The answer is simple in concept, hard in execution.
Grow local and heirloom varieties.
Save seeds from the strongest plants to grow the next generation of plants.
Because the strongest plants will be those best adapted to the climate as it is when you grow them, if you keep selecting seeds from the strongest plants, your garden will gradually adapt along with the changing climate.
Think of it as evolution in action.
If you’re trying to figure out what Monsanto branded hybrid monocultures will best survive climate change, you’re doing it the wrong way.
Thank you for reminding me that we are going to be ok. People forget that plants have “memory” of where they’ve grown. Yes, it’s going to be rough but crops like wheat will adapt.
I do something kind of like that. Except this year everything looks almost dead now still. Been 100+ with virtually no rainfall for 3 months or so…
Are you expecting your astroturf to grow?
I don’t water the lawn. So no.
This is 100% me. Lately I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I keep thinking about growing crops under solar panels. What crops and how I will build the structure. Will there even be ground water in my well?
Tomatoes! Tomatoes love heat and taste delicious. If you’ve never eaten a home grown tomato, then you’ve never actually tasted a tomato.
Damn right. I grew several Sweet 100s, and a few other varieties this year. I gotta learn how to grow them indoor from seed
(until climate change expands our growing season …yay … 😕)
Lol! Thing about tomatoes is most varieties like it hot but not too hot. If your summer days are over 95 they grow leaves, not flowers, so you have a massive green vine sprawling over everything with no tomatoes at all.
But yeah when I gardened I grew huge beefsteak heritage varieties with fruits six to eight inches wide. Slice one of those thick, still warm from the garden, smear with mayo, salt and lots of pepper between two slices of homemade bread… mmmmmm…
Could that work to your advantage? Like let it green and grow out and then you have more plant to spawn flowers when the temperature dips?
Well, non-vine tomatoes are usually determinate. This means they will only grow a certain amount before dying, every non-flowering but of growth is potential crop being wasted.
The soil under my house is about two inches nitrogen-free gravel with a solid hunk of clay underneath, so I’m thinking I’ll make roof tiles and trade those for food. Especially because I kill every green thing I touch.
Sounds like you might want to look at the no dig methods. Charles Dowding is a good resource.
Take a year to look at how the sun hits the land and form a basic plan. Iteration is the key.
Start a compost pile, turn it often. This will be your soil.
Save your cardboard from deliveries, take off all tape and labels. This will be a compostable weed barrier.
Get some free wood chips from arborists. This will help retain water reducing the need to irrigate.
Lay down 2 layers of cardboard. Then spread out 6-8 inches of wood chips on top of that. Then spread your compost deep enough to sow your plants.
Excellent advice. I’d suggest the first year or two sow tillage radishes (daikons) thick. Their giant roots break up the hard clay soil and then you let them rot in place to add organics and nutrients deep in the soil.
But test the soil first. Get an idea of what heavy metals or other contaminants are there. Some soils can be remediated and made safe for crops, some are so polluted they’re better used for flowers and trees and native plants and wildlife.
Potatoes and strawberries… may be enough.
There’s hardiness zones for plants, simply start planting things from your zone or one zone further south (you would usually go own or one further north but the times they are a-changing).
Hemp
I don’t think homesteaders are generally worried about clothing and fabric: more about calories.
Not a lot of human digestible calories in hemp.
The seeds are actually ridiculously healthy, and full of tons of beneficial fats and protein. The leaves are also edible, though they’re generally used for juicing, for those who use them.
Too real lol
Coldframes, high tunnels, and aquaponics are all great tools to keep in mind.
Aeroponics yo, save that water and produce crops faster. Plus mushrooms and efficient root cellar storage are key.
sweet potato.
I’ve been thinking a lot about an underground garden fed light by fiberoptics but it seems the amount of usable light doesn’t work that well, depending on where you want to survive it might almost be easier to start trying to selectively breed in low light tolerance into something useful
