Ready to start gardening this year –– from seed to table ––but don’t know where to begin? If you’re new to gardening you are probably doing lots of research trying to figure out where to start. Well, look no further! We’ve put  together a collection of helpful resources, and I’m we’re sure that experienced gardeners will find some useful information here too.

GARDENING
Seeds and Plants

• Saint Clare Seeds
• Fedco Seeds
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Pinetree Garden Seeds
• Nichol’s Garden Nursery
• The Urban Farmer
• Victory Seeds
• Adaptive Seeds
• Baker Creek Seeds
• Seed Treasures

Garden Ideas for Regions – what will grow, when

• https://homesteadersofamerica.com/what-to-plant-october-vegetable-garden/
• What to Plant in October: Vegetable Garden Growing Guide – Homesteaders of America (This blog covers each month with the current month highlighted.)

• Grow A Four Season Vegetable Garden With 37 Veggies In-Season (gardenseason.com)

2. Pest control ideas, insects, voles, moles, gophers

• 7 Simple Strategies to Prevent Garden Pests – YouTube
• MOLES, VOLES & GOPHERS: Traps? Poisons? or Repellents? Explained by Biologist, Charles J. Malki – YouTube

Cold Weather Garden

• Season Extenders for the Vegetable Garden / Prolonger la saison de culture dans le potager – YouTube
• Season Extension Method – Wall O’ Waters – YouTube

Hanging Baskets & Other Containers

• How to Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Hanging Baskets – YouTube
• Deck Vegetable Garden Ideas – Growing Vegetable Gardens On A Deck (gardeningknowhow.com)

Vegetables for Highest Nutrients

• 9 Survival Gardening Crops to Grow in a Post Apocalyptic World – YouTube
• Some of the Best Vegetables to Grow in Times of Crisis – Homesteaders of America Collaboration – YouTube

Sprouting of Untreated Seeds

• How to Sprout EASILY for 25 Cents a Day! 🌱Jar Growing Method for Beginners… – YouTube
• How to Grow Microgreens from Start to Finish (COMPLETE GUIDE) – YouTube

Resources

• GrowVeg YouTube Video
• Gardening Know How.
• Gardening when It Counts, by Steve Solomon, 2006 Amazon
• The Resilient Gardener, by Carol Deppe, 2010 Chelsea Green Publishing
• Seed to Seed, by Suzanne Ashworth, 2002  Amazon
• Joy of Gardening, Dick Raymond, 1983 Amazon
• Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartolomew, 2018  Amazon

Tools
All found at easydigging.com

• Grub Hoe – I suggest the 6-inch grub hoe rather than the 4-inch
• Italian Grape Hoe
• Metal Files for keeping the tools sharp.

COOKING, CANNING, DEHYDRATING & STORING

• Pandemic Prepsters – YouTube
• The bottom-lit updraft stove that can burn twigs, pine needles, pine cones, etc., Silver Fire – Review of the Rocket Stove
• There is another stove called the EcoZoom Versa. Amazon
• https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/
• Bread baked on top of a wood stove – YouTube
• Rounded lid Dutch oven Outdoor Cooking Adventures With Knynmanrog, Baked Bread In a Dutch Oven – YouTube
• Flat lid Dutch oven Baking Artisan Bread in a Dutch Oven Super Easy Recipe – YouTube
• On a wood stove. Dutch oven bread – YouTube
• No yeast Dutch oven bread on a coal grill SURVIVAL BREAD NO YEAST VERSION IN THE DUTCH OVEN – YouTube
• DIY Baking Soda 5 Acres & A Dream: Baking With Wood Ash? (Part 3: The Results!) (5acresandadream.com)
• Prepper’s Canning Guide, 2017 Amazon
• Root Cellaring, by Mike and Nancy Bubel, 1991 Amazon or Abebooks.com
• Ball Blue Book Ace Hardware
• Growing and Canning Your Own Food, Jackie Clay, 2012 Growing and Canning Your Own Food: 9780982157763: AmazonSmile: Books
• Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning, by the gardeners and farmers of Terre Vivante, 2007 Chelsea Green Publishers 
• Preserving food through fermentation, Holly Howe, The Website that Takes the Guesswork Out of Fermentation | MakeSauerkraut
• National Center for Home Food Preservation | Canning FAQs (uga.edu)
• To order prepackaged, prepared food or bulk foods:

1. Country Life Natural Foods Serves the Midwest.
2. Emergency Essentials Ships to the lower 48 USA.
3. 4Patriots Ships throughout the USA and Canada.

What to do if you lose power and have 3 freezers full of meat: 

• Have on hand multiple food-grade 5-gallon buckets with lids, as many as you think you will need and then add extras!
• Non-iodized salt (Redmond’s Earth Salt, or pickling salt, or any non-iodized food-grade salt that you can buy in 25- to 50-lb bags), more than you think you will need.
• Brine as much meat as you are able.
• For detailed directions, see “Back to Basics, How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills”, Readers Digest, 1981, p224
• If you have any means of cooking such as a propane canning stove (e.g. Simply Canning-Outdoor stove, OR Amazon-Outdoor propane canning stove) pressure-can as much meat as you are able.
• Build the smoker now and practice using it now. Luckybelly-21 Homemade Smoker Plans
• Give away any thawed meat that will otherwise go to waste.

Other Methods

• AskaPrepper – Potting meat
• How to Brine Meat and the Science Behind it (Dry and wet Brining) – YouTube
• Historic Food Preservation – Potted Salmon – YouTube
• Potted Beef In The 18th Century – YouTube
• Preparing Salt Pork – 18th Century Cooking Series S1E5 – YouTube This uses a hot brine.
• Canning Meat (Super Easy Raw Pack) – YouTube This uses regular brine.
• How to make dried meat at home – YouTube