Want to Plant the Ultimate Survival Garden This Spring? You Better Start Planning Right Now

SO I HAVE A GRASS BACKYARD AND WANT TO USE A PORTION OF IT TO GROW FOOD, WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO TEAR UP THE GRASS

If you are 16-48 years old and that homestead isn't very big, you might be able to rear tine tiller it. But I wouldn't. You don't know what you are getting into. It may be too much for you.

It is better to pay someone to bust sod the first time especially in clay soil or if some neighbor says they have field stone. Eventually you likely will buy equipment and that is a good investment. If there are lots of homesteads out there, someone is doing sod busting as a business, right?

A 16-36 years old in good shape can double dig by hand and doing sections at a time. Better have some naproxen and good leather gloves. That is not a job for wimps and you have to have a sturdy cart as you moving earth from row to row.

LOL or just determined. I have invasive grass species and do it by hand every year and I am over 60 female 125lbs. I put the rolls on a sled and pull it around.

LOL or just determined. I have invasive grass species and do it by hand every year and I am over 60 female 125lbs. I put the rolls on a sled and pull it around.

I am excited and happy for spring, getting my plants started, plowing, planting and all that. It is also nice to chat with the other self reliant glps this time of year. Over the many years we have learned a lot from each other and shared our experiences, good and bad.

PS, my garden is about an acre. It can be done, I did the entire acre by hand with a shovel, rolling up the sod. There is always more to do each year to maintain it and work in new areas, the paths and around resting crop spaces. I can do a 20ft x 20ft area in half a day without much pain.

SO I HAVE A GRASS BACKYARD AND WANT TO USE A PORTION OF IT TO GROW FOOD, WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO TEAR UP THE GRASS

That is sod, Hon. It will be too hard to bust up for a lady.

That’s is what I did, used a shovel. Leveled the soils and put bricks down. And leveled them. You could use the hay bail method and use the bails as border and fill,with dirt for the bed, you can als make raised beds with wood , and maybe some railroad ties, don’t take em from the railroad. Buy em.lots of plans on line

i think i will do the raised bed thing
i saw a local guy that makes them and other things
and it was only like 50 to 75 for a big size raised bed thing already made

THAT IS WHAT I HAVE TO DO

It takes a lot more than a pack of seeds and a shovel to enhance your food security with a backyard survival garden. You need a solid, practical plan. Maybe you’ve never planted a single seed before, or maybe you’ve been working in the family garden since you were old enough to walk. Either way, there’s work you should be doing right now, even if the ground is frozen. You can start planning ahead.

Look Back to Gardening History Before Looking Ahead
Many Americans planted “Victory Gardens” during World War I and II, with the goal of increasing the nation’s food supply. In 1943, for example, there were more than 20 million war gardens in the U.S. The need and interest were there, and the citizenry responded. This patriotic planting produced an estimated 8 million tons of food, which was nearly half of the food consumed that year in the nation.

Jumping forward to last year, Americans responded to a crisis once again by rolling up their sleeves and getting dirt under their fingernails. For those who were paying attention to the self-reliance boom that took place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have noticed that a lot of stores ran out of basic gardening supplies and seeds. This spring, supply chains are in much better shape than those at the end of winter and early spring of 2020, but it’s wise to remember those empty shelves. Buy the things you need when they are available. Late winter is a great time to buy seeds and garden supplies. You can get them before the spring rush hits and you’ll have the best selection. If you want to grow the ultimate garden this spring, you don’t want to wait until the resources are “picked over” in late spring.

Scout the Best Survival Garden Location
Abundant sunlight and good soil are two of the biggest factors in a successful garden, and these are features that you can begin scouting for even in the winter. If you can get a soil map of your area (these are usually available at your local agricultural extension office), you can get some great insight into the type of soil you already have. You can also get a soil test, to determine your soil type and which nutrients are lacking. And even when the leaves are down from deciduous trees and the winter sun is lower in the sky, you can still get an idea about sunny locations. It’s a major rookie mistake to build your garden where a tree or some structure will cast a shadow across it. You’ll want at least 10 hours of uninterrupted sunlight shining down on your garden, though more daylight is better.



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PS, my garden is about an acre. It can be done, I did the entire acre by hand with a shovel, rolling up the sod. There is always more to do each year to maintain it and work in new areas, the paths and around resting crop spaces. I can do a 20ft x 20ft area in half a day without much pain.

Are you cute, sweet, and can cook? If so, you sound like a winner.

Holy shiz! An entire acre tilled by hand? That’s a lot of work and one hell of a garden. I don’t think most folks realize just how much work goes into that.

Anyway, good on ya. I don’t recall seeing a garden that size since I was a kid at my great grandparents farm in Tennessee. And that was for the family. They had several acres of burley tobacco also.

It can be done.