Food Production

Among all the skills mentioned within the context of prepping and survivalism, the skills learned in food production are the most important.

Whether you are in an urban or rural setting, acquiring quality land for food production purposes is priority number one!

Food shortages will come, higher food prices will come and GMO agendas will continue; therefore, if you value your health and the health of your household, you ought to consider adapting your diet to seeds and seedlings available, changes in growing seasons, skill set, weather conditions and items already stocked up.

For the sake of simplicity, we will maintain this discussion within the context of food forest production: the creation of a food-generating habitat.

VEGETABLES

Raised Bed Gardens, Vertical Gardening and Aeroponics should each be considered as a means of growing the veggies you and your family need most. Considerations include: space, budget, species of plants, growing seasons, irrigation, heat and pests.

Constructing a shelter for your raised garden beds are advantageous for several reasons: longer growing seasons (you can plant earlier in the spring and later in autumn), moisture retention (your veggies won't dry out so fast, once watered) and it helps keep pests out (rabbits, squirrels and other rodents).

HERBS AND MICROGREENS

Ideal as a starting point for urban planters, microgreens are used as a nutritional supplement to one's diet. They can easily be grown indoors near a window with ultraviolet lighting and have a very short growing season. You may want to begin with wheatgrass, pea shoots, radish sprouts and sunflower shoots.

Microgreens generally need a 2-8 day blackout period before being exposed to light. Thereafter, microgreens require a minimum of 4 hours of direct sunlight. Aside from these considerations, they simply require soil, a container, heat and water.

The most recommended herbs to grow indoors include basil, chives, mint, parsley, bay laurel, lemongrass, oregano, rosemary thyme, cilantro and chervil.

FRUIT ORCHARD

This discussion will focus on an urban farming paradigm with limited space. Some of the easiest fruit to grow indoors include strawberries, Brown Turkey figs, Meyer lemons, Calamondin oranges, Super Dwarf or Dwarf Red bananas, raspberries, blackberries, limes, Arbequina or Picholine olives, Moorpark or Goldcot apricots, Dwarf Everbearing mulberries and Wurtz, Gwen or Whitsell avocados.

You may prefer to start with seedlings or young trees instead of planting by seed alone. This assures you of the greater possibility of producing healthy fruit. For potting and fertilizing, please research the details that pertain to the fruit tree or bush you'd like to grow and the correct soil composition required for each plant.

Make sure your indoor orchard has bright, full sunlight for 6-8 hours a day; citrus plants need even more: 8-12 hours! Use the sunniest room in your home. Rotate the pots, periodically. Great alternatives are to use grow lights and placing fruit trees outdoors during warm months as they do appreciate fresh air.

During the winter months, keep your fruit trees away from drafty windows and doors. They don't favor the cold. Also, fruit plants favor a decent amount of humidity. Do not allow your leaves to dry out! From time to time, you may want to spritz them with water from a spray bottle.

In addition, make sure to use large enough pots that offer lots of room for your roots to grow with drainage holes, so no water build-up occurs in the pots.

Once you have fruit bearing on your trees, enjoy! You may want to consider making a fruit preserve, jam or jelly; as well.