When most people think of a garden, they imagine tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers. While delicious, these vegetables act mostly as vitamins. They will not keep you alive in a crisis.
If your goal is food security, you need to change your mindset from “Salad Gardening” to “Survival Gardening.”
A survival garden focuses on calorie-dense crops that are easy to grow, store well without electricity, and provide the energy your family needs. Here is how to start one in a small backyard.
Step 1: Location and Soil
You don’t need acres of land. A 10×10 foot plot can produce hundreds of pounds of food if managed correctly.
- Sun: Pick a spot that gets at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight.
- Water: Ensure it is close to a water source. You won’t want to haul buckets during a drought.
- Soil: If your soil is rocky or poor, build Raised Beds. They drain better and warm up faster in the spring.
Step 2: The “Big Three” Survival Crops
Forget iceberg lettuce. Plant these three powerhouses:
1. Potatoes
Potatoes are the ultimate survival food. They are incredibly calorie-dense and easy to grow (you can even grow them in buckets or trash bags). A single potato planted in spring can yield 5–10 new potatoes by fall.
2. Corn (Flint or Dent Corn)
Don’t grow sweet corn (which rots fast). Grow “grain corn” meant for drying. You can grind it into cornmeal for bread or grits. It stores for years and fills bellies.
3. Winter Squash
Pumpkins, Butternut, and Acorn squash are packed with vitamins and carbs. The best part? They have thick skins, meaning you can store them on a shelf in a cool room for 6 months without any processing or canning.
Step 3: Heirloom Seeds Only
This is critical. Do not buy hybrid seeds from the big-box store. Hybrid seeds (F1) will not produce viable seeds for next year. Always buy Heirloom (Open-Pollinated) seeds. This allows you to save seeds from your harvest and replant them forever, making you truly independent from the supply chain.
Conclusion
Start small. Turn over a patch of grass this weekend and plant a few potatoes. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the best time to start a survival garden is today.
After the harvest, you need a way to store all those calories. Check out our review of the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer to preserve your food for 25 years.