Backyard Farming

Agriculture is one of the oldest and most important human skills. Yet since the industrial revolution, when people began to move into highly-populated towns and away from the traditional pastoral scenery, the majority of humankind has lost touch with the earth. We have forgotten how to work the earth. Now, we face terrifying consequences if we cannot remember how to plant and grow our own food.

A few outsiders posit that the widespread incidence of buying things on credit has doomed our economy. Even if these theorists are incorrect about this kind of doomsday scenario, the current debt-driven financial "recovery" has brought new interest to farming. City-dwellers want to know how to farm their backyard, so that in the case of disaster, even a personal one (like getting fired), they will still be able to rely on their own land for sustenance. With no job, backyard farming can be both relaxing and money-saving. You can also sell your crops for a little extra spending money.

The urban farming sensation has also brought new life to backyard farming. People are fed up with the store offerings of highly-processed commercial food, especially food that's genetically engineered and covered in chemicals. Most of the population desire food that is fresher than what the store can provide, and safer than the mass-produced corporate franken-food. So even if an economic collapse doesn't occur, farming your backyard has the advantage of putting clean, tasty, organic food on your table and less stress for you and your family. And if a disaster happens, you'll have plenty to eat

Another important point: gardening is enjoyable. {Look at Farmville's popularity. People have been gardening for ages. There's something great about placing your hands in the soil, and getting a little dirt under your fingernails.There also something comforting about remembering the crafts of our forefathers. There's a lot of meaningful work involved with gardening. The greatest part is eating the rewards of your toil!

Since you've read this far, let's go through a quick list of needed items for a backyard farm. First, you'll need a yard. This may not be a problem for many, but if you have no land of your own, see if a someone close to you will let you borrow a small square of land on their property. You can also look for community organizations that will rent you a plot of land for a small fee. If you live in a very urbanized area, you can pay a small fee and rent a rooftop to grow your farm.

Raid your house'sgarage and local garden shop before you begin with your backyard farming. First, you'll need seeds. You can buy survival seeds and other gardening supplies from your local hardware and gardening stores. Secondly, you need a tool to open up the land, like a hoe or gardening shovel. You'll also need water for your plants. You don't have to use your gardening hose. For example, you can take discarded plastic milk jugs, poke holes in them, and bury them underground. This is just one example! There are a number of ways to irrigate your crop. Read up on the vegetables you want to plant and be sure to sow your seeds in the correct season, and deliver the right amount of water and light, etc. You don't want to waste time attempting to grow the types of flora that are wrong for your region.

But please think about this: backyard farming is an lower your worry for the potential economic collapse by both enhancing your backyard and by stockpiling survival food. But remember that farming is only one skill in a set of survival skills needed to survive the possibility of economic collapse.