The thing I see missing in this list that is important for your belly to feel full, is some sort of oil crop. Tyler mentions squash, whose seeds can fill that need even if you have to sit there pealing them. Ellandra mentions both sunflower and sesame seeds. In your climate, flax seeds might be an option.Finally, you need to focus on calories first, nutrients and fiber second, and herbs and flavorings last. It's great to have something to spice up your meals, but not at the expense of filling your belly.
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Stacie Kim wrote:I recently read an article that suggested the following 12 crops for a survival garden:
Beans
Basil
Cabbage
Carrots
Potatoes
Corn
Amaranth
Berries
Chamomile
Cucumbers
Strawberries
Arugula
These crops were noted for being nutrient dense, easy to grow, and easy to preserve. The basil and chamomile were listed for medicinal/digestive benefits.
I think, for my own family's survival garden, I'd made a few changes:
I'd opt to grow walking onions instead of basil. The reason being that I can use more of a walking onion (bulb and greens) for more versatility. I think onions, even small ones, would offer more calories than basil.
I'd swap the cabbage and grow collards instead. They grow much more readily here than heading cabbage.
I'd grow winter squash instead of amaranth. My family really enjoys spaghetti squash.
I'd grow mint instead of chamomile. The authors of the article cite chamomile's medicinal benefits, but they warn it's a hard plant to get established. I have mint that is un-killable here!
Instead of arugula, I'd grow sweet potatoes. The greens of sweet potatoes are also edible, plus you get a good starchy tuber to eat when you dig up them up.
I'd also put tomatoes on the list. My family eats an alarming amount of tomatoes!
Have you ever considered an "SHTF" crop list? What if you could only grow 10 to 15 crops on a small plot of backyard space? Would you agree with the original list of crops? Do they grow well in your area?
Original article: Best Crops for Your Survival Garden
Cindy at Simply Backwoods
Tyler Ludens wrote:This is one of my favorite topics!
For my semi-arid warm climate ( with irrigation) I am trying to grow as staples:
Sweet potatoes
Moschata winter squash
Tatume summer squash
Garlic chives ( utterly unkillable, needing no irrigation)
Kale
Mulberry
Chili piquin/Bird pepper
Moringa
The plants which survived the Big Texas Freeze and utter neglect best were Moringa (froze to the ground but grew back), Garlic Chives, and Chili Piquin.
Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts. ~Wendell Berry
Kim Goodwin wrote:
Tyler Ludens wrote:This is one of my favorite topics!
For my semi-arid warm climate ( with irrigation) I am trying to grow as staples:
Sweet potatoes
Moschata winter squash
Tatume summer squash
Garlic chives ( utterly unkillable, needing no irrigation)
Kale
Mulberry
Chili piquin/Bird pepper
Moringa
The plants which survived the Big Texas Freeze and utter neglect best were Moringa (froze to the ground but grew back), Garlic Chives, and Chili Piquin.
Wow, Tyler, moringa outside in zone 8. I didn't realize that might work. How established was your Moringa before the big freeze? I'm trying to figure out if I want to risk planting any of mine out. I have the short bush ones from Baker Creek heirloom seeds. But it gets tiresome keeping things in pots through the winter...
Mk Neal wrote: I am not sure what is meant by "survival garden." As in, what disaster are we surviving that leaves the garden intact?
Mk Neal wrote: This year I made a point of documenting all the food I harvested from my backyard to get a rough idea of what gave the greatest yields. I only measured the amount I harvested, which is less than the total output b/c I have a dayjob and just can't get to everything (looking at you, carpet of fallen mulberries...) I also quickly realized that a bowlful of lettuce or a handful of herbs or snap peas did not have enough calories to be worth documenting for this project, so these items are left out...
...Total calories documented past year: 24,397
Top 5 crops for calorie yield: Redcurrants (5542 Kcals), Grapes (4099 Kcals), sour cherries (2751 Kcal), acorn squash (2670 Kcals), black raspberry (2136 Kcals)
Top 5 crops for volume: Tomato (10.3 kg), redcurrants (9.9 kg), acorn squash (9.2 kg), grapes (6.1 kg), sour cherries (5.5 kg)
Little house with a big garden in the city!
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