After Nuked gardening

[james313]

I think there is an obvious solution to the effect fallout would have on soil and your ability to produce food.

Assuming you have time to prepare some land before the event , you would do so by rolling some black plastic film out to cover your best garden soil , cover it with an inch of soil or sand so it wont blow away , wait 3 - 6 weeks after the event for fallout to cease , put on your mask and booties and push the plastic back to allow use of the protected soil underneath for growing your food.

You still need a source of clean water , hopefully you have an underground spring you can pump from until the rivers are clean.

 

[GaRp58]

Already got my plastic ready james...good tip and good explaination. GP

 

[Amish Heart]

I would do that and continue using grow lights in the basement for plants

 

[james313]

I would do that and continue using grow lights in the basement for plants

I think the first thing to do when you get down in your safe place / wine cellar / mushroom grow room is to take the seed pack marked "week 1" , pop them in some seedling soil mix and add water.

Assuming you might be in that room for at least a couple of weeks , then have the seed pack ready that is marked "week 3" so you hopefully dont have gaps in your production.

I am not sure how long i would have lights turned on for as the air filtration unit would have battery priority , i wouldnt rely on grid electricity but would use grid to keep battery charge as long as its there then switch to solar panels , being mindful that solar panels might be typically installed at 15 degrees but for our purposes would need to be steeper at 50 - 60 degrees to self clean of dust.

An alternative to putting plastic film over your soil is to make plastic covered igloos / hothouses as used by farmers all over the world as the dust will fall off / wash off except at the peak of the dome which could become heavy and collapse , if you can create a spray system to wash them down and deal with the weight then they could also be effective and grow your food uninterrupted during the event.

** note you would need to create drains each side of the igloo so the dust can be washed further away from your garden / habitation area , PVC half drains might be an option if your igloo is on higher ground

 

[Amish Heart]

Not understanding about a week one seed packet. I grow lots of vegetables in our basement normally. I grow in a greenhouse and in the ground normally, too. I would think radioactive dust would blow into the greenhouse, too. Maybe it depends on how much.

 

[bill harrell]

I have a lot of nutsedge in one of my gardens, I've been trying to get it out for years. I have now come to the conclusion that it is gonna take some kind of nuclear event to get rid of it. Thank goodness.

 

[Flying lead]

I have a lot of nutsedge in one of my gardens, I've been trying to get it out for years. I have now come to the conclusion that it is gonna take some kind of nuclear event to get rid of it. Thank goodness.

That nutsedge has edible nodes (nuts) in the roots. The leaves can grow straight through a tomato. It's as a big pita as is wild chrysanthemums. You have to bake the ground to around 140 F. Degrees for a few days