Urban Living

*sigh*
Those who are 1/2 prepped in CDN will head North.
The further you go North in ANY CDN province the more likely the residents will have firearms but will have been poor/underemployed/on gov assist for long periods of time. It's a mess no matter which way you slice it.
I'm sticking to railroad tracks....focused on the ones no longer in use.
Trails that don't really look like trails and if you keep foot to tie you leave no tracks until you step off. There are tons of old unused tracks in BC that run along rivers to old unused mines and some abandoned towns. I'm only 1hr drive out of Vancouver...it's not far enough.

 

Dude made it 50 days alone in the wild but snapped.
Granted...if he could have legally shot moose/deer he would have been fine.
I would have...the "Queens Deer" my @5s.

 

As it has been written in many books, many will flock to the warmer climates because it is easier to survive or so they think. Those Southerners are hospitable but in a SHTF scenario and a surge of thousands/millions they would lose their hospitality. I have heard that colder weather helps kill the germs so that could be a plus if headed to New England. I know that since 9 1 1 many have moved from the cities to the smaller states but they are still living with all their needs being met. But cut the power & heat and grocery stores and upper NE does not look as cushy. I hope that makes sense.

I read on a SM thread a person said 5-10 years maybe before the bottom falls out but to me 10 years is real optimistic. I look around and think why am I planting apple trees here? Some of my neighbors could be real trouble, a serious threat.

 

That is one of the conflicts I have with myself on a regular basis. I've STILL only put in one raised bed (4x8) that I STILL haven't planted anything in. Part of it is "why am I doing this here?". I don't trust my neighbors and have a real feeling that they would end up as fertilizer and/or dog food in a SHTF situation because of how I'm afraid it will go down.

We haven't planted any trees for the same reason...I keep dragging my feet because of a "what if"...which is dumb because even if something does go down, there's the chance that it won't happen until things have matured and I can use the natural/planted preps for at least a little while.

Too often we (or at least I) allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear of the unknown which results in inaction, which is the WORST possible thing we could do. Even a bad or wrong decision is better than no decision at all.

 

I could not have said that better myself.

The world is a scary place - and it gets even scarier as we begin to wake up and open our eyes to the realities around us. So, we begin to "prep" - and then, we realize that there's a LOT more to the whole preparedness and self-sufficiency thing than we imagined. So, what do you do - give up? Hell No!

I can't recall where I saw it, but I once read that the phrase "self-sufficiency" is a bad phrase - because no one can be truly self-sufficient. What we CAN be, however, is self-reliant. We can choose to rely solely on ourselves, because to rely on ourselves means to assume full responsibility for ourselves and our well-being, and not count on anyone else to take care of us. For those of us with kids, who rely on us naturally, it means we assume responsibility for them as well. This is not about being able to survive alone, but about the decisions we make and the actions we take. And this is something we CAN do, if we so choose to - but we can also choose NOT to, and if we let fear stand in the way, that's choosing not to. Whatever we choose, that decision is on us and we have to own it.

I think that self-reliance (or "prepping"), at its core, is a peaceful and positive endeavor. It is for me anyway, because that's what I choose it to be. Does that mean I expect a SHTF event to be all about eating rainbows and crapping out butterflies? Of course not - but I know why I do what I do, and I'm happy with that.

If you're still not sure about planting those fruit trees or veggies, consider planting them in a location that allows you to use them as bait...

 

The trees will still be there AFTER SHTF, you bug out for xxxxx amount of time until all the zombies are dead and come back.
Quit messing around and gett'em in the ground!

 

We've got a couple raised beds in and are going to do a couple more next year. Fruit trees and bushes seem like a good idea. When is the best time of year to replant trees?

 

I put 3 apple trees in the ground last year in the spring, and the 2 that lived are doing well - a honeycrisp and a granny smith. The red delicious died shortly after planting, but as far as I can tell it's because that type doesn't do well in my area. I replaced it with a 2nd honeycrisp this past spring and it's looking good. I'm looking to try some other varieties that are common to this area, and will probably start them from seed - but I wanted to go ahead and get a few in the ground so that I'd start getting fruit sooner.

That said, I've heard from some sources that the fall is a good time for apple trees as well - so it's probably best to do a little research on the type of tree you're planting and maybe common practices for your area. And of course, if you can start with things that do well in your area naturally, they'll probably be less susceptible to diseases, etc (that's how my red delicious died) and do better in general. Maybe look around the farms and orchards in your area to see what types they're growing - chances are, they know what they're doing and chose those types for a reason - but I wouldn't limit myself to just those.

One more thing - I'll have to google this to confirm it and I don't have time right now, but I think that apple trees require cross-pollination from a different variety of apple tree, so you'll need at least 2 different types. Gotta run for now, I'll check into this later and report back.

 

They do need cross pollination. Golden delicious is a great pollinator. JABEC is correct, get ones that are for your area. Do your own research, I listened to the "garden expert" at Home Depot and had to dig a tree up because it was not compatible at my elevation.

 

I have also learned that just because a berry bush says needs 6 hours of sun this seems to be a general statement. I am transplanting my blueberries this Fall because my 6 hours of sun is real strong and it is too hot for them.