Seeds, dirt, and water do not equal a producing food plant.
I totally agree, and it’s sad to think how many people might believe if SHTF, they will just grow some tomato and lettuce plants and be OK.
Here in the pacific northwest, it’s peak harvest time. And I have enough food (including taters still in the ground) to keep me alive for maybe 3 weeks.
Very, very soon the sun will be too low and the days too cool and short to be able to grow only a few items.
Also, here in the PNW we have an abundance of gastropods, otherwise known as slugs, and there are few veggies that they ignore. A good idea of what they like and don’t like is essential to gardening.
Same would be true of rabbits or squirrels or even crows.
I cannot stress enough that people buy some books that deal with what is edible for their local area. Also, read up a bit on veggies and you will find out stuff like:
The entire radish plant is edible. Same with cabbage, carrots, and more.
Items like taters take a while, but are very high in calories, and things like taters, lettuce, mustard, and the cruciferous veggies are cool weather crops and ideal for the off-season.
I always recycle (sort of) my taters. When I harvest, I keep the biggest, most firm, and best of the crop.
The smaller ones, or ones that have defects, these ALL go right back into the ground. Come mid-April or so, I will have tons of tater starts already growing.
Cut the root ends off your celery, keep the carrot root top, and lettuce roots (store bought) to plant and they’ll sometimes grow. As you said, plant the tater eyes for next season. Give the lettuce, onions and other greens a haircut rather than pulling them up by the roots and they’ll continue to grow. It’s sad how many who have their stock of “survival seeds” don’t know just those basics.
I have a potato that’s going out tomorrow. Just brought in a couple buckets of tomatoes, a bucket of greens and a handful of peppers, cukes and beans from the garden. It hasn’t done anything this summer (another surprise for the newbies) because it was to HOT. Now, after 50+ days of 100+ temps, it’s finally down to the upper 90s and what a difference it has made.
No water will be another surprise for them. Then there’s the bugs, molds and diseases, the deer, the armadillos and the neighbors