Callicarpa americana - Native Shrubs for Survivalists

•  American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is a native deciduous shrubs that is perfect for homesteaders, survivalist, and Preppers. You can find this beautiful shrub growing naturally in USDA zones 7 to 10, which can be easily recognized in the late fall to early winter by the bright purple clusters of berries produced. It is common to find beauty berry growing in a shady wet location usually at in bottom lands. There are three main reasons that you should be growing beautyberry in you survival garden, which are medicinal, food source, and wildlife attraction.

• Hunters are familiar with the low growing shrub as the vibrant purple berries, rarely white, are a favorite among birds. Birds and turkeys will be attracted during the fall and winter months to feast upon the large quantity of berries that are produced every year. While birds are attracted to the berries white tail deer are known to graze upon the foliage, which will attract deer spring through late fall when the last bit of foliage has been dropped for the year. Beautyberry gives you access to fresh meat such as birds and deer which can be hunted and prepared to feed your family, not to mention all the valuable uses you will find for the animal skins.

• Another minor use are using the berries to be prepared in human foods. Some of the best known jelly in the World comes from the berries of the beautyberry shrub. Humans are not known to eat the berries fresh as this would not be a valuable food source in this manner but once processed and cooked you will have the finest jam and jelly produced. You will never be able to find beauty berry jelly in a store but you can make your own with our recipe.

• Beauty berry also contains many medicinal properties. You can make natural insect repellent in either the form of a spray or cream to keep bugs away. Just think you will not have to buy or store bug spray if you are growing your own, plus what is healthier that not spraying chemicals foreign chemical on your skin? You can uses the leaves and bark to make a tea to treat various ailments from fevers to diarrhea.

• With American beautyberry you have access to many beneficial products which makes this a Prepper Garden must have plant for you and your family. If you would like more information you can visit our beautyberry webpage for plant growing specifics, planting guides and free recipes.

PG
"Plant Like There's No Tomorrow"

Top 10 Plants for Preppers


American Native Bamboo:


  • Perfect for making hunting tools such as bow, arrows, spears, and fishing poles. You can line your property with bamboo and the poles will grow so thick a squirrel will not be able to get through it. You can use the poles for construction for shelters, ladders, canoes, or just about anything else you can imagine. You can get fibers to use as rope.

  • American Persimmon:


  • You can make medicine to treat fever to hemorrhoids, and you can make delicious treats with the fruit for your family to enjoy. The fruit is a favorite for deer to eat which you can hunt increase your meat stocks and make clothes or blankets from the furs. The wood from persimmon is super hard perfect for making hand tools or ax and shovel replacements.

  • Goji Berry:


  • The fruit from the goji berry is considered a super food because it contain 400 time the amount of vitamin c as citrus fruits, which will help keep you and your loved ones healthy. The fruit is used medicinally to treat a list of over 20 different ailments. The fruit ripen over a long time which makes it easier to store, and wildlife are attracted to the fruit allowing you to hunt vital wildlife.

  • Dogwood Trees:


  • Not only does the dogwood produce a beautiful white flower but the seeds that are formed after the flowers are a food source for over 32 different types of game birds including quail. The bark of the dogwood contain medical properties that are used in a tea that was used by soldiers in the civil war.

  • Loquat Trees:


  • If you have diabetes or a family member that has diabetes this is a must. Loquats container medicinal properties to treat diabetes which is great because it will be hard to store enough medications. Not to mention you can made wonderful jelly with the fruit and deer will be attracted the golf fruit that falls to the ground after ripening.

  • Pyracantha:


  • Pyrcantha produce razor sharp thorns on the branches and are use to growing up structures, perfect to use to conceal things and adding security. Firethorn produce bright red berries in the fall that wildlife eat and you will be able to hunt and increase your food supplies.

  • Blueberry Bushes:


  • Blueberries are high in antioxidants which have anti-tumor properties. You will be able to use the fruit in jellies, jams, juices, or freeze the berries increasing storage time. The fruit ripens in the spring allowing you fresh fruits early in the year and give wildlife access to fruit at a time in the year where food is scarce.

  • Weeping Willow:


  • Weeping Willow bark contains salicylic acid which is natures Aspirin. You can use the bark as a pain reliever, clean wounds, or make a tea to consume. You can take the bark and wrap around a wound to clean and ease the pain.

  • Pecan Trees:


  • Pecans are a heart healthy snack great to promote heart health when access to medications will not available. Pecans have a long shelf life and produce an abundance of nuts perfect for you an your family to enjoy but wildlife will get some too, increasing your exposure to fresh meat. Left over nuts are as good as gold and can be used to barter with, in recent years a pound of pecans sold for $10.00. It only take approximately 50 nuts to make a pound which would be easier to split than an ounce of gold if you are trading with a fellow Prepper.

  • Spanish Bayonet Yucca:


  • The name tells its all the leaves are named after bayonets, perfect for security. Plant these plants around the perimeter of your property and give yourself a first line of defense to protect from intruders, or plant around to the perimeter of your Prepper Garden to keep unwanted visitors out.


  • Thank you for reading and let me know if you have any plants that were left out and as remember, "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow".

      PG

    American Persimmon Trees - Diospyros virginiana


  • The American persimmon is a perfect plant for your Prepper garden. The tree has long been used in home remedies because of the medicinal properties. You can use the fruit in a wide variety of ways most notably in puddings, juices, and breads. Deer go nuts over the persimmon fruit and have long been a favorite among hunters to plant in their food plots.



  • The persimmon has documented uses back to when the British first landed in the Americas. Native American Indians would use the juice from the fruit to make throat washes that would treat a sore throat, and a hot tea to treat cold and the flu symptoms. The bark is used in a couple of different methods, first as a decotion  to treat hemorrhoids, second, as a tea to treat fevers. Fruit from the American persimmon are high in antioxidants, being used in leukemia treatments. With such a wide list of medical uses growing American persimmon trees for survival just make sense for gardeners in USDA zones 4 through 9, which is the majority of the United States of America including Illinois, New York, and Colorado.



  • The fruit has a late ripening period usually in late fall and is most commonly used for cooking instead of fresh eating, unlike the Japanese persimmon tree (grafted). You can enjoy the fruit by making a delicious American persimmon pudding, with our Native American recipe. My favorite use and one that I hardly hear any one discuss is to use the ground seed to brew fresh persimmon coffee. Just imagine after the collapse you and your family can still enjoy fresh coffee by utilizing the seeds from the persimmon fruit. This is true and widely documented that during the civil war confederate soldiers and civilians would make coffee from the seeds because they missed the delicacy so much due to a northern blockade. Check out our free recipe on making American persimmon coffee. If you are adventurous enough you can experiment with making American persimmon beer.



  • Hunters are widely familiar with persimmon trees. Deer have been known to literally climb the tree to get the fruit from the tree. Plant some American persimmons for you and get the added benefit of attracting wildlife to your property, that you can then hunt to increase your fresh meat food supplies. Three main reasons persimmons are a great wildlife food plot plant is because deer can not stop eating the fruit, the fruit hangs on the tree from fall through the winter longer than any other fruit plant, and the tree can be grown all through out the continental United States. Add some persimmon trees to your food plots to start feeding and attracting those monster bucks to your property.



  • The wood from the American persimmon tree is known to be harder than a rock, perfect for making items like golf clubs, spears, ladders, hand tools, and many other invaluable items. When a collapse does occur you will have to be able to make your own ax or shovel handles after they break and you will need access to the best wood possible and there is nothing better than a persimmon tree.



  • Persimmon trees are easy to grow, drought resistant, and pest resistant making this an all around perfect plant for Preppers. As far as a cost effective investment into the future survival of you and your loved ones, I would strongly suggest planting American persimmon trees, as this is one plant that has a million uses. You will get a fast return on your investment and then some with all the useful uses you will find for the tree and the fruit. Now is the perfect time to plant (Fall through Spring when dormant) a persimmon tree, so go ahead and stock on yours now.

  • Prepper Gardens

    "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow"

    Poor Man Prepper Podcast with Prepper Gardens


    A couple of weeks back I was asked to join Lat Cozad on his podcast for Poor Man Preppers to discuss various plants for medicine, protection and to grow for preppers. I would like to extend the podcast here for you to enjoy:





    If you like what you hear about growing plants to provide you and your family with self sufficient organic groceries visit our website at www.preppergarden.biz for more plants for prepper gardens and ideas. Click here to listen to more podcast from Poor Man Preppers Podcast.

    PG
    "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow"

    Planting the Perfect Food Plot for Preppers


    The human body is complex and needs many nutrients and vitamins in order to keeping going at a high level. Storing food can seem like a big task, but it can be conquered quite easily by growing renewable food sources. Most foods have a shelf life, and can be dried or frozen to help increase the storage time. Instead imagine freeing up space in your bug out bunker for other items like additional ammunition or medical supplies by supplying yourself with an abundance of fresh food year round.

    Now is the time to plant permanent food plots for the purpose of attracting an abundance of wildlife to your property to help enhance your food stocks with fresh eats instead of MRE's. With the right plants selected for your food plot you will have no trouble attracting deer, turkeys, hogs, game birds, squirrels and many other animals that you can use to eat and store easing the burden of storing tons of food. Not to mention the skins that you acquire can be used to make clothing, or blankets for winter time warmth and the teeth would make great additions on bamboo arrows or spears. Wildlife plants are very beneficial to the prepper as you will find countless uses for the meat and by products.

    When planning a prepper wildlife food plot it is vital to plan out year round food sources for the animal types your are attracting to your property. We have put together an extensive list of fruit, nut, berry, and other shade trees that attract various forms of wildlife. Persimmons drive white tail deer crazy because of the extremely sweet fruit produced in the late fall and holds on to the tree for long periods of time. White flowering dogwood trees produce beautiful flowers in the spring followed by red seed berries that over 31 different types of game birds find very appetizing including quail. Late summer and early fall you can use beautyberry to attract squirrels and deer to feed upon the vibrant blue berries. Goji berries produce calcium rich berries for 3 to 4 months out of the year from spring to fall and will feed wildlife over an extended period of time.

    I believe that growing renewable food sources is a better solution for prepper food storage than attempting to stock pile tons of food for approximated set of time. You can hunt animals year round and will not have to worry about having enough food if you plan out a very extensive and abundant food plot that animals will die to graze upon. Proper nutrition is critical for human life and you can grow your own groceries and be your own butcher with prepper wildlife plants, for more information please check out our wildlife attracting plant webpage. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

    PG
    "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow"

    Why Should You Prep?


    This is a great question that I get posed quite frequently and my response is because if I don't no one will do it for my family and I. Prepping is a fantastic lifestyle that can teach you many valuable lessons throughout your road to self sufficiency. It will teach you to stretch your dollar to be able to make it go further and buy more for you. You will learn how to store and find more uses out of just about anything and everything.

    If doomsday never hits, if Washington gets it's budget in check and the apocalypse misses us lets face it you will be well prepared to survive anything. If a hurricane hits your location and you are excommunicated from society for a couple of weeks, you will be fine and taken care of. Prepping is a way of life that will save your life, and when it comes to food sources you have to have diversity. You have to diversify and have food items canned, dried, dehydrated, frozen, MRE's and renewable food sources.

    Renewable food sources make perfect sense for a low cost food storage plan for Preppers because as each year passes that you harvest fresh fruit off the fruit tree you initial investment gets less and less until it actually pays for its self. What other food source do you know of that actually pays for itself? None, our bodies are complex structures that have to a wide vary of nutrients and vitamins to continue making it impossible to absolutely store it all. We have put together a list of the best plants, uses and recipes together in our opinion for prepping not only for the end days but for the next super storm, tornado, hurricane, blizzard, or any other type of natural event that would leave you hungry or without medicine.

    PG
    "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow"

    Chinquapin Tree Triple Threat Prepper Plant


    •  Finally, a plant that can be used for medicine, fresh  eating, and to bring wildlife such as deer to your property makes this an absolute top plant to consider in your prepping plans. Cherokee Indians have long used the leaves of the chinquapin to make a tea good for fever reduction, cough medicine, and headache medicine. The nut produced is in the chestnut family and has a deliciously sweet flavor perfect for breaking another Cherokee favorite Chinquapin Bread. If those aren't two good enough reasons to plant Chinquapins for you and your loved ones to enjoy during an apocalyptic event, then how about the wildlife that will be attracted to it, that you can hunt and provide delicious fresh meat to eat. Deer and turkey are two of the major wildlife animals attracted, growing plants that will attract potential food sources is more cost effective then trying to store enough food for the entire collapse period. Go ahead and put the ace up your sleeve by adding triple threat plants to your prepping plans. Visit Prepper Gardens for recipes on brewing the herbal remedy tea or to bake your own chinquapin bread and of course to purchase. As always, "Plant Like There is No Tomorrow."

    PG

    Who is Prepper Gardens?


    Prepper Gardens is a nursery that offers ideas for the Prepping and survival community to consider for renewable food sources, growing their own medicine, utilizing plants as security and defense, and wildlife plants. I am a Prepper myself and have noticed over the past couple of years a trend of planting vegetables and other seeded crops that are labor intensive to plant and maintain annually, and wanted renewable food sources of healthy organic food that will produce every year without having to be planted every spring. This will allow me to focus my time and attention upon other activities that will need to be done during a doomsday type event.

    Haven being elected into Phi Alpha Xi (Horticulture Honor Society) while attending UGA for Horticulture and working in the green industry for over 12 years, I have a good foundation to know which plants to offer and grow myself. So, I have put together a list of major renewable food sources that can be grown organically, used in a wide varieties of ways, and capable of at least a one year storage period minimum, so Prepper Gardens was born.

    We strive to offer the best possible plants, with the best and most accurate plant information, creative plant uses and recipes for plants that are commonly found in landscapes now of days. I have tried to keep the list to the least maintenance as possible, as access to maintenance products maybe limited when needed. Please browse the website at the following link  www.preppergarden.biz if you see any plants that you would recommend to add to our listing do not hesitate to contact me and let me know, I am always wanting to learn new ways to use plants.

    The website is about only 85% complete right now and is lacking some minor polishing details so please continue to check back as I am striving to finish the website as fast as possible. The toll free number on the website 855-ZOMBIE-0 or 855-966-2430 will be the toll free number for the company but the telephone company has not finished provisioning it so please give it another 48 hours from today to contact me with any questions you may have. As always, "Plant Like There's No Tomorrow".

    PG