20 Best Crops For A Survival Garden

 

When times are uncertain, many turn to a survival garden. And to be honest, why wouldn’t you? Survival gardening provides healthy, readily-available food at rock-bottom prices. It’s good exercise, good for morale, and it’s fun. And if you have time to burn, it’s a great way to take your mind off of the stresses worldwide.

Even if you live in an apartment, you can have an urban food garden. If you have a large yard, we’ll talk briefly about survival garden design on a larger scale, too. But frankly, my goal here is to talk about growing your own food for survival purposes, and what things are the most effective to grow for both caloric and nutrient density.

So let’s start out with how this works, and then go on to the best foods to grow in your survival garden!

How Survival Gardening Works

Most people like to grow plants that look good as well as some that taste good. But when you’re doing a survival garden, your goal is literally to survive. Every plant in your garden should have a use that reflects that goal.

Of course, it’s a given that you’ll need veggies for survival. They’re diverse and provide a lot of nutrition. But your kids will rebel (and so will you) if you are facing the zombie apocalypse with nothing more than squash and potatoes. Plus, you’ll need vitamin C.

So add in some fruit for your pandemic pantry, too. Don’t forget herbs for flavor and possible medicinal uses (although stick with those which are culinary-safe, so you keep your kids safe).

Small space gardeners shouldn’t panic. Both hanging and free-standing containers can hold a surprising amount of material. Grow bags are perfect for those precious potatoes, for instance! Kevin wrote an entire book that’s designed just for your needs, and it’s packed with fantastic information that will easily translate to an urban survival garden layout. You can use nice planters, or try one of the many other methods in his book.

If you have a yard, you’re in luck. Raised beds are great options, but you can plant directly in the ground, too. Plan locations for climbing plants that need to be trellised first, then determine where larger plants will need to be. Fill the remainder of your survival garden space with shorter plants. If you have leafy greens, those will love the shade provided by taller plants.