Friday, July 09, 2021 by Zoey Sky
http://www.naturalnewstips.com/2021-07-09-edible-landscaping-preppers-maintaining-opsec-survival-garden.html
A carefully tended garden can make any home look more appealing.
But preppers know that the best way to keep your homestead both beautiful and SHTF-ready is by maintaining a survival garden with an edible landscape.
This ensures good operation security (OPSEC) and maximizes the time and effort you spend on your garden instead of just wasting your energy on beautiful plants that don’t have any medicinal uses or aren’t edible. (h/t to TheOrganicPrepper.com)
Why do you need good OPSEC in your home garden? If and when disaster strikes, your non-prepper neighbors who didn’t set up a stockpile might turn to your home garden looking for food when they start to go hungry.
But what does OPSEC have to do with prepping?
OPSEC is short for operation security and it is also referred to as operations security or “operational security.” OPSEC seems like it refers to classified data, and it often does.
OPSEC is military jargon, but the concept isn’t limited to the Army or the Navy. As a prepper, you can also use OPSEC principles to protect your preps before SHTF.
To maintain good OPSEC in your garden, you should put up sturdy fences to keep out animals that might destroy your crops and thieves. If you prefer more subtle methods, you can try using natural barriers like hedges or shrubbery.
If you already have ornamental plants in your backyard, don’t destroy them to make room for edible plants. Instead, look for unproductive spaces like front and street-facing side yards and turn them into productive food areas.
This method also works if you live in an apartment or condo in the city and you don’t have access to a full-sized garden.
There are many edible plants that you can grow in your yard, but you may need to check your municipalities’ regulations since some are considered noxious weeds. You may be fined for growing them.
Consider your location and the weather in your area before choosing which edible plants to grow in your home garden.
You can keep your garden manageable by growing edible ornamentals in deck containers.
Here are some of the best plants for container gardens:
Ditch ornamental plants and start growing more of these edible flowers in your home garden.
Growing medicinal herbs in your home garden ensures you have access to useful plants when SHTF. Even if disaster doesn’t strike, the herbs below can be used to naturally flavor your meals.
Crops like chives, garlic and onions will help keep pests out of your garden. Note that these crops have to be overwintered, so plant them in the fall if you want a nice summer harvest. Alternatively, you can let chives, garlic and onions reseed to grow back year after year.
Berries are usually full of beneficial antioxidants and can be used in many recipes, like desserts or smoothies.
Berry bushes like blackberry and raspberry have thorns that will help discourage pests and thieves in your garden.
You can grow blueberries in containers and overwinter them indoors. On the other hand, strawberries are better suited as border plants since they’re low-growing.
Different fruit trees are available in dwarf varieties. Before you purchase trees, check pollination requirements.
Climbing vines like grapes, kiwis and pole beans can produce food and keep your garden shielded from prying eyes.
Grow an edible landscape to ensure good OPSEC in your home garden. By growing edible plants on your property, you can make the most of your gardening space and keep your preps hidden in plain sight.
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Tagged Under: Tags: edible flowers, food supply, gardening tips, green living, homesteading, off grid, preparedness, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance, self-sustainability, SHTF, survival, sustainable living, urban gardening, urban prepping
By Zoey Sky
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