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Top 5 thing to grow.

8K views 61 replies 26 participants last post by  CWOLDOJAX 
#1 ·
Top 5.
It helps (a newbie like me) to narrow priorities, be efficient, and start soon at various preps, (gardening, home defense, energy, tools, skills, etc.)

What would you suggest are the top 5 items a suburban prepper should grow in their backyard or patio assuming they have a 4ft x 8ft (patio) or 12ft x 12ft space in the yard?... and why?

Personally, in Florida, I am interested in things I can grow and harvest 9-10 months, from spring to fall.
 
#38 ·
Broccoli is another big producer for me. We are actually sick of broccoli by the end of the season. Again - nothing goes to waste. Leaves can be added to salads or steamed. Leaves can be fed to chickens or dehydrated and blending into powder. The stems are sliced for stir fry, and the florets can also be dehydrated or frozen for storage. Furthermore, I let a couple of plants go to seed. The seeds can be used for sprouting very tasty and nutritious "micro greens.)

I admit that I get a headstart by using broccoli plants that I buy from the Home Depot. But, I do want to start sprouting my own plants from heriloom seeds. I will be trying that this year - this weedend, in fact. (Bulk of our garden is planted in Sept and Oct for a large winter garden that goes through end of May.)I set out broccoli and plant all my greens (lettuce, chard, mustard, collard, kale, spinich), peas, fava beans, beets, turnips, carrots at the very beginning of Oct.
 
#40 ·
Sure, each "eye" on a potato can be a sprout to start a new plant. The starchy flesh provides the energy for growth. That's why you can start a potato in a water cup with no soil.
Just make sure your stock isnt treated with inhibitors, like Sarge said. Organic should be a safe bet.
 
#41 ·
You start by putting your "seed" potatoes in a warm moist space out of the sunlight. when they start to get buds on them cut them into sections that each hold a bud. Let them sit in a warm dry place (top of the fridge) for 24 hours so the cuts will turn dark and "scab" over. Then plant them with the buds just at ground level and completely covered with dirt except for the little bud. The dirt should be loose loam - not clay or easily compacted soil. You can use sawdust, peat moss, or vermiculite to loosen the soil. Water it well until the plant begins to grow. pile new loose dirt up just keeping about 6 to eight inches of green leafy plant above the soil. If a potato starts to show get it covered as fast as you can. When the top of the plant starts to die back it is time to harvest your potatoes.
 
#42 ·
You will have better luck growing potatoes vertically with wood towers instead of tires. Also, with wood, you can rob the potatoes out the bottom layers without killing the plant. Just replace the boards and dirt and screw it back together.
Growing tomatoes is a great idea because they grow easily and are very nutritious. Tomatoes can also help make other foods that you may need to resort to taste better.
Beets and garlic are also smart foods.
Everyone above that says to plant beans (legumes) is wise. They are a great food and can be stored easily for some time. I have heard stories if people in communities using beans and potatoes as currency during very trying times.
Good luck, and remember that the best fertilizer is the shadow of a gardener.
 
#43 ·
On the tire thing I think your supposed to start with one tire and plant your seed eyes. After they grow a bit of a vine you place another tire on top and fill with dirt and leave just a few inches of the vine poking out of the ground. You repeat the process through the growing season until its about waist high. To harvest you left the tires off if I under stand it correctly and harvest the potatoes from the column of dirt as you continue to remove the tires lower down. You can find a video I am sure on this technique on You tube.
 
#44 ·
I am amazed I haven't seen bananas mentioned. I have often heard that if there was only one thing you could have to live on ......... it should be bananas. Probably has something to do with the balanced potassium content that your heart must have or .... lights out.
 
#48 ·
This might shock some folks, but you can't actually grow bananas like you find in the store.
The sweet delicious banana we all know and love is purely a product of human intervention. That fruit does not grow on a tree by itself.
At a very early stage, two types of trees are grafted together to cause the production of the large yellow curved fruit we find in the produce section. You can grow smaller ones, or ones that don't taste as good, but there are no seeds that reproduce the same banana you buy at the store.
If I remember correctly, all the bananas we enjoy are grown together in one part of the world, and nowhere else.
 
#45 ·
Green leafy veggies contain potassium and most of the trace minerals that you need for balanced electrolyte and healthy growth. If you have to live on a single food the you have to do some research on the "SUPER FOODS". Wheat is one of them. You get vitamins and minerals from the sprouts and most everything else from the grain in its different foods. It may not be the best diet in the world but it will keep you alive and healthy.
 
#46 ·
Years ago Mother earth news had a system using a barrel to grow potatoes that was interesting. You bring up potassium Beets mentioned before are a good source of potassium.
 
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#53 ·
Just for what it's worth, I think it is very valuablel to know what edible wild plants grow in your area. How did the Native Americans in your area exist? What did they gather or grow? How did they prepare it? How did they store it? Using native foods to augment your supplies and garden can stretch survivability out indefinitely. Here in the Sonoran desert, there is an absolute treasure lode of native foods. I have gathered for years, and try to add to my knowledge each year. At present, I am able to eat some sort of native food every day, just from what I have gathered and stored. Cholla buds (really high in calcium), prickly pear pads and fruit (high in soluble fiber and antioxidants), mesquite bean flour (very high protein), palo verde beans (like edemame), iron wood beans, hackberry sprouted seedlings of mesquite and paloverde trees, barrel cactus fruit and seeds, wild amaranth, purslane, and scads of other edible greens.

It is something to research and try. Kids really like to find wild things to eat - it can be a family adventure. It gives you another whole layer of sustainability.
 
#54 ·
I'm originally from Mississippi, so I am partial to all the Native American staples. I now live in Perth, Western Australia, which has a similar climate to southern California. I would suggest starting with the Mexican Triniti of beans, corn, and squash. Beyond that, tomatoes and beets are excellent choices. Berries are a favorite of mine. Have you looked into this, btw: Garden Tower Project - The Garden Tower Project
You can build your own, there's a video here:
These things are AM-AZING!!! This is how I do my primary gardening now, and it's completely self-contained.

In addition to this (the what to grow is only a small part of it, as I learned the hard way), I would highly recommend you get into composting and vermicomposting with compost bins and worm farm(s), respectively. This cuts wayyyy down on garbage, and it is the best fertilizer in the world. Not only that, it is completely renewable and builds soil - the most crucial part of gardening/farming.
 
#55 ·
So after a week, here's how the "Top 5 things to grow" settled.

Mine are:
1. Cucumbers
2. Tomatoes
3. Green Peppers
4. Strawberries
5. Red potatoes
5(a) Blueberries

Added/suggested:
Asparagus
Beets
Zucchini

Not added/suggested:
Bananas
Turnips
Leaf lettuce
Carrots
Radishes
Grapes
Beans

I appreciate everyone's suggestions and coaching.
I envision growing most of theses fruits/veggies.

THANKS!
 
#56 ·
I wish to caution you on the red potatoes. While I'm sure you'll be able to grow them, they won't do well in a vertical growing structure because they don't sprout tubers all the way up the stalk, from what I've read. Another method will probably work best for that type.
Good luck!
 
#57 ·
Hello CWODOJAX,

I would say ask your neighbors "what grows well in your area?" However, I would make a list of the different varieties of veggies that either myself and/or family like to eat on a regular basis. Then from that list I will commence on growing and harvesting those vegetables. Each zone has its own challenges, but that doesn't mean you can't grow certain varieties. Again thinking from a consumption point of view, even in a survival situation you'll want to have on hand preps (food) that you normally would eat. This is help to reduce the stress levels in a challenging environment.

So look for those varieties that grow well in Florida. From my personal experience you should have a pretty good list to choose from due to your state grown season

I know that was a long winded answer but it is a answer IMHO fitting for anyone who wishes to start gardening no matter what zone or region you hale from.

Best wishes,
Desert Marine
 
#58 ·
Thanks Desert Marine.
You make a good point.
I never mentioned in this thread anything about what we normally eat. I would eat it all, my wife and grand kids will eat most of the items on the list.
 
#60 ·
In a 4x4 are we planted 3 pear trees together and are guiding them in together. We got more pears then we could eat in year two. Jarring is around the corner. Outside the three trees I have room for tomatoes, carrots, and a few head of lettuce. If you have a sun drenched fence line I recommend sun flower seeds.
 
#61 ·
I completely forgot about sunflowers, and I've got mid-western roots!
Decorative, practical, brings bees.
 
#62 ·
Thanks again for all the replies and coaching.

I've been to a few local nurseries and have not found seeds for my top five items.
Any online seed company recommendations?
 
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