What is currently growing in your garden!

I think you are thinking inside the box too much, and over thinking the whole scenario. But what would I know . . .

Para 1. Root crops are just fine left in the soil during winter, some even become sweeter. And you can always clamp them, no need for root cellars.

Para. 2. Yes. And rubbish about little growing during winter. We have bananas ripening and we live in southern Vic. Poly tunnels, etc? Think season extension!

Para 3. What about the unknowns? They will always be present regardless of conditions.

Para 4. Use bio-intensive methods to increase yields with less area.

Para 5. Some seeds will not store at all. Seed save your own.

Para 6. By using methods that doesn't burn the soil out. See my comment re: para 4.

In summary, work smarter and not harder/longer. Grow and max your yields during the peak harvest times for your 'crops' and preserve the harvest accordingly.

We now spend only a few hours per week gardening. Growing our own fertility (not manures) has proved its worth also (Google Will Bonshall). Jodi Roebuck (NZ) has been another great resource. Sorry Shiny, but spreadsheets don't provide any calories for us

Happy to be berated for any comment made above.

Veg.

I'll answer the tap question straight away: we rarely water our vegetable crops even in the height of summer, and when we do they are fed by a gravity system from water collection points (tanks and barrels). It's all about building in resilience; grow only crops specific to your climate (maximises yields by NOT growing crops on spec … maximises growing area this way), deepen your soil first and not spread the growing area out (bio-intensive growing areas are 2/3rds less in area than a normal garden), use solar greenhouses against your north facing walls, use vertical integration, etc, etc. I'm a massive fan and believer in Permaculture, however, we don't do food forests. Why? Because we like to keep things small (think living life on a manageable scale first and foremost). The majority of you don't have acres of land, but most do have a suburban block. I advise you all to take a close look at Deep Green Permaculture in Melbourne. This guy shows just what's capable on a very small scale.

In a previous employment we worked as if we were in the 'zone' every day. So why not treat your food needs as if your were already in an emergency situation. This is how we sort of live; it creates literally hundreds of what-if dialogues every day for us. … to such an extent that many redundant edible plants and the like have been abandoned to the compost pile as they failed in either efficiency of calorie conversion per area required, unable to be stored/preserved, too labour intensive, etc.

The whole question of how to grow enough food in an emergency is just too subjective to even contemplate starting dialogue. Every one of us are in a different situation (land size, climate, zone, open or hidden). However with the advice forwarded regarding some (required?) reading and websites to visit I hope that I given you sufficient (excuse the pun) information to make your own judgements.

Finally, the most important lesson I have learnt is that a good system is both robust and resilient. A perfect example of this is when I broke my arm November last year. Our systems all provided us ample food on the table, water, etc, and even if the jobs became a little longer to complete because I was invalided really nothing much changed. Once soil is prepared properly it does not need to be dug over, having split and dried firewood years in advance means no axe work or collection, easily moved structures (chicken tractors) that can be moved when you are injured and are fully automated as well, etc, etc. And if it all gets too much reduce your labour. It will do wonders to your head! One final example is that our large cereal grain growing area was going to be too much for me with a wounded wing, so we deep ripped the area down to 700mm (I can drive a tractor left handed), and sowed the lot down to a green manure crop. Still a Win-Win: no bare ground and growing a beneficial cover crop that requires no harvesting, watering or anything. Now that's a load off my plate for six months and giving me time to heal.

Best to you all,

Veg.

I had a look at some of the Deep Green Permaculture website today. A lot of information so far...

The answer to your first paragraph geek lies in my post above.

Most of our veges died this summer as the 41 deg plus heat for over a month was just too much. The underground artichokes, peanuts, chillies, chives,
okra and pineapples survived fine. All other softer veges died off even the melon vines, potatoes and pumpkins frazelled!

VegHead Thank you for posting that link, it was a blast from the past to hear of David Holmgren again after all these years....it is good to know he is still going and writing books. David has an interesting story which we should all take notice of, as some years back practicing his Permaculture, him and his wife got very ill, seems their soil lacked magnesium and because their entire food production was from that land they eventually lacked magnesium too. I will not go into the symptoms but they are serious and as preppers we should be aware of living off land deficient in certain minerals is a health hazard.

Ripped out a patch of sweet potato the other day... some great to eat others not so much due to bugs....my neighbour is eying off my plantain (green bananas) hopefully if I give her enough she will give me banana pudding and banana bread yummo

Not much atm - mainly greens - silver beet, kale, plus radish & carrots.
A mate of mine has about 100ac about 15km away, and a HUGE green house - he can grow as many as 400 tomatoes (he is my new best friend), as well as 70 Olive trees, plus more fruit trees.

I'll be growing some Siberian tomatoes in there, should be enough room, he's just planted 80 strawberry plants and 300 tomatoes.