During times of economic instability, finding ways to make sure that the basic needs will be met is very crucial. A great way to beat the fears of food shortage is survival gardening.

In survival gardening, you grow vegetables, fruits and herbs that are enough for your family’s consumption and some extra for storage, in your own backyard. That way, you can be assured that you’ll get food on the table and be certain that the foods you are eating are healthy.

Survival gardening is adapted from the concept of the Victory Gardens. During the war, families were persuaded to grow their own food to survive the difficult times. They grew food in their backyards, empty lots and some on apartment rooftops.

You can start survival gardening with the careful planning of the location and the choice of plants to grow.

Start with finding a perfect spot for your garden. A great place for survival gardening should have good soil and enough drainage. Close proximity to a water source and direct sunlight is also very essential in gardening.

Once you have found a good spot for the garden, you should clear the area and condition the soil. Remove first the unwanted materials in the soil like rock and weeds because they could hinder the growth of the plants.

After the area is prepared, you can enrich the soil with fertilizers. Organic fertilizers or compost are most recommended in survival gardening.

Choosing your seeds is very important in survival gardening. You cannot just pick any vegetable you like. You must first consider the climate in your area and the time of the year suitable for the seeds to grow properly.

Check first your area’s hardiness zone before purchasing the seeds for your garden. The hardiness zone is a defined area wherein a specific kind of plant survives. Some plants may not be able to withstand high or low temperature so you must keep this in mind.

Proper timing is crucial to survival gardening because some plants need to be planted at a certain time of year for it to grow and have a great yield.

After choosing the right kinds of seed, you can now start planting in the garden. In survival gardening, you must learn to maximize your space to be able to grow more in a small area.

Using trellises and poles, you can train vines to grow vertically. You can also plant root crops in addition to the plants that grow above ground.

Here are several tips you must remember regarding survival gardening:

1. Choose varieties of plants that offer different nutrients. Also, opt for plants that contain a good amount of amino acids, vitamins and minerals necessary for the body.
    
2. Keep your soil well conditioned. Success in survival gardening usually depends on having healthy soil.
    
3. Maintain the moisture of the soil. The plants need to be watered more than once a day. But be aware that some plants require more water and others require less.

Your garden may not flourish the first time but that does not mean you should give up. Survival gardening requires a lot of patience and persistence to reap the fruits of your labor.

In the end you will have the satisfaction of providing fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables for your family’s meals. You will also have security and peace of mind knowing that if a disaster should happen and our food supply is disrupted, you will have a sustainable food source for you and your family.