Grow Food Fast Prepping For Pandemic Food Shortages - Covid 19 Series

Foods You Can Grow And Eat Quickly

If you're worried that you're 'too late,' or that you didn't start early enough, don't fret, because in this post, we'll also cover 20 foods that you can grow that will provide you with food in as little as 2 weeks.

If the Covid-19 "Coronavirus" Pandemic has showed all of us, it's that the shelves in the stores can remain empty for long periods of time.

It's not too late to start planning and planting your 'survival food garden.'





And with 'virtual schooling,' and the 'Stay at Home' guidelines that have been issued in 34 states as of the date of this post, starting a home food gardening project can help to alleviate boredom for parents and children alike, and in some cases, can also be applied to 'school work,' assignments in subjects ranging from math to physical science.

How To Start Your Very Own Food Garden

Creating your very own food garden isn't as difficult as many people think it is.  In fact, it can actually be pretty simple.  It really just comes down to what resources you have available and what kind of a lifestyle you live. 

Start With Foods That You Can Grow, Harvest, and Eat Quickly...

You may be thinking that it's too late to start growing your own food now, but luckily, it's not. 

Below is a list of vegetables that you can grow in anywhere, in 3 months or less. 


Including 4 foods that grow in less than one month, two of them in 14 days or less, and two more in just 2 weeks time.

There are many foods you can grow quickly and easily. And there are also quite a few foods that you can grow inside as well as outside. Below is a list of 18 foods you can grow and eat quickly, and easily.

Vegetables You Can Grow and Eat, Quickly...

21 Days or Less

Sunflower Shoots 12 Days - HowTo Grow Sunflower Shoots - video

Garden Cress 14 Days - EasyWay To Grow Cress - video

Radishes 21 Days - The Complete Guide To Growing Radishse - video

Green Onions 21 Days - HowTo Grow Green Onions - video

30 days

Lettuce 30 Days - HowTo Grow Lettuce From Seed, Indoors, In Just 1 Month - video

Spinach 30 Days - HowTo Grow Spinach In Pot Or Container - video

Kale 30 Days - How To Grow Kale All Year Round In Containers- video

60 days or less

Zucchini 40-50 Days - How To Grow Zucchini Vertically - video

Bush Beans 40-50 Days - How To Grow Bush Beans - video

Broccoli 40-50 Days - Easiest Method To Grow Broccoli At Home - video

Carrots 50 Days - How To Grow Carrots In Containers - video

Cucumbers 50 Days - Growing Cucumbers in Containers - video

Peas 6o Days - Growing Peas In A Pot - video

90 days or less

Potatoes 60-70 Days - How To Grow Potatoes In A 5 Gallon Bucket - video

Sweet Potatoes 70-90 Days - How To Grow Sweet Potatoes In Containers - video

These 15 vegetable crops should be enough to get you through until you can grow and harvest other foods.

What about fast growing fruits?

While there are some fruit trees that will produce fruit in their first year, such as the peach tree and the papaya tree, a year is still quite a long time to wait for fruit. 

Three fruits that you can also grow quickly are cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew.

• Cantaloupe normally take 90 days to grow from seed to ripen.
• Watermelon grow from seed to a 10lb fruit in 65-90 days.
• Honeydew take between 45 and 60 days to bear fruit.

Each of these three delicious fruits can be grown, harvested and eaten in no more than 120 days, or 4 months.

All three fruits are vines, and in a traditional garden, would require a 4 sq ft per plant to allow for the 'sprawl,' of the vines. 

Thanks to 'trellis gardening,' you can reduce the amount of space needed for these (and other viny plants like summer squash, zucchini, pumpkin, and cucumbers) foods down to as little as 1 square foot per plant.

You can also grow blackberries that you can eat in the first year.

Now that you've got a comprehensive overview of what to do to get your own food garden started, start planting...

This post is part of the " Prepping for Pandemic, The Covid-19 "Coronavirus" Series."

Did you like this post?  Do you have any questions, or helpful stuff to share?  Post your thoughts in the comments below.

Prepping for Pandemic - The Covid 19 Coronavirus Series

So WHO has declared the Coronavirus a 'Pandemic.'  I'm 45 years old and I have never seen anything like this. I've also never prepped for a 'pandemic.'

And while it's still a bit early to consider things like that and like martial law,  it's never too early to prepare your first line of defense... your family.

Home  & Family Travel Preparations For Surviving The Coronavirus Pandemic

If you're spouse or kids suddenly go missing, you wont' be any good to anyone, even yourself.  So, even though right now it may not seem like getting separated from your loved ones is going to be a problem, I can't think of a better place to start when it comes to getting prepared.

My family is made up of two adults and two boys ages 14 and almost 11 (as of the time of this writing.) My kids go out to play with friends in the neighborhood and they ride their bikes up to the store.  So they'll each have a travel plan, and supplies, of their own.  If your kids are at younger ages where they don't go anywhere alone, you'll need a different plan and different supplies for them.

Preparing to travel during a pandemic

Our plan is to always go out with at least one other person and never alone unless there's no other choice.

As long as driving is an option, we'll drive when it's necessary, but since there could be supply line interruptions to things like 'gas,' I've also made sure that all 4 of us have good bikes, with good tires, well-oiled, non-rusty chains, and headlights and tail lights in the event that we should get caught out after dark. And I will be equipping each bike with an air pump as well.

*I also plan to put electric motors on each bike, and I'll cover that in another post. 

For supplies, I've decided that each of us will carry a 'travel pouch,' with a compass, a map, and a list of important names, addresses, and phone numbers (landline and mobile) of all family members including ourselves and other family members who don't live with us but are in the same general area (in our case, the same county) any time any of us ventures out.

We will also carry with us a bottle of water, a lunchbox packed with as much food as can fit, including protein bars, and complex carbohydrates.

Finally, we'll each carry a pocket knife, most like a Swiss Army knife, and some kind of tarp with us in a backpack.

If you have young children, you may need to trade your back pack for some kind of a papoose that will allow you to carry your child like a backpack while you ride your bike, and possibly a bike with a 'luggage rack' on it to carry any other things you may need for your child.  Depending on the age of your young child, you may need to carry things like formula, diapers and bottles.

If any of us need to go anywhere without the group, an itinerary conveying where we are going, the route we are planning to take to get there, the route we are planning to take home, and what time we expect to return home.

Communications Preps In the Coronavirus Pandemic Apocalypse

Provided that the grid is still up and running and the phones are still working, we will call another family member upon arrival at our destination to let them know we arrived, and then call again to let them know when we are leaving.

If the grid should go down and there is no cell phone communication, one thing to consider is long range 2 way radios.

Emergency Family Reunification Plans

Once we've mapped out the itinerary for the trip, we'll make contingency plans for alternate routes should anything go wrong along any of the routes we're planning to take with notes on reunification points, and with notes on where we will leave a 'marker' for others to see as the 'point' where we went 'off course,' so that we can find the nearest reunification point and meet there.

Now that you have an idea for your own family traveling and reunification plan, here are some resources for sourcing the various items mentioned in this post...

Sourcing The Things Mentioned In This Post....

Bicycles - I got all but one of our bikes off of Craigslist.  The one I didn't get from CL was a gift to my son from one of his teachers.  It's probably the cheapest place you'll get a bike, but if not, try OfferUp, LetGo, and even NextDoor before heading to Wal Mart or Amazon.

Here are two I've already bought from Craigslist... 

The JC Penny 'antique' Beach Cruiser.  It's kind of a mint green/teal color.  And though it's a 26" bike, it seems to sit a bit lower to the ground than my other 26" bike does.

The seller advertised it at $15 and when I got there to pick it up, I found both tires to be flat and some rust on parts of the bike.

But since my back yard has become 'the place where bicycles go to die,' I have enough other bikes and their parts lying around to be able to make this a decent bike.


Next I bought this one....

Another beach cruiser, also 26" but seeming a bit higher off the ground than the previous one.  It has a wider seat and wider tires and just looks like it's definitely going to be more comfortable for riding.  The seller advertised for $55.00 and he had a separate ad for a black men's beach cruiser for the same
price, but when we got there, he had already sold the men's bike.

Upon returning home with it and walking it around to the back yard, I noticed a navy blue beach cruiser that I'd forgotten we had back there that only needs a seat, which we can have plenty of on other bikes in the yard.

There are two other bikes I'm also considering, although neither are necessary as both kids have their own bikes.  One is another beach cruiser for $40 and one is a three wheel trike for $65.

The trike will come in handy when bringing home stuff that can't be carried on a regular bicycle.


Dollar Tree 
Pouch, lunchbox, compass with a paracord bracelet, Swiss Army knives and flashlights that can be used to make headlights and tail lights for a bicycle, (and rubber bands), as well as items you can use as a tarp (plastic tablecloth is one) can all be purchased at a Dollar Tree store.



Bicycle Air Pump



 I recommend the BV Mini Bike Portable Frame Pump, 120PSI 

This is a slim line pump that can be mounted directly onto your bike's frame so that you always have it on you and can quickly and easily add air to a tire when needed.

The main problem noted by review is that the pump cuts very close to being a bit too bulky to fit the bike's frame, however, this is solved easily enough with a bungee cord.





Bungee Cords

You'll want a decent supply of bungee cords for various other reasons as well, and you can get a good deal on an assortment of bungee cords ranging from 10", 18", 24", 32" and 40" on Amazon for only $11.99.  Plus, they come in a plastic jar that you can use to store them, or for other projects.







Bike luggage rack 

I searched Amazon for a "Universal Bike luggage rack," and the closest thing I found to it at the best price is the Ventura Economical Bolt-On Bicycle Carrier Rack, Adjustable Fit for 26"/28" bikes. 

At only $11.95 if you have either a 26 or 28 inch bike, you can't beat this price for a bicycle luggage rack.

Alternatively, you could also watch this YouTube on how to build your own 'No Welding Bike Cargo Rack."How to Make a Quick and Easy Bicycle Cargo Rack



Communications 

Long Range 2 Way Radios

The Arcshell Rechargeable Long Range Two-Way Radios with Earpiece s a 4 Pack UHF 400-470Mhz Walkie Talkies with a  Li-ion Battery and Charger Included. What I really like about these is that it comes with 4 devices. That's one for each member of my family of four. Even though my plan is for no one to ever go anywhere without at least one other person, even two people can get separated, so everyone having contact with each other is a big selling point, and it's only $45.00

In the next post,we'll go over 'water preparations.'