How we utilize landscaping can have a direct impact on the quality of some of our preps around the house. It can help us to increase security, direct the flow of water and give us access to edible plants and vegetables. Unfortunately, the benefits of using landscaping to our advantage is something that is often-overlooked as we focus on other things. Let’s take a look at a few examples that illustrate how we can turn our surroundings into a valuable survival resource.
Food
Think of all of the things that people plant to decorate or beautify their yards. Most of the plants, shrubs and trees don’t have any practical use or nutritional value in an emergency. Now think of all of the ways that space could be used to grow things that may be beneficial during a crisis instead. There are literally dozens of edible flowers, berry-producing bushes, herbs, fruits and vegetables that be planted in their place, and they can be planned and arranged for decorative purposes as well.
You can also plant crops or create natural hiding places that may attract scavenging animals that can be eaten for food in an emergency as well. I mean, if you’re going to invest in things to grow for landscaping, you might as well invest in things that you can use. Think about it.
Water
We can capture water that runs off from rain and melting snow and use it for a variety of non-potable applications. It can be stored and used to water our crops. It can be used for things like doing dishes or laundry. It can be used for bathing. Storing runoff isn’t that complicated, and you’ll be amazed at how much water you can collect in a short amount of time. If you have water that is pooling in one part of your yard while other areas are dry, you can make some slight modifications in order to channel runoff in different directions. This can be useful for protecting crops from floods while creating a natural and renewable irrigation system as well.
In short, your landscaping can be tailored to manage water and reduce the need to rely on supplies from other sources. Best of all, making these changes costs next to nothing.
Protection
You can replace decorative bushes with ones that have thorns and place them below first floor windows. You can trim branches on trees near windows to prevent people from using them to gain entry upstairs. You can add layers of thick brush or spindly trees in order to create a perimeter around the edges of your property. You can trim bushes and branches in order to improve your ability to see out. There are limitless ways that you can design landscaping to improve security and give you a huge tactical advantage.
Take some time to think about how you can put your yard to good use. You’ll be amazed at how many possibilities start to come to mind. More importantly, start to put these ideas into practice, even if you’re just making a few, small changes here and there. You’ll start enjoying the fruits of your labor now, but you’ll also be in a better position to fend for yourself during a crisis later.
