Self-sufficiency is always a good thing to aim for, as it allows you to provide for yourself and your family with less reliance on outside sources. This can be great in day-to-day life, as you can save money, have healthier food, and even help to preserve the environment.
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However, self-sufficiency can also be incredibly helpful in times of disaster or other circumstances where acquiring food and other resources can be easier said than done. However, you may not know where to start, and that’s where this guide comes in.
Here we will go over some of the things you should keep in mind when planning a survival garden as well as show you some products you can use in order to get you started on your journey of self-sufficiency.
Key Takeaways
- A survival garden can be useful both to keep food costs down and to have emergency food in a survival or emergency situation.
- A survival garden should be planned out properly with aspects like space, the types of plants, and sunlight exposure in mind.
- It is possible for a smaller family to subsist on a survival garden in some circumstances, but it’s generally ideal for supplementing your daily food needs.
- We will then show you some of the best seed products you can consider to get you started.
Why You Would Need a Survival Garden
If you looked up and found this article, chances are that you have an idea of why you would want to start a survival garden. These reasons can vary widely, and each person who starts one can have their own reasons.
That being said, there are a few different common reasons why people wish to start one. It could be as simple as wanting to cut back on grocery costs as you can get most or even all of your vegetables from your own garden.
It could also be from a desire to help the environment by cutting down on production costs and plastic materials that often come with purchased goods. Of course, a survival garden may live up to its name by being a resource in survival situations.
In times when acquiring goods can be harder, such as after a natural disaster, it can be a huge help to have food supplies you can rely on. No matter what your reasoning may be, it is always a good idea to have some kind of self-sustaining food supplies you can rely on.
We have also previously looked at some of the best tasting survival foods you can consider to further bolster your emergency supplies.
How to Make a Survival Garden
If you want to start your survival garden, there is a bit of preparation involved. As with any pursuit, the more you plan the more likely you will be to succeed! These preparations can vary depending on your circumstances, but there are a few basic things to keep in mind.
First of all, you will need the right spot for your garden. You will have to ensure you have enough space for what you wish to plant, and you will also need to make sure that there is decent sunlight exposure in the garden.
The soil also needs to be suitable for planting and have decent drainage properties. Before planting, you should also clear any debris or things that will harm the garden and plan out where you will plant what.
You will also naturally need some kind of water supply nearby for watering your garden. These are all basic things to think about, but they’re nevertheless important to a successful garden. It also couldn’t hurt to research the needs of any plants you’re considering to make sure you know how to care for them.
When to Start Seeds for a Garden
Knowing when to start the seeds for your garden can be tricky, as it can vary depending on the seeds you’re planting. It could also depend on the climate and weather conditions in your area. Many times, you will want to start the seeds off indoors before adding them to your garden.
When you use seeds such as the ones we will soon look at, they will almost always have instructions on the best way to plant and raise them, so be sure to thoroughly adhere to those instructions to make sure each thing you grow will have the best chance possible.
What to Plant in a Survival Garden
Answering the question of what you should plant in your survival garden is not a question that has one answer that will fit all needs. There are various factors you should consider when choosing your seeds. For starters, you should think about how many people you will be feeding, as a larger family will invariably need a bigger garden.
Then, you should consider variety. This is good for not only keeping a healthy diet but also ensuring that you will have something to suit all tastes. Additionally, it’s also a good idea to not only plant vegetables but also herbs that you can use to supplement your food.
A lot of this can depend on personal preference, so everyone’s ideal garden will likely be a bit different.
Can You Survive With Only Foods You Can Garden?
When considering a survival garden, you may be thinking that grocery shopping will be a thing of the past, but this will not always be the case. It is possible to subsist entirely from a survival garden, but in reality it is not usually feasible.
Maintaining a garden large enough to feed a whole family requires a lot of work, and it can become a full-time vocation. This is fine if you have the time, inclination, and room, but for most people, this will be unrealistic.
For this and other reasons, it’s probably best to look at a survival garden as a supplement to your usual resources. This way, you can still cut down on costs by getting most of your vegetables and herbs from your garden while still supplying what else you need from the store.
The larger your garden, the more difficult it becomes, so it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into.
Best Seeds for Survival Garden
The next section will have some products you can use to get you started with your very own survival garden. There is a good variety of different options here, so there should be something for every need and preference!
Open Seed Vault- Best Vegetable Seeds For Survival Garden
The first option we have for you is from Open Seed Vault. This variety collection has 32 different packs for up to 15000 fruits and vegetables. It’s all sourced in the USA and has been specially prepared in order to ensure success. Additionally, there are also comprehensive instructions that can help get you started.
This would be a great overall option for anyone wanting to get their garden started with as little fuss as possible.
Survival Essentials
For a large selection of different seeds, you may wish to consider this next option from Survival Essentials. There are 144 varieties of seeds in this collection, and they’re all contained in airtight containers that will keep them fresh until you’re ready to plant them.
Heaven’s Harvest
We have another collection of various seeds with this offering from Heaven’s Harvest. This collection has over 25000 different fruit and vegetable seeds that have been carefully selected to give you the best variety.
Once again, it is all contained in a container that will provide a long storage life when stored properly.
Mountain Valley Seed Company
Next up, we have this convenient can of seeds from Mountain Valley Seed Company. This time, you have around 50,000 seeds comprising 16 different varieties of vegetables. It has all been prepared to be easy to plant, and it can also be stored for a long time under the right conditions.
Heirloom Futures
The next option from Heirloom Futures isn’t quite as good for long-term storage as some of the others are, but it’s still a great immediate option. This option contains 55 vegetable strains with around 15000 seeds total, so it would be a great starter option for a small to medium-sized garden.
B&KM Farms
We have another option that would be perfect for people who want greater variety and quantity of their vegetables. This comes from B&KM Farms, and it contains 30 fruit and vegetable seed variants for a total of 23600 seeds.
Family Sown
The next pack from Family Sown contains 55 different varieties of fruits and vegetables for a total of 25000 seeds. This has also been specially packed to make it suitable for long-term storage, and there are also instructions to easily get you started with your garden.
Survival Garden Seeds
If you’re looking for something of a starter kit, then you may want to consider this option from Survival Garden Seeds. This kit has some great variety with 20 different seed variants, and it’s all planned out to get you started with ease.
Burpee
The next option is from Burpee, and this is another good option for a mid to large-sized survival garden. This one contains 35 different vegetable seed varieties, and it has a total of around 30,000 seeds. It certainly is a great option to get you started in good form and will provide many healthy vegetables for your family.
Handy Pantry Sprouting Seeds
Most of the options we have looked at so far have had a lot of variety, but sometimes you want something more specific. If you want to focus on beans for your garden, then you should consider the Handy Pantry sprouting seeds collection. There are various bean varieties to get you started, and they’re all easy to plant and cultivate.
4 Patriots Gardening Tool Set
So you have your chosen selection of seeds ready to go, but then you realize that you don’t have any tools to plant them! Instead of wondering which tools to get, you could instead go for the 4 Patriots gardening tool set.
This kit includes 7 essential tools including gardening gloves, and they are all kept in a convenient storage bag for more convenience. The kit would make the perfect addition to any of the seed collections on this list.
4 Patriots Seed Vault
We will stick with the same company that we just looked at as we show you the 4 Patriots garden seed vault. This victory garden selection contains almost 10,000 seeds, and it would be the perfect starter pack for anyone thinking of a smaller garden to get started.
Legacy Food Storage Variety
Our penultimate pick shows another variety pack, this time from Legacy Food Storage. This is a great pack for anyone wanting to grow more than just vegetables, as it contains packs of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and even medicinal seeds. You should definitely consider this pack if you want some variety to what you’re growing in your garden.
Legacy Food Storage Vegetables
This final pick is a variation of the previous one from Legacy Food Storage. While variety can be great, you may wish to keep things simpler, so this option merely has the vegetable pack from the previous product.
Can a Herb Garden Survive Winter?
This can vary, but herb gardens can usually survive Winter conditions if looked after properly. You may need to grow them indoors during severe Winter conditions, however. It will also depend on the herbs you’re growing, as some are more hardy than others.
Can a Herb Garden Survive Overnight Freeze?
An overnight freeze can be damaging to your herb garden, but you can mitigate the effects by preparing them properly if severe weather is incoming.
How Long is Garden Seed Good For?
If stored properly, garden seeds can be good for multiple years. This is especially true with some of the products on this list that were designed with longevity in mind by storing the seeds in airtight containers.
Conclusion
Starting a survival garden can be equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking, so we hope that this article has made the process much easier for you! Now you have all the information you need to get going, and you will be able to start your garden on the right foot.
If you follow the points in this article and use some of the products provided, we’re confident you will be ready to take the first step to self-sufficiency!
