Survival Farming - Equipment?

Originally posted by TXMACHINEGUNDLR
ANFO is the only way to go.

ANFO is certainly the farmers friend when it comes to stump removal. I've seen them fly right out of the ground and drop 20 feet away.
Not something for the inexperienced, but worth considering if you have land to clear.

reply to post by LLoyd45


Thanks Lloyd, I look forward to your post! So much knowledge goes untapped because folks are unwilling to ask or take the time to listen...

In anticipation!
1080

reply to post by AllSeeingI


AllSeeingI:

Great idea! I haven't tried this yet.. although i have seen some very creative "tulip pots" made from them with the wheel still on. LOL!

Here's a website if you don't know what i'm talking about... you just have to see them, a word picture doesn't cut it: Bloomin' Planters

Has anyone ever tried growing potato plants by growing them in tires? You plant your seed potatoes in one tire, and when the plants get tall enough, instead of hilling them, you stack on another tire and fill with more soil. I hear this works marvellously, due to the increased temps, etc. Knowing my luck they would be a magnet for high windstorms or tornadoes, but I am really curious about them.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Hi Trexter,

Great, great suggestions! I am very concerned about running out of canning lids myself. Salting is a good idea. Now i have been thinking about the salt situation... any thoughts on storing salt? The large cow type blocks sure stack easy and keep really well if they stay out of humidity... any chance these can be bought iodized?

reply to post by kosmicjack


KosmicJack,

I too have been surprised about how easy organic gardening can be. It's also a lot more enjoyable (to me, anyway).

Re: the Librum site.... awesome, thank you for posting this, I have never been here before.

I've used tires to start plants while it's still quite cold out and too early to plant.

I dig the soil in a spot and place a tire over it, then add enough soil to half fill the tire. I plant inside the tire and then stack one more on top to give me a gap above the new plants that will be coming up.

On top of the two tire stack I cover it with clear plastic with a few rocks around the bottom edge to keep it secure. You've just created a mini greenhouse that forces the plants up early.
You just have to be very careful about sunny days and make sure you remove the plastic so the plants don't get too hot during the day and then cover them again at night or on cold days.

Glass tops work well but are more fragile, and cold frames facing south will give you the opportunity to start plants very early in the growing season. The more exposure young plants get to the harsh environment of early spring makes them stronger and more resilient.

I don't think anyone has mentioned rail ties or pressure treated wood for raised beds yet, but avoid them. They leach poisons into the earth and it's not something you want in your vegetable patch. I'm even concerned about possible contaminates from used tires but don't have any evidence to show that they leach or any leachate is harmful.
I'll look into it........

Sri Oracle -

A pick is a great suggestion.



I'm going to add post hole digger to my list too.

Originally posted by TenEighty
Sri Oracle -

A pick is a great suggestion.

You might say I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

hard working,

Sri Oracle

I just want to thank all the members that have contributed to this thread so far.

The body of knowledge available on ATS is amazing and some of the hints and advice being offered in this thread is of value to anyone that grows a garden. Whether it be a survival situation or just a family that want to grow a garden to supplement the food supply to feed them selves, it's important knowledge to have.

Kudos to the ATS members that have added tips and ideas to this thread.

ANFO needs a detonator like TNT or dynamite to start the blast. How about adding a sweet spot of sodium chlorate and oil (shock sensitive) triggered by a spoonful of finely powdered sodium chlorate mixed with powdered sugar ignitrd by fuse. NOTAE BENE: Pay attention: Avoid sudden bangs-Grind the chemicals SEPERATELY, then mix them. You have been warned. Explosives manufacturing requires a federal license.

An older thread from a couple years ago that is worth linking to this one:


Fastest Growing Edible Plants
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by TenEighty
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

I am very concerned about running out of canning lids myself. Salting is a good idea. Now i have been thinking about the salt situation... any thoughts on storing salt? The large cow type blocks sure stack easy and keep really well if they stay out of humidity... any chance these can be bought iodized?

Don't use livestock salt blocks for salt-preserving human food!
Old fashioned salting (mostly used on strips of fish meat, cut very thinly) requires a wooden cask and a small fortune worth of salt. Use salting method if you are say, up in Alaska where they don't have the season length to harvest and dry. Salting can be very expensive. Salting is a 'last resort'.

For human consumption, there's a 5 pound paper bag of "Canning and Pickling" salt in the store ... near the Ball and Mason Jars ... or in the regular salt area. It's the same type of packaging as a 5# bag of sugar. It's expensive. Store salt and seeds in dark dry place ... I prefer wooden boxes built for the purpose.

The canning lids are not reusable, so, I always bought 4 per year per jar. (We have 4 growing seasons down here and the same jar can be reused roughly three times a year.) 1 jar, 1 new ring, and 4 lids per year. Rings sometimes last 2 to 5 years; but, they don't last forever. Inspect rings inside for rust before re-using - and only re-use unblemished on foods you will fully cook to boiling temperature before consuming. I use fresh new rings for jams, jellies etc.



[edit on 27-1-2008 by Trexter Ziam]

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Agreed on livestock salt and on canning lids both... I am just curious in a "last resort" situation.

Because at some point, no matter your stockpile, you are going to run out of lids. Right?

With the understanding of everyone, please, that this is not something that one should even experiment with except in a laboratory type setting where microorganisms can be strictly measured.... all home canners know (or should) that if there is any hint that the processed food has been compromised - it should be DESTROYED. NOT poured down the sink, NOT given to animals - but DESTROYED! The tiniest bit of botulism is deadly to many, many people.

It seems to me that - once you are out of lids, or your rubber gaskets have deteriorated beyond use - you are out of the canning business, and you must dry, salt, pickle or find some other way to preserve your food. Is that pretty much the consensus, or is there another way that i am not aware of? I don't believe you can refurbish the disposable lids (hence the name )... does anybody know differently?

The livestock salt... Now, i am talking about the plain white blocks here.. not the red mineral blocks or the yellow (sulfur?) blocks. I looked on Morton's site but they don't list their livestock products, it must be a separate site. Anyone know if they add anything to the plain white blocks?

Thanks everybody, lots of great information!
1080

Wow this thread really took off. I have really picked up a lot of pointers on gardening. I think this year I'm going to start out with a few raised beds and go from there. The tire idea is completely new to me. Thanks!

respectfully

reluctantpawn

I would highly recommend asking a farmer right now to help you learn.

You mess up your crop and depending on where you live, it could be another year before food is grown.

A 'survival' tool would be your brain. You do not need any sort of metal tools, everything can be make shift from stone or wood. Our ancestors and myself have done primitive farming and it is as effective as conventional.

I'll expand later today.

Originally posted by TenEighty
...
Because at some point, no matter your stockpile, you are going to run out of lids. Right?
...
It seems to me that - once you are out of lids, or your rubber gaskets have deteriorated beyond use - you are out of the canning business, and you must dry, salt, pickle or find some other way to preserve your food. Is that pretty much the consensus, or is there another way that i am not aware of? I don't believe you can refurbish the disposable lids (hence the name

)... does anybody know differently?
...

Yes, you will run out of lids. Hopefully, by then you have mastered the cumbersome art of string-drying and migrated to a suitable climate.

You said "rubber gaskets" and I freaked! Rubber gaskets are a proven no-go for almost half a century now. Those pretty artsey jars with rubber gaskets can be used to store dried pastas and noodles, rice etc. but never use the rubber gasket jars to process food! You need the "rings" - and then the lids,

I have reused LIDS yes; but only after thorough inspection and if they still look like new then I boil them (sterilize rings, lids and jars - even if they are brand new) then reinspect - and I re-use them only on high acid PICKLES. Never re-use them on anything else ... not even jams.

I re-use the RINGS - but only on jams. Jams have a very visible white fuzzy mold if air got to them and spoiled them ... and can be thrown out.

Yes, there's another method that I read about but never tried and I know it is NOT recommended ... it's not safe and could interfere with nutritional balance and healthy metabolics - called sulfering. Even if you lived near a sulfer mine in Tx. or La. - I still would NOT recommend sulfering, even as a last resort.

Three comments:

1.) Post holediggers: get the type with handles that crosslike an "X".

2.) Salt can be bought in larger bags, up to 100 pounds and stored in a plastic barrel.

3.) Sulphered foods (fruits, vegatables ect.) should be avoided bypeople with asthema. The sulpher dioxide or sulphite ion can triger asthema attacks.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Hi Trexter - whoops! You're right - nobody does the rubber gaskets nowadays. I've got quite a few of the old bail-type jars and incorrectly assumed they would be good to use if i purchased new gaskets. WRONG!!! Thanks for catching me on that. Here's an article for anybody else suffering under the same delusion... Canning Jars

Sulfuring.. i have heard of this. But not really keen to try it...
Ok, so i will run out of lids... and will need to learn to dry food in the meantime. I can live with that!

Thanks for the info Trexter...
1080

Fertilizers have been mentioned, and there is one 'golden' resource that can be made a great use of to boost any crop yeild - Urine!

Fertilizing with urine Urine is a high quality, low-cost alternative to commercial fertilizers. It is especially rich in nitrogen and also contains substantial amounts of phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizing effect is rapid and the nutrients are best utilized if the urine is applied prior to sowing and up until two-thirds of the period between sowing and harvest. It can be applied pure or diluted. To avoid odour, foliar burns and the loss of ammonia, the urine should be applied close to the soil and incorporated into the soil as soon as possible.

This image just goes to show the difference in crop-yield that using your pee can make!

Maize trials using urine as a fertilizer. Urine treatments of 750 ml and 1750 ml. Growth period 3.25 months.







[edit on 30-1-2008 by citizen smith]