Blackout-Readyby Crisis-Ready Society

Home / The guide / Part 4

Part 4 · Grow your food

Food growing

This module takes you from a realistic food goal to a working kitchen garden, orchard and protected growing space that run on your own water, soil and compost. It covers soil testing and building, bed design, crop planning, irrigation sized from evapotranspiration, pest management, seed saving and harvest records, then shows how to scale towards staple crops and link the garden with animals and waste.

Why it matters

Food is the largest daily dependency an off-grid household has after water and energy. The garden is also usually the biggest user of water on the estate, the main destination for compost and greywater-safe nutrients, and a major driver of daily routines. Planning it early means the water budget, layout and waste streams are designed around it rather than retrofitted.

Set goals and read your site (Plan)

  1. Set a realistic food goal food-1
  2. Make a calorie and land plan food-31
  3. Place the garden using permaculture zones food-2
  4. Test your soil before you build food-3
  5. Estimate the garden's water need food-4

Design beds, crops and systems (Design)

  1. Choose your bed types food-5
  2. Plan crops and rotation food-6
  3. Build a sowing and succession calendar food-7
  4. Use companion planting on the evidence food-8
  5. Design the orchard and food forest food-9
  6. Choose protected cropping food-10
  7. Design the drip irrigation system food-11

Build soil, beds and infrastructure (Install)

  1. Start your compost system food-12
  2. Build soil with no-dig methods and cover crops food-13
  3. Build the beds food-14
  4. Install irrigation and mulch food-15
  5. Erect protected structures food-16
  6. Plant the orchard and perennials food-17

First season: grow, protect and harvest (Test)

  1. Raise seedlings and propagate plants food-18
  2. Schedule irrigation through the season food-19
  3. Manage pests and diseases with IPM food-20
  4. Harvest and record yields food-21
  5. Water-bath can high-acid foods food-30
  6. Save seed food-22

Scale up and integrate (Run)

  1. Assess staple crops honestly food-23
  2. Integrate animals and compost loops food-24
  3. Run an annual garden review food-25

What to plant, where and when (Design)

  1. Choose crops for your climate and household food-26
  2. Map crops to garden zones and microclimates food-27
  3. Build a planting calendar for your climate food-28
  4. Link animals to the planting plan food-29

Open in the interactive guide