# Your top 3 survival plants...



## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

OK TS -has- HTF . You can choose three types of produce to grow and depend on for life...what are they?


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## partndn (Jun 18, 2009)

hmmmm...

maters
taters
garlic


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Definatly
Potatoes and Beans (Carbs and Protein)
Some kind of Grain crop not sure which but maybe Oats or Barley.
Ground and made in to flour for baking, Also used as Animal feed .
Now if you let me add 3 more for a list of six, which would make the other food more palatable.
Peppers
Garlic
Onions


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

I too would go with maters and taters. I think the third would be a green of some sort.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

the three sisters, beans, corn and squash. Any extras, tomatoes, peppers, onions.
Ed


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## doodlemom (Apr 4, 2006)

Beans,squash, stinging nettle. I'm talking about plants that don't fail me..I've had tomatoes fail.


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## gracie88 (May 29, 2007)

Potatoes, kale and garlic are three I can grow no matter what and potatoes and garlic store well while kale grows year-round here. This is assuming we have other sources of food though, right? Because I can grow meat like anything, and I know where the berries/nettles/nuts/fruit trees grow, but if I have to rely on beans for protein, I'm going to die.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Potatoes,Tomatoes,Corn.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

potatoes
beans 
winter squash


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## pamda (Oct 14, 2004)

potatoes, winter squash and a green like spinach...beans maybe. I'd like to say a grain, don't know which though. No corn, I can't eat it and it would have to be for animal feed only.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

It's important that all needs be met from just three- then potatoes, some nut and some berry- the some depending on what can be grown where I live.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

If I can still forage for greens, nuts, fruits and other wild edibles etc..
then tomatoes (I'll eat a cow flop if served with tomato sauce), oats..no.. make that wheat. And....I guess potatoes.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

Potatoes, corn and most likely tomatoes.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

Surprised at the number of people choosing tomatoes! Not enough choosing beans for protein, ease of reseeding, and hardiness.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Collards, potatoes and onions. That would give us seasoning, a hardy 9-month growing vegetable, and dependable carbs. Add meat to that and we could survive, even if it wasn't an exciting diet. I'd grow pintos if I could add a 4th crop. And tomatoes if I could add a 5th.


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## doodlemom (Apr 4, 2006)

With the stinging nettle for survival it starts producing before you can plant beans or tomatoes here and keeps going if picked properly all season long. It's a perennial so you don't have to plant it, grows in that useless shady/semi shady spot and it seeds more
High in potassium, iron, sulphur, vitamin C, vitamin A and B complex vitamins nettles provide a high amount of dense nutrition with very little calories. The sulphur makes them great for the hair, skin, and nails. In addition, the tiny hairs, besides emitting histamine, also release serotonin and acetylcholine, two neurotransmitters that help to suppress appetite and also settle mood. Finally, nettles have gentle diuretic properties, which help relieve water weight gain, flush the body of toxins, and purify the blood.
http://www.examiner.com/article/stinging-nettles-superfood
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (89g or 3.1 oz)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 37	Calories from Fat 1

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0g	0%

Saturated Fat 0g	~

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg	~

Sodium 4mg	0%

Total Carbohydrate 7g	2%

Dietary Fiber 6g	25%

Sugars 0g

Protein 2g

Vitamin A	36%	Â·	Vitamin C	~

Calcium	43%	Â·	Iron	8%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Nutritional Data by SkipThePie.org
Printable Label


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

A nut, I believe hazelnut will grow here
blueberry
spinach or kale


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Rhubarb (can't kill it and it takes care of itself) - yes, I love it raw so don't get on me about needing sugar to go with it....I don't 
Beans
tomatoes.
Oats (since rhubarb is a perennial...do I get an "extra" crop?)

Add to that a few fruit trees and nut trees, if allowed. Lot's of wild greens around....I'd just stop weeding.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

cabbage--keeps almost yearround in cold storage, and love kraut
potatoes--same deal
winter squash--same deal

all three last from the end of the season to the end of the next.


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## Peggy (Feb 14, 2010)

some type of beans of Protein.
potatoes you can do alot with them.
maybe corn- you can make cornmeal with dryed corn.
everything else I would forage in the woods. I like the idea of the stinging nettles.
this is what I have been doing over the last two years- replacing all my flowers in the flowerbeds with native eatible flowers, trees and shurbs. iris and tulips are pretty but what good are they if you are hungry?


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

ditto Peggy. potatoes, dry beans and corn...


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## plowhand (Aug 14, 2005)

cowpeas, corn,collards

cowpeas, some are for the spring, some the fall, build up nitrogen in you soil, test close to alfalfa as hay, can be froze, canned or dry.

corn, easy to gather, eat it as roasting ears, grated to mix meal for gritted bread, fodder is good for stock...even the old hard stalk can be used if you know how

collards...grow year round here better in the winter after a frost, but good eating in the summer if you know how to cook them, the core of the stalk is pretty good to eat raw.....sorta crunchy like a carrot, and its's pretty good feed for animals too....never fed any to horses and mules 

Now if I could have my maters, squash, cucumbers, taters, peppers, and a few pear trees and some herbs, oats and wheat.....a person could live like a king


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Taters Onions Ragweed


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## GarlicGirl (Mar 12, 2010)

Beans, tomatoes and winter squash.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

Survival, huh?

Beans.....protein, carbs------I started to list quinoa here, but figured beans are a tad bit more versatile and do provide _some_ protein.

Greens......minerals, fiber

Tomatoes....vitamin C, antioxidant

Those would be my 'cultured' crops & would be supplemented by whatever I could forage such as fruits, berries and nuts.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Potatoes, cabbage and tomato....James


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

Got to say it!

Cocoa Tree
Coffee Bush
Sugar Cane or should I say tobacco?

I would be able to trade for anything I want with those!

Kathie


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## pinfeather (Nov 12, 2006)

potatoes, beets (also for greens), beans.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

pamda said:


> potatoes, winter squash and a green like spinach...beans maybe. I'd like to say a grain, don't know which though. No corn, I can't eat it and it would have to be for animal feed only.


 My corn would go to feeding rabbits. Rabbits are very easly kept inside (for their saftey) quiet and prolific. They don't smell bad, and the droppings are gold in the compost world. I feed wild greens all summer long and corn dryes very well for me on the cob for winter storage. My entire "yard" is planted with "food" every berry and 2 diffrnet nuts produce for me here. 30+ fruit trees. In this are of the country,corn tomatoes and corn are grown and sold as crops they grow so well. I'm going with what is natural for my soil.


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

I think it would be potatoes, greens and winter squash for me.


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## montysky (Aug 21, 2006)

wheat, Tomatoes and Beans


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## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

cannas, sweet potatoes, and cowpeas.
ive had a lot of success with those, and they make great livestock feeds. canna root is a starchy veg, sweet potato greens are awesome... cant say i've had much success with tomatoes, and wont make much of a feed...


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## Appalachia (Jul 11, 2012)

SWEET potatoes
cranberry beans
winter squash (probably spaghetti)

All three are 1) easily propagated 2) able to be stored at room temp without canning and 3) have edible leaves for greens.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

pinto beans - can be ground into flour, boiled, mixed with various foraged foods
spinach - can be dried and ground into flour, eaten raw as a salad, cooked & mixed with foraged onions/etc.
mangles - can be used same as potatoes, sliced raw as a snack, animal feed, and when left in the ground after a freeze they are sweet so it may be possible boil them down to make a sweetener (I need to try that next year.)


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## longshot38 (Dec 19, 2006)

so produce, i assume you are excluding grains. 

potatoes, stable storable carbs, in the right conditions root cellar 

Cabbage, vitamins, storage possible as kraut. root cellar for several months 

onions, good for the blood seasoning for meats and other dishes.

dean


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Do we have electricity to pump water? 
If so then potatoes, tomatoes and corn.
If not then mesquite, cactus and are tumble weeds edible?


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Mesquite beans and prickly pear tunas can make some good jelly.
Young prickly pear pads are eaten, see nopales.
Mesquite beans can be ground with the right equipment to make flour.
Both plants are said to be good for diabetics.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

whiterock said:


> Mesquite beans and prickly pear tunas can make some good jelly.
> Young prickly pear pads are eaten, see nopales.
> Mesquite beans can be ground with the right equipment to make flour.
> Both plants are said to be good for diabetics.


I know they are edible. Our walmart sells nopales and I've got some prickly pear jelly. We'd have to fight the rabbits for the blossoms. I don't know if my grinder can handle mesquite beans though. I'll have to call the manufacturer and ask. I looked it up once and everyone was talking about a hammer mill. Don't have one of those.....


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## Pam6 (Apr 9, 2009)

Beans, tomatoes, potatoes. 
I have seed stocked so I would be trading some if it for edible perennials and meat rabbits as quickly as possible.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

you know one reason i think Indian's grew 3 sisters was because it could be planted and left to grow.come fall/winter it was ready...dried corn to grind or soak and boil....dried beans in pod and pumpkins that would keep all winter.it grew while they were off doing other chores in summer times.

does that make sense or am to far out there in my thinking?


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

It would have to be what I know I can grow here in abundance....squash, potatoes and beans.


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## maxbetta (May 6, 2013)

Sweet potatoes, peanuts, and tomatoes. Because I'm weird, lol.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Tomatoes, potatoes, and lima beans, all pretty much critter safe.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

soulsurvivor said:


> Tomatoes, potatoes, and lima beans, all pretty much critter safe.


You don't have our critters! I had to build fort Knox to protect mine. Those durn rabbits ate my potatoes and onions down to the ground. This is what had to resort to to have any fresh veggies.


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## shellycoley (Mar 6, 2003)

collards, sweet taters, tomato
I could live and be happy


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## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

Apples, Winter Squash and Onions (I could not stand to live without onions!)


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## NJ Rich (Dec 14, 2005)

Kale, potatoes and beans


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Potatoes 


You can live on just potatoes and a bit of milk/meat/fat for vitamin b12


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## justincase (Jul 16, 2011)

beans (protein) taters(carbs) and nuts! Then I would add garlic for medical purpose plus the whole YUM factor, I think garlic can make anything taste good. Maters cuz that is just good with garlic and anything else(can anyone tell I am Italian LOL?)The rest is healthy but the three I am focused on is growing some peanuts, Trying some taters for the first time, and going to give some kidney and blackeyed peas a whirl...But those are my three must haves to provide, but life without garlic would be miserable....I shutter at the thought


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Wheat- For my animals, and for my family to eat
Potatoes- so easy to grow and store
Hay-Gotta have hay for the animals to eat!


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Wheat- For my animals, and for my family to eat
Potatoes- so easy to grow and store
Hay-Gotta have hay for the animals to eat!


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## lmrose (Sep 24, 2009)

If I can choose only three vegetables to grow and survive on it would be blue potatoes because they are full of calcium and anti-oxidents; dry beans for protein and garlic because of its medicinal purposes. Many greens can be found in the wild so you don't need to grow them. If allowed three more veggies to grow my second choices would be beets, winter squash and onions.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

I'd go with beans, wheat, and apples.


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## QuickBrownFox (Feb 15, 2013)

I know I would choose potatoes & onions... But the third choice is between tomatoes & beans. And I really prefer tomatoes.


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

Beans, potatoes and corn. 

You need the grain/corn to go with beans to make a "complete protein". The potatoes for starch, and because they are just plain good.


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

Don't imagine why there'd be a limit of 3, if there were 4, I'd pick beans, corn, tomatoes, & spinach.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

InvalidID said:


> Taters Onions Ragweed


ragweed???!!
why?? is it edible?


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

tailwagging, ragweed has more protein than almost anything, and recent archeological remains show that Am. Indians ate this before corn came up from Central America. More Omega-3's, etc.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Sweet potatoes, corn, field peas. (But I'd probably sneak in a few watermelons cause what is summer without watermelon?)


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## joya (Nov 16, 2011)

For Peggy who thinks tulips are worthless: My dad's family dug up the bulbs and made them into coarse brown bread in the Netherlands to survive during the last starving winter at the end of WWII. The Nazis had taken all the livestock and stripped the country of food.


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## 78Parrothead (Apr 6, 2013)

Okay so I'm living on my land already when TSHF so I already have apple trees and berry bushes and honeybees. So I'm going to grow potatoes, beans and greens, probably romaine or arugula. Hopefully, I'll be bartering or trading for onions and garlic and bell peppers.


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## Ambercain (May 29, 2013)

littlebitfarm said:


> Got to say it!
> 
> Cocoa Tree
> Coffee Bush
> ...


Thank you! All though I would trade a vanilla orchid for the sugar cane!


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## jackie in ms (Apr 30, 2013)

oats, garlic & beans... i have wild roses for vit C, greens every where i look, meat on the run, fish are swimming. grapes, blue berries, nuts, bamboo, black caps, queen ann's lace, plaintin, white oak, wild onion, pine trees, cedar trees & cactus growing wild around me. and that's just what i can see from the window!


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## Sprocket58 (Aug 27, 2008)

hmmm....that's a hard one but I'd depend on barter with some of your mater & taters...and trade you for...
Lemon balm (anti-viral)
Garlic
wheat


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

ldc said:


> tailwagging, ragweed has more protein than almost anything, and recent archeological remains show that Am. Indians ate this before corn came up from Central America. More Omega-3's, etc.


thank you for the info.
how do you use it?


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

kale/collards........seems to be too bitter for the bugs and animals and comes up year after year with no help at all.

Potatoes......prolific with a minimal amount of help.

Beans of some sort.....those seems to need the most care.

I will have to admit modified my list a little after reading all the replies....I replaced my tomato pick with the beans as everything in the world seems to want to eat tomato plants and the fruits.

I keep a couple of #10 sealed cans with 25 packets each of non hybrid hierloom seeds in them........I actually have 10 to 20 on hand as I sell them, but a couple are dedicated as mine.

These cans are really a great idea to have handy....25 packets of seeds in each one and at barely over a dollar a pack they are the same price or cheaper than at the store for open seed packs.......everyone should have a can or 2.....minimal investment and even if ou never use them or just open the can and use for regular seeds, it does not cost virtually ay difference than regular packs at the store.....sometimes much less than many stores.


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## Ambercain (May 29, 2013)

Shawnlee, I am really interested in these sealed cans of packets you sell. Do you have a website or ordering info handy?


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

My favorite edibles are what grow well and provide most vitamines/minerals. Much of our edibles grow wild here; however, the ones I nourish are wild garlic, nettle & berries. 

My favorite domesticated ones to plant are root crops (Irish potatoes, carrots, beets) for which I'm constructing a raised bed nothing is going to get into. Beans follow close as favorites as they are easy to grow with all the Evening Primrose and Dock we have here to keep the bad bugs off them.

I've tried growing grain, i.e. Amaranth and still have some of those seeds in the freezer; and of course our fruit trees/bushes are keepers...as well as Rugosa Roses (for the Vitamin C in their hips).


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