growing crops

I think it would be smart to grow once I was settled in cause you could
Make that food last threw the winter as well.

Yeah that is a good idea, we just all need to bring a variety of seeds, not all seeds well grow for sure. Once we decide on a spot then we well be able to do soil research on that specfic area,..

ya for sure that sounds like a plan for sure

I agree. Taking seeds is as important as taking an axe!

I still have my account with a few of the big seed companies out there, a remnant from my own nursery business. I plan to order thousands and thousands of seeds, just before heading out there. I truly thank God now... since my Dad asked me to take over his nursery in Atlanta a few years ago. I almost didn't do it. Now I am so incredibly thankful that I did, and that he asked me to in the first place. As long as I can grow and can store what is grown for the winter, we will never starve.

One of the coolest things about this is that, the further north you head, the longer the days are in summer. The longer the days, the bigger and faster things grow. That, combined with our own urine being the perfect fertilizer (and speeding up the growing process even further), I have no doubts that we would be able to grow all that we would need.

I'm glad too that Adam knows farming. Together, we'll surely be able to pull off some bumper crops!

What kind of seeds should we bring? Being that we'll be in a coniferous forest climate region.

from what i can tell... "field crops, grains, also specialties such as apples, stone fruit, berries, nuts, watered by natural precipitation".

for marine west coast at http://www.sonoma.edu/users/f/freidel/climate/370regions.htm

Things that tend to grow really well up here without a greenhouse:

Cole Crops (Cabbage, broccoli, kale, kholrabi, collards, cauliflower)
Root crops (Potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, radishes)
Winter Squashes (Pumkins, acorn squash, et cetera)

Real hot weather lovers like tomatoes and cucumbers do poorly here outside in most places, though there are some varieties that are better acclimated.

It might be worthwhile for someone to bring a roll of heavy duty plastic (Like painters plastic) to build a type of green house setting to extend the growing season a bit. The plastic could play double duty at being a shelter, too, if needed. It might even be able to eliminate the need for a tent.

The good news is that the things that tend to grow well here also tend to be highly nutritious. Finding a location with good enough soil (not tundra) may prove to be a challenge. Keeping moose and other pests out of the garden may be even harder!

ok john how do you think you would store the food for the winter. What kind of seed you gonna bring. O have you talked to that guy with the extra cabin, or is that not the area that we are thinking of going to. Ya the idea of bringing roles of plastic for a green house would be good and if they were black it would be even better. That could grow tomatoes better, and other things.

In order to store food, we'll have to dry it out. This will work for meats, fruits and veggies.

Yeah we'd have to bring a dehydrater or build one on location when we get there.

We could do it without a dehydrator, but it would be alot easier with one. I'd rather build one if we we're to do it that way though.

your right. I know how to build one. It's not that difficult.

I would study traditional means of food storage here. Some of it involves drying, some of it involves digging a hole in the permafrost (very slow process) to keep foods cold in the summer and not freezing in the winter. Root crops keep very well, so do things that can be fermented (think cabbage=kraut). A solar cooker might be useful for drying foods, but I would think about how you'll keep them dry. Growing herbs to dry might make your winter fare a little more interesting.

Black plastic might be useful for other things, but since it keeps light out it wouldn't work for a greenhouse cover.

I was thinking to bring plastic bags and put them in three then go higher and build a freezer in the mountains and put the food there.what kind of herb were you talking about.

Haha! I was thinking herbS. You know, like basil and stuff.

O well I'm going to bring weed seeds for sure.can make oil, rope, and bud!

Cold crops, I'm sure, will do well in AK. The Kales, chards, greens, squash, parsley, etc. During the peak winter months, a lot of herbs would grow too, like sage, oregano, or thyme.

Basil is really a warm crop and can only take low temps of around 45 degrees before they croak. Rosemary... no way.

I tried to research which variety of seeds to take just the other night but hit a wall. I'll be checking more in the next few days, although I have a lot of hours on the schedule at work.

If we can get our hands on pieces of glass, even chunks or shards, I know how to build cold-framed greenhouses that will more than do the trick. Plastic of course, could be used too... but that would mean more bulk in our backpacks... and it could only be reused so many times.

This is all still in my research. I know that pine sap (pitch) is an amazing resource that will be vital to even growing (e.g. : glueing plastic or glass shards together to create a small cold-framed greenhouse)

I'll give more info, once I get enough time to do more research.

John

ow are we going to find the best place to grow. And should it be next to our cabin or a different location

RE: Location

It would be easier to protect the garden from pests if it were right next to the garden, but splitting the two up would probably be best. It would create less of an obvious footprint in any one location, and it would also allow you to choose the best spot for the garden, and the best spot for the cabin, which may not be the same spot. (Probably won't be, actually.)

RE: Cold Frame/Glass

I thought about that too, and in fact know it is very easy to get free windows/glass etc. off Craigslist (I got 2 big double frame windows in deep sills, already perfect for cold frames) but if you're looking for wildernss the chances of there being glass around is next to nil and carrying glass out would be much heavier than a roll of plastic, even though it would have less insulation power.

Adam, how do you plan on getting weed seeds on the airplane?

The ability to grow our own vegetation would be more or less a neccessity. Although it will initially difficult, we shall live more comfortably in the long run. Being self sufficent is one my main purposes of the venture. Hunting although a great form of sustenance, relying on meat to keep this many people alive would not be very affective. Does anyone on this venture have any agricultural experiance?

Yes, Adam knows farming on a large scale (crops) and I know growing from our family nursery, which is basically the same. We will be growing as much as possible, for sure.

Welcome aboard, btw!

I think it might be best to send them up there before I go and pick them up when I get there

lol are you really going to have weed seed out there? Have you ever tried to grow it before? I heard it's a pain in the ass, and since I never really cared for it (other than as a sleep aid), I've never tried.

That's funny!

It is actualy really easy to grow, after all it is a weed. I have grown a plant before but than gave it to my friend when it was only about a foot tall. They just need sun & water.