Survival Gardening: Grow Your Own Emergency Food Supply, from Seed to Root Cellar

Coffman (Herbal Medic), an herbalist and former Green Beret medic, utilizes his military skills and botanical knowledge to educate readers on sustainably growing food before, during, and after an emergency or natural disaster. His book is divided into four parts: immediate food needs, gardening for the long haul, planning for a continual food supply, and strategies for small and urban spaces. The book walks readers through site preparation, various growing methods, soil fertility, and prevention of garden pests with basic step-by-step project instructions and helpful illustrations. Coffman advocates for preparation, planning, and practice before a crisis occurs, so he discusses storing food, eating insects, and selecting the best plants for their nutritional value and climate. His advice is geared toward gardeners with land, but there’s a section for readers with small or urban spaces too. Readers might be surprised by the unexpected recommendation of humanure (human-waste composting) to amend garden soil, and sensitive readers might not enjoy the brief description of how to quickly but humanely harvest rabbits.