Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? Its an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
Ive been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe thats why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
Wow - that’s some scary reading. Thanks for the link. Nothing like hearing it from someone whose been through the worst. I have already stocked up on a lot of stuff, but never thought of a bullet-proof vest. And I jotted down a few other items to get more of.
Thanks again.
bttt
Nice bread-baking post, granny.
BTW, I just got my grain mill delivered by UPS! But...the wheat in #10 cans won’t be here until tomorrow. I have 45# SuperPails, but don’t want to open one just to experiment.
I was thinking of getting an old fashioned one so that if we needed to, we could use it outside (camping or cooking without a stove). I appreciate all the great advice. I already pulled out my cookbook: “Old Fashioned Dutch Oven Cookbook” by Don Holm, c.1969.
Thanks for the info. I had read not to just plant a potato from the store, because of diseases.
Boy, i have a lot to learn!
When TSHTF, we’ll be moving to a cabin in the mountains - our of the city! ;)
Problem is - there will be snow on the ground until May and I’ll get (according to some googling) about 40 days to grow things. Will potatoes mature in that time?
It is right above Navigation when there is multiple pages of the thread.
You can access them on your FR profile page under Links.
Potato Sprout Inhibitors The purpose of sprout inhibitors is to prevent sprouting in storage. When applied to the potato crop in the field, they also prevent growth of volunteer potatoes in the following rotation crop. Sprout inhibitors function by inhibiting cell division, therefore they should never be applied to seed potatoes and care needs to be taken to avoid drift or movement of sprout inhibitors into areas where seed potatoes are present. Maleic hydrazide and chlorpropham (CIPC) are the compounds most commonly used as sprout inhibitors. Maleic hydrazide is applied to the growing potato crop and is translocated to the developing tubers where it arrests cell division, but does not limit cell expansion. If it is applied too early during tuber development it will limit tuber size and yield. Chlorpropham is applied to potatoes in storage. It is a potent inhibitor of cell division and should not be applied until after wound healing.
Some seed houses either carry them too or sometimes they dropship them from specialist growers. They run about $1.80 per pound plus shipping. Your local garden supply or hardware store (Ace Hardware here does) should carry them over the next couple of months - but don't wait they will be gone fast, and they don't reorder them.
Thank you very much for the link to FerFAL’s blog! Learning about interactions between business and politics in other countries is a hobby—one that might help us out in the near future. BTW, at least a couple of other countries to our south have been economic and political hobby horses for some of the more affluent constituents here (USA), the UK, and similarly developed countries.
My habit always was to take a seed potato and cut it into as many sections as it had eyes, then plant the chunks.
This usually meant each potato would get cut into four or five pieces.
Last year, I said to heck with that, and just cut them in half. To my surprise, they did much better than in the past, and I figured it out.
The plant itself “lives” off of the energy stored in the potato. So before it gets good stems and roots and leaves going, it needs that chunk of potato.
So the ones that I just cut in half got going, grew faster, and got bigger, and produced more potatoes themselves because it had a good energy store to get it going strong and vigorous.
So turn the dirt over good 16-24 inches deep, plant them with a bit of compost or manure if you have it, water them very heavy right after you put them in, and let them grow.
Forty days is kind of short but don’t deceive yourself, I’ve had potato plants sprout (and start to make potatoes) during warm spells in November!
Can I store them (ie., have them be dormant?) I cannot plant until the snow melts in the mountains, April or May. I suppose I can plant them here (in the city) and then transplant, if they’ll survive that. But I’m trying to see what I can grow up there, without the help of being in the valley - I’m assuming cities will be dangerous places to be.
That makes sense. I’m glad you told me - I would’ve been cheap and tried to make as many potato plants from one potato that I could!
40 days is probably a short estimate. I got it from a gardening book about this area. We certainly have from mid-June to August - that’s at least 75 days of growing weather. And it doesn’t always get cold in September right away either. Potatoes might be perfect for up there because it stays pretty cool, especially at night. Can potatoes handle a large temperature variation from day to night?
Now, don’t I feel silly ;) I’ve seen that link so, so many times and never even wondered about it. NOW I know.
Very handy. Thanks so much. (And thanks for not laughing)
Yup.
But I’ll tell ya what - if you were to plant them now, I guarantee they would be coming out of the ground by mid April.
If not sooner.
They are a good cold weather crop. They are native to the Andes mountains in South America. In fact my potatoes always do really, really well in the spring and early summer but start to fade by the 4th of July or so.
Well those are cool! I like to look these over just to see what I’m forgetting. And I always find something.
You are right about the humdrum of most survival food sites. If we can find the place we want to be, far from other people we’ll be eating a lot more variety just because of the odds and ends put up. All that standard fare will get ya through, but it sure will be a lot more pleasant with the extras.
I am planted my taters in trash bags this year one month earlier than normal... you might try it with a short season and see if it works for ya. My taters are up now.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_fruits_vegetables/article/0,2029,DIY_13846_4463475,00.html
That’s where I got the information. One of the older ladies around here laughed at me but they’ve started!!!
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