Food security

[blue_chicory]

I think one of the best things anyone can do to prepare for extended future disasters like is to plant perennial food crops in their yards and on vacant land. Nut trees are especially good, including chestnuts, hickories, oaks, and for more southern areas, pecans and almonds, as these can provide protein in a fairly easy to store form. Chestnuts

Comments

Consider Jerusalem artichokes

[trilobitekid]

Hello, I'd agree with much of your sentiment, but nut trees take a long time to grow. I planted a dozen chestnut trees 3 years ago and now only about 4-5 are alive, just a few inches taller than when they were planted. My personal favorite easy to grow plant is the jerusalem artichoke. This is a ten foot tall American sunflower, with blossoms about 2-3 times the size of those of black-eyed Susans'. It produces lots and lots of edible roots.

[blue_chicory]

Yes they do take a relatively long time to establish, but I consider them as a gift to my children and grandchildren and a gift to myself in my old age, like all the things we have recieved from the past. Odd that your chestnuts aren't doing well, the ones I planted are shooting up like weeds. Where are you located at, and can you think of anything that might be affecting their growth? A friend had a 20 foot chestnut that wasn't bearing because it had no pollination, and the 2 year old plant I planted next to the mature one started flowering at 5 years and enabled the older tree to bear a couple 5 gallon buckets of nuts (without outer hulls) this last fall.

zone 7

[trilobitekid]

I think it is the soil. We have a really sticky, rocky, heavy red clay soil which stunts a lot of plants. Oaks, pines, cedars, blackberries, persimmons and hickory nuts do much better than chestnuts and fruit trees. The only place which really has good soil is the garden and that's because I've been ploughing in hay, roughage and manure for a few years.

[ewtikins]

I'd agree that planting suitable perennials is important. I also think it's fairly important to learn which edible plants grow in your area, and how to identify them.

[pubwvj]

Having hardy livestock that can convert pasture to high value food is another important thing and those same animals create valuable manures for the garden.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!

-Walter & Family
Sugar Mountain Farm
in Vermont