Since spring has sprung, I have been giving thought to the mini garden that is going to inhabit the deck on the back of my apartment this year. What will I plant, how much travel will I have, and how much time am I going to have to tend to the container garden, blah, blah, blah.
Now, let’s say that I decide to grow cherry tomatoes, carrots, and a few more veggies and herbs. Let’s just say the SHTF financially, hyper inflation has followed, Gas and Oil prices are through the roof. Let’s say all this happens mid to late summer and the vegetables are coming to the point where they are ripe. Food in the grocery store is through the roof, supplies of food are not what they used to be in the grocery store. Question, if your garden is accessible, how would you defend against those that would feel entitled to your provisions that you might like to have on your salad or in your refrigerator in a couple weeks? How would you handle it? what would you do? Interestingly, container gardens are more for convenience I would think than actually helping to feed your family in the suburbs or the city.
I can almost guarantee that if there are hungry people around me, I would come home from work or wake up in the morning to find my vegetables or the whole containers missing if there were a food shortage of any kind. It makes me wonder or think about whether or not growing the garden is even worth it, or a trip to the local farmers market for whatever the vegetables are I want in my fridge. Some might say that this is just the sign that I am not a survivalist but a “yuppie prepper” that doesn’t get it. My argument to that is that with everyone’s life and/or lifestyle in the ‘burbs, and for the most part, the lack of space to grow an ample garden, which could also make you a target in an emergency situation. It could be simpler to be a consumer in this situation and can/jar the vegetables at home ahead of time to shelter in with if you do not head out to your BOL and plant that large garden…
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I think I can make an argument that despite the risk of theft, you should prepare anyway:
1) Everyone needs to learn how to grow food when the pressure is not on. Post SHTF, you’ll not have the time or energy to get crops in the ground. Everyone, me included, need to learn how to start with seeds as Home Depot will not have pepper plants ready to put in the ground post SHTF.
2) If one is worried about the crops being stolen and using that as a reason to not grow anything, then one could argue that no preps should be built up at all. Someone could break into my house tomorrow, steal all my money, guns, food, water and 72 hour pack, but that does not stop me from prepping. Same thing with my little garden.
At the end of the day, prepping while accepting the risk of loss is better than not prepping. This applies to growing food as well as every other preps.
If you have the room you can do indoor planting with sun lamps
But that might get you a smashed door at 2am when the DEA thinks your growing pot.
Ps- if things are really that bad even rural farmers will see their crops raided by hungry urban folks.
There are different levels of preparedness. Some focus only on the worst-case scenario of total anarchy, which is the most difficult situation to survive. However there are lots of different situations between normal life as we know it and Mad Max. The urban and suburban garden is good for situations in between the two extremes such as a slow decline or losing your job and as such is not a bad idea. There is a far greater likelihood of a situation where food gets more expensive due to economic conditions than completely unavailable or unaffordable due to hyperinflation. In this in between situation, you will be fine. Plus it will let you save money on food so that you can concentrate on other preparations if you are so inclined.
Quite honestly I do not see total collapse as a huge threat. If the government falls we will likely see a new government set up fairly quickly-although with a severe lack of personal liberties. If the issue is civil war, well then you will become a refugee because the city or suburb will not be a safe place to be. In that case you will wish you had bought the junk land to live on and will be cursing the day you passed over the night vision equipment because it was too expensive. Then again, in that situation there is a very good chance of death no matter how well prepared you are because your plenty will attract those with much want. Just remember that the more prepared you are for negative possibilities, the more likely you are to survive. Not preparing at all is the biggest mistake you can make because it leaves you the most vulnerable.