Survival Gardening Hacks | Bringing It Back To The Basics

When SHTF and resources begin to dwindle, learning survival gardening hacks and being able to provide for yourself and your family, is the key to ultimate survival.

RELATED: Winter Gardening Tips: The Prepper’s Guide To Cold-Weather Gardening

In this article:

1. The Gardening Process
   1. Use Coffee Filters to Prevent Excessive Drainage
   2. Protect Your Starter Plants with Milk Jugs
   3. Protect Your Survival Garden with Plastic Forks
   4. Re-Using Eggshells for a Healthier Vegetable Garden
   5. Sprinkle Baking Soda for a Sweeter Tomato Plant

Survival Gardening Hacks | An Essential Skill to Survive

The Gardening Process

At Survival Life, we believe that growing your own food is a skill EVERY survivalist should learn. Building the perfect bug out bag, mastering the art of first aid, and food storage for survival are on the top of the list when it comes to learning how to truly survive in an SHTF situation.

Growing your own food, however, is a sure way to ALWAYS have food on the table. With proper garden care, your survival garden will be a permanent food source for you and your family.

If you are new to the world of gardening, you may soon realize that there is a lot to learn. Not to worry, as Survival Life is here to walk you through every step of the gardening process!

To get you started on the beginning steps of gardening, check out my previous articles:

• 12 Budget Friendly Must-Haves For Every Beginner Gardener
• Easy To Grow Vegetables For Beginner Gardeners | Useful Survival Skills
• Composting For Beginners

In this article, I’ll share with you some great gardening hacks every beginner gardener should know! Let’s get started!

When you think of the word hacks, you think easier. “What can I do to make the beginning process of gardening easier?”

Whether you are a brand new or seasoned gardener, you will look for creative ways to make gardening easier which will make it more fun…and gardening should always be fun!

As the gardening season progresses and your vegetables grow, I will share more useful tips and hacks so you can have the best survival garden guide…your DREAM survival garden.

For now, let’s cover some basic gardening hacks your brand new garden can truly benefit from. Some of these hacks may just surprise you!

1. Use Coffee Filters to Prevent Excessive Drainage

Having trouble with excessive water drainage with one of your potted vegetable plants?

Excessive water drainage can present a problem for your potted plants, especially over time as your plant continues to grow and summer weather approaches. Here’s a cool hack to fix this problem!

Place one or two coffee filters in the bottom of your potted plant to slow down excessive water drainage. Water will still escape but, with this useful hack, the soil will have time to absorb the water it needs.

2. Protect Your Starter Plants with Milk Jugs

Concerned for your starter plants becoming damaged by getting caught in a potential overnight frost?

With this cool hack, your starter plants will be protected!

Follow these steps:

• Rinse the milk jug and remove the lid.
• With a knife or scissors, cut about  ½ an inch to 1 inch off the bottom of the jug.
• Place carefully over your starter plant.
• Secure jug in place by covering about an inch of the bottom with soil.
• Always leave the jug lids off. You can water your plants through the opening. Also, leaving the jug lids off will allow the plant to breathe.

RELATED: 20 Survival Gardening Plants For Spring

3. Protect Your Survival Garden with Plastic Forks

Want to protect your vegetable garden bed from pests such as raccoons, rabbits, and more? These pests can literally destroy a garden overnight!

Try this awesome hack. Place plastic forks (between the plants and pokey side up, of course) throughout your garden bed.

Use as many plastic forks as you like to make it as difficult as possible for any pest to travel through your garden.

They’ll quickly realize the hassle and leave. They will not return!

4. Re-Using Eggshells for a Healthier Vegetable Garden

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Eggshells will give your vegetables a calcium boost!

Rinse all eggshells and store them in a container. When you are ready to use them, simply crush them into a fine powder (you can do so with a blender) and sprinkle on the soil surrounding the vegetable plant.

This hack is great for all plants!

Check out my article, Egg Carton Seedlings survival garden seeds, for more gardening hacks using eggshells.

5. Sprinkle Baking Soda for a Sweeter Tomato Plant

If you love sweet tomatoes, then this hack is for you!

If you love a sweeter tasting tomato, simply sprinkle baking soda on the soil surrounding the tomato plant. How’s that for the best prepper garden?

Check out this video by SAWBO about raised planting beds:

Having as many supplies as you can prepare for a global disaster is good. But you'll never know how worse the situation can get.

What if it drags you until you run out of what you have saved? This is where growing your own food comes into play.

Learn the skill and increase your chances of survival when SHTF!

Do you believe in survival gardening as an essential skill when SHTF? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

UP NEXT:

• 16 Sustainable Gardening Foods That Re-Grow From Scraps
• Preparing Your Spring Garden Now | It’s Never Too Early!
• Medical Supplies Disaster Prepared Kits

If you're looking for useful survival gear that you can't make at home, check out the Survival Life Store!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 16, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.