Economics 101 – Part #2 of 5

Posted on May 27, 2026 by AH Trimble

You should probably read Part #1 before reading further. This post will make more sense if you do.

Now let’s talk about how “wealth” influences any discussion about economics…especially %’s and charts.

Here’s the really big difference I want to talk about is in how I show numbers…lower & middle-income folks compared to upper-income people. Why? Because the percentage difference in what a rich person pays for life’s essentials out of their income is WAY different than what a lower & middle-income family pays. Let me show you…here is a chart of middle-income family buying a “median priced home” from 1970 to 2026…

Notice how in 1970 an average middle-income family could afford a median priced home with little difficulty…no difficulty actually. By 2026 the price of those homes have risen dramatically…while the income for those middle-income families have gone up very little. Middle-income folks really can’t afford a median priced home anymore.

Now, here are the wealthy folks…

Notice how the income of rich families has gone up right along with the price of homes? Yup, they can easily afford those homes. Looks almost planned…if you’re into conspiracy theories.

Now, let’s give you a great visual comparison of middle-income vs upper-income families and the price of homes…

This why I separate them out…if you aren’t rich, the economy when it comes to homes has been horrible and devastating over this 56-year time span (1970 – 2026)…and clearly, the FACTS show that to be true.

You can’t deny or debate facts…a person can have a different opinion facts but, they can’t make-up their own facts.

Whoa! You might ask, “Where are the lower-income figures and chart?” Simple, lower-income families can no longer afford a median priced home…if any home at all. That is one of the reasons many, probably most, lower-income families are forced to rent…about 2/3 of those families rent according to official statistics. Of those who do own their own homes; lower-income home ownership is mostly concentrated in rural areas and lower-cost states. They also tend to be inherited properties, multiple generations present, or older homes purchased before home prices soared.

Consider this…

According to the National Association of Home Builders affordability analysis roughly 77% of U.S. households cannot afford a median-priced new home. And households with total incomes below roughly $46k often cannot even qualify for a ~$150k home…even with good credit.

Think about that statistic…

3/4 of all American families can’t afford to buy a new home at today’s prices!

I want you to stop for a minute and consider this:

I want you to see what that chart shows:

In 1970, for a couple over 60, their home represented 35% of their net worth.
By 2026, for a couple over 60, their home represented 58% of their net worth.

Now, look at this trend:Notice that for 40 years the average age of first time home buyers was just about 30. Then in 2010 it started its skyrocketing rise to 40 years old. That’s a 33% increase in just 16 years!!! Don’t worry about the “why” for now. Think about this…

Combine the % of net worth that a 60+ couple’s home represents now. Now link that to fewer people buying homes (75% not able to buy a median priced home), and younger people not being able to buy homes until they’re middle-age. What do you get? If the largest wealth-building machine for the middle class becomes less and less accessible, what replaces it?

Instead of many middle-class retirees owning the roof over their heads, more people could reach retirement still making rent payments to someone else…and no longer having the majority of the post-retirement wealth…their home.

My concern isn’t that things could never improve; it’s that I don’t see much evidence that the trends are working in our favor. Meaning…IMHO…more and more middle-class families risk slowly sliding down towards the lower-class rather than moving upward.

As if that isn’t bad enough…let’s look at the poverty rate (SPM) in the US…

Just to be clear…13% of the US families already live in poverty. Think about this…if you are a family of 4 and own a home, you have to earn at least $20 per hour and work 40 hours per week to stay above the poverty line. $20 per hour and your family is almost in poverty!!!!! That is shameful beyond measure!!

Maybe 13% of the US population living in poverty sounds as if that isn’t too bad…you know, acceptable in the big scheme of things. Oh yeah? Well, try this number then…13% of the US population living is poverty means over 45 million people…that’s more than 14 million families living in poverty!!! That’s acceptable?

Now, is the time for me to throw this out there…do you think the problems in the country are Republican vs Democrat? Or, do you think the problems are liberal vs conservative? How about the problems are big city vs rural America?

No to all of that!!

All the other so-called “problems” are only distractions from the real issue…economics.

The problems in America is all about economics…plain and simple. In the United States of America FACTS prove the real problem, the real conflict, the truly real issue facing us right now…and even more so in the future…is all about economics. And as of now…the poor are getting poorer and the middle-class is disappearing. And to make it all worse…both groups are losing the ability to even own a home.

Here’s a statistic for you…in 2025 27% of all home sales went to investment companies. In 2026 that number is now 33%. Yup, 1/3rd of all homes being bought are NOT being bought by families…those homes are being bought up by corporations. One more for ya…in 2000 there were virtually no homes owned by corporations/companies (less than 1%). Today that number is 4%…quadrupled in 26 years…and that number is going exponentially.

Think about these facts/stats:

More than 1/3 of all homes sales are now going to corporations.
Corporate ownership of homes has quadrupled in the last 26 years.
75% of all Americans can no longer afford to buy a median priced home.

Let that sink in. What does make you think about? How does that make you feel ?

Is this class warfare? Absolutely not. What I am simply trying to do is show how the lower & middle-income folks are falling behind…way behind…and the rich are doing really well…and getting richer.

Let me show you a couple more charts that make this all really clear…

In 1970 the largest income group (actual share of population) was the “middle-income” folks…the middle-class. But that group shrunk a bunch by 2026. And the lower-income group grew by a notable amount. And look at the rich folks’ group…that group grew.

Link that to the sheer number of politicians that have spouted “Protect the middle-class!” or “Strengthen the middle-class!” or “The middle-class makes America strong!” That rhetoric is nothing more than typical political bullshit. No one in Washington is doing anything serious to protect or strengthen the middle-class…and that is FACT!! Hold on second…in actuality virtually EVERYTHING that they have done over the last 60 years has been destroying the middle-class…EVERYTHING!

Don’t believe me? Then way do the facts show the middle-class is steadily disappearing for the last 60 years?

But here is where it gets really interesting and kinda scary…

Look closely…the share of income for lower-income folks…down. The share of income for middle-income folks…WAY down. But the upper-income folks…their share of income went WAY up. That really makes the statement “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” more and more clear.

In today’s world the upper-class are controlling WAY more of all income generated in the USA vs 1970. More and more money is being concentrated in the hands of the wealthy…at the expense of the lower & middle-class people.

So when I am showing you economic numbers I use lower & middle-income groups to make those numbers far more relatable to us average, everyday folks…not the rich & wealthy.

How do you know which group/class you fall into? Here you go…

And here is the actual population share breakdown in the USA…

Now get this…if you are in that rich & wealthy group you guys control 75% of all US wealth! Yup, that means the lower & middle-class folks only control 25% of the wealth…commonly referred to as the scraps that fall from the table of the rich.

But hang on…it gets even more interesting…

The top 10% of the US population…the really rich…control 70% of the wealth!!! But don’t go anywhere…the top 1%…the ultra-rich…own 1/3 of all the wealth in the US!!! Whoa! Let’s put that in a chart for you to digest…

Let’s make this whole concept of “class” and income/wealth distribution more clear…

What is my point to this wealth, class, & income distinction?

When you hear economic numbers tossed around by experts or talking heads…they are very broad numbers that probably have no relationship to your family’s lived reality. When you hear those numbers…they impact the rich far, far differently than the common average person. They barely impact the rich…but the numbers can devastate the average family.
The rich folks in the US are controlling more and more wealth and earning a larger and larger share of money. The lower & middle-class are suffering, falling behind economically, and losing purchasing power every month. There are potentially a lot of formal ways to look at this…Plutocracy, Elite Theory, Oligarchy, and Class Conflict Theory. All of them have validity. But the bottom line is reality…as wealth becomes more concentrated, political influence also becomes more concentrated…and social fragmentation/conflict increases.
Lastly…income creates day-to-day survival, while wealth creates resilience, leverage, comfort, and power.

So what do you do? Ah, that is held for later…keep reading.

← Click here to read Part #1

Articles in this Series –

Economics 101 – Part #1 of 5

Posted on May 26, 2026 by AH Trimble

From a regular website reader/visitor:

Your garden & bs article helped me to understand the economy more. I didn’t understand it much, still you helped a lot. Can you explain more? More details? < click here to read that original article that started it all >

I sure can! Let’s turn this into a multi-article series and talk down-to-earth economics…nah! Let’s talk about how the economy affects on the United States and our families in real terms…YES !

I will try to be clear and real…and maybe throw in little humor here and there.

Have you ever heard the saying, “figures don’t lie, but liars figure”? It is incredibly true…and especially so when it comes to explaining or even talking casually about the economy.

Here’s where the “expert” economists fail us mere mortal folks:

They have an agenda (political ideology) and want to frame their statements to reflect that bias.
Most economic numbers, probably all, can be manipulated to support any version of bias.
Economists don’t apply true economic numbers to real-life for average folks…they make their statements theoretical…virtually un-understandable.

What I like to do, and will do here to the best of my ability, is:

Use completely factual economic numbers that are valid, reliable, and defensible.
Apply those numbers to a person’s real life and how it effects their life and family in real terms.
Then show clear and easy to understand facts…especially trends…showing how those trends are killing, and have been killing, America for a long time.
I will also write a pretty decent closing that might really surprise both you and me.

What I hope to accomplish through this multi-part series on economic matters is to help people understand where we’ve been, where we are, and where we may be headed if we fail to change course. And finally, if we cannot change things at the national level, I want to propose practical steps we can take to help prepare ourselves and our families, even our communities, to better endure the worsening economic challenges ahead.

Here is an example of “liars figure”…one night a couple weeks ago, on the way home from a security gig, I was listening to the radio. There was this pair of idiots folks talking about April’s inflation rate coming in at 3.8%. First off…that is a horrible number…a terrible blow to the economy and consumers…a truly bad number for families. But these imbeciles folks talked on and on about how great the economy grew by 3.8% year over year. What??????

First off…that is a totally bogus statement…a bald faced lie actually. It would be good to throw in here at this moment…these two people are rabid, far-right, republican, Trump worshipers…to a point beyond comprehension. But, that being said…their statement is still a lie. Inflation is not a sign of economic growth…not at all!!!

Here is where it could get horribly confusing…but I am not going to do that to you. I will try to be clear and simple…

“Inflation” is a number that represents the price increase of a “basket” of goods and services. The basket used by experts is a small subset of goods and services that really doesn’t represent an average family’s actual expenses in life.
“GDP” is the total cost of all goods and services produced in the US without subtracting inflation. It is also called “Nominal GDP”.
“Real GDP” is GDP minus Inflation. That is supposed to be a percentage representation of the net increase or decrease…the actual growth or shrinkage, of the economy. That is what you normally hear…but that too is a false number.
Then there is the true/actual GDP minus GDP Deflator(s). The “deflator(s)” is a better representation of the rise in the prices of goods and services (inflation)…a bit more accurate than an inflation figure. But there is no fixed and reliable definition of “deflator”…it can vary by “expert”. So its validity is also questionable.

Let me give you an example #1…

YEAR 1 the economy produces 100 apples @ $1 each. GDP = $100.
YEAR 2 the economy only produces 100 apples @ $2 each. GDP = $200.

Did the economy really grow? No. The country did not produce more apples, more food, or increased productivity; only the prices increased (inflation). So GDP would be up 100%, inflation would also be up 100%. But the Real GDP would be 0%…no growth, only a price increase.

Let me give you an example #2…

YEAR 3 the economy produces 200 apples @ $3 each. GDP = $600.

Did the economy really grow? Yes. The country did produce more apples (productivity), and the prices increased (inflation). So GDP would be up 200% (some growth came from higher prices and some growth came from producing more apples), while inflation would be up 50%.

So would Real GDP be 150%? No. It turns out economic math is more complicated than simple subtraction. Economists use deflators and ratio formulas rather than straightforward subtraction because GDP growth and inflation compound together mathematically. In this example, Real GDP growth would actually be about 100%, because the economy produced twice as many apples but deflators and ratios have to be taken into account.

See how everything could quickly get screwed up trying to understand their confusing crap talk!

So we have to make it really simple for folks like you and me. Forget inflation, forget GDP…use your eyes and wallet. Remember the produce basket from our previous article < click to read >? Real produce from real stores bought by real people went up 100% (yes, doubled in price) from 2016 to 2026. That is a 7.2% average annual inflation rate. That my friend is a REAL inflation figure!

Here’s another one…gas here locally went from $3.09 to $4.69 in 6 weeks. That is 52% inflation rate over 6 weeks…or 8.6% average inflation rate per week. Whoa!!!!! That is terrible. But last year at this same time is was $3.29 a gallon. Someone could make that sound WAY worse if they tried to promote the 6-week inflation rate figure…and they would be lying to you. See last year at this time the price of gas was $3.29. So the annual inflation rate for gas here locally is only 42%. Ah, only 42%???? Yup, that is horrible enough isn’t it. But, it is more accurate.

So talking about inflation is a weird subject to try and figure out in realistic terms. And for the most part it can turn into an emotional trauma a lot of the time. The only true figure that makes any sense is how much money you have left over at the end of the month…if any. That is why I use “essentials” when I display information about economic matters…because that is what honestly and truly matters when it comes to our finances. And inflation is deeply personal…inflation is how it affects you and your family personally.

Regardless of inflation or CPI formulas, GDP deflators, Fed policy, academic models, or political spin, people ultimately experience inflation through groceries, rent, fuel, insurance, health care, utilities, and what remains in the checking account afterward. That’s why two people can hear “Inflation is 3.8%” and yet think of it completely differently.

Inflation is so deeply personal it can feel manageable or it can feel crushing…or be comfortably ignored if you are rich. When I talk about inflation it is lived reality not charts and theories presented by economists that the average person seldom understands.

So how does a person understand April’s stats? If you do a deep dive it gets really interesting. Prices rose mostly from the increase in all forms of energy. Consumer spending was up almost exclusively from the upper-income sector. Credit card balances dropped slightly due to lower & middle-income folks paying off some of their existing balance. Consumer sentiment was down…and not just down a little. It deteriorated significantly during Q1 and into April. So why would someone say the economy performed well? For only one reason…the rich folks spent a bunch of money. And that is the “K” economy effect < click here to read about the “K” economy >

Think about this seriously important fact…In April, overall household debt remained at a record high. Q1 2026 total U.S. household debt reached roughly $18.8 trillion, which is an all-time high. The increase was driven mainly by mortgages and some other loan categories, not by credit cards.

Here’s an interesting set of “dots” to connect…the average mortgage amount during that time was nearly $400,000. Well, who can afford that size mortgage? The very, very top of the middle-class and the upper-class. So it wasn’t the average US family getting a mortgage, it was the top 12% of income earners and the top 20% of the wealthy in the US. Once you connect that dot then you start to get a much better picture…The households doing a larger share of spending and buying are increasingly concentrated toward higher earners and the wealthy. And that leaves the lower & middle-class behind…and falling behind each and every month.

Now, let’s touch on GDP for a minute. Earlier I went into detail about what GDP is and how to look at different “versions” of it. Now for the gotcha…GDP is a statistical, model-based, assumption-heavy, number and heavily dependent on various adjustments. GPD isn’t like measuring the exact length of a board with a ruler…it isn’t an exact science. That’s why many folks hear that GDP is growing and/or “good”, yet they feel economically challenged and financially vulnerable.

You can hear the “experts” report strong GDP growth while families simultaneously experience rising housing costs, wealth concentration to the upper-class, healthcare pressure, stagnant wages, and declining affordability when they go to the store or the gas station. So GDP numbers are also highly suspect when using it to gauge how the economy is doing. Once again…whether it’s inflation or GDP…it is all a matter of both being deeply personal to your family situation.

Bottom line:

Inflation is your families purchasing power…it goes up or down…you can buy more or less with your paycheck.
GDP is pretty much meaningless when viewed in relation to your family’s financial situation. It “can” give you an idea of the country’s economy growing or not…but it seldom (if ever) is an accurate view of reality.

Otherwise, listening to “experts” or “talking head” on cable media is playing with…fuzzy math.

Okay, somebody out there will probably want to debate “real wages” increasing to offset inflation. Really? So you think rising wages offsets inflation (price increases)??? Let’s make this real simple for you…let’s use the comparison of the home prices inflating. Someone might think that wages have kept pace and homes are just as affordable as they were in 1980. Really?

Better yet…let’s compare “real wage” growth vs the price increase of all family essentials since 1980…that should make it really clear…

Can I make it any more clear? Real wage growth is NOT keeping up with inflation…not even close. Lower & middle-income families are falling behind…falling WAY behind.

Next, in Part #2…we’ll talk about wealth and the HUGE difference it makes…as if you didn’t already know. But get ready to be really, really surprised!

Click here to read Part #2 →

Articles in this Series –

Remember them…

Posted on May 25, 2026 by AH Trimble

Survival Garden (top 5 plants) : Part #2 of 2

Posted on May 24, 2026 by AH Trimble

For this to make sense, you should probably should read Part #1 first < click here to read Part #1 >

We stopped in Part #1 needing 5,400 pounds of food from your garden for our family of four. That’s almost 3 tons of garden production!!! Whoa!!!! That is a lot of garden production.

So, how would you produce that much from your garden?

Here’s how it breaks down, space wise, for each of the 5 foods…

< right click on image to save >

Here’s what a garden layout might look like based on individual plots of each of the 5 foods…

< click image to enlarge or save >

Now good news, these plants can be planted as “companions” for space consideration and nutrient compatibility.

Now, let’s revise the garden layout with companion planting in mind…

< click image to enlarge or save >

That is an impractical layout because there is no spacing between rows to work…or even walk. But I wanted to show you just what the actual garden “space” looked like. But now let’s look at what is realistic…

< click image to enlarge or save >

This version is more practical but still very condensed/compact. It does give you an idea of what is possible. You could take it and expand it to meet your needs/wants according to your available space.

The bottom line here is simple…you could do it.

Does this mean you couldn’t plant anything else? Of course not. And there are plenty more companion plants that you could integrate into our survival garden with realistically little additional effort. Think about it…add flavor (chili peppers), add cooking options (tomato sauce), add nutrition/flavor (onions), add taste (cucumbers → pickles), etc.

Also, think about this…on our glamstead we have a strawberry patch, a raspberry patch, and a blackberry patch. You could plant those now as well…and be ready for the future.

The “garden” we’ve been talking about is the primary source of calorie/protein/fat staples kinda food. Our tasty berries are relatively high in vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. They aren’t calorie-dense enough to form a primary energy source like potatoes, beans, or corn, but they round out nutrition, help prevent deficiencies, and add variety to the diet. Kinda like a boost to morale and diet satisfaction item…think sugar “fix.” They do provide nutrients that improve immune function. And frankly, if needed, berries could serve as trading or bartering items. Think about this…they cold also help prevent food fatigue.

< click to enlarge or save >

Here are some Options / Alternatives –

Out of the 5 basic foods we discussed so far here are some thoughts…

The most difficult to grow is dry corn due to heavy nitrogen demand. It is also the most labor and equipment intensive to process for storage and actual storage itself.
The most difficult to store is potatoes due to temperature control, humidity control, sprouting potential, and risk of rot.

Let’s see what can be grown in their place…

Dry Corn – “Most Difficult to Grow & Harvesting Process”

Alternative Options:

Grain Sorghum: Drought-tolerant, easier to grow in poor soil, high-calorie grain.
Millet: Small grains, very hardy, grows in hot/dry conditions, easier to grow than corn.
Amaranth: Can serve as both leafy greens and grain, very resilient, drought-tolerant.

Potatoes – “Most Difficult to Store”

Alternative Options:

Sweet potatoes: Longer storage life, high calories, and easier to cure/store in our high-desert climate. Interesting note…sweet potatoes are a completely different plant from regular potatoes, though they are both starchy, tuber-like crops
Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes): Tubers that tolerate cold, can be left in soil until needed, calorie-dense.
Carrots or parsnips: Root vegetables with reasonable storage life if stored properly; less yield per acre than potatoes but easier to manage.

Now, if I was going to suggest two crops that could be of immense help, even replace the corn, it would be Jerusalem artichokes and grain sorghum. Grain sorghum would be a preferred replacement for corn. Jerusalem artichokes could replace potatoes. BUT…better yet…just add Jerusalem artichokes to the “Top 5 List”…call it “insurance.”

Jerusalem artichokes bring to the garden/diet incredible reliability, little storage headache, leave-in-ground harvesting, and huge yields. Jerusalem artichoke are calories per pound about the same as potatoes and they’re mostly carbohydrate (inulin). Inulin feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Produces less rapid glucose spike than potatoes. As a side-benefit it may help improve absorption of both calcium and magnesium. “Soft” Warning – eating Jerusalem artichokes, for some people, may cause bloating, gas, and digestive discomfort. The result could also include gaseous emissions (farts). Best to try them before doing a big planting.

There you go!! You can garden to survive…if you want to garden and survive. Many folks, myself included, would look at the garden as a supplement to our food storage for probably the first two years. First year for sure we would depend on our food storage and use the garden production to extend our food storage.

If this scenario would be an “extended” food chain problem…or a total “grid-down” end of the world event (TEOTWAWKI) then by year 3 you would be looking at the garden as the sole source of food. And please, please don’t say “I would just hunt for our food and eat deer, elk, rabbit, and the neighbors cows.”

Really, do you live in a forest? What do you think every other starving family would be doing? And do you think your neighbor might object, just a little bit, to you killing his cows? That being said…don’t overlook an opportunity kill of wildlife. Even small birds could add protein to a stew. And a venison steak would be amazing cooked over a campfire. But you won’t survive thinking you are the great hunter/gatherer dragging dinner home to your family.

Another thought…is your garden in plain view? If so, maybe that isn’t the best idea…everyone else would see it as a grocery store.

Here’s a thought for you…And I would plant zucchini no matter what. Zucchini can actually be a surprisingly useful survival food, especially in a high-production, home-garden or prepper setup. Zucchini germinates and grows rapidly, sometimes ready to harvest in about 50 days from seed. You can harvest multiple rounds in a single season. That could keep you from starving when food supply is limited. As you well know, each plant produces a large number of fruits over the season…even a few plants can provide consistent food.

Zucchini is easy to grow and can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted, or made into soups/stews. It can also be shredded or sliced and then incorporated into multiple dishes. Don’t forget “zoodles.” Zucchini is not extremely calorie-dense, it does provides hydration and nutrients such as vitamins A, C, potassium, and a good fiber source.

And lastly…the seeds. Zucchini seeds can be harvested from mature fruit, dried, stored, and then consumed as seeds (roasted and/or flavored). The seeds can be safely stored (if prepared & stored properly) for 6 – 12 months. And they can be added to soups or stews.

Think about this for a minute…how many times have you heard of zucchini plants taking over a garden or producing fruit 10 times faster than they can be eaten. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful problem to have if you were trying to survive off your garden!?!

Nature gets a vote. A survival garden should always have redundancy. I would over-plant and diversify. Better safe than sorry.

Last note…spices and salt. If you are going to live off your garden…store plenty of spices and salt. Without those…your meals, while filling, might lead to more food fatigue.

< click to enlarge or save >

Listen closely…in closing…forget the experts and talking heads for a minute. Think about your family, your community, and the people around you. Become more self-reliant, not so you can stand apart from others, but so you can better care for your family and serve those around you.

< click to enlarge or save >

No one is coming to save us…we serve and save each other.

← Click here to read Part #1 Article

Articles in this series –

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.</p

Survival Garden (top 5 plants) : Part #1 of 2

Posted on May 23, 2026 by AH Trimble

I get this question a lot. I thought I covered it before but I will have another go at it with details. The question is “What can I plant and grow in my garden to survive on if there is no food available at all in the store?”

I am going to change that and make it much more dramatic.

The I am going to use scenario:

Food supply chain is done, gone, not available.
I need to live off my garden as the only source of food.
I know I need calories and protein.
I need lots of pounds of food.
I need to be able to store it from harvest (year 1) through planting (year 2) to harvest (year 2).
I need some of the seeds from the harvest in year 1 to use for planting in year 2.
Space is not an issue…reasonably.
I have a family of 4; 1 adult man, 1 adult woman, 1 teen child, 1 pre-teen child.

Here are some basics:

These become your priorities; calories, protein, fat/oils, storage life, seed saving, growth reliability, climate adaptation, production per square foot, nutritional density, and ability to preserve.
For my specific glamstead location, I have to consider crops that work with a shorter growing season, cool nights, intense UV, low humidity, spring wind, periodic drought, and possible early/late frosts/freezes. I can offset the “drought” issue because I have a well. But, will the well hold out? Think for a minute…a garden without reliable water is just landscaping.
We know that people need calories, carbohydrates, fats, and protein in our diets as priorities.
You will starve to death if you think you can survive on lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
And then there is the actual calorie intake requirements:

These numbers are rough estimates based on my climate, my soil, my family assumptions, and reasonable yields. Real-world results could vary dramatically. Please do your own research for your own area and family needs.

Let’s make it more real when looking at it as a family combined…

But under survival conditions where hard/persistent physical labor is present the calorie intake could easily double.

Now, let me share this with you…I am talking pure survival. I am not talking about balanced diet, healthy, gluten free, non-GMO, none of that crap. I am talking food that will keep you alive and the most efficient way to go about it.

Last note, the list is for my area…my location…not yours…unless you are a neighbor. You would have to look up what is right for your area. DO NOT TRUST INTERNET EXPERTS !!! Do not trust gardener or survivalist keyboard warriors. Do not trust me. Do your own research for your area. I will make one suggestion that might help…use some AI program for help. I worked on my list then double-checked it against a very detailed and specific prompt using chatgpt.com It helped me to understand I was off on one of my choices…there was a better one. It also gave me the reasoning for the difference.

Here are the top 5 foods to plant, harvest, eat, and survive…in my area:

Potatoes
Dry Corn (field corn)
Beans (dried beans)
Winter Squash
Sunflowers

* There will be three substitutions/options/alternatives that I will mention at the end.

Here are the details:

#1 Potatoes –

First off, I’m about 1/3 Irish…so this is an obvious #1 choice for me. And in addition to that they have a huge calorie count, they are really productive, they store well, spread and reproduce easily, they are adaptable to most climates including ours, they are very calorie dense, and contain other useful nutrients.

For us the varieties would probably be Yukon Gold or Kennebec. They would store for months in a cool place like a dug pit (which we would do) or root cellar (which we don’t have). And all we would have to do is save some of the potatoes with the most sprouts to use as seed potatoes for the next year’s crop.

They can take up some space but can be grown densely. The soil we would use would need amending (compost) but that could be acquired from under our tress, etc.

#2 Dry Corn (field corn) –

This is not sweet corn we’re talking about…it’s “field” corn, specifically “dent” corn. For our area we would want to use Painted Mountain Corn or Hopi Blue Corn, probably both. These varieties are excellent storage types, pretty dang cold tolerant, they can thrive in a shorter growing season, and can handle more adverse weather conditions that our climate produces. This is a “grain” vs a picnic type corn on the cob. With this corn you can have cornmeal, flour, hominy, masa, and animal feed. But it takes processing; drying, shelling, grinding, and storage.

Our #1 issue is a dry climate, #2 is short growing season. Painted Mountain Corn is excellent at both and Hopi Blue Corn is very good at both. Hopi Blue Corn is a little better at nutrition.

A bonus with dent corn is the “leftover” after the ear of corn is picked and the kernels are shucked…EVERYTHING else is 100% usable.

The stalks and leaves can be used for fresh animal feed, silage animal feed (chopped & fermented), and dried animal feed. Animals that can eat it are cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and to a limited degree chickens and rabbits. The stalks and leaves can also be used for composting and mulch. And our soil could seriously benefit from both. And the cobs can also be used as fuel. Once dried, they should be viewed as compressed natural tinder…it burns hot and fast. One interesting uses…biochar. Cobs are a good source that can be converted into biochar…another important soil amendment for our area.

#3 Beans (dry beans) –

For our area I would choose Anasazi beans. I am already familiar with them, they taste really great, they are a desert adapted bean, store really well, and they a very good-looking colorful bean. I am considering the addition of Tepary beans. I’ve never grown them but I will try some next year. If I am successful with them…they are actually even better suited for our area and conditions than the Anasazi beans.

Anasazi beans are high protein, high fiber, calorie dense…basically, nutritionally serious food. Yup, and they are great for the soil…they fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility. This would be a crop that you plant in the area where you plant corn the following year. Why? Corn uses a lot of nitrogen, beans put nitrogen into the soil. Once the beans are harvested, leave the roots in the ground (that’s where the nitrogen is) and then compost the plant separately with other organic matter. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the bean roots leave some nitrogen in the soil when the roots decompose.

Interesting side-note…if I was caught short and didn’t have any Anasazi beans to use as seeds…well, I would happily use green been seeds. Just let green bean pods mature and dry on the plant. Once fully dried they can be shelled and stored like any other dried bean. And yes, compost the removed shell material.

#4 Winter Squash –

For me there is only one choice…Butternut. This squash is incredible for storage (6 – 12 months), a reliable plant for gardeners (productive & vigorous), and packed with nutrition…and it tastes amazing. Butternut is a perfect plant for our climate…handles dry condition really well and doesn’t need perfect soil. And yes, you can seed save. Speaking of seeds…

Butternut seeds contain fats, protein, minerals, and calories…basically concentrated survival nutrition. These seeds really help solve the whole survival “fat” problem…they have lots of fat. Harvest the seeds from mature fruit, roast em, store them properly, enjoy the flavor and the nutrition! Look, you can grind them into flour or simply add them to a stew…or eat as a convenient snack. It’s all good…it’s all nutrition.

I will mention that two alternatives would be Hubbard squash and Seminole pumpkin. From my research both are good survival options, and both would do good here. I have no personal experience with them as of now…next year I will do a test plot. Treat them like you would Butternut squash.

#5 Sunflowers –

I bet that one surprised you. Sunflowers may be one of the most underrated survival/preparedness crops there is. It is a fantastic source of fats, oil, protein, and calories. The stalks and leaves can also be used for animal feed. The flowers are magnets for pollinators which support all the other garden crops. If you don’t use the stalks and leaves for animal feed there will be lots of biomass for composting.

For our climate they can handle our sun, can handle the heat, and can tolerate dry conditions pretty well. Our variety choice would probably be Black Oil sunflowers for their high oil content. I’ve never grown them before…on the list for next year. For snacking and stews I would go with Mammoth or Russian Giant. Those two varieties have larger edible seeds and are easier to process but contain less oil than Black Oil.

Along with the leftover stalks and flowers being animal feed, the flowers themselves are really beautiful and can provide a big morale boost. Once all the harvesting is done, if you don’t have animals they are great for composting due to their large amount of biomass.

Sunflower seeds are really nutritious, they provide a concentrated source of calories, fat, protein, and…what’s really cool…micronutrients. The seeds can be eaten raw, roasted, or you can grind them into sunflower “butter.” The seeds can also be stored long-term if you keep them dry and cool. That is a huge benefit…long-term storage food reserve. Sunflower seeds can be pressed to extract oil, which is then used for cooking, adding calories, and could be used as a barter item. The oil has a long shelf-life if stored properly.

Sunflowers are relatively easy to grow in most climates and soils…even our moderately amended local soil. They tolerate drought better than many other crops, which is valuable in hot, dry regions like ours. And obviously, you can seed-save and produce next year’s crop.

Now…how much do you need of each?

Why do I ask that? Well, if you want to survive off your garden you gonna need to know how much you are going to use…and then that tells you how much you are gonna need to grow. And that tells you how much space is needed for your garden.

So how much do you need of each of the 5 foods?

So here is the basis of my estimates…

Here’s a nice info-graphic presentation…

< click the image to enlarge or right-click to download the image >

Bottom line…5,400 pounds of food from your garden! That’s almost 3 tons of garden production!!! Whoa!!!! That is a lot of garden production. I don’t think I’ve gotten more than about 1,000lbs of produce from any garden I’ve ever had. I would be hard pressed to think I could grow that much. However, there are only 2 of us…so we could get by on about 60% of that list. Still, that’s a huge demand…3200lbs of garden production.

So, how would you produce that much from your garden? Well, let’s get into that a bit…in Part #2.

Click here to read Part #2 article →

Articles in this series –

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.</p

Q &A : 5/22/2026

Posted on May 22, 2026 by AH Trimble

Some questions have been piling up, thought it might be time to share a couple…

You’re writing style looks as if it has changed, what’s up?

Good observation! It has changed, or at least I am trying to make it change. The question is “why?”

Well, originally the website was all about preparedness. Then some “survival” topics crept in. Then I added “homesteading” stuff…more like long-term preparedness/survival. And then Obama came about…yikes. I started more articles about current events…and its uglier cousin “politics”. I felt it absolutely essential for situation awareness purposes. Then Trump #1 hit, then Biden, and now Trump #2. I just couldn’t help myself.

The situation in the US became such that I had to start seriously warning about what was happening and what was going to happen. All my opinion of course. But, Trump #2 really set me off…betrayal big-time! If you’ve been reading my stuff for the last 1.5 years you know that I think Trump is probably the worst president that the US has had in my lifetime. And in my opinion the Trump family is little more than an organized crime family. I’ve never seen a family get rich off Donny Boy (i.e. President) like the Trump Family has. They’ve made BILLIONS off his decisions and statements and influence peddling. Truth be told…Trump is probably the most corrupt President in the history of the United States the way he is benefiting his family’s business.

So, it became my personal mission to yell that from the mountain tops. There are lot’s of folks out there that are preppers, conservatives, etc. that have been coming to my site for years…but when I started exposing Trump they left…some with anger in their hearts. They just couldn’t handle me not suffering from TWS. That’s when I started the “Patriot” idea for posting PDF files regarding Trump and current events.

But here’s the problem…me. Well, not the way you might think. I found that after writing one of those articles I was really “down”, a dark feeling in my heart. You can’t research, find out the truth, think about it, and write about all that crap and not have it get into your head. So yes, I’ve backed off a bit.

The other “style change” you might be referring to is my use of AI. A couple months ago I started using AI to generate images/pictures. I would write a paragraph, sometimes more, then upload it to an AI program and ask it for an image that reflects what I wrote. Wow! It would produce some amazing images and info-graphics. Most of the time it hit spot-on. If not, and it needed editing, I would simply tell it to add this, take away that, change this, etc.. It was like having a personal graphic artist sitting there working for me. Nice!

After that proved to be really useful I thought about how to benefit even more. I do have a problem with typos and grammar at times. I would write a paragraph, sometimes a whole article, then upload it to AI and ask it to check for typos, spelling, and grammar. It was really helpful. Early on it would make suggestions on how to change what I wrote…I told it “no thank you.” My writing style is mine. But, I thought about it…

Now, I accept suggestions:

Facts and stats…I ask AI to check my facts and stats to be valid, reliable, and defensible. The same facts and stats can be interpreted multiple different ways…that’s called opinion. So the valid and reliable part is to make sure I am telling the truth. The defensible part is where it checks what I am saying to be defensible. That means my opinion is on-track and not some wild crap being thrown out there.
I am also asking the AI to point out my more “bombastic” statements…and suggest a better way to make my point. It usually gives me a more moderate version of my point. I weigh it and use it or not. If it means making my point more accurate and clear, then I use it, or some altered version of it. I do NOT use AI to generate any part of articles.

Where AI is being extremely useful is checking my spelling and grammar. But, I don’t feed my stuff through AI every time, maybe ½ the time give or take. I will be posting a series of articles on “economics” probably next week. I’ve been working on it for about 10 days now. I’ve used AI extensively on that project. AI has been generating graphics for me to make the information more “friendly” and understandable. I also used AI to verify my stats and figures to ensure I was passing along good information that was accurate.

So yes, you picked up the “change” in my writing style. I am trying to make my material better.

You talk about your “flower mound”, why do you have it and what does it look like?

Here it is…

The tall black things are solar lights that make it look fantastic at night.

There are two primary reason; 1) to attract pollinators, 2) it gives color and beauty to our glamstead. If you want exact identification of plants let me know.

You’ve talked about AI being almost “evil” and yet I can tell you are using it for pictures. Have you gone over to the dark side?

I hope there is dripping sarcasm in your question. I explained above how I am using AI. Specifically I am using an LLM version of AI for generating images such as info-graphics, some trolling pictures of various public figures, and to provide visuals of a feeling I want to convey. It also checks my spelling and grammar. But no, I have not gone over to the dark side and joined “Sky Net.” Although I did order StarLink this week.

Just for fun I posed your question to AI and asked it how to respond, here’s the response it generated

“I get why it might seem contradictory. I think of AI like any other tool — it can be used well or poorly. I’m using it to create visuals and clarify ideas, not to manipulate, harm, or mislead. Just because a tool has potential for misuse doesn’t mean using it responsibly makes someone ‘dark side.’ It’s all about how and why you use it. I’m still on the side that drinks RC Cola and grows tomatoes.”

Can you tell the difference between my writing style and AI generated style? I sure hope so.

But hang on…I told it to make it sound more like me…

“Nope. Still drinking RC Cola and growing tomatoes. I just believe tools should serve people — not replace them.”

Does it sound anything like what I would say?

This is not me…Maybe something more like…

Yeah…I got a bit carried away with the AI generated pictures. Sometimes I just like to enjoy life.

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.</p

GARDEN : Update! (05/20/2026)

Posted on May 20, 2026 by AH Trimble

An absolutely gorgeous morning!!! It is crisp and cool this morning, a bit more humidity freshening the air, and just enough cloud cover to make it a little different than most mornings. And best of all…I took a walk through our little glamstead of paradise.

Let me share a few updates with you on the “State of the Glamstead”…

Orchard –

Yeah…a bust! That deep freeze killed off virtually all of this years fruit crop of every kind. A few late blossoms have set and we might get a dozen apples or so. We’ll see.

The 3 “gift” apple trees that I have mentioned before had ZERO blossoms on them this year. The trees look fantastic, very healthy and vibrant…but not a single blossom, ever.

I’m doing my research homework now. From what I can tell it looks as if I will be buying Enterprise, Haralson, or Liberty Semi-dwarf apple trees, on M111 root stock or Bud 118 if I can’t find M111. They will not go in the ground this year. I am looking to up-pot them for the rest of this season and plant them when they are dormant this winter. Wish me luck!!

Blackberry and Raspberry Patch –

The “leftover” raspberry bushes are coming on real nicely. They were the lower-end of the larger patch from last year. If you

Raspberry Bushes

aren’t familiar…last year the raspberry bushes overtook an area and congested it with out-of-control bush growth. My wife got very worried about it being a snake haven and asked my to “uncongest” that area. Neighbors came over and gathered 30+ raspberry plants/starts to begin their own patches. The plants we didn’t take out became the “leftovers”. There are still a few stragglers coming up in the cleared area so more plant sharing with neighbors.

Blackberry Bushes

And then came the great blackberry relocation! I planted blackberry starts way too close to a row of raspberries. So wifey wanted them moved to another area…creating, another snake-free zone (hopefully). So 13 blackberry plants were relocated to another part of the yard. All of the plants are thriving in their new home.

Both the raspberry and blackberry bushes have blossoms on them already and if they keep coming on like they’ve started…Yea! Plenty of berries this year.

Blueberry Patch –

Blueberry Bushes

Well, they’ve struggled. The deep freeze back in early March wiped out the ton of blossoms that had set, even some small fruit that had showed up got hit bad. That kinda stopped that any hope of enjoying blueberries this year. And the newest bush I put in also took a huge hit…looked as if it was stone cold dead. Well, thankfully it came back and is looking just fine.

No blueberries this year…well, maybe a couple. So we’ll call this a “rebuild” year.

Strawberry Patch –

Sore subject. In all reality it is going as well as could be expected. Last year’s plants are going great, blossoms promising

Strawberry Beds

fruit maybe within the month. Some of the new bare root and live plants are doing really well. Some are dead. Some are alive, small, and trying their best. We will have strawberries this year for sure. I’d say 1/3rd of the plants aren’t going to make it. But hey, that’s okay…I will bring along some runners and start enough daughter plants to fill in the blanks. So next

Great New Strawberry Plant & one that is struggling just a bit

year…Watch Out!

I will take the blame on this. I have never planted bare root stock before so I may have messed up on how I planted them. I followed their instructions but there is considerable conflict on the “right” way to plant them. It looks as if I did the best I could on the second round trying to save what I could. We’ll see.

~ Melon Patch ~

Melon Patch

Butternut Squash : It’s all doing really well…some plants have blossoms. And if I am not blind, there is one plant that looks as if it has a tiny squash already started. I had to remove a couple of the protective chicken wire because the vines were outgrowing them: about 18” long vines on a couple.

Watermelon

Watermelon : Doing well, a couple plants have 12” vines already. One plant has a blossom on it.

Cantaloupe : Whoa! Plants are doing really well with the exception of

Cantaloupe Plant

one…looks a bit puny. A couple have 12 – 16” vines already. Plenty of blossoms!

Zucchini : Seeds are germinating and doing well. 5 of 9 seeds are showing, no true leaves yet. I will thin to 1 plant per each of the three hills.

Note: My fear that the dogs and/or rabbits would pose a problem seems to have been unfounded. I have 5 exposed plants now without disturbance. We’ll closely monitor.

~ The Garden ~

Tomatoes –

The “deep freeze” took out over half of my tomato starter plants in the greenhouse; that left me a bit limited on what I had left to plant.

Early Girl & Brandywine Tomato Plants

Early Girl (2 of these) : I’m sold!! These were very hardy, even in the freeze. They are in the ground and doing really well. Actually, I had to prune them already and a couple blossoms are showing. I got to get the new system of keeping them upright constructed. I had to put a basket on one already just to keep it vertical.

Brandywine (2 of these) : I am liking the plants so far. I’ve never eaten one but the plant so far is hardy and had to prune them already. I am expecting blossoms any day now…or at least before the end of the month. This is an experimental plant for me, never planted one before.

Rio Grand (3 of these) : This is a “Roma” substitute for our environment. I can save seeds and the saved seeds should grow reasonably true Rio Grand tomato plants…so it’s not a real F1 hybrid plant. Call it a semi-hybrid/heirloom. They are doing well…just not very big yet.

Arkansas Traveler (1 of these) : This was pure experimental. I was looking for a tomato that could handle the heat here. Problem was…the deep freeze killed off all but one of them. It’s in the ground, but real small, planted them in with the Rio Grands. I’ll see what happens…but I have great hopes for it.

Beefsteak (3 of these) : This is a love/hate relationship!! I love the taste and they can’t be beat for sandwiches. But for me…they are so hard to get started. Well, the seedlings held up fine. But, they grow real slowly and in the ground I never know if they will live or die. They look like puny midget plants at this point…but the same was the case last year…then BOOM! They explode with growth and produced like crazy.

Boston Pickling Cucumber (6 hills / 18 seeds) – The seeds came in on Saturday, seeds went into the ground on Monday. Kinda screwed up a bit…only 2 of the 6 mounds have lots of room for vines. The others not as much. My wife makes the best, crunchiest pickles you can imagine! I gotta get up some shade cloth and hoops to protect them for a while. Another project…yea!

Green Beans (a bunch) : coming along nicely, sprouted quickly.

Wala-Wala Onions – Total disaster…again. I tried to start some “sets”. They sprouted, grew 4 – 5” tall…then stalled. I was ready to throw them away but thought, “What the heck!” They are now in the raised bed with the green beans. Just kinda stuck em in the ground Monday. Oddly, this morning some of them are standing up, the others aren’t

Green Chili Peppers

dead. We’ll see.

Green Chili Peppers (3 of them) : Wow!!! The plants all look awesome and there are a couple of chilies already on the plants, one is about 2” long. Yea!!!! We love them 🙂

Rattlesnake Beans : Planted 9 ‘hills’ of 2 seeds each. Nothing showing yet…but it’s only been a week. Keeping our hopes up! This was an experiment for this variety of beans. Supposed to be real similar to a green bean but more nutritious and better suited for this area.

Anasazi Beans : Well, so far 36 plants are up and showing. I think maybe 5 – 8

Anasazi Beans

seeds haven’t made it yet. This year was a test for them. Last year I calculated that it would take 20 plants to produce an average year’s supply for one person. This year I planted 45 seeds (+/-). The seeds are great for this area’s weather, and using marginal soil. So when the blackberries came out…the Anasazi Beans found a new home. About 26’ x 18” or so for the row. I planted them double-row, staggered. The soil is pretty much marginal but I did add compost, soil conditioner, and organic fertilizer before planting about 8 or 9 days ago. I will keep you updated.

Summary –

That’s about it…you’re up to date. Garden is in and doing its thing. Irrigation is all in place. The shade cloth is ordered and will be here tomorrow. It might not get put up till Monday.

Has anyone else had the experience that raspberry and blackberry bushes could be classified an invasive species? Especially blackberries? I am thinking they are.

SPECIAL NOTE: It is not too late to plant a garden. In most areas of the country there is still plenty of growing season left…almost all of it actually. Go buy yourselves some nice vegetable plants from Lowes and get them in the ground…or in your raised bed. You can also go “container” as well. Just plant something will ya !!!

Ahhhh, Final Note: Yes, I still have to do my final weeding between the raised beds and around the blackberries…give me a break.

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

GARDEN : My plea to you… (please read!!)

Posted on May 19, 2026 by AH Trimble

I am writing this from my heart…a sincere, earnest plea. Please, seriously consider what I am asking of you.

Let me begin with this…it is not too late!

I’ve written a whole bunch on gardening this year…far more than in the past. This year I have a serious sense of urgency…almost overwhelming desire to share information. But most of all I am prompted…big time prompted…to ask this of you:

# 1 – You may not have a garden, but if you have the space…even a small corner…that’s enough. If you live in an apartment, put a couple of container plants, or hanging plants on your patio or balcony.

If you live in the city, find a small plot, maybe a building lot, and plant a garden…even if it’s only a couple of plants.

Find a little corner in your yard…put in some strawberries or raspberries.

Size doesn’t matter…just start.

# 2 – If you just can’t have a garden. Here’s an idea…talk to a gardener in your community and ask them if you can buy them some plants or seeds for their garden, maybe offer some organic fertilizer. Offer to help them take care of their garden. Don’t bargain with them…don’t try a “deal” trading your help for produce in return. Just offer to help them expand their garden, let them decide what to do with extra produce.

# 3 – If you can’t have a garden but a neighbor has the space but they don’t have a garden. Offer to work them to have a garden on their property. If they can’t help with a garden (i.e. too old, handicapped, etc.) then offer to do all the garden work. Here you can ask for some “share” arrangement of the produce.

# 4 – If you do have a garden. Expand it! Grow more, maybe way more, produce more than you and your family can eat and/or store. When the produce starts coming on…give it away! Find an old couple living on social security…maybe a young family or a single parent family…then give them produce from your garden. Another option, find a food bank or senior center than provides meals…give them all the fresh produce you possibly can. For some of the folks who benefit from your generosity this might be the only fresh produce they get in their diet.

# 5 – Think of other inspired ways to provide for others. Give till it hurts…sacrifice for others. People need that right now…both the givers and receivers.

# 6 – Buy seeds now for future gardens. Seeds, properly stored, will last years, sometimes decades. Put them away for later gardens. You could do the same with organic fertilizer, biochar, worm castings, and other soil amendments.

Look, I have tears in my eyes right now, I am full of emotions with what I see all around. This world is in turmoil right now. There is far too much division, confusion, animosity, even hatred and violence. But…we can take care of each other. We can blot out the static…get rid of the noise around us that is hurting us all. We only need to reach out to others…then give and serve.

Please…I ask this of you sincerely, with real intent. I don’t know exactly why, but I know I must share this plea with you, and ask for your help in serving each other.

We don’t have to wait for the world to change. Each garden we plant, each hand we lend, each fruit we give…that’s the change. Together, through these simple acts, we can heal, nourish, and connect. So today, right now, look around you. A planter on your balcony. A neighbor’s empty yard. A friend who could use a hand. Take one small action. Plant, water, share. Even the tiniest seed of kindness grows.

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

GARDEN : Seedling & Potting Soil

Posted on May 18, 2026 by AH Trimble

I posted an article on soil amendments and what each is and does. < click here > What I will do today is tell you a bit about how I actually use those products with my soil and in my garden operation. It would be really, really helpful if you read the “GARDEN : Soil Amendments…Better & Healthier Soil & Plants!” article first.

If you are blessed enough to live in the mid-west, like I did as a kid, you probably don’t have to do much to improve your soil. Their soil is called Mollisol…it’s a highly fertile prairie soil. It developed over thousands of years of deep-rooted prairie grasses (6–15 feet deep), seasonal dieback of that grass (incredible soil carbon and structure), plenty of live microbial activity and gradual organic matter accumulation. What makes it special? Very high organic matter, a rich dark color (usually black), excellent nutrient retention, good soil structure, deep root “zones” that makes for strong agricultural productivity. So we just have to recreate that in our raised beds and in-ground gardens. Simple!

Oh, I almost forgot…since it is all started with an incredible grass prairie, there was 10’ of thousands of years of animal grazing. And that natural grazing resulted in a tremendous amount of natural fertilizer on top of everything else…literally. So let’s go over some soil “fixes” and ideas.

First up…seedling soil – Here is what I would use (will use) next year:

40% peat moss
25% perlite
25% vermiculite
10% worm castings

Or, optionally,

35% peat moss
25% perlite
20% vermiculite
10% worm castings
10% VERY fine charged biochar (optional)

I call this my “germination phase.”

Notes:

Peat moss

Holds moisture evenly, creates a soft/fine seed bed, slightly acidic (which many seedlings like), and helps prevent rapid drying in your dry climate.

Perlite

Keeps the mix airy and prevents damping-off problems and compaction. Very important in peat-heavy mixes.

Vermiculite

Holds both water and nutrients near the seed roots. Excellent for germination consistency.

Worm castings

Adds biology, mild nutrition, humic substances, enzymes, and microbial activity without “burning” seedlings like stronger fertilizers can.

Biochar (optional)

Can create a better microbial habitat, nutrient buffering, improved aeration, moisture moderation, pH buffering (from peat moss that tends to be a bit acidic), & long-term root conditioning improving transition to “up-potting”. If using biochar it has to be “pre-charged” and not used raw. I like to pre-charge it in diluted liquid organic fish fertilizer. Relax, “pre-charged” just means put the biochar in a small bucket or bowl of the diluted liquid organic fish fertilizer for a few days so it absorbs the liquid nutrients and microbes.

I haven’t used coco coir myself but it can be used as a replacement for peat moss, and I’ve heard it can be better. It can be 50/50 peat moss / coco coir up to 100% coco coir. I will try some this year…for a test I will try 100% replacement of peat moss to see how I like it.

Next would be my first “up-potting” soil –

- 30% peat moss (coco coir for part or all)
- 30% high-quality compost
- 20% perlite
- 10% worm castings
- 5 – 10% charged fine biochar
- 5 – 10%vermiculite (optional)

Goal for first up-potting: I usually up-pot multiple times depending on a number of factors. But, basically I am looking at this first transition moves seedlings from a ‘germination environment’ into a ‘growth environment. What I mean by that is more nutrition, more biology, stronger root structure, slightly less moisture saturation, more air exchange…but still not ready for a heavy garden soil. This mix is biologically active, structurally airy, moisture-buffering, and nutritionally gentle. But is also strong enough to push real vegetative growth in those new plants. I call this my “transition phase.”

Notes:

1. 1. The “high-quality compost” means no chunks at all, it has to be fine. It brings in microbes and nutrients.
  2. Charged biochar at this point helps level out the water retention/release, and pretty much the same for nutrients and microbes.
  3. Optionally, as needed, a small amount of mineral nutrition would help but not heavy fertilizer application…and only an organic fertilizer. At first up-potting seedlings begin needing trace minerals more consistently. Fertilizers such as kelp meal, azomite, basalt rock dust, fish bone meal, or humic acid. Apply very lightly.

Final & subsequent up-potting –

- 30% peat moss and/or coco coir
- 30% regular mature compost
- 15–20% perlite
- 10% worm castings
- 10% charged biochar
- 5–10% mineral/native soil

Goal for final & subsequent up-potting: This soil mix will accomplish two things for me; 1) provides a quality soil that prepares the plant to transition to my raised beds or my well-amended in-ground garden area. 2) I also believe that I could up-pot a plant to a large enough container and just leave them in that container for growing all season long…if I put a layer of mulch on them. I call this my “production phase.”

Notes:

1. Equal parts peat and mature compost provides moisture buffering, good root penetration, and soil structural softness. They also promote full microbial activity, fungal development, and balanced nutrient release.
2. Regular mature compost is fine at this point and doesn’t need to be ultra-screened. But, I’d still avoid large wood chunks and any uncomposted material.
3. Perlite is important to me at this point, it helps prevent soil collapse and compaction and from staying too wet. It also provides aeration for the roots keeping oxygen moving and microbes balanced.
4. Pumice can be used in place of perlite.
5. Charged biochar becomes very valuable at this stage.
6. The “native soil” at this point honestly helps with the economic side. But it also lays the groundwork for a healthy transition if the plant is going into the ground.
7. Also, at this stage a very light application of a balanced organic fertilizer is a good idea. The operative word being “light”.
8. At this point I am trying to provide aeration for the roots, balance of water retention/release, healthy soil biology, just enough mineralization in the soil, and soil structure that will encourage growth…and lots of it.

A couple closing thoughts…

Soil mixes can get expensive pretty quickly. If you have the money for it, fine. If not, adapt. Substitute your own fine high-quality compost that you have made. If you don’t have worm castings, you can still grow excellent plants without them. For the final up-potting use your soil from your existing raised bed. If you don’t have liquid fish fertilizer make “weed tea.” I would rather see seedlings →plants → food → plate than giving up for lack of a “perfect” soil mix.
If you have a seedling tray fail due to lack of water or neglect…I’m sorry. But, you can recycle that soil to save money. I would use it in place of “fine high-quality compost.”
If you have annual flowers dying off at the end of the season I would not hesitate to save the soil for use in the garden the next year. I would view it as “fine high-quality compost.” You can leave the roots in the soil as well…it’s organic matter. Don’t leave the above-ground plant itself with the soil…you might get a lot of weird looking flowers next year.
Just get out there and do it!!

How humiliating…how far we have fallen!

Posted on May 17, 2026 by AH Trimble

Trump has landed in China and made quite the impression!! Yup, lots of pageantry and photo ops and flag waving. And then Trump started talking…ooooppppppsssssss.

Yeah, he kissed Xi’s ring like a pro…then butt-kissing, flattery, more butt-kissing, more flattery. Sickening, but classic Trump. Trump even called Xi a “great leader.” Ahhhhhh, did someone forget to tell Trump that China is an economic and military enemy of the US? Did Trump forget that China has said it will displace the US as the world’s super-power? Did someone forget to tell Trump that China is building up its military to defeat the US…and has publicly said so!

Trump says a Xi is “great leader,” “a friend,” and someone he has a “fantastic relationship” with. Really? Think about all of that for a minute. Let that sink in.

That’s the first humiliation.

And then it got worse…

Trump begged seriously asked for China’s help to end the Iran War. What? If we have won the Iran War as Trump has repeatedly claimed, then why ask for China’s help to “end” the war? Yeah, that exposes the truth…we have not won, and we are not winning, the war with Iran. If we “won” then we wouldn’t need to beg ask China for anything. So there is the second humiliation…our President admits we are losing, or have lost, a war that Trump claimed we would win in a day. The greatest military in the world and we can’t beat Iran…whoa!

And then is got worse…

Then it was Xi’s turn…thankfully, in private…Xi “strongly warned” Trump about Taiwan. Reportedly, Xi said, “Taiwan independence and cross-strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.” And should the US “mishandle the situation” it could lead to “clashes,” “conflict,” or an “extremely dangerous situation.” That is diplomatic speak for…we go to war.

There are some reports that China agreed it may help diplomatically with Trump’s failure with Iran…but only if Taiwan is clearly seen by the US as Chinese territory and the US will not interfere. And of course Trump didn’t push back by all accounts. Third humiliation.

And then is got worse…

Trump goes over there thinking he holds the upper-hand…that he will manipulate China into doing his will based on flattery, trade, and money. Wrong! Look, China is 18 times older than the US…in 4500 years they have seen it all…and flattery will get you nowhere with them. Further, China is not all about money when it comes to the US…China is all about power…and money is only a tool to that end. Trump misread the situation from the beginning and his ignorance has proven the US and himself to be weak and begging for China’s help…exactly what China wants. And the whole world sees it out in the open…plain for all to see. Fourth humiliation.

You know I am not a Trump worshiper or even a fan of the man. As President he is ruining our economy and driving prices through the roof for every-day families. Inflation is out of control and getting worse…far worse since Trump took office. Biden left Trump a mess…and Trump is making it a disaster.

And then it got worse…

Every objective analysis shows the US not winning the war in Iran. Sure, we are winning battles, destroying lots of buildings and ships, and of course…killing thousands of civilians…including almost 200 little girls in school. Yea USA!!!

Oh, and we are the scorn of the entire world because we are hurting every country’s economy. And of course…we’ve destabilized the entire middle-east. And then there is the little detail of enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza and now spreading it to Lebanon and Syria. Yea USA!!!

Okay, I apologize…I should not say “Yea USA!!!” The people of the USA don’t want the war, don’t support the war, and want it to end…at least by a margin of 2-to-1. The entire rest of the world is almost unanimous against the war…except Israel. And they wouldn’t be against the war…they started it and brought Trump into it like a good little boy. So if I am being 100% honest and fair…it should be “Yea Trump and the War Mongers!!!” It’s just that doesn’t have the same ring to it. Oh well…you got the point.

Here we are with yet more humiliation at the hands of Trump:

Trump publicly butt-kisses Xi like a little kid…or a weak leader to a great leader.
Trump makes it public to the world that we can’t beat, and haven’t beaten, Iran in the war that Trump started and bragged about winning.
Xi sternly warns the US over Taiwan, threatening war, and Trump sits there like a scolded dog…weakness again.
Trump shows the entire world that he seriously misunderstood the diplomatic trip to China and meeting with Xi. And puts it on the world stage for all to see. Not just “weakness again”…but, a serious showing of ignorance and/or stupidity…and most of all vulnerability.

It amazes me how Trump keeps screwing up over and over and over again…and just hides his embarrassment and humiliation…or he it totally unaware of it all.

What a shame how far the US has fallen…the US being led around by the nose by a madman. Pray for the mid-term election outcome to put the brakes on him and his disaster.

Then again…if you and your family are making billions of dollars a year off your influence and decisions as President…what does he care!?!

Hey wait a second… just before Trump’s trip to China, when a reporter asked how much Americans’ financial stress was motivating him to make a deal with Iran here’s Trump’s reply, “Not even a little bit. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.” What!?!?!?!?!?!?! The truth cometh forth !

What made it worse…later he tried to backtrack that statement meaning it matters more that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon. Ah, what!?!?! Hang on a minute…let’s do a little reality & fact check on Trump…

Then why did he say it that way originally? Is he losing track of what he thinks and says?
Since he bombed Iran last year he has been bragging about “obliterating” Iran’s nuclear capability. Was he lying all along? Did he not destroy their nuclear capability? And if not, why did he lie that he did? If he did, then why use it as an excuse now?
And if we won this year’s Iran War, like Trump said we did, then why is he worried about Iran’s nuclear capability? Didn’t he already destroy that capability? If not, then how can he claim we won the war?

Here’s the really sad part…his ego and narcissism shows…In a later interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump was shown the earlier clip of his comments and said, “That’s a perfect statement. I’d make it again.” Who in the world talks like that, or would say something like that, other than someone with a God Complex?

But, I can be “real” for a minute…

It is FACT that Trump has argued numerous times that tariffs on China, trade war impacts on farmers, oil price spikes families, and sanctions were necessary for the good of the country. And Trump has often downplayed economic pain, prioritized other goals over families’ household costs, and seemed detached from ordinary financial struggles of US families. But many of those times he was talking about “temporary sacrifice for a bigger goal”…according to his ~~worshipers~~ supporters.

Here’s the problem…Families in the US are seeing terrible and rising inflation, high gas/diesel prices at the pump, grocery costs going up every month, and people suffering from war anxiety along with all of the justifiable economic frustrations…to say nothing if the intense political division and open hostility. Then they hear our President say, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.” At the very least he is tone deaf and ~~stupid~~ mistaken to say such a thing. At the worst…he was telling the truth…and that is actually how he see US families.

I am kinda ready to see Trump start the whole America First & Make America Great Again thing…

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Serious emergency, disaster and grid-down preparedness and prepper information.

Articles in this Series –

Share this:

Articles in this Series –

Related Articles –

Share this:

Share this:

Here are some Options / Alternatives –

Dry Corn – “Most Difficult to Grow & Harvesting Process”

Potatoes – “Most Difficult to Store”

Articles in this series –

Related Articles –

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

Thank you for your response. ✨

Share this:

#1 Potatoes –

#2 Dry Corn (field corn) –

#3 Beans (dry beans) –

#4 Winter Squash –

#5 Sunflowers –

Now…how much do you need of each?

Articles in this series –

Related Articles –

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

Thank you for your response. ✨

Share this:

Q & A Time…Ask me a question or send me a message…

Thank you for your response. ✨

Share this:

Orchard –

Blackberry and Raspberry Patch –

Blueberry Patch –

Strawberry Patch –

Tomatoes –

Summary –

Ahhhh, Final Note: Yes, I still have to do my final weeding between the raised beds and around the blackberries…give me a break.

Share this:

Share this:

First up…seedling soil – Here is what I would use (will use) next year:

Next would be my first “up-potting” soil –

Final & subsequent up-potting –

A couple closing thoughts…

Related Articles –

Share this:

Share this: