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Growing and Preserving Food

See and download the Action Plan

What to consider

Vegetable bed, community plot or deep containersundefined
Compost bin or heapundefined
Rain barrel fed from a roofundefined
Herbs on a windowsill or balconyundefined
Fruit trees or soft fruit bushesundefined
Cold frame or small greenhouseundefined

Seed vault, open-pollinated so you can save the seedundefined
A full season of seed, stored cool and dryundefined
Sprouting seeds, alfalfa and mung beanundefined
Seed potatoes and onion setsundefined
Envelopes and labels for seed you saveundefined
A written record of what went in and whenundefined

Spade and forkundefined
Hoe and rakeundefined
Trowel and pruning shearsundefined
Watering can, and a hose that reachesundefined
Wheelbarrow or garden cartundefined
Sharpening stone and oilundefined
Gloves, and something to kneel onundefined

Compost or well-rotted manureundefined
General fertiliser, kept dryundefined
Garden lime or sulphur, to correct soil pHundefined
Mulch: straw, bark or cardboardundefined
Netting and row cover, against birds and frostundefined

Preserving jars, plus spare lidsundefined
Pressure canner for low-acid food: vegetables, meatundefined
Water bath pot for high-acid food: jam, picklesundefined
Dehydrator, or racks and a warm dry roomundefined
Vacuum sealer and bagsundefined
Salt, sugar and vinegar in preserving quantitiesundefined
Labels and a pen that survives a freezerundefined
A tested recipe book, for times and pressuresundefined

Root cellar, cool cupboard or unheated roomundefined
Sand or sawdust boxes for rootsundefined
Slatted shelves and crates, nothing on the floorundefined
A thermometer where the food actually isundefined
Nets for onions and garlicundefined

Edible plant guide for your own regionundefined
Fungus guide for your own regionundefined
Basket or paper bag, never plasticundefined
Knife and brush for fungiundefined
A map of what grows where, and whenundefined
Dried wild mushrooms and herbsundefined

Chickens or other small livestockundefined
Coop or hutch that a fox cannot openundefined
Feed reserve, stored in metalundefined
Beddingundefined
Water that will not freezeundefined
Basic veterinary kit, and a vet's numberundefined
Someone who can take over for a weekundefined

Hive, frames and foundationundefined
Suit, gloves and smokerundefined
Hive tool and brushundefined
A local beekeeper who answers the phoneundefined

A drawn plan of the plotundefined
Notes on what cropped and what failedundefined
A growing book written for your climateundefined
A preserving book, tested recipes onlyundefined
Somebody local who has done it longerundefined

Where to start

Heirloom seed vault Open-pollinated varieties in a sealed tin, so a crop can be kept for seed and grown again next year. Hybrid seed cannot do that, which is the whole reason to hold a vault rather than a packet. 144 varietiesHeirloomSealed tin See on Amazon

Sprouting jar A jar, a mesh lid and a spoon of seed: greens in four days on a kitchen counter, with no soil, no window and no power. The smallest step there is from stored food to grown food. Four daysNo soilNo power See on Amazon

Herb garden Six pods under an LED arm: basil, parsley and mint on a counter, with no soil and no window. It will not feed anybody. Flavour is what makes stored staples edible. Six podsHerbsMains power See on Amazon