Preppers and prepping high tech low tech

Reading blogs, watching shows, and researching I have found most preppers are missing a couple very important fact.  After any huge event and all the fighting and mayhem is over what are the first steps to rebuild?  Most people have big plans to rely on solar power, battery flash lights and other electronics that will be a important luxury as long as they last.  What happens when your solar panel breaks?  There will not be repair men, repair parts, or possibly transportation to get them to you.  I am suggesting to have a major portion of your back up plan be rustic and not require any high tech gadgets.  How about gardening, construction, and repair? Do you have enough hand power tools to accomplish your needs?  With out power you will not be able to charge cordless tools or run electric saws.  It is only a matter of time your generator will brake beyond repair or your supply of gas will run out.  By incorporating some low tech devices into your home it may help you in many situations.

Rocket stove great low tech
device for cooking and heat

What tools will you need?

Low tech hand mixer

Rotating crops and keeping a constant food source

Radishes Harvested Fall of 2013

When you grow food for a hobby you take what you get and you are so proud of what ever you can produce.  You find friends, family, and neighbors to give you extra produce to and everyone is happy to share with you.  My goal in the next year is to have a consistent harvest trough out the year.  Where I am located at I will not be able to grow things year round (I am in zone 6) but I should be able to extend my growing season trough the whole year.  With little things like covering beds to keep the ground just above freezing you can grow year round.  Lettuce, kale, radishes, and carrots do not mind the cold weather they just need the ground not to freeze.  I will start a process planting 7-10 seeds a week in trays and transferring to the raised covered beds when large enough.  By constantly planting you should have a constant harvest preventing the 20lbs of radishes I harvested this fall and gave away.  I will be calculating and adjusting planting as I need to for our demand.  Watch for more updates on my trip to a constant supply of fresh vegetables.

Meyer Lemons and Bearss Seedless Lime

Mini Lemon

Lemon Buds

Lemon Blooms

Lime Tree

 I have been very interested in getting a Meyer lemon tree ever since I heard about them. Then I needed to have one after I saw my first one in the store.  A mini bush only 2 foot tall with countless numbers of little fruit on it!  How cool is that?  A tiny bush that can produce a large number of fruit I had to have it.  I put off buying one of these and on a trip into the local big box home store there it was on a clearance rack for $9 how could pass that up.  Next to the Meyer lemon tree was a Bearss seedless lime tree I figured why not try it out too.

Lemon Tree

I loaded these trees in my truck and now it was time to find a place and research how to take care of them.  From what I can read both are pretty easy to take care of but need to be in a warm well lit area.  I have mine on a dinette in our dining room they get plenty of light and I can not forget to care for them.  After having them for about a week I noticed a bloom. Was it possible that my plant will be producing lemons already?  Yes it was!  The Meyer Lemon tree will produce fruit year round. Unfortunately the Bearss seedless lime tree will only produce spring into summer by what I under stand.  

Great Deal was $24.98 Clearance $9.00

I will keep posting about these trees so you can follow their progress.  My hope is in the future to move these plants into a climate controlled green house in the back yard.  With the hope of growing most of our food here in our yard and living in a climate where we get snow I can not imagine not having some fruit in the winter time.  I do believe these to citrus plants will be a great addition to our collection.

$35 EarthWay 1001-B Great Craigslist Find!

EarthWay 1001-B Found on Craigslist for $35

So we have had allot of luck on Craigslist this year and I just ran into yet another great buy!  I have been dragging my feet on buying a seeder but with the growing gardens I believe even at full retail it was going to be worth it.  For what ever strange reason I decided to type seeder into Craigslist and wow there she was a EarthWay 1001-B for only $35.  Well I called the gentleman and drove straight to his house.  I have done allot of research and this is the tool to lay seed quick as long as you have loose soil.  It is all aluminum and plastic so very long lasting the only part i can see on this that can wear is the rubber belt that takes power from the front wheel and transfers it to the seed hopper.  I am so excited and believe this is a lucky find since retail is any where from $90-$150 new.  I will do a full review in the early spring as soon as the ground is workable enough to lay some radishes, beets, and carrots.

Why do you prep?

My Reason

I found it amazing over the last year watching reading and studying prepping.  People prep for so many different reasons people worry about anything from zombies to our own government.  The one thing I have found most preppers have in common is they are prepping for their families.  No matter why they think our common every day life will come to a end they plan on helping their families when times get tough.  I guess this is one big reason I have wanted to become a prepper. I want to know I can take care of my family in any situation.  I am focusing on growing food and making my family as self reliant as possible.  I am not sure what the future will bring many of our parents, grandparents, or even our great grand parents have gone trough a depression so why would it not be possible for us to.  Most of us have lived through a couple large natural disasters anyone could have cause that melt down that would cause loss of food, electricity, water, supplies and many other things. These necessities may be gone for days, weeks, or even months.  What ever your reason for prepping or not prepping just remember most preppers are doing it for there family!

Big Plans

Canned Peppers

Colored Carrots

I am a 31 year old husband and father of two my dream has always been to have a family and a farm.  Well life changes and I have the family and for now trying to get a farm up and running.  This last summer I planted my city sized lot with 6 raised beds and got a good amount of food out of it.  We have always had gardens and have had success with plants such as peppers and tomatoes but is it possible to grow the majority of my families needs here?  How about storage of crops and winter crops?  Living close to Pittsburgh, PA we get a good amount of snow and canning and a winter garden will be a must. We have practiced our skills over the last few years growing and canning now to put a plan in place and follow it.  I hope to learn, teach, and make a plan to teach people to grow, preserve, and eat healthy.  Helping people be less reliant on the super market and save a little money in the process.

Big yield from a little garden.