Having a garden at home is essential for many people to have better control over their family's food.

However, many other people have prevention in mind, i. e., after COVID-19, quarantine, and food shortages in many parts of the world, a survival garden is an excellent idea to consider. 

You might be wondering, but I can't have a garden because I live in an apartment, will I be able to do it?

The answer is yes.

Even if you don't have an outdoor garden, you can have an indoor survival garden to be prepared and have food constantly available at home. 

After all, we do not know when there may be natural, economic, or war catastrophes.

If you want to know how to grow a survival garden, you might want to keep reading this post.

The most important part of an indoor survival garden is the planning.

What exactly is a Survival Garden?

A survival garden is the ability to grow vegetables in your home to consume them in times of scarcity. 

This type of garden can be more complicated to maintain than an ordinary garden.

The difference is that if your survival garden goes badly during a disaster, you will be in trouble: you will go hungry.

That is why elaborating a plan and patience are essential elements.

In addition, you must consider the type of vegetable to be grown to cover your caloric needs.

Also, it is important to consider whether these vegetables can be stored.

On the other hand, since we are talking about an indoor survival garden, the light for this type of plant is vital, so you have to help them so that the production of your crops is optimal.

Choice of Plants

How Much Food Should I Grow?

The amount to grow is significant, and for this, you should consider the number of people you live with, the amount of food they consume, and if you have plans to share your vegetables with other people.

Pay attention to the amount of food that you and your family consume if there is something that they consume more than others and take into account the calories.

You can write down and calculate this data for a month to know the nutritional level you can cover so that you and your family have good health.

What Kind of Food Should I Grow?

To know what to grow, you must consider some factors.

For example, the time of the year to know which vegetables are each season and at what time of the year few crops can grow depending on your geographical area.

On the other hand, the nutrients you can cover with the growing season are also important.

If you live in a country where the winters are snowy and long and dark, you will need artificial lighting and other tools, which I will discuss later.

To get started, consider the following list of plants that you can have in your indoor survival garden as they are high in nutrients and can be grown almost anywhere:

• Corn
• Beans
• Sunflower Seeds
• Tomatoes
• Broad Beans
• Onions
• Leaks
• Pumpkins
• Beetroots
• Potatoes

Sunflower seeds are perfect in essential fats for the body, but peanuts are also a good option if you cannot grow them.

Also, do not grow what you don't like to eat, or your effort will be useless.

What Stores Well or Keep Long?

One of the main goals of an indoor survival garden is to grow vegetables that you can store for later use, such as the following:

• Garlic
• Beets
• Pumpkin
• Potato
• Zucchini
• Onions
• Sweet Potato
• Parsnips
• Winter squash
• Turnip

An excellent way to preserve vegetables is to pickle or dry them.
For this, you can grow the following vegetables:

• Soybeans
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Beans
• Cucumber
• Corn

Most Nutritious Crops

As I mentioned before, the key to having an indoor survival garden is to grow plants that meet your nutritional levels.

Still, in case the vegetables mentioned in the previous lists do not grow quickly in your area, keep in mind the following:

1. You need vegetables with iron: Swiss chard, spinach, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, lentils, peas, etc.
2. You need carbohydrates: peas, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
3. You need vitamin C: tomatoes, peppers, bell peppers, berries, fruits like kiwi, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, etc.
4. You need folic acid and vitamins: beetroots, asparagus, cucumbers, etc.

Save the Seeds

• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Pumpkins
• Squash
• Peas
• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Radish
• Melons
• Leafy greens
• Tomatoes

Basic Tips For Growing an Indoor Survival Garden

Now that you know the nutritional values you need, the vegetables you can grow in your area, and how much, it's time to talk about the location, the space you need, and other considerations.

Tips to Consider:

• Space: The amount of space needed for your garden is very personal. To know how much space you need, you must consider the number of people you live with to meet your needs. 
• Place: Basements generally offer fewer temperature fluctuations and growing conditions are much easier to control no matter what season it is. Remember that light is very important.
• Access: Make sure you can get to your plants easily and that you have enough space for watering them. If you have decided to grow your plants in pots, consider their weight/size and make sure there is room to safely reach and lift the plants when you need to move them.
• Watering: Also make sure of the method of how you are going to water and its use so that it is not an expensive job and that it is safe and functional.
• Light: If you want frequent harvests, the light must be abundant and intense. The use of state-of-the-art fluorescents for indoor plants will result in a very noticeable improvement in the overall performance of your vegetables in case your plants don't receive sunlight.

To sum it up

If you have never had an indoor garden, it's recommended that you practice by trial and error to see if you can plan your indoor survival garden well.

You don't have to wait for a catastrophe to strike before you can get started. Research, read, and don't be afraid to try.