Top 5 Survival Crops to Grow During a Food Shortage

Apr 13, 2020

Need seeds for your garden? Check out our collection! https://sustainableseasons.com/collections/seeds

Potatoes

Potatoes are great food for survival. They are a high calorie food and can store for long periods of time. Potatoes also have essential nutrients like vitamin c which you will need during a survival situation to fight off infection and disease. Potatoes are also low maintenance meaning once you plant them, they don't need much extra work until you harvest. They are also easy to create seeds potatoes with. Just save your potatoes from your harvest, let them grow eyes and plant for next season.

Squash

Want a crop that can store all winter long with relativity no effort? Then squash is for you. You can grow massive amounts of squash, let them cure and then let them sit for the winter to be used at your convenience. Our favorite kind is butternut squash because it can store for a whopping 6 months. That should be plenty of time to get you through the winter months.

Corn

Corn is definitely in the top 5 foods to grow for survival. Corn is staple grain that can be used for many different purposes. You can make almost anything out of corn. Bread, tortillas, flour, cereals, sugar, the possibilities are endless. It also makes a great animal feed if you have chickens too. It can also store for a long time to keep your calorie count high during winter.

Beans

Beans are a classic food to grow during a survival situation. They require pretty much no fertilization due to their nitrogen fixing capabilities. Beans are able to take nitrogen from the air and convert it into usable nitrogen for growth. They pair perfectly with corn or other nitrogen heavy crops. Plant your beans in one plot, then move them to another plot and plant something else in their place to use up the nitrogen rich soil they created. Beans can also be canned and stored for a long time, which is great for long winter months when you can't grow.

Sweet Potatoes

Where we live, sweet potatoes grow like weeds. If you have loose soil, lots of rain and a long growing season, sweet potatoes are for you. They barely need any fertilization and can even be grown in the forest floor if you are in a wooded area. The are a great storage crop as well, providing ample amounts of essential nutrients and last a very long time. Just like potatoes, no seeds required. Just let your sweet potatoes start to grow eyes and replant some of your old potatoes to get more.