Prep Blog Review: Ready, Set… Garden!

When I think gardening, besides the hard and so rewarding work, I also think of “self-sufficiency” and “food-independence”. That’s what my survival garden means to me. So I can’t wait this time of the year when I start planning and working on my garden.

I bet that many of you feel the same, that’s why we talked about how to DIY your own greenhouse and how to heat it and tomorrow we’ll be taking about cold frames, so stay tuned!

1. Planting By The Signs

Prep 1 “The term “planting by the signs” is a colloquial expression or folk term for the ancient practice of timing agricultural and gardening tasks by the moon’s lunar phase and astrological position in the zodiac. For our ancestors, the understanding and application of natural lunar cycles and rhythms to their lives was literally a matter of life and death.

By applying the principles that had been passed on to them by each preceding generation, our forefathers and mothers managed to survive famine and disease. Unlike like us, they lived closer to the earth and didn’t have the benefit of 24-hour grocery stores, insecticides, antibiotics or electricity.”

2. How To Create A Simple Garden For Salsa, Sauces, Soups and Salads!

Prep 2 “Nothing compares to the taste of freshly made salsa, pasta sauce, soup or a beautiful salad from your very own garden! With nothing more than a tiny plot of backyard space or a sunny patio – you can easily create and grow your own personal chef’s simple garden to enjoy all of those healthy dishes.

With the right selection and combination of veggie plants, a small raised bed for salad crops, and a few select potted herbs – you can be whipping up fresh salsa, serving your own homemade pasta sauce, creating incredible soups and serving up beautiful salads all summer long!”

3. How to Plant Trees – Spreading Roots Properly and Sheet Mulching – Part One

“Many people plant trees in a way that almost insures that they will eventually get sick and die or at least not thrive. It is all about the roots and the soil.”

Video first seen on Jack Spirko

4. Sweet Basil – Grow it for the Bees

Prep 4 “Years ago an old farmer told my young boys that when they started dating, a big bunch of sweet basil in the car would win a girl’s heart. Now, I don’t know about that, but it’s definitely a must-have in my garden.

Sweet basil is a culinary herb used frequently in Italian cooking and is the base for our favorite pesto. But besides girls and pesto and Italian food, here’s another reason to grow it: Bees.”

5. 11 Reasons You Should Start a Container Garden

Prep 5 “Sometimes, the only thing preventing us moving toward independence and self-sufficiency is our doubts.

Growing a garden is one area where our thoughts can be a bigger obstacle than any of the real obstacles involved in starting a garden. “I can’t have a garden, my yard is to small” and “I can’t have a garden, I live in an apartment” are examples of thoughts that may prevent you from growing your own food.”