Off The Grid Gardening Tips

Gardening is a skill that will help you throughout your life. Once you know the skills, gardening is very helpful, especially when preparing for survival situations and for an off-the-grid lifestyle.

Being able to grow your own food is a great skill to have, but honing that skill for living off the grid can be tricky.
By optimizing space, preparing for all seasons, building garden storage, and learning to use indoor gardening, you will become an off-the-grid gardening pro.

Check out the instructions and information for even more tips.

Optimize Your Off the Grid Gardening Space

Whether your garden area is 10 square feet or 1000, chances are there's more you'd like to plant than you have room for. This instruction will give you tips to increase your growing capacity without spending a lot of money.

Grow up: Plant squash, bean, and cucumber varieties that vine (not bush varieties). Plant these on a trellis (in the case of cukes and squashes) or, in the case of pole beans, up a bean teepee.

A teepee can be made of any long, slender poles (I used furring strips I found in my garage, and tied them together with zip strips).

For pole beans, the teepee should be at least 5′ tall. You can use fencing as a trellis as well, whether it's chain link, chicken wire, welded wire, or whatever you have.

Plants might need a little guidance to know where to grow, just be sure to treat them gently so you don't break the stems.

One space-saving way to grow potatoes is with a potato tower. Here's how it works:  Make a tube of fencing (as seen below), or out of a trash can with the bottom cut off.

Plant your potatoes as you would normally, but more densely (5-10, depending on diameter) in an area the size of your tube.

As your potatoes grow, add alternating layers of straw and compost, leaving about 6″ of leaves exposed at all times. At the end of the growing season, when the plant leaves start to die back, you can kick over the tower and pull out your harvest of potatoes.

Learn more here.

Help Your Garden Survive In All Seasons With a Winter/Summer Grow Table

Building a Winter/Summer grow table is easy. It can be covered with thick plastic sheeting in the winter and shade cloth during the summer months.

All you need is some plastic shelving, 1/2″ PVC pipe, PVC pipe cutter, zip ties, shade cloth (for Summer), and thick 4 or 6 mil plastic sheeting (For Winter).

The plastic shelves can be purchased at most hardware stores or even at Wal-Mart. They cost on average $14 depending on size. Instead of stacking the unit as shown, the shelves can easily be used as tables. You will need a solid surface to grow your plants.

The purpose is to keep out air circulation that will dry out your potted plants. If your shelves have a mesh or grid surface, cover the tabletop with a black plastic trash bag.

Cover with Nursery Shade Cloth that provides 30%-40% shade. This cannot be purchased at the hardware store. Shade cloth that is available at the hardware store is only 75% shade, which is too dark for growing plants. I always purchase mine knitted, hemmed, and with grommets.

The hem helps the shade cloth keep longer and the grommets make it easy to tie down the material.

Find the full instructions here.

Keep Yourself Organized And Your Tools Protected With An Easy Shed

This DIY boasts a 33-minute build time using their instructions and plans. A quick build of a simple shed would create additional outdoor storage for your gardening supplies.

Keeping your equipment and supplies out of the elements will keep them in good shape and you prepared for anything.
This DIY boasts a 33-minute build time and free plans.

33-Minute Shed Instructions

Learn How To Garden Indoors

You never know what kind of conditions you will be living in in a survival situation, and it is best to be able to garden no matter where you are.

Knowing how to grow food, herbs, etc. indoors could be a vital skill in certain situations. It's also a way of ensuring your ability to grow regardless of the season or weather.

Something as simple as this Mini Herb Garden could be good practice for an unforeseeable need. Indoor gardening is a whole different animal from traditional, outdoor gardening. Something as simple as watering is different from one to the other.

Because conditions vary, there’s no way to give hard-and-fast advice like “Water once a week.” Heat and sunlight specific to your home will dry out the soil at different rates.

You’ll have to feel the soil with your finger. If the plant’s tag says, “Water steadily or evenly,” then water whenever the surface of the soil is dry to the touch. If the tag says, “Water moderately,” allow the top inch or so to dry out between waterings. One note: Don’t overwater. It’s as liable to kill a plant as under-watering. Read all about indoor gardening and tips like these here.
 Looking to garden off the grid? Survival Seeds Playing Cards are great start off or addition to a growing garden. They tell you when, where, and how to grow 52 different plants in your own backyard. Get yours today for free ($2.95 s/h not included)! 

Want more tips? Check out these great articles on our site:

• Container Gardening for Your Patio or Balcony
• 16 Sustainable Gardening Foods That Re-Grow From Scraps
• 5 Gardening Tips and Tricks That Everyone Should Know