June 2009 - Page 2 of 2 - Utah Preppers

June 10, 2009June 10, 2009

An attempt to build a rotating compost bin

I’m fascinated by compost. Watching kitchen scraps turn into dirt in just a few weeks time is exciting and anything I can do to improve my soil is worth the effort. I want the ComposTumbler, but finding $429 in the family budget (the price after you give them an email address) for a barrel that holds dirt is proving difficult. So, this past weekend I decided to build my own.

The project was not a success in my mind but I thought I would post this how-to article anyway describing what I tried and the lessons learned in the hope that it will save others of you time and money should you embark on such a project yourself. The unit is complete and in my garden cooking up a batch of compost at this very moment, but it is difficult to use, I have concerns about how long it will last, and the door doesn’t stay closed.
Continue reading “An attempt to build a rotating compost bin”

June 10, 2009June 10, 2009

Survivalist Blog Carnival

We’re part of this and fully support it – we recommend checking out all the awesome posts in this carnival! (the rest of this post is a re-post from the carnival)

Welcome to the first Survival and Disaster Preparedness Blog Carnival. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit their work. I had a lot of fun looking over all the entries and learned a thing or two in the process!

Continue reading “Survivalist Blog Carnival”

June 9, 2009June 9, 2009

As my Garden Grows – So do my weeds!

My new garden is nearly a quarter acre, I had forgotten just how many weeds show up in a brand new garden!

I’ve been gardening all my life – my Father got his Masters Degree in Agronomy and for as long as I can remember he has kept a very large garden, large enough to feed his family of 9. Growing up we spent each spring building hills for the garden and planting, summers were spent weeding and maintaining and fall was always a huge harvest that the entire family participated in.

Continue reading “As my Garden Grows – So do my weeds!”

June 8, 2009June 16, 2009

Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 3

This is the fifth installment of the Evacuation Preparedness Kit Series. The first post, on Evac Prep Basics is here, and the second post, which introduces the Evac Prep Master List is here. The third post, and the first post on the list review is here. This post will pick up where we previously left off in reviewing the categories on the Master List.

Continue reading “Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 3”

June 8, 2009

Live Together, Die Alone

(Cross posted from my blog).

photo credit: micsx032

In 1624, the English poet John Donne wrote in one of his Meditations that “no man is an island.” His poem explains how our common humanity ties us together in one common thread, and that as individuals we cannot thrive in isolation. Christians have been taught likewise, their common identity as followers of Jesus binding them together into a body focused on one purpose. Whatever the commonality that brings us together, the simple fact is that our spiritual and physical survival depends on our willingness and ability to help one another along our shared path.

This principle is especially important in terms of preparedness. When a catastrophe comes our way, each family will quickly discover a need for things they didn’t think to keep in supply, and only through bartering and buying from others will they be able to obtain those things. Isolated individuals will be easy prey for roving gangs and other desperate groups. Lack of communication will increase frustration, loneliness, and ignorance. Only by becoming part of a trusted network beforehand will we be able to more easily deal with whatever disasters may strike.

Continue reading “Live Together, Die Alone”

June 5, 2009June 8, 2009

Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 2

This is the fourth installment of the Evacuation Preparedness Kit Series. The first post, on Evac Prep Basics is here, and the second post, which introduces the Evac Prep Master List is here. The third post, and the first post on the list review is here. This post will pick up where we previously left off in reviewing the categories on the Master List. Continue reading “Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 2”

June 4, 2009June 5, 2009

Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 1

This is the third installment of the Evacuation Preparedness Kit Series. The first post, on Evac Prep Basics is here, and the second post, which introduces the Evac Prep Master List is here.

In this post we’ll be discussing the items in the different categories on the Master List. If you haven’t seen the list yet, you can access it here.

As we go through these categories, keep in mind that your 72 hour kit will be more like packing for an extended hiking trip whereas your Evacuation Kit will be more like packing for an extended camping trip. Also keep in mind that redundancy and the ability to shed your larger kits and still be able to survive with your smaller kits is critically important. You may find yourself in a scenario where you have bugged out with your Evacuation Kit, but for whatever reason you have to ditch most of it and go on foot. Your G.O.O.D bag had better be able to support you while your on foot. Potentially, you could have to drop supplies all the way down to your EDC and be able to survive off the items in your pockets. Redundancy across your kits is paramount. Continue reading “Evacuation Preparedness List Review part 1”

June 3, 2009June 5, 2009

The Master Evacuation Kit List

evaclist This is the second post in a series, the first post covers Evacuation Preparedness basics and can be read here.

Previously, I briefly introduced the Mother of all Evacuation Lists. This list is the result of reviewing well over 100 Bug Out Bag, 72 Hour Kit and G.O.O.D. bag lists and building a master list from them. The new master list can be found here. The link will take you to a Google Spreadsheet which is what we’ll be using for now. I’m hoping to get feedback from readers on other items that should be included which I’ll add to the list. By the end of the series I’ll post an excel file that you can download and store or share. In the meantime, feel free to share the link to the spreadsheet. In this post we’ll start going over the list and get familiar with it.

Continue reading “The Master Evacuation Kit List”

June 2, 2009June 5, 2009

Ready for Anything

ss27-hires-small

“Ready for Anything”

That’s our Motto, this series will focus on how to live it.

Or at least, it will focus on some ideas on how to live ‘Ready for Anything’. Specifically we’ll be looking at Evacuation Kits – commonly known as 72 Hour Kits, BOBs (Bug Out Bags), G.O.O.D. (Get Out Of Dodge) Bags among other names, all of which are similar but have distinctive differences. This series will explore all over the Preparedness Rabbit Hole as we discuss multiple methods for Evacuation Preparedness and/or Shelter In Preparedness – which are similar yet critically different.

Continue reading “Ready for Anything”

June 1, 2009

Gardening in Beds

I’m a relatively new bed gardener (just got ours built last year), but have already found that there are many benefits to laying out a garden in beds rather than rows.

Garden laid out in beds. Pay no attention to the weeds--they are outside the beds!

First is the increased production in less space. Beans don’t need 18 inches between rows like the seed packet says. That 18 inches is for you to walk between rows. Continue reading “Gardening in Beds”

This post is an update and supersedes our original Water Group Buy as we were able to add another Tank that allows participation anywhere in the U.S.!