preppers basic skills - garden

8/13/2019 Preppers Basic Skills - Garden

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Preppers Basic Skills

Garden

Every prepper needs to have a renewable source of food, so having a little backyardgarden is a nice idea, even if you live in an apartment you can have a thing or two that

come in handy when in a survival situation.

Here is a small list of some plants and tree that you may take in consideration to have in

your little yard.

Small plants:

Flowers:Calendula, Calendula officinalisalso known as, pot

marigold, ruddles, common marigold, garden marigold,

English marigold, or Scottish marigold.

It is a short-lived aromatic herbaceous perennial, growing

to 80 cm (31 in) tall, with sparsely branched lax or erect

stems. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 517 cm (27

in) long, hairy on both sides, and with margins entire oroccasionally waved or weakly toothed. The

inflorescences are yellow, comprising a thick capitulum

or flowerhead 47 cm diameter surrounded by two rows

of hairy bracts; in the wild plant they have a single ring of

ray florets surrounding the central disc florets. The disc

florets are tubular and hermaphrodite, and generally of a

more intense orange-yellow colour than the female,

tridentate, peripheral ray florets. The flowers may appear all year long where conditions

are suitable. The fruit is a thorny curved achene.

Pharmacological studies have suggested that Calendula extracts may have anti-viral, anti-

genotoxic and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. In an in vitro assay, the methanol

extract of C. officinalis exhibited antibacterial activity and both the methanol and the

ethanol extracts showed antifungal activities. Along with horsetails (Equisetum arvense),

pot marigold is one of the few plants which is considered astringent despite not being high

in tannins.


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Citronella, Cymbopogon nardus - Is a perennial of the

Poaceae grass family, originating in tropical Asia.It is

commonly used as an essential oil known as "citronella oil".

Cannot be eaten because of its unpalatable nature.Is an

invasive species that renders pastureland useless as cattle

will starve even in its abundance. Essential oils are extracted

from the aerial parts, and are applied topically as an insect

repellent.

Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon

winterianus) grows to about 2 m (about 6.5 ft) and has

magenta colored base stems. These species are used for the

production of citronella oil, which is used in soaps, as an insect repellent especially

mosquitoes in insect sprays and candles, and in aromatherapy, which is famous in Bintan

Island, Indonesia and the Philippines. Therefore, its origin is assumed to be Indonesia. The

principal chemical constituents of citronella, geraniol and citronellol, are antiseptics, hencetheir use in household disinfectants and soaps. Besides oil production, citronella grass is

also used for culinary purposes, in tea and as a flavoring.

Citronella is usually planted in home gardens to ward off insects such as whitefly adults. Its

cultivation enables growing some vegetables (e.g. tomatoes and broccoli), without

applying pesticides. Intercropping should include physical barriers, for citronella roots can

take over the field.

St John's wort, Hypericum perforatum- is a

yellow-flowering, stoloniferous or

sarmentose, perennial herb indigenous to

Europe. It has been introduced to many

temperate areas of the world and grows wild

in many meadows. The herb's common name

comes from its traditional flowering and

harvesting on St John's day, 24 June. The

genus name Hypericum is derived from the

Greek words hyper and eikon , in reference to

the plant's traditional use in warding off evil

by hanging plants over a religious icon in the house during St John's day. The species name

perforatum refers to the presence of small oil glands in the leaves that look like windows,

which can be seen when they are held against the light.

St John's wort is a perennial plant with extensive, creeping rhizomes. Its stems are erect,

branched in the upper section, and can grow to 1 m high. It has opposing, stalkless,

narrow, oblong leaves that are 12 mm long or slightly larger. The leaves are yellow-green

in color, with transparent dots throughout the tissue and occasionally with a few black

dots on the lower surface. Leaves exhibit obvious translucent dots when held up to the

light, giving them a perforated appearance, hence the plant's Latin name.


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Its flowers measure up to 2.5 cm across, have five petals, and are colored bright yellow

with conspicuous black dots. The flowers appear in broad cymes at the ends of the upper

branches, between late spring and early to mid summer. The sepalsare pointed, with

glandular dots in the tissue. There are many stamens, which are united at the base into

three bundles. The pollen grains are ellipsoidal. When flower buds (not the flowers

themselves) or seed pods are crushed, a reddish/purple liquid is produced.

Medical uses

Major depressive disorder

St John's wort is widely known as a herbal treatment for depression. In some countries,

such as Germany, it is commonly prescribed for mild to moderate depression, especially in

children and adolescents. It is proposed that the mechanism of action of St. John's wort is

due to the inhibition of reuptake of certain neurotransmitters.An analysis of twenty-nine

clinical trials with more than five thousand patients was conducted by Cochrane

Collaboration. The review concluded that extracts of St John's wort were superior to

placebo in patients with major depression. St John's wort had similar efficacy to standard

antidepressants. The rate of side-effects was half that of newer SSRI antidepressants and

one-fifth that of older tricyclic antidepressants. A report from the Cochrane Review states:

The available evidence suggests that the Hypericum extracts tested in the included trials a)

are superior to placebo in patients with major depression; b) are similarly effective as

standard antidepressants; and c) have fewer side-effects than standard antidepressants.

There are two issues that complicate the interpretation of our findings:

1) While the influence of precision on study results in placebo-controlled trials is less

pronounced in this updated version of our review compared to the previous version (Linde

2005a), results from more precise trials still show smaller effects over placebo than less

precise trials.

2) Results from German-language countries are considerably more favourable for

Hypericum than trials from other countries.

Other medical uses

St John's wort is being studied for effectiveness in the treatment of certain somatoform

disorders. Results from the initial studies are mixed and still inconclusive; some research

has found no effectiveness, other research has found a slight lightening of symptoms.

Further study is needed and is being performed. A major constituent chemical, hyperforin,

may be useful for treatment of alcoholism, although dosage, safety and efficacy have not

been studied.Hyperforin has also displayed antibacterial properties against gram-positive

bacteria, although dosage, safety and efficacy has not been studied.Herbal medicine has

also employed lipophilic extracts from St John's wort as a topical remedy for wounds,abrasions, burns, and muscle pain.The positive effects that have been observed are

generally attributed to hyperforin due to its possible antibacterial and anti-inflammatory

effects.For this reason hyperforin may be useful in the treatment of infected wounds and


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inflammatory skin diseases. In response to hyperforin's incorporation into a new bath oil, a

study to assess potential skin irritation was conducted which found good skin tolerance of

St John's wort.

A randomized controlled trial of St John's wort found no significant difference between it

and placebo in the management of ADHD symptoms over eight weeks. However, the St

John's wort extract used in the study, originally confirmed to contain 0.3% hypericin, wasallowed to degrade to levels of 0.13% hypericin and 0.14% hyperforin. Given that the level

of hyperforin was not ascertained at the beginning of the study, and levels of both

hyperforin and hypericin were well below that used in other studies, little can be

determined based on this study alone. Hypericin and pseudohypericin have shown both

antiviral and antibacterial activities. It is believed that these molecules bind non-

specifically to viral and cellular membranes and can result in photo-oxidation of the

pathogens to kill them.A research team from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid

(UCM) published a study entitled "Hypericum perforatum. Possible option against

Parkinson's disease", which suggests that St John's wort has antioxidant active ingredientsthat could help reduce the neuronal degeneration caused by the disease.Recent evidence

suggests that daily treatment with St John's wort may improve the most common physical

and behavioural symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome. St John's wort was

found to be less effective than placebo, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled

trial, for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.St John's wort alleviated age-related

long-term memory impairment in rats.

Adverse effects and drug interactions

St John's wort is generally well tolerated, with an adverse effect profile similar to

placebo.The most common adverse effects reported are gastrointestinal symptoms,

dizziness, confusion, tiredness and sedation.It also decreases the levels of estrogens, such

as estradiol, by speeding up its metabolism, and should not be taken by women on

contraceptive pills as it upregulates the CYP3A4 cytochrome of the P450 system in the

liver.

St John's wort may rarely cause photosensitivity. This can lead to visual sensitivity to light

and to sunburns in situations that would not normally cause them. Related to this, recent

studies concluded that the extract reacts with light, both visible and ultraviolet, to produce

free radicals, molecules that can damage the cells of the body. These can react with vital

proteins in the eye that, if damaged, precipitate out, causing cataracts.This finding is

contradicted by the results of another recent study, which found that St John's wort

inhibits free radical production in both cell-free and human vascular tissue, revealing

antioxidant properties of the compound.St John's wort is associated with aggravating

psychosis in people who have schizophrenia.


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Herbs:

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis- Is a woody, perennial herb

with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink,

purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is

a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes manyother herbs. The name "rosemary" derives from the Latin for

"dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea".

Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub that has leaves similar

to hemlock needles. The leaves are used as a flavoring in foods

such as stuffings and roast lamb, pork, chicken and turkey. It is

native to the Mediterranean and Asia, but is reasonably hardy in

cool climates. It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy

periods. Forms range from upright to trailing; the upright forms can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) tall,

rarely 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The leaves are evergreen, 24 cm (0.81.6 in) long and 25 mm

broad, green above, and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. The plant flowers in

spring and summer in temperate climates, but the plants can be in constant bloom in

warm climates; flowers are white, pink, purple or deep blue.

Traditional medicine, Hungary water was first prepared for the Queen of Hungary

Elisabeth of Poland to "... renovate vitality of paralyzed limbs ... " and to treat gout. It was

used externally and prepared by mixing fresh rosemary tops into spirits of wine.Don

Quixote (Part One, Chapter XVII) mixes it in his recipe of the miraculous balm of Fierabras.

Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory and has been used as a symbol

for remembrance during weddings, war commemorations and funerals in Europe and

Australia.Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead.

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance."

(Hamlet, iv. 5.)Rosemary contains a number of potentially biologically active compounds,

including antioxidants carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid. Other chemical compounds

include camphor, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, rosmaridiphenol and rosmanol.

Rosemary antioxidants levels are closely related to soil moisture content.

Thyme, Thymus vulgaris- (common thyme, garden

thyme or just thyme) is a species of flowering plant

in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern

Europe from the western Mediterranean to

southern Italy. Growing to 1530 cm (612 in) tall

by 40 cm (16 in) wide, it is a bushy, woody-based

evergreen subshrub with small, highly aromatic,

grey-green leaves and clusters of purple or pinkflowers in early summer.It is useful in the garden

as groundcover, where it can be short-lived, but is easily propagated from cuttings. It is

also the main source of thyme as an ingredient in cooking and as an herbal medicine.


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Medicinal use, Oil of thyme, the essential oil of common thyme (Thymus vulgaris),

contains 2054% thymol. Thyme essential oil also contains a range of additional

compounds, such as p-Cymene, myrcene, borneol and linalool. Thymol, an antiseptic, is

the main active ingredient in various commercially produced mouthwashes such as

Listerine. Before the advent of modern antibiotics, oil of thyme was used to medicate

bandages. Thymol has also been shown to be effective against various fungi that

commonly infect toenails. Thymol can also be found as the active ingredient in some all-

natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizers. A tea made by infusing the herb in water can be used

for coughs and bronchitis. One study by Leeds Metropolitan University found that thyme

may be beneficial in treating acne.

Cactus:Aloe vera- Is a stemless or very short-stemmed

succulent plant growing to 60100 cm (2439 in)tall, spreading by offsets. The leaves are thick and

fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties

showing white flecks on their upper and lower

stem surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated

and has small white teeth. The flowers are

produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35

in) tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 23 cm (0.81.2 in)

long. Like other Aloe species, Aloe vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that

allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil. Aloe vera leaves containphytochemicals under study for possible bioactivity, such as acetylated mannans,

polymannans, anthraquinone C-glycosides, anthrones, anthraquinones, such as emodin,

and various lectins.

Toxicity, in 2011, the NTP carried out a series of short- and long-term carcinogenicity

studies of a nondecolorized whole leaf extract of Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe vera) in

rats and mice, in which the extracts were fed to the rodents in drinking water.The studies

found "clear evidence of carcinogenic activity" in the rats, but "no evidence of

carcinogenic activity" in the mice. Both the mice and rats had increased amounts ofnoncancerous lesions in various tissues. The NTP believes further studies of oral

preparations of aloe are important, as are studies of the oral exposure of humans to aloe;

topical preparations are still considered safe. Oral ingestion of Aloe vera may also cause

diarrhea, which in turn can lead to electrolyte imbalance, kidney dysfunction, dry mouth,

headache, and nausea, while topical application may induce contact dermatitis, erythema,

or phototoxicity.

Research into medical uses, two 2009 reviews of clinical studies determined that all were

too small and faulty to allow strong conclusions to be drawn from them, but concluded,"there is some preliminary evidence to suggest that oral administration of aloe vera might

be effective in reducing blood glucose in diabetic patients and in lowering blood lipid levels

in hyperlipidaemia. The topical application of aloe vera does not seem to prevent


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radiation-induced skin damage. It might be useful as a treatment for genital herpes and

psoriasis. The evidence regarding wound healing is contradictory. More and better trial

data are needed to define the clinical effectiveness of this popular herbal remedy more

precisely." One of the reviews found that Aloe has not been proven to offer protection for

humans from sunburn, suntan, or other damage from the sun. A 2007 review of aloe

vera's use in burns concluded, "cumulative evidence tends to support that aloe vera might

be an effective interventions used in burn wound healing for first- to second-degree burns.

Further, well-designed trials with sufficient details of the contents of aloe vera products

should be carried out to determine the effectiveness of aloe vera. Topical application of

aloe vera may also be effective for genital herpes and psoriasis.

Vegetables:

Carrots- (Daucus carotasubsp. sativus;etymology: from Late Latin carta, from Greek

karton, originally from the Indo-

European root ker- (horn), due to its horn-like

shape) is a root vegetable, usually orange in

colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow

varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh.

The most commonly eaten part of a carrot is a

taproot, although the greens are sometimes

eaten as well. It is a domesticated form of the

wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The domestic carrot

has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured

edible taproot. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports

that world production of carrots and turnips (these plants are combined by the FAO for

reporting purposes) for calendar year 2011 was almost 35.658 million tonnes. Almost half

were grown in China. Carrots are widely used in many cuisines, especially in the

preparation of salads, and carrot salads are a tradition in many regional cuisines.

Is a variable biennial plant, usually growing up to 1 m tall and flowering from June to

August. The umbels are claret-coloured or pale pink before they open, then bright white

and rounded when in full flower, measuring 37 cm wide with a festoon of bracts beneath;

finally, as they turn to seed, they contract and become concave like a bird's nest. The dried

umbels detach from the plant, becoming tumbleweeds.Similar in appearance to the deadly

poison hemlock,D. carota is distinguished by a mix of bi-pinnate and tri-pinnate leaves,

fine hairs on its stems and leaves, a root that smells like carrots, and occasionally a single

dark red flower in its center.


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Garlic - Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in

the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion,

shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of human use of

over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long

been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent

seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient

Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal

purposes.

Allium sativum is a bulbous plant. It grows up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in

height. Its hardiness is USDA Zone 8. It produces hermaphrodite

flowers. Pollination occurs by bees and other insects.

Beans - Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, string

bean, field bean, flageolet bean, French bean,

garden bean, haricot bean, pop bean, or snap bean,

is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for

its edible fruit, either the dry seed or the unripe

fruit, both of which are referred to as beans. The

leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable, and the

straw can be used for fodder. Along with other

species of the bean genus (Phaseolus), it is classified

botanically into the legume family (Fabaceae), most of whose members acquire nitrogenthrough an association with rhizobia, a species of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

The common bean is a highly variable species with a long history of cultivation. All of the

wild members of the species have a climbing habit, but there are many cultivated

varieties, classified as bush bean, or pole bean depending on their particular style of

growth. Kidney bean, navy bean, and wax bean are types of Phaseolus vulgaris named for

their fruit and seed characteristics. The other major types of commercially-grown bean are

the runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) and the broad bean (Vicia faba).

Production of beans is well distributed worldwide, with countries in Asia, Africa, Europe,Oceania, South and North America among the top bean growers. Brazil and India are the

largest producers of dry beans, while China produces, by far, the largest quantity of green

beans. Worldwide, 23 million tonnes of dry common beans and 17.1 million tonnes of

green beans were grown in 2010.

Beans, squash and maize constitute the "Three Sisters" that provide the foundation of

Native American agriculture.

The common bean is a highly variable species with a long history. Bush varieties form erectbushes 2060 centimeters (7.924 in) tall, while pole or running varieties form vines 23

meters (6 ft 7 in9 ft 10 in) long. All varieties bear alternate, green or purple leaves, which

are divided into three oval, smooth-edged leaflets, each 615 centimeters (2.45.9 in) long

and 311 centimeters (1.24.3 in) wide. The white, pink, or purple flowers are about 1 cm


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long, and they give way to pods 820 centimeters (3.17.9 in) long and 11.5 cm wide.

These may be green, yellow, black, or purple in color, each containing 46 beans. The

beans are smooth, plump, kidney-shaped, up to 1.5 cm long, range widely in color, and are

often mottled in two or more colors.

Berries:

Strawberry - The garden strawberry (or simply

strawberry /strb()ri/; Fragaria ananassa) is

a widely grown hybrid species of the genus

Fragaria (collectively known as the

strawberries). It is cultivated worldwide for its

fruit. The fruit (which is not a botanical berry,

but an aggregate accessory fruit) is widelyappreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright

red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is

consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in

such prepared foods as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams, milkshakes, and chocolates.

Artificial strawberry aroma is also widely used in many industrial food products.

The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of

Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis, which was brought

from Chile by Amde-Franois Frzier in 1714.Cultivars of Fragaria ananassa havereplaced, in commercial production, the woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), which was

the first strawberry species cultivated in the early 17th century.

Technically, the strawberry is an aggregate accessory fruit, meaning that the fleshy part is

derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Each

apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the

flower, with a seed inside it.

Cultivation strawberry cultivars vary widely in size, color, flavor, shape, degree of fertility,

season of ripening, liability to disease and constitution of plant.Some vary in foliage, and

some vary materially in the relative development of their sexual organs. In most cases, the

flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure, but function as either male or female.For

purposes of commercial production, plants are propagated from runners and, in general,

distributed as either bare root plants or plugs. Cultivation follows one of two general

modelsannual plasticulture, or a perennial system of matted rows or mounds. A small

amount of strawberries are produced in greenhouses during the off season.

The bulk of modern commercial production uses the plasticulture system. In this method,

raised beds are formed each year, fumigated, and covered with plastic to prevent weed

growth and erosion. Plants, usually obtained from northern nurseries, are planted through

holes punched in this covering, and irrigation tubing is run underneath. Runners are

removed from the plants as they appear, in order to encourage the plants to put most of


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their energy into fruit development. At the end of the harvest season, the plastic is

removed and the plants are plowed into the ground. Because strawberry plants more than

a year or two old begin to decline in productivity and fruit quality, this system of replacing

the plants each year allows for improved yields and denser plantings. However, because it

requires a longer growing season to allow for establishment of the plants each year, and

because of the increased costs in terms of forming and covering the mounds and

purchasing plants each year, it is not always practical in all areas.

The other major method, which uses the same plants from year to year growing in rows or

on mounds, is most common in colder climates. It has lower investment costs, and lower

overall maintenance requirements. Yields are typically lower than in plasticulture.

A third method uses a compost sock. Plants grown in compost socks have been shown to

produce significantly higher oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), flavonoids,

anthocyanins, fructose, glucose, sucrose, malic acid, and citric acid than fruit produced in

the black plastic mulch or matted row systems. Similar results in an earlier 2003 studyconducted by the US Dept of Agriculture, at the Agricultural Research Service, in Beltsville

Maryland, confirms how compost plays a role in the bioactive qualities of two strawberry

cultivars.

Strawberries are often grouped according to their flowering habit. Traditionally, this has

consisted of a division between "June-bearing" strawberries, which bear their fruit in the

early summer and "ever-bearing" strawberries, which often bear several crops of fruit

throughout the season. Research published in 2001 showed that strawberries actually

occur in three basic flowering habits: short-day, long-day, and day-neutral. These refer tothe day-length sensitivity of the plant and the type of photoperiod that induces flower

formation. Day-neutral cultivars produce flowers regardless of the photoperiod.

Strawberries may also be propagated by seed, though this is primarily a hobby activity,

and is not widely practiced commercially. A few seed-propagated cultivars have been

developed for home use, and research into growing from seed commercially is ongoing.

Seeds (achenes) are acquired either via commercial seed suppliers, or by collecting and

saving them from the fruit.

Manuring and harvesting a diorama created from beeswax by Dr. Henry Brainerd Wright atthe Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana depicts strawberry

harvesting. Strawberries are particularly grown in the southeastern portion of the state

around Hammond.

Harvest most strawberry plants are now fed with artificial fertilizers, both before and after

harvesting, and often before planting in plasticulture.

To maintain top quality, berries are harvested at least every other day. The berries are

picked with the caps still attached and with at least half an inch of stem left. Strawberriesneed to remain on the plant to fully ripen because they do not continue to ripen after

being picked. Rotted and overripe berries are removed to minimize insect and disease

problems. The berries do not get washed until just before consumption. They are covered

in a shallow pan and refrigerated when storing.


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Soil test information and plant analysis results are used to determine fertility practices.

Nitrogen fertilizer is needed at the beginning of every planting year. There are normally

adequate levels of phosphorus and potash when fields have been fertilized for top yields.

In order to provide more organic matter a cover crop of wheat or rye is planted in the

winter the year before planting the strawberries. Strawberries prefer a pH from 5.5 to 6.5

so lime is usually not applied.

The harvesting and cleaning process has not changed substantially over time. The delicate

strawberries are still harvested by hand. Grading and packing often occurs in the field,

rather than in a processing facility. In large operations, strawberries are cleaned by means

of water streams and shaking conveyor belts.

Blueberries - are perennial flowering plants with

indigo-colored berries from the section

Cyanococcus within the genus Vaccinium (a

genus that also includes cranberries and

bilberries). Species in the section Cyanococcus

are the most common fruits sold as

"blueberries" and are native to North America

(commercially cultivated highbush blueberries

were not introduced into Europe until the

1930s).

They are usually erect, but sometimes prostrate

shrubs varying in size from 10 centimeters (3.9

in) to 4 meters (13 ft) tall. In commercial

blueberry production, smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" (synonymous

with "wild"), and the larger species are known as "highbush blueberries".

The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate to lanceolate, and 18 cm (0.39

3.1 in) long and 0.53.5 cm (0.201.4 in) broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale

pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish. The fruit is a berry 516 millimeters (0.200.63 in)

in diameter with a flared crown at the end; they are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, and finally dark blue when ripe. They are covered in a protective coating of

powdery epicuticular wax, colloquially knows as the "bloom". They have a sweet taste

when mature, with variable acidity. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit in the middle of

the growing season: fruiting times are affected by local conditions such as altitude and

latitude, so the height of the crop can vary from May to August depending upon these

conditions.

Blueberries may be cultivated, or they may be picked from semiwild or wild bushes. In

North America, the most common cultivated species is V. corymbosum, the northernhighbush blueberry. Hybrids of this with other Vaccinium species adapted to southern U.S.

climates are known collectively as southern highbush blueberries.


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So-called "wild" (lowbush) blueberries, smaller than cultivated highbush ones, are prized

for their intense color. The lowbush blueberry, V. angustifolium, is found from the Atlantic

provinces westward to Quebec and southward to Michigan and West Virginia. In some

areas, it produces natural "blueberry barrens", where it is the dominant species covering

large areas. Several First Nations communities in Ontario are involved in harvesting wild

blueberries. Lowbush species are fire-tolerant and blueberry production often increases

following a forest fire, as the plants regenerate rapidly and benefit from removal of

competing vegetation.

"Wild" has been adopted as a marketing term for harvests of managed native stands of

lowbush blueberries. The bushes are not planted or genetically manipulated, but they are

pruned or burned over every two years, and pests are "managed".

Numerous highbush cultivars of blueberries are available, with diversity among them, each

having a unique flavor. The most important blueberry breeding program has been the

USDA-ARS breeding program based at Beltsville, Maryland, and Chatsworth, New Jersey.This program began when Frederick Coville of the USDA-ARS collaborated with Elizabeth

Coleman White of New Jersey.[7] In the early part of the 20th century, White offered

pineland residents cash for wild blueberry plants with unusually large fruit.[8] 'Rubel', one

such wild blueberry cultivar, is the origin of many of the current hybrid cultivars.

The rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum syn. V. ashei) is a southern type of blueberry

produced from the Carolinas to the Gulf Coast states. Other important species in North

America include V. pallidum, the hillside or dryland blueberry. It is native to the eastern

U.S., and common in the Appalachians and the Piedmont of the Southeast. Sparkleberry,V. arboreum, is a common wild species on sandy soils in the Southeast. Its fruits are

important to wildlife, and the flowers are important to beekeepers.

Fruit Trees:

Lemon tree- The lemon (Citrus limon) is a small

evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal

yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-

culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily forits juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used

in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about

5% to 6% citric acid, which gives lemons a sour taste.

The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key

ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade.

The average lemon contains approximately 3

tablespoons (50 mL) of juice. Lemons and limes have

particularly high concentrations of citric acid, which can constitute as much as 8% of thedry weight of these fruits (about 47 g/L in the juices). These values vary depending on the

cultivar and the circumstances in which the fruit was grown. Lemons left unrefrigerated

for long periods of time are susceptible to mold.


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The next tree suggestions are up to you because inn a tight space you may not be able to

accommodate all of them so from this list choose one more to put on your preppers

garden.

1. Apple tree2. Pear tree3. Orange tree4. Peach tree5. Plum tree6. Cherry tree7. Fig tree8. Pomegranate tree

Also depending on the country that you are you may find some native trees that are a

better fit than the one listed above so take that in consideration.

All the descriptions of the plants were taken from Wikipedia.

preppers basic skills - garden

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