By Barbara H. Peterson
Garden like your life depends on it – because it does!
In this age of rampant contamination of our food supply by pesticides, toxic sludge, radiation, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as well as increasing regulations restricting family farmers and people that merely want to use the space in their yards for something useful such as growing food, we would all do well to start learning how to plant a garden, and save the seeds from those crops for future plantings and to share with neighbors and friends so that if one person gets shut down, then others can share their saved seeds and the garden can be started right back up again.
This is guerrilla warfare using seeds as weapons of mass deliverance.
How we started our guerrilla warfare gardening project
First, I found some non-GMO, non-hybrid seeds. I asked the local feed store what brand of seeds they carried, then looked up the brands on the Internet to find out who owned the companies, and if Monsanto had anything to do with them, then chose the non-Monsanto related brand.
We started out with a small outdoor garden, growing things that we were told would grow without too much expertise, since we were just beginners. We fertilized the garden area with aged horse manure from our own horses, and planted spinach, beets, carrots, cabbage, mustard greens, onions, swiss chard, lettuce, and radishes, then watered diligently by hand. We were not disappointed, and actually had a decent harvest our first year. This was encouraging.
After that, we experimented with other crops such as zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Since our growing season is so short, the squash, cukes and tomatoes froze. This was disappointing to say the least, but we learned.
I then went on the Internet to find out how to save and store seeds for future plantings. I found that it is necessary to get non-hybrid seeds, and wanting to keep everything organic, made sure that I got heirloom organic seeds from a reputable company. Here are instructions for harvesting and saving your seeds: LINK
The indoor garden
Because I love tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and butternut squash, this year I decided to do something different and start an indoor garden because these crops simply do not do well outside unless you have a greenhouse, hoop house, or other type of covering for them. Since we have a spare bedroom, it just seemed logical to convert it into a garden room.
We built a three-tier bench out of scrap lumber in front of the window, and installed a simple fluorescent grow light under the top shelf.
I used pie plates with clear plastic tops and plastic containers from the supermarket as mini-greenhouses to start the seeds, then transplanted them into large cans.
There are two other walls on which to build shelves, and we plan on doing that just as soon as possible to house the many plants that I started. We also plan on installing at least three more grow lights to make this room an all-year grow room, with fresh veggies available year-round. This will be accomplished by staggering the planting schedule. The tomatoes will hang upside down from the ceiling because they seem to do best that way, and it saves space in the room. Here is a link to some information regarding grow lights.
Future plans
In the future, we plan to expand our outdoor garden to include an automated sprinkler system, which will cut down on the manual labor. The indoor garden room will eventually contain its own water supply with utility sink, and a timer for the lights. The closet in the garden room will contain shelves to store seeds, supplies, and anything else I need to keep the garden growing.
If we can do this, so can you. I encourage everyone to start their own project, whether it is an indoor garden room like ours, an outdoor garden, greenhouse, window garden, hydroponics garden, vertical garden, or anything that your space will allow. The time to start is now, because if you are hungry, there is no time to learn how to do this. So take this time to prepare because we are quickly becoming so dependent on imported food that prices are apt to skyrocket out of control and out of the budget for many of us. What will you do if you go to the grocery store and a loaf of bread costs $10? I know what I will do. Plant more seeds and learn to live on fresh veggies for the majority of my diet. We can survive the coming crash, we just need to get resourceful and learn how to grow our own food in the face of all opposition. After all, this is guerrilla warfare using seeds as weapons of mass deliverance.
© 2011 Barbara H. Peterson – all rights reserved
Also posted at Freedom’s Phoenix
Tags: Barbara H. Peterson, Farm Wars, farmwars, food localization, garden room, gardening, GMO, Indoor Gardening
Barbara H. Peterson,
Thx for the email, its much appreciated! The inside of all cans are probably bisphenol A infused (notice how the interior of most cans scrape differently than if it were metal alone?) That should mean that the outer areas of the makeshift planters are kinda poisoned. Far less probably than regular packed or canned food, but leaching for certain.
Ceramic (but not glazed) pots aren’t too expensive hereabouts being USD$2-5 at most. It can’t be considered a luxury over there?!? Well maybe the distribution chain doesn’t reach there. Your farming cooperative could order and buy en masse for discounts. The main idea about organic is to avoid plastics and stuff, just thought to point out.
Meanwhile try getting your MP or MP candidate wannabe to pledge the below under a videocam :
http://www.facebook.com/ph?oto.....38;theater
;or run for candidacy on the below criteria.
Hi Lorena,
You are correct in that GMOs are definitely different than hybrids. However, I do not believe that planting hybrids will make up for beginner ineptitude. I have had no problems with my heirloom organic non-hybrid seeds. I don’t think anything can really make up for the learning curve… just trial and error, and plenty of people to help along the way with good advice :)
GMO is not the same as hybrid. Hybrids have been made for thousands of years by simple selection methods not requiring a laboratory. In a true survival situation, your first year you should grow hybrid plants to get a very high yield and make up for beginner ineptitude. Hybrids are far more vigorous than non-hybrids. Save your non-hybrid seeds for the second year (they will keep just fine) and then save your seeds for the third year from that.
You can also in a pinch save seeds from hybrids, but just know that the plants from those seeds may not be anywhere near as vigorous or have the same characteristics as the hybrids did. It would be better than nothing, however.
Try visiting an allotment forum for your gardening tips. I recommend the allotments UK forum. Happy growing.
I have met a group of menonite farmers in the yaak that have verdent lovely gardens at 4500 feet elevation. They don’t buy food! The secret is to mulch the ground around every plant. It heats the soil warming the roots and it suffocates the weeds at the same time. They save the seeds with paper lunch bags and make glass top boxes in the deep soft manuer , putting a layer of wood or plastic over the hot manuer and a layer of dirt on top and box sides and glass over the top. I had a salad with nasturtium and chard , lettuce and goat cheese, and a butter/vinegar salad dressing in february with 4 to six feet deep snow served in the yaak mountains. Jerusalem artichokes can be harvested year around providing you can get below the ice and potatoes thrive where other plants wither and die. Look into the amish and menonite methods because they have been successfully gardening for generations in northern germany and russia with ice and other hardships.
@Kev_C: Thanks for the tips. I’m in this for life :)
@robertsgt40: I have the horses, so I use what I have on hand. It seems to be working quite well. I don’t inject them with antibiotics, or other types of poisons, so I know what I am getting. The D.C. poop is out! Nothing but jackasses there.
You might consider using cow poop as opposed to horse poop. It’s less acidic. All the horse poop is in the D.C. area
If you need to generate your own power, think solar cells, batteries and LED lights. There are now 1 and 5 watt LEDS that can use 12 volts only. Make sure your LEDS are rated in the 630 nm wavelength as most plants respond very favorably to that light wavelength.
You can also invest in a 12 volt motor reduction geared platform that rotates at 1 rev per hour. The plants are lit buy the leds about 1 foot distance from the plants while the plants themselves rotate past the leds so that all parts / leaves are given light.
You also might consider aqua culture in conjunction with leds.
An automotive windshield washer pump can be used to cycle water.
The advantage to doing to above is NO VOLTAGE CONVERSION is needed. Super efficient! Solar cells on roof replace windows that can be looked in to spy on your crops. Windowless rooms are extremely more efficient to heat and maintain moisture. LEDS produce NO DETECTABLE HEAT.
Just a suggestion, but in the future this may need to be done to escape government detection.
I’d be a bit suspicious of using tins as plant pots. The coating is BPA. It is readily absorbed into the food when it is in the can so the same can probably be said about the coating when in contact with soil. As the plants grow they will take up the chemicals in the soil.
As for saving seeds I went to Seedy Sunday here in the UK way back in January. They had a really great little booklet telling you how to save seeds. http://www.seedysunday.org/
Plenty of interesting information. It may be the UK version but seeds are seeds and the numerous types of a particular vegetable can be saved in the same way. Its just the particular variety that is different.
I was looking at the picture of your vegetable plot and one thing struck me. There was (or still is) a lot of bare ground. This leads to dehydration of the soil, erosion and hard work keeping the weeds down. Have a look at the Permaculture methodology. Watch Bill Mollisons video on Permaculture
http://video.google.com/videop.....612522952#
and his global gardener, a 4 part documantary on different climate types that can be converted to permaculture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....&NR=1
Finally to grow sufficient food for a year round supply requires a large quantity of storage space and a number of different types of preserving techniques. Time to learn to preserve and store methinks if you intend to become self sufficient. However don’t be put off. I can honestly say its easy when you get going. You will have the time to enjoy life as well as grow your own food.
Great idea and the sure way to learn is to put the idea out there for others to pick apart and improve on basing their ideas and input on their own experiences and contacts.
Like ‘ I don’t know how to do it but I know someone that does.’ You get my drift I’m sure.
Yeah, CJ. But I prefer to go out growing :)
“….the powers that be can ruin your garden merely by cutting off your supply.”
Or they can simply kick your doors off the hinges, kill your dog, threaten your family and terrorize the entire neighborhood thinking they had nabbed them one of them ‘pot growers’.
@AgreeToDisagree: Your suggestion is good for people who are able to purchase or make such things. However, some of us are not afforded that luxury and must make do with what we have :)
I have been growing most of our food for 30 years now, also saving many different seeds.
be careful where you buy ‘heirloom organic’ seed, several people I know have bought ‘High Mowing ‘ organic seed, tried some myself – in many cases either it failed to germinate or did not come true to labeled variety.
some of my favorite corn and squash is hybrid, will buy it as long as I can but also have backup OP varities
I am having a problem with the radiation thing. How do others who read this feel. I did not plant this year as I wanted to see what Fukishima would bring. There is no doubt that tptb are not telling us the truth and neither is our govt. I live on the east coast and would not buy anything form California in the way of fruit and veggies. That means I am buying locally and from the south. See my son and I realized the first time we saw the videos from Fukishima it was more than what they were saying. What are people doing to protect their growing spaces against this. Japan has already started mass plantings of sunflowers. Next summer I am planning to erect a greenhouse. Thanks to all
Plastic pails and fabricated (likely plastic coated) cans? How about some ceramic or pottery instead to be truly organic?
@John
it’s not likely most of us can grow all the food we need to get by for a year. – Oh yes most of us can! Try the entirity of jobless folk or even those who could boycott big society by not working as or for suits but ever ready to run for election.
Where are the cowboys and hillbillies in congress? Only corrupt globalists worth 10s of millions to billions?
google local vegetable auctions….they are all over the place. then attend and purchase your veges at wholesale price, and can them.
One of the most wonderful things about gardening is that there are so many ways to do it. WhileI agree with the emphasis of this article, it’s not likely most of us can grow all the food we need to get by for a year. Supplement whatever else you’re doing with gardening. Also, go to the farmer’s markets and support CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), where others can provide for you from the abundance of what they grow.
Sounds like a good plan, but you might want to re-think the grow lights and the automated sprinkler system. If you don’t have your own sources of electricity and water, the powers that be can ruin your garden merely by cutting off your supply.
You might be better off installing extra windows or a sky light in your spare bedroom, and elevated rainwater collection tanks for gravity-fed watering.
You might want to check out Brian Desborough’s latest article on Survival Gardening
http://briansbetterworld.com/a.....dening.htm
Peace
Trin