The most logical explanation (backed up with scientific data) though is that nature itself is taking care of the oil that didn’t wash up on the beaches or the marshes. The stuff that stayed out in the Gulf is believed by many biologist to have been devoured my microbes and fungi. They also predict about 40 percent has evaporated.

Those of us who’ve worked in the oil industry have long been told that there are microbes and fungi that feed on crude oil. Which kinda makes sense when you stop to think that oil is nothing more than rotted organic matter. The Gulf has always leaked oil from the ocean bed and these little microbes were more and happy to gobble it up. They even multiply at a fast rate in the warm ocean water. This could be on explanation why so much has disappeared at a faster rate than it did in Alaska after the Valdez oil spill. (and hey, did you ever hear the rumor that the oil in that tanker was really BP oil and not Exxon oil?)

If this is truly what’s happening, it should come as a surprise to anyone. But unfortunately many of us don’t tend to think well when we see oil covered birds and mammals being taken in to be cleaned up, or the dead ones discarded.We start thinking with our hearts instead of our heads. I know I was pretty PO’ed at BP every time I watched TV.

Now I’m not saying that we should forget what happened here. It’s my belief that this will affect the Gulf for many years. But I don’t think it’s going to be near as bad as some environmentalist want us to think it will be. Nature has a way of taking care of herself. It may not be pretty, but there are few natural things that nature makes that it can’t fix. We tend to forget that crude oil is a product that is created naturally.

I also do not think that BP acted properly. I think they were negligent in many ways and I think they should pay. But let’s not write off the Gulf Coast just yet. The best estimates is that the clean up crews and skimmers out in the Gulf have only grabbed about 1 to 2 percent of the oil. While most people who follow these things know this is pretty much peeing into a hard wind, I tend to think that it makes us all feel a little warm and fuzzy seeing people scooping up tar balls on beaches.

Deep down we know it’s doing very little, if any, good at all. But we want to know there’s an effort somewhere.We want to see those guys standing around in White suits, blue gloves and Yellow hardhats holding trash bags!

Nature has a big ole history of righting wrongs. Look at Mount St. Helens. When she blew her top, there were scientist predicting that it would be the end of times. Heck, a lot of them had humanity’s grave dug and casket nailed shut. But an odd thing happened on the way to humanity’s funeral. Nothing! Sure, there was some ash on some farm ground and some fell into lakes and rivers, but a majority of it went into the air streams and was dispersed around the world.

Kinda like the same thing that has happened over in Iceland and that little ash puffing pimple-on-the-earth they have. Other than PO’ing some flyers, it’s really not done much to the environment.

Not to mention previous oil spills that fizzled out after awhile leaving people to wonder what happened to the oil.

No, I think we should be concerned about the Gulf Coast, but I think our attention should be on the Politics of the whole matter. You have Hussein Obama trying to put a moretorium on drilling and telling us that deep water drilling is bad, all the while funneling 2 billion to a Brazilian oil company so they can drill where…in deep water. Water much deep than the Horizon was in.

I’m way more fearful of man made disasters than anything mother nature can throw at me. We can deal with tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes pretty well, it’s those darn economic collapses and over extended Government powers that I truly worry about.

While nature may be able to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf, it can’t touch some of these man made disasters. We have to clean up that crap ourselves!

Of course, we knew better. But when you have a Hollywood production company putting everything you need to survive at your fingertips, then ‘Surviving’ isn’t that hard! I mean, how ‘lucky’ was it that they found the solar panels on a nearby building or that they were positioned inside a warehouse with all types of different parts and types?

I mean, geez, what’s the chances that there will be a small group of Survivors after any disaster that contain a Computer engineer, Aerospace engineer, mechanical engineer, Doctors, Mechanics, Construction experts, Machinist, etc.! And what’s the chances there would be no guns or other real forms of weapons for self defense? Yeah, slim to none and slim has left town!

So it was, those of us who practice this everyday were just mildly amused or outright disgusted with the series. I myself found it just mildly entertaining because we both know one person with half a lick of sense could have walked in there and took everything those people had if we wanted it!

The Colony – Season 2

Supposedly Season 2 of The Colony on the Discovery Channel will be shot on location in Chalmette Louisiana. If you don’t know where Chalmette is, it’s near New Orleans. Which when I first heard this, I thought that the producers missed out on a perfect example of filming a real survival show immediately after Katrina. Complete with real victims and real thugs. Of course, I suppose they wouldn’t really want to show a prime example of what to expect after any kind of disaster, would they?

The premise of Season 2 of The Colony is that it’s going to try and simulate a group of Survivors and what they’ll find after a Biological disaster. This ‘Social Experiment’ as Discovery likes to call it takes 7 people and places them in a survival situation. The background of these 7 ‘Survivors’ is at least a little more believable than those of Season 1.

Here’s a quick rundown of the volunteers. There’s a Model, Auto mechanic, Contractor, a Carpenter, a Geology Professor, a Foreman of a cell phone tower construction crew and an Industrial Artist.

I’ve looked at the bio’s for this years group and the combination of backgrounds is heavy into construction and mechanical skills. So hopefully we’ll not see any of that bogus stuff we say last year…like the building of the wood gas still.

If I had to put my money on one of the ones to watch, I’d pick the Carpenter. According to his bio, he’s versed in hunting, trapping and self defense.

I’ll probably follow this post up with some reviews, but honestly, I’m not holding out much hope. Right now the best Survival show I like on TV is the one with Cory Lundin and Dave Canterbury. But to be honest, like the Survival shows of Man vs Wild and Survivorman, I believe there are scenes staged in this show as well. Not that it matters, I just hate seeing something staged for the sake of TV.

By the way, you can find a lot of cool video’s on YouTube from Dave Canterbury. And many of us have been reading Cory’s books for years so we know these guys know what they’re doing. Wish there were more shows like this!

Money magazine uses criteria such as employment rates, crime, home values, schools, things to do, health care. Although some of these sound good, Money’s writers put a little too much emphasis on some of those things while not taking into account that they should. I also have a sneaky suspicion that advertiser money is also a ranking factor. Also, if you notice, most of these places are metro areas, meaning they’re suburbs of major cities. I believe most of us would not choose to live a self reliant lifestyle in the shadow of a major city, nor would we want to try and survive there should there be a emergency.

How I Selected The 10 Best Places To Survive In America

Here’s some of the criteria I used to come up with my list.

The single biggest factor was the price of real estate. Hey, the best place to survive in America isn’t worth squat if you can’t afford to buy a place there! And for anyone who has lived a self reliant lifestyle, you know that you can make it happen nearly anyplace as long as you have some determination and knowledge. It will also help if you have a solid work ethic.

Next, I looked at the climate. While not a big factor, it has to be taken into account. While some may prefer the dry heat of the deserts, others prefer the cooler temps of the upper midwest.

Another criteria that I looked at is the availability of natural resources. If a collapse or other type of man made disaster were to strike, then the availability of natural resources will suddenly become very important to a lot of folks.

So without further delay, here are my choices of the Top 25 places to Survive in America.

1. Red Oak, Oklahoma

This little town of about 500 or so lies in Southeastern Oklahoma. I’ve long felt that this area was a overlooked gem when talking about places to survive.

The land prices are some of the most reasonable in the Nation. I recently found a 4 acre tract there with a small cabin on it for $25,000. It’s not unusual to find larger tracts of land for less than $1000 per acre. Try doing that in other areas!

The Quachita National Forest is near by. This area consist of mountainous lands with valleys with streams and rivers.The forest provides great opportunities for hunting, exploring, hiking and fishing.

If you feel the need for a larger city, Fort Smith Arkansas is about 50 miles away.

Construction and timber comprise most of the employment in the area, but as with any where else, there’s always something for everyone.

2. Mountain Home, Arkansas

Mountain Home is located in North Central Arkansas and it lies in the Ozark Mountains. The population of Mountain Home is around 13,000. Like most Southern mountain ranges, it offers a little something for everyone. Hardwood ridges with valleys that have clear flowing streams.

This area isn’t as remote as it once was, but if someone looks hard enough, you can find that remote property you’ve always dreamed of. There are several rivers in the area that provide not only good water, but an abundance of fish and other natural resources. The mountains surrounding the area are known as good areas to hunt small game as well as Black Bear, Deer and Wild Hogs.

While the land prices are not as cheap as they are in other desirable survival areas, they’ll still much more reasonable than places such as California or Arizona.

Mountain Home is getting a good reputation as a touristy spot. Eureka Springs is down the road about an hour or so and is more well known than Mountain Home. So if you despise tourist, then you might want to steer away from the whole area. Then again, if you see tourist as a source of money for your cash only family business, you might find this area as very desirable!

3. West Liberty, Kentucky

Yeah, you guessed it, another small town in the Southern mountains. If you’re beginning to see that I prefer the Southern mountains, then you’re right! Mainly because they’re affordable!

West Liberty is a town of about 3 thousand in the Eastern part of the State. The surrounding area is mountainous and offers plenty of remote land for the self reliant person or anyone wanting to get away from the crowds. You’ll also find a lot of this land ideal for living off the grid! I recently found 60 acres for sale near West Liberty for $32,000! Now that’s some cheap land!

The immediate area has been hit hard by the economy lately, so expect it might be hard to find a good paying job. But then again, you may be resourceful and be able to scratch out your own living.

If I was looking for a place far removed from civilization with a moderate climate, I’d seriously give this area of Kentucky a good looking over!

4. Pennsboro, West Virginia

I hesitated even mentioning any place in West Virginia due to is location near some of the largest population centers in the U.S. But in reality, some of you in those metro areas are probably going to be looking for a place to bug out or relocate if the SHTF. So I present to you, a very good place to do so.

Pennsboro is another small town located in a poor rural area. The perfect place many of us would prefer to live! There’s about 1200 people who call Pennsboro home.

You can get lost in the immediate area, literally! But isn’t the whole point of living away from the major population centers?

If an outdoor type lifestyle is your cup of tea, then you’ll find it hard to find an area like Pennsboro West Virginia.

5. Carlin, Nevada

Okay, here’s a place for you Desert Rats! If you love the hot, dry high desert type climate, you’ll think you died and went to Heaven in this area. Land is dirt cheap. How cheap is that you ask? How about 220 acres for $45,000, or how about 40 acres for $4,000. Yes, that’s right, 40 acres for $4,000!

Now, if you haven’t been out there, you probably wouldn’t know that most of this land is high desert. Which is just above desert on the places that are in hospitable to most folks! But it’s there if you’re willing to pay for it and many people actually prefer these places. The climate is one of very hot during the Summer and it can get downright bone crushing cold in the Winter.

Carlin itself has about 2 thousand folks living in it. Most of the jobs in the area come from Mining and the Service industry (read Casino’s!).  It’s fairly close to Elko and then a nice drive down the road to Winnemucca.

The downside, other than the lack of water on some of the land for sale, is that it lies near I-80. Of course, I consider that a downside, you may not!

6. Hettinger, North Dakota

North Dakota is another state that I hesitated to list. Not because of its location near huge population centers like West Virginia, (unless you’re counting Jack Rabbits!) but because of its severe Winters. But as with any place that has low land prices, the land is what you make of it. So if you can handle the long North Dakota Winters, then the area round Hettinger is likely to be your cup of tea.

There are around 1000 people give or take who call Hettinger home. The town lies in the Southwest part of the state, just a little North of the South Dakota line. The surrounding land is mixed use and there are some good deals on land if you hunt them out.

There is an abundance of natural resources, although not as many as in the Southern mountains in my opinion. But on the other hand, if you’re a gardener or wanting to live a more farm or agricultural lifestyle, it would be difficult to find a more reasonably priced place than this area. I’ve seen a number of tracts going for less than $1000 per acre.

7. Sierra Blanca, Texas

This is another place you Desert Rats may want to take a look at. Here again this is another “iffy” spot due to the number of illegal aliens that pass through the area. The town itself is just off of I-10 which is another drawback. But 5 to 10 acre tracts in the area are priced really well and if someone doesn’t mind the heat and illegals, then this area may be ideal for you.

You also have to figure that the taxes for the land are not jacked up either. With Texas being one of only a handful of States that do not have a personal income tax, you may want to put this on your list of places to visit. But be warned, in some parts of the State, they make up for not having personal income tax by having huge property tax! This is something to keep in mind before moving to Texas.

8. Thayer, Missouri

Thayer or Alton, either place would be a good choice for someone looking to get away from the population mass. The land is reasonably price, the climate is moderate and there are plenty of natural resources available.

Thayer is located in the South Central part of the state and has about 2000 people living there. It’s a small, quiet and quaint town. You’ll find plenty of game in the surrounding areas as well as good soil for growing crops or livestock.

There are also a ton of outdoor activities in the area, including several lakes and rivers. Sightseeing and hiking are a big draw here and the area has a moderate tourist population in the Summer.

If a house in a small town is your idea of a survival retreat, then you can find affordable homes in Thayer and Alton.

9. Cedar City, Utah

Cedar City has quite a few smaller pieces of land for fairly reasonable prices. While maybe not as cheap as other places, some of these lots have great mountain views. Most of the immediate area is hilly to mountainous. Cedar City itself has about 25 to 30,000 people. One of the largest towns I’ve chose for this list. But as I said earlier, the availability of land and the low cost of the parcels in the area is what helped it make the Top 10 Best Places To Survive in America.

Besides low land cost, there are a lot of things one can do around Cedar City if you get bored on the ole homestead. Most involve the outdoors, which is another reason most of us like to get away from the Metro areas.

Also, Utah in general has an independent attitude when it comes to States. I like that! The population there reminds me a lot of many old school Texans! They don’t want your Government handouts, they want you to get out of their way, leave them alone and they’ll take care of their self! This is the kind of people who will be living high and mighty should a economic collapse comes.

10. Pikeville, Tennessee

Last but not least is Pikeville Tennessee. There are a lot of smaller acreage around Pikeville. And while it may cost a little more per acre than some of the other areas, it has great natural resources close by and a lot of the parcels of land offer you some privacy due to being so remote.

Pikeville itself has bout 2 thousand people, so you won’t feel overly crowded. Plus, as an added bonus, Pikeville is in the Sequatchie Valley. One of the most picturesque places in the East if you ask me!

Disadvantage of Buying Rural and Remote Properties

One thing you have to keep in mind when you’re talking about rural property, and this goes for rural property anywhere, not just in the East, is that a lot of these places also attract people from the drug industry. This is due to the same reason you and I are attracted to them. Fewer people and remote, cheap land. While I see it more in rural Eastern States such Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. Every year, people (and sometimes whole families) go missing and are never heard from again in these rural counties. So be safe when looking at land in rural areas.

Another disadvantage that some see in remote properties is the distance to shopping and health care. If you slip with an axe and bury it in your leg, you may have a hard time getting out of your homestead and to a hospital. Just something to keep in mind.

What About Other States?

The truth is, you can find a remote or rural areas in every state to move to if you really want to get away from major population centers. There are even places such as these in States such as California and New York. The reason I left these states out of the list, as well as many of the upper Midwest states such as Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois is because not only do they have larger population centers, but the State government and in many instances the local government, tend to lean toward the Liberal side. This can affect you with unfavorable laws being passed as well as increased taxes on real estate.

There are still remote places along our Southern border in New Mexico, Arizona and California not to mention Texas. But with the drug cartels taking over our border states while our Government sits back and does nothing, these would not be my first, second or third choices. Even though I would love to do a long term Gold hunting trip in AZ, it’s not worth the headache of watching over your back every minute.

You can also find remote places in Oregon and Washington state, but for the same reasons I wouldn’t move to the Upper Midwest states mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t move to these Western states.

The East coast suffers from having huge population centers like Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Raleigh and others. Population centers are easy targets for a variety of reasons and you sure don’t want to be living near, or downwind of one in case of an attack. For this reason, I left the Eastern seaboard out of my list, even though I know there is reasonable land prices in North and South Carolina. There’s just too many people in these places for me!

So What Are My Favorite Places To Survive?

Contrary to the popular belief from many so called Survival Experts, I believe the rural properties in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee offers the average Joe great places to get away from the Sheeple and practice living the way they want to. You don’t need some huge bunker complex in Idaho or Montana to be self reliant and be prepared for a economic collapse or man made disaster.

Have fun with this list. Do your own research and make your own list. Use your own criteria and let me know where you’d choose to Survive at in America!

Can you just imagine the stress of walking up to an ATM and it having no money? Can you imagine the shock of walking up to another ATM and it also having no money?  What about a third ATM having no money…that’s horror!  It could happen if the United States suffers the same tragic economical collapse that Argentina suffered back in the 1990’s.

Not only would and empty ATM be dreadful, what about grocers who are wiped completely out of inventory. Think of hospitals packed to the gill and turning away people. Living for days, weeks, and even months without electricity.  How horrible of a picture do we need to paint to make you see that you need to prepare for the worst?  Don’t be caught out and think it won’t happen to you or your family.  Don’t think the people of Argentina didn’t think that way.  I bet they are much better prepared for disaster having lived through such an ordeal.

Start making plans now to protect you loved ones. Make sure you start and maintain a good food and water storage which includes things like protein rich foods, dry goods, canned goods and much more. You will also need  first aid supplies, feminine protection, diapers, etc.   Don’t forget radios and lighting. What about self defense items?  Generators, fuel storage, optics to name a few.

If you are unsure where to start, spend some time on the internet. There are tons of articles and websites that will educate you and help you get started.  Many even sell survival products.  Don’t be overwhelmed though. Start by picking up some extra items when you make that weekly trip to the store. Throw an extra bag of pinto beans in the cart. Maybe a roll of gauze and some peroxide. A box or two of ammo. The most important thing is to just start doing it! Don’t be a victim of paralysis due to over analysis. This isn’t rocket science folks!

Don’t be in the 99% of Americans who probably won’t be ready. Take it from the Mormons who have been preparing with food storage for years. Many of them have even benefited from their food storage when they found themselves without jobs. You just never know what life may hand you and the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to BE PREPARED!

Like nearly any other area on Earth that has a potential for natural disasters, people in earthquake prone areas need to take into account the possibility that they will be in the cross-hairs one day and plan accordingly. For these people, earthquake preparedness is an year round affair.

Earthquake survival kits are a lot like other survival kits people in other areas might put together or buy in case of a natural disaster. You should have the basics; food for several days, batteries for radio’s and flashlights, water for a week or more, charger for your cell phone or a backup battery, supplies for your pets, etc.

One must keep in mind that after an earthquake, the possibility of there being any civil services like emergency personnel, water, electricity and others will be slim to none. Many of the first responders will be making sure their families are safe first before they start helping others. Even then, they’ll more than likely be dispatched to high population centers like downtown areas. Residential areas will be down the list a ways, so you may be on your own for a while. That’s why you should have an earthquake kit handy and the knowledge to use all of its contents.

Other items you may want to include in your earthquake kit are blankets, mirrors, matches or lighters, 2 way radio, prescriptions, extra eye glasses or contacts if you use them, solar generator or fuel generator along with a supply of fuel (now you know why I recommend solar generators!) and baby items should you have infants in the house. Don’t forget first aid kits for you and your pets as well as any special medical needs you or people in your family might have, especially elderly people.

Don’t scrimp on earthquake supplies. Also, take into account how many people are in your household. If you have enough water for 2 people for a week, it won’t last long if there are 4 or 5 people in your family…or if others show up at your home. You need to take these things into account when preparing for an earthquake.

Also, don’t forget your pets. Earthquake survival kits should include plenty of food and water for them. Is they water they will be drinking the same water you’ll be drinking? If so, make sure you have more than enough stored for your family and your pets. All pets should have collars with your name and address on them. This will help in case you and your pets get separated after an earthquake.

Other things you should know how to do are as follows: do you know where the emergency shut off valves are for the water and gas? Do you know how to shut these off? If you don’t, or you think you might know, make sure and have someone who does know, show you where they’re at and how to do it.

Adding some basic camping gear to your earthquake kit is a wise idea as well. Because you sure aren’t going to want to sleep in a building after an earthquake. Some after shocks can be nearly as strong as the earthquake itself. A multi fuel camp stove, chairs, tents, water containers, utensils, kitchen tools and sanitary bucket for relieving yourself are wise additions to any emergency kit for earthquakes.

Earthquake preparedness isn’t something that you should take lightly or put off. Now is the best time to start. If you don’t have the time or you’re not comfortable putting together a kit yourself, there are many places where you can buy ready made earthquake kits. The important thing is that you start now, because non of us know when the ‘big one’ will strike next.

Well, anyway this is what I did to build my instant herb garden. By the way, when I read the article in the magazine, the author was using it as a vegetable garden, so I guess it will work for this as well.

I went down and bought several bags of top soil and garden soil. I can hear you asking “What’s the difference between garden soil and top soil?” Most garden soil is mixed with compost, peat moss and/or fertilizer. I also bought a few bags of potting soil because I wanted to experiment on which would be better for this method.

Next, I bought several potted herb plants. These included Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Dill, Chives, Mint and others.

Once I got home, I laid down a 4 x 8 foot sheet of black plastic. I then laid the bags of soil down and leveled them. Once leveled and arranged I wanted them, I cut out the side of the bag that was on top. I left a few inches around the sides to hold the soil in.

On the bags of Garden soil, I felt like there was too much organic material and pulled about half out and replaced it with top soil and mixed it together. I then planted the herb plants in these bags of soil laying flat.

Keep in mind that some herbs don’t get along with others. Sage and Rosemary come to mind, so keep these away from the others. You can Google “Companion planting for herbs” to find a list of others.

While this wouldn’t be my first way of planting a garden, I’m doing it here because I ran out of time to build a spot for herbs and I wanted to experiment with this technique. I prefer the square foot gardening method as I have less than 1/2 acre. As of now, I have 8 4×8 raised beds that I practice the square foot gardening method and it’s absolutely amazing how much food we get from those raised beds! Last year it was the second best way of obtaining food for long term food storage!

If you haven’t tried it, I’d highly recommend it to anyone that has a small space. I’m not sure I wouldn’t use it even if I had more space because it makes gardening, especially weeding and mulching, so much easier. Plus it’s easier to work the soil and add nutrients such as compost.

Anyway, here is what my finished instant survivalist garden (or topsoil bag garden if you like) looks like, with the plants in place. I’ll keep everyone informed as the growing season progresses.

The places where you see no plants in the bags, that’s where I planted some seeds of my favorite herbs. I can’t wait to see how these grow during the Summer months.

I also put in two strawberry plants in a bag of ordinary top soil. Just to see how they would do!

If you happen to be a person who plans on having an emergency, then there are many fine firearms to have in such a situation. A strong argument could be made for the 12 gauge shotgun as being the best survival gun. I would agree with that statement if you’re the type of person who does not practice with your firearm enough to be proficient.

The reasons I like the Marlin 30-30 are many. Here is a list of my reasons why the Marlin gets my nod as the best survival gun.

1. They’re cheap. I see them in the local classifieds for under $200
2. They’re reliable and durable. The lever action is a strong and reliable mechanism
3. They’re easy to use. Just about anyone can be shown how to load and shoot one. This will be helpful if you ever find yourself in a survival situation with people who are not firearms savvy
4. They can put a fair amount of lead down range in a short amount of time. Most rifles hold 6 rounds and these can be cycled and fired rather quickly with just a little amount of practice.
5. The ammo is readily available. Next to the 22 long rifle, I’d say that the 30-30 is the ammo you’ll find the most of when you really need it.
6. The ammo is inexpensive. Recently, I just bought 20 boxes of ammo from Cabela’s during one of their sales for $10.99 a box
7. The 30-30 can be very accurate. Much more accurate than the AK-47 and SKS type of semi-auto’s (as well as many AR’s). Also, the round delivers more of a punch than the .223′s and the AK rounds.

And those are the ones that come off the top of my head.

Now if you’re a die hard firearms person, one who practices on a regular basis, then you probably have a lot of guns to choose from. But for the Average Joe, the Marlin 30-30 is hard to be for your one gun arsenal. (okay, you should have a shotgun and a .22 also!)

The 30-30 has enough energy to take any Big Game animal walking North America. In a pinch, it will double as a good defensive weapon with enough power to penetrate thin metal and other materials. It’s easy enough to learn to use that your Wife or Children can be taught how to operate one safely and become proficient with it.

So if you’re just beginning your arsenal and don’t have a boat load of money to buy every type of assault weapon the so called “survival guru’s” say you must have, then give the 30-30 Winchester cartridge a look. While you’re at it, take a look at the Gun Shows or Classifieds and pick up an cheap and reliable survival gun!

Buying and storing seeds for survival is not hard and not expensive, certainly not as expensive as some of the survival seed packs being offered on the Internet.

How To Make Your Own Survival Seed Bank

First off, you want to use only heirloom seeds, not hybrid seeds. Heirloom seeds are open pollinated. You will get the same type of plant year after year by saving the seeds. With hybrid seeds, the plants are derived from two different plant varieties. The problem with seeds from hybrids is that when you save the seeds and replant them, you typically get one variety and not the other. That is, if you even get anything from the hybrid seeds.

You can find good quality heirloom seeds on the Internet. Several places that I re3commend are Heirloom Seeds, Baker Creek and Victory Seeds. Another good source of heirloom seeds is Seed Savers. Seed Savers is an exchange where people can share and trade heirloom seeds.

Before you start ordering any kind of seeds, sit down and figure out which varieties you want to plant and which ones you may want to plant in the future. Make a list before you start shopping for seeds.

For example, here are the seeds I buy, plant and put back in my seed bank.

• Corn (sweet and field varieties)
• Beans (pole, green and pinto)
• Tomatoes (southern varieties that do well in the heat)
• Onions (bulb and green type)
• Potatoes (I prefer the red and Yukon golds)
• Okra
• Radish
• Peas
• Cucumbers (pickling and slicers)
• Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe)
• Peppers
• Greens (spinach, turnip, etc)

The seeds that you’ll want to fit your situation will probably be different, but at least this will give you an idea of what types I put back. Make sure that you’ve actually grown the variety in your area to ensure that it grows well in your local climate. Here in the South, many Tomato varieties don’t handle our heat well, so we have to be selective in what we plant. For example, the heirloom variety Brandywines are great tomatoes but they don’t tolerate the heat near as well as Arkansas Travelers. So which one do you think I plant and put back the most of? You guessed it, the Travelers!

Now that you have your own list of heirloom seeds made out, go shopping. Depending on the variety, I try to buy all my seeds in bulk. I like to have at least several hundred seeds of each type in my bank at any one time. I will also add seeds throughout the early Spring as they become available and I also add some of my own seeds that I saved.

By saving seeds this way, you’ll soon find out that your survival seed bank grows quickly!

How To Make a Survival Seed Bank

Now let’s say that you have your survival seeds and you want to start your seed bank. I personally do not like to store seeds in the packets they come in, but I have done it without any ill effects. I normally put them into a plastic bag, put a label into the bag with the name of the plant and date I put them in and then vacuum seal the bag. Once I have a good variety of seeds, I will then store them in several manners.

My favorite way is to put all the vacuum packed seeds into a mylar bag and seal it. Once that bag is sealed, I then put it into a plastic bucket (2 gallon or larger) or a PVC pipe sealed at both ends (one end with a threaded cap seal).

Another way I store my seeds after I’ve vacuumed packed them is in a surplus ammo can with a good tight seal. These are normally seeds stored away from my home in remote locations that I can retrieve at a later date if I need them.

If this all seems over kill, just remember, moisture and air are your seeds enemy. Once your seeds get soaked, you’ll need to plant them right away or risk damage. Some may be okay by drying them quickly, but then again, you’re not generally around when your stored seeds become water logged!

Why Store Survival Seeds?

Many people question why anyone needs to store seeds for survival. If you find yourself asking this, you need to do some more research on hybrid seeds. I’ll just quickly give you my opinion here.

First, many genetically enhanced hybrid seeds produce great food. But I’m not real big on genetically enhanced anything and I prefer food from good ole heirloom seeds.

Some will argue that food from genetically enhanced food is not as good for you as food grown from heirloom seeds. I don’t know this to be true and have never read any hardcore evidence supporting this theory.

I know this to be true of many varieties. Heirloom seeds produced vegetables taste better than vegetables grown from hybrid seeds. This is true for Tomatoes, Melons, Corn and others.

Some also point out the controversy behind the so called Terminator Seeds or GURT seeds. These seeds are designed to be sterile and not reproduce. Although I can find nothing saying these seeds have ever been sold commercially, there’s always the thought in the back of some people’s mind.

So before you shell out big money for a survival seed bank or small packets of vacuum packed survival seeds, save yourself a lot of money and do it yourself. You’ll save money and come away with a lot more seeds for the money!

How Are Solar Generators Different From Traditional Solar Systems?

The main difference between a solar generator and a solar system is that the solar generator is generally more portable. Your standard solar generator will consist of solar panels, deep cell batteries and a converter/controller. This is a highly portable unit since the batteries and controller will generally be attached in a single unit.

The smaller of the solar generators will generally be capable of running things such as laptops, small fridges, microwaves, lights, etc. The larger units will power regular household appliances such as refrigerators and large TV’s.

In addition to the all-in-one controller/battery box, the solar generator obviously comes with a solar panel. This makes the entire unit very portable and is one reason this smaller systems are so popular with those living off the grid.

The traditional solar system is generally permanently mounted to either the home or a supports system. It’s not unusual to have an entire room to store huge industrial deep cell batteries with a controller costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Solar Generators?

Well, in my opinion, what some people may consider disadvantages of solar generators are another person advantages. Some people point out that solar generators are too small to power an entire home. In most cases they are correct. But you have to remember, solar generators are designed to supply emergency power when the main power goes out. Just like your gas powered generators.

Others point out the smaller batteries that most solar generators use. Again, this could be an advantage. These batteries generally last around 5 years or so and they are easily replaceable. If you’ve ever tried replacing the industrial sized batteries of a traditional solar system, then you’ll definitely see the advantage of the smaller batteries.

When used properly, I really don’t see any disadvantages of the smaller, portable solar generators unless you have several large appliances to run when the power goes out.

Gas vs Solar

When comparing a traditional gas powered generators to solar generators, there’s really no comparison at all. To run your gas powered generator, you’ll have to have a supply of gas. As stated earlier, if you have no electric after a natural disaster, chances are good that the store that carries gas will not have power to pump it. And let’s not forget about the price of gas these days!

Also, once your supply of gas runs out, you’re out of power.

With the solar generator, you’re able to store power for a few days if you plan well. A few days without sun light will not affect you unless you run to many appliances and fail to plan well.

When it’s all said and done, I feel a solar generator will be far more useful for supplying your home power after a natural disaster or blackout than a gas or diesel powered generators.

One thing that the Holidays did make me think about is what will happen to my friends and family (those outside my immediate family). They all know that I practice emergency preparedness. Many think I’ve lost my rocker, some are curious while others understand and envy me. Those who envy me are mostly men who have wives who do not understand the importance of preparing for times of unrest or emergencies.

The one exception is my Sister who has a husband that thinks I’m a wacko. He works in insurance in a high-rise office building in KC. They do very well and live in a gated subdivision. I often tease him that if it’s so unsafe that they have to put a fence and gates around the place, then they need to move to a safer location! He doesn’t laugh. He’s one of these people who takes his self way too serious.

My Brother-In-Law believes that the Government will take care of us and provide us all the things we need in an emergency. Whenever he spouts that crap on me and just remind him of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. For some reason the thinks that just because he makes a lot of money, him and his like will be cared for first. Luckily my Sister knows better and she has become a closet Survivalist. Basically she practices emergency preparedness under his nose without him knowing about it! At least, the best she can without being too obvious.

I have other relatives who live out in the Country. For many of them, the see no need in prepping. They believe that they can survive anything simply because they can hunt, fish and grow a garden. I’ll agree with them to a point, but you can’t have everything you need in an instant if you’re not putting back.

One of my Uncles loves telling me that he’ll just grab his gun and go take what he needs away from people like me should TSHTF. I love telling him that he’ll be one of the first ones to go if TSHTF! That kind of thinking is foolish. I’m surprised at how many idiots in our world still think like that!

Okay, I’ve rambled on long enough. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you that I had over the Holidays while spending time with my family and friends. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish each of you a profitable and health 2010. May God bless you and your family richly.