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Not all strains of a vegetable or plant are the same. Diversity is a good thing- and genetic diversity in the garden is really importnat.
Lets consider tomatoes. When you buy tomato seed, you'll often see a letter or few following the variety name-those are ususally the diseases that strain is resistant to. Growing several varieties in your garden, instead of just one, can increase your chances of a safe harvest- if disease wipes out one variety, you have others that will still produce. If you have six different types, youre very likely to have a crop while your neighbor growing just one kind might lose it all. Some varieties actually keep pretty well- several weeks in a cool dark space. Add one of those to your garden to prolong the fresh fruit you'll have availalbe.
One other difference the subsistence or survival gardener may want to consider is the multiple uses of some crops. Sweet corn can be bround,to meal or flour, and dehydrated as well as eaten fresh. Growing several types at once,espeically with differnet maturity dates, ensures a longer and safer harvest. Grow a parch corn variety,http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_...item_no=S11064 and you can use it for all this, and a great snak food as well. Good parch corn is a soft, chewy treat- not at all like the "Corn Nuts" you'll see in the store. http://doityourself.com/info/parchingcorn.htm
Some green bean varieties are good dried as well as fresh. Good seed cataolgs will give you that information in their cariety description. those are good to grow- because even though you might freezse all your beans now- if TSHTF, being able to dehydrate some for dried beans may play a critical part in storing your harvest for winter use.
Leeks and carrots- greatstorage crops for the root celler. But if youre cold storage space is limited- then these crops are still a winner! They can overwinter right in your garden. If youre in an area where the ground freezes hard- cover the carrot patch with a thick layer of mulch,and put in a tall stick so its easy to find under the snow. I did it this winter with excellent reults.
In April I dug up my small patch of Danvers Half Long carrots and found about 10% spoilage- and that was without mulching or other ground preparations! Not bad for a crop to sit in the field for @ 7 months and still be edible! My leeks are still standing- I made deliscious leek and smoked turkey soup this past week from some of them. Look for varieties that do this well- again, check variety descriptions when youre planning your seed order.
Melons! That what I opened this post with, right?
Most of the time, we think of melons as an unstorable crop- expcept for frozen melon balls they just dont keep well. But, if I grow certain varieties, they actually will keep for a month or few in root cellar conditions. If TSHTF, a stored melon just might make an otherwise bleak Thanksgiving or even Christmas Dinner just a little bit brighter! and it might also be a great present or barter item, well worth trading for if theres no other fresh fruit around. Look for the term "winter melon" in the variety description. Valencia is one cultivar that is known to store up to 4 months in root cellar conditions. If you plan to save your own seed, remeber to choose open pollicated varieties- hybrids have their place in the survival garden, iMHO- but only as long as the seed reamins viable- its not worth saving most, I stick with heirloom or OP seed for the crops I'll need to depend on.
When you grow your garden, try planting few melons to grow on your fence- train them up, and let them ramble on the rails. You save space, and get a deliscious and healthy desert. Make a couple of hills a winter melon, and you'll capture the summer sunshine for those cold winter days.
Lets consider tomatoes. When you buy tomato seed, you'll often see a letter or few following the variety name-those are ususally the diseases that strain is resistant to. Growing several varieties in your garden, instead of just one, can increase your chances of a safe harvest- if disease wipes out one variety, you have others that will still produce. If you have six different types, youre very likely to have a crop while your neighbor growing just one kind might lose it all. Some varieties actually keep pretty well- several weeks in a cool dark space. Add one of those to your garden to prolong the fresh fruit you'll have availalbe.
One other difference the subsistence or survival gardener may want to consider is the multiple uses of some crops. Sweet corn can be bround,to meal or flour, and dehydrated as well as eaten fresh. Growing several types at once,espeically with differnet maturity dates, ensures a longer and safer harvest. Grow a parch corn variety,http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_...item_no=S11064 and you can use it for all this, and a great snak food as well. Good parch corn is a soft, chewy treat- not at all like the "Corn Nuts" you'll see in the store. http://doityourself.com/info/parchingcorn.htm
Some green bean varieties are good dried as well as fresh. Good seed cataolgs will give you that information in their cariety description. those are good to grow- because even though you might freezse all your beans now- if TSHTF, being able to dehydrate some for dried beans may play a critical part in storing your harvest for winter use.
Leeks and carrots- greatstorage crops for the root celler. But if youre cold storage space is limited- then these crops are still a winner! They can overwinter right in your garden. If youre in an area where the ground freezes hard- cover the carrot patch with a thick layer of mulch,and put in a tall stick so its easy to find under the snow. I did it this winter with excellent reults.
In April I dug up my small patch of Danvers Half Long carrots and found about 10% spoilage- and that was without mulching or other ground preparations! Not bad for a crop to sit in the field for @ 7 months and still be edible! My leeks are still standing- I made deliscious leek and smoked turkey soup this past week from some of them. Look for varieties that do this well- again, check variety descriptions when youre planning your seed order.
Melons! That what I opened this post with, right?
Most of the time, we think of melons as an unstorable crop- expcept for frozen melon balls they just dont keep well. But, if I grow certain varieties, they actually will keep for a month or few in root cellar conditions. If TSHTF, a stored melon just might make an otherwise bleak Thanksgiving or even Christmas Dinner just a little bit brighter! and it might also be a great present or barter item, well worth trading for if theres no other fresh fruit around. Look for the term "winter melon" in the variety description. Valencia is one cultivar that is known to store up to 4 months in root cellar conditions. If you plan to save your own seed, remeber to choose open pollicated varieties- hybrids have their place in the survival garden, iMHO- but only as long as the seed reamins viable- its not worth saving most, I stick with heirloom or OP seed for the crops I'll need to depend on.When you grow your garden, try planting few melons to grow on your fence- train them up, and let them ramble on the rails. You save space, and get a deliscious and healthy desert. Make a couple of hills a winter melon, and you'll capture the summer sunshine for those cold winter days.