties of tomatoes will grow well in a hanging
basket. Plants that climb and have vines, such as cucumbers and pole
beans, can be trained up a metal fence, chain link or a trellis to take up
less room.
- Grow
the vegetables you enjoy eating. Some examples of vegetables to plant are
beans, peas, tomatoes, sweet corn, onions, carrots, broccoli, potatoes,
zucchini squash, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, spinach, melons and
strawberries.
- If you
are a beginner, you can purchase books on growing vegetables and
gardening. Don't be afraid to try growing something.
- Herbs
such as parsley, thyme, basil, chives and oregano, and any other herbs you
like to cook with, can be planted between flower beds.
- There
are two planting seasons. Cool weather, as in the spring, and hot weather,
as in the summer and early fall. The most common cool season crops include
beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, peas,
potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. Warm season crops include beans,
corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini and other
squash and tomatoes.
- Starting
your own seedlings in the spring and transplanting them in the summer is
the least expensive way to get plants. However, you can purchase seedlings
that are already started at any nursery.
- If you
are going to purchase plants from a nursery, then these are the best ones
to get: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
These plants tend to do better when started in a greenhouse and
transplanted in the garden later.
- The
following seeds are best started right in the ground. Beans, beets,
carrots, chard, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, zucchini
and other squash and turnips.
- Squash
and cucumbers are two of the ones that you can plant as either seeds or
seedlings. I have had better results with them by planting the seeds right
in the ground. It seems that the plants go into shock and take as long to
grow as the seeds do.
- Seed
packets do have a shelf life. Look for the seeds that have been packed for
the current year.
- Purchase seedlings when your soil is ready to plant. Keep them watered and don't let them sit around for more than a few days. Buy healthy-looking seedlings. They should stand up straight and be stocky, with green and not yellow leaves or any bug damage.
Choose the best garden seeds
Non-hybrid seeds: The best seeds to purchase are the Heirloom
open-pollinated type or non-hybrid. Saving seeds is only possible with
open-pollinated seeds. These seeds are also called Heritage seeds. These are
the best kind of seeds to buy. You can save the seeds from year to year and dry
them out, then plant them the next season and they will grow the exact same
fruit, vegetable, or grain. Open-pollinated varieties display certain
horticultural traits, such as: fruit color, leaf shape, flower color, etc. This
means they are stable withinthe variety and seeds saved from these plants will
be the same as the parent plant in subsequent plantings. The variety will not
be cross-pollinated with any other plants of species.
Hybrid seeds: These seeds have been genetically modified to only produce one
crop that is true to form. The following generations of plants cannot be
counted on to produce the same variety. The hybrid is definitely
cross-pollinated with another similar species that might have a different
trait. The offspring will be genetically different than the parent plant. The
scientists that cross-pollinate these plants are trying to come up with a
better, more hardy plant, however, the seeds can only be used once and that
could possibly create a shortage of seeds. If you save the seed and plant them
the next season, you might get some strange fruit that you don't recognize.
Most seeds purchased from a nursery or store is the hybrid type. If you are
stocking up on these seeds, you will need to purchase them every year.
The advantages of stockpiling non-hybrid garden seeds
Better nutrition: Seed varieties are being bred for many
reasons, but typically for disease and pest resistance, their look,
transportability and other commercial reasons. Nutritional content is not one
of the reasons, but profit is. When you grow open-pollinated (non-hybrid) varieties
you are growing original strains with much higher nutritional content than
varieties that have been bred for color, storability, portability, etc. Growing
your own garden ensures that the food you produce is much more nutritious than
commercially-grown produce. When food is grown in Mexico or other countries, we
do not have any control over how it is grown, what chemicals are used, what
fertilizers and minerals are—or are not—in the soil. We also cannot control
whether or how much radiation is used to kill the bacteria. The food
is picked before it has ripened and it is shipped hundreds, even thousands of miles before we purchase it. The plants are sprayed to keep them from ripening too fast in transit, then sprayed again to get them to ripen. Have you ever noticed that the vegetables in the grocery store taste blander rather than rich in flavor like their homegrown cousins?
is picked before it has ripened and it is shipped hundreds, even thousands of miles before we purchase it. The plants are sprayed to keep them from ripening too fast in transit, then sprayed again to get them to ripen. Have you ever noticed that the vegetables in the grocery store taste blander rather than rich in flavor like their homegrown cousins?
Variety: We can participate in saving many original varieties of seeds.
Once the food supply has been genetically altered to the point that there are
no more original strains of vegetables left, we will be at the mercy of the
genetically altered seed companies like Monsanto. This won't happen with
non-hybrid seeds because we can save many varieties of our own seeds from year
to year and we will be in control of these seeds.
Self-sufficiency: In hard times, recessions and depressions,
food is security. You will be able to take care of your family and even friends
if you have the skills to grow food. You will have better health because you
will be ensured the highest nutrition available. You can save foods like
potatoes, carrots, onions, apples and squash in a cool, dry garage and they
will keep all winter as long as it doesn't freeze.
Shortages of food: If food supplies are challenged and the food cannot be trucked
for thousands of miles, home gardening is a way to ensure that your family will
have the food to sustain them in a crisis. It can also be looked at as food
insurance. The economic crisis facing the United States and the world right now
is causing the price of fresh produce to go up. When an economic downturn
drives inflation up, the cost of real goods, like groceries, skyrockets. It
becomes unmanageable very quickly, with items like a loaf of bread costing 10
times more than normal. It sounds unbelievable but this has actually happened
many times throughout history. I have heard a prediction for years that when
times get tough and our economy fails, it will take a wheelbarrow full of money
to buy one loaf of bread.
Trade or barter: For a self-sufficient person to be truly prepared he must have
plenty of non-hybrid seeds available for personal use, storage and bartering.
Seeds are an excellent alternative investment to paper money, as well as gold
and silver. You can't eat money or precious metals, which means food is the
best investment. Growing your own food is a skill that is invaluable. Organic
open-pollinated seeds must be in the hands of the organic backyard farmers.
There is a huge movement sweeping the country right now. The small organic
farmers are banding together to collect, save, sell or trade their seeds. It is
called seed exchange. This movement is preserving the hundreds of heirloom
seeds so they are not genetically altered or cross pollinated and lost.
Yours for the truth,
Bob Livingston
Editor, The Bob Livingston Letter®
P.S. — If you really want to kick your backyard garden up a notch, Dan "Survival" Sullivan has a wonderful guide on how to turn your yard into a homestead. Just click here to check it out.
Yours for the truth,
Bob Livingston
Editor, The Bob Livingston Letter®
P.S. — If you really want to kick your backyard garden up a notch, Dan "Survival" Sullivan has a wonderful guide on how to turn your yard into a homestead. Just click here to check it out.
Yours for a
Socialist-Free America!
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
Postscripts…
The protests have
become riots, the riots have become looting... and now innocent
people are being beaten in the street.
Outrage is the natural response to the brutal
killing of George Floyd. Yet outrage and clear, critical thinking seldom go
hand in hand. An act of police brutality became the catalyst for a
revolutionary mood. Protests spilled over into violence and looting. Stores
were destroyed; policemen and civilians injured and killed. The truism “black
lives matter” was joined by a senseless slogan: “Defund the police.”
Click here to see
more PHOTOS...
So, there
are many reasons you might consider a log home or log cabin, maybe you are
looking for a place to getaway and spend holidays and weekends, or maybe you
want a log home to live in full time.
When you
think of log homes and log cabins, park model log cabins don't usually come to
mind. But you should take a look at the interior and exterior photos of this
log cabin you are sure to be impressed. This site offers some amazing quality
rustic log cabins that are then put on trailers. The log cabins are finished
and ready to rent. These park model log cabins are great for use at
campgrounds, or for people who want to have a place to getaway. You could
purchase one of these park model log cabins for use as a turn key; they are all
ready to live in or rent out immediately.
These park model log cabins have a
nice rustic design that is appealing and cozy. Other benefits of these great
park model log cabins are that they are made durable and longer lasting (they
are said to last a lifetime), they are in simple and practical designs, less
maintenance and park model log cabins need to permits or added property taxes.
These park model log cabins are much more affordable than other park model
cabins.
Lancaster
Log Cabins Kits have different sizes and options of log cabins available. On
the site, you will find park model log cabins that start as a one room park
model log cabin that is 12 feet by 21 feet with a 165 square foot porch. This
style of park model log cabin sleeps four people, has a full bathroom and a
kitchen. If you need more space, then you can take a look at their deluxe park
model log cabins that have a large porch and 14 feet by 25 feet of living
space, sleeping up to six people, with a full bathroom, full kitchen, dining
area, futon and private bedroom. This style of park model home also comes with
a loft option.
There is
something about log cabins that appeal to most people. They have been around
since the first homesteaders walked across the land.
Log cabin
ownership is a dream that many people hold onto, and owning a log cabin or log
home, is a way you can start creating and sharing more quality time with family
and friends. The nice thing about these park model log cabins is that all the
work has been done for you, so there are no surprises, you know exactly what
you are getting. A park model log cabin is a great option for people who want
an appealing log cabin design, which they can park at a campground they can enjoy.
You choose the location for your park model to log cabin, from the lakeside,
pondside or forest views. The front porch on the park model log cabin is a
great place to sit back and enjoy the smells and sights of nature, even if it
is raining as you won't get wet. You can put the kits to bed, and then enjoy
just sitting back. With so many park models to choose from, there is something
to suit most any budget and need. It is sure to be something that fits into
your particular life, from smaller sizes to larger park models. You will want
to take a look inside and see for yourself.
Lancaster
Log Cabins kits are designed by craftsmen who are masters at what they do. The
park model log cabins are built using the tongue and groove logs and the State
of The Art log interlocking system.
USEFUL STUFF…
Our phones are extremely important in a crisis.
They hold information and special functions that are essential for survival.
Essential information like important contacts, incoming public alerts, and they give us online access to survival strategies and life-saving techniques.
Your phone also has special functions like digital compasses, levels, and even the tiny flashlight that can be the difference between life or death in a crisis.
Your phone is that important, and should not be overlooked as an essential survival device.
THE MAJOR PROBLEM: Your phone’s power fails quicker than any survival tool you own.
THE SOLUTION: Fortunately, when you grab this "forever charger," your phone will always be charged…available at our storefront!
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individual freedom!
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hydrapaks, books, emergency power cell
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