Member Reviews

If you want the encyclopdia of how to start a survival garden, this is it!
You will learn how to research what kind of soil you have, what crops grow best in your area and how to start a microgreens garden so you have something to eat in a short period of time!

You will also learn how to make compost, how to use human manure if you have to and how to build a rain collecting device if your state allows it!

You will even learn what foraging plants are available in your area and which insects are safe to eat and some recipes that use them!

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In a time when the cost of living is rising, and food security is becoming increasingly important, Survival Gardening by Sam Coffman is a no-nonsense guide that offers practical advice on growing your own food, ensuring both a steady supply of fresh produce and potential savings.

This book covers various topics, from growing microgreens to harvesting fast-growing vegetables in as little as five weeks.

It's packed with valuable information that applies to gardeners in various climates. I found the water conservation section particularly useful, as I live in a very hot climate. The tips provided have given me the knowledge I need to implement effective strategies for my garden.

I plan to implement the section on quick-growing vegetables during the next growing season. Knowing I can harvest vegetables within five weeks offers a practical solution for anyone looking to achieve quick results in their garden.

Overall, Survival Gardening is a fantastic reference for anyone looking to grow their own food. It's full of essential information and easy to navigate, making it a resource you'll return to time and time again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for gifting me an e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This is a great book about growing food (and it doesn't need to be for an emergency). I'm a gardener already, and particularly liked the section on plants that grow super quickly, and plants that produce very good yield in small amounts of space. Both are useful for any gardener and I'll be referencing the yield section often.

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Survival Gardening is an absolute game changer. Learned SO much! Will be purchasing, no hesitation.

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4.5 / 5.0

I am not a prepper or a survivalist (furthest thing from it I love my creature comforts) but I do want to have a better garden. This book really provided useful information in a clear manner. Once it is available in physical format I will have it on my shelf, right next to the deer-proofing and zone planting guides, and hopefully my garden continues in improve.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the eARC.

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a little doom preppy but I really enjoyed the formatting and information in this book from what to plant first if in an emergency to how to rotate crops correctly and store long term. definitely a book to keep on hand!

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This book is an absolute essential. It shows us how to grow for survival or rather to be self- sufficient and has many handy tips to help you succeed. With the cost of living, world on the brink, we need this more than ever. I’ll most certainly be applying this to my garden and have started making plans using the book as a guide.

Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas (in January 2025)

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My family likes to be well prepared on our homestead. We already have a container garden and plan to have a large one next year. We keep rabbits for meat and garden fertilizer, chickens for meat and eggs as well. So a lot of these tips we implement but I still learned quite a bit in regards to foraging and saving seeds. In this book you'll have guidance for as growing your own food and gardening strategies.

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Every single person needs this book. Can you imagine the impact that it would make on the world, if everyone had access to a survival garden? I love the layout of this book, it's easy to digest and will become to your go-to book for a life changing garden.

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With food costs increasing, I believe that gardening can help supplement our tables with nutritious and safe food. I read this book as a casual gardener who wanted to expand my knowledge of gardening. The layout of this textbook is very well done and easy to follow, which are characteristics that I prioritize in a hobby-craft book. There are a lot of gardening books and magazines out there but I find it is nice to have something like this book that summarizes that information and makes it accessible.

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This excellent book on survival gardening covers seasonal planting, seed selection, composting, water management, dietary recipes, and includes a chapter on foraging.

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An incredibly helpful resource for anyone who wants to learn about gardening for survival. You don't have to be a prepper to glean its benefits. Any gardener or wannabe will find it filled with easy to follow ideas and techniques. A winner!

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(Thanks to Storey Publishing for providing me with an eARC to review.)

This was a very informative guide on starting and maintaining a garden that a person can essentially live off of. There were also helpful diagrams and pictures for creating different watering systems, example garden plans, how to harvest seeds, etc. I found the charts for how to prep and store vegetables and fruits for longer term storage especially useful.

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This book has everything you could imagine when it comes to Survival Gardening. It covers the many ways of composting, how to make different types of gardening beds, and a few recipes on what you can make with some of the unique plants you grow. I learned of all sorts of ideas and some of these I had never heard of before.

This book has a ton of ideas and methods for gardening. I think is one of the best gardening books out there.

#SurvivalGardening #NetGalley

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What if we lack all the necessary food supply and remain in that state forever? The pandemic and its repercussions make us ask this question every now and then. 'Survival Gardening by Sam Coffman' tries to find the solution and sincerely shows the path on how to be self-sustainable. Although the modern lifestyle may not be able to provide this freedom, efforts in this direction do bring a new perspective altogether for sure. This book is for anyone who has tried their luck with homesteading or is willing to.
'Grow Your Emergency Food Supply from Seed to Root Cellar' justifies this claim. The author starts with microgreens, setting up a stage for how to grow food almost instantly. But as the book progresses, you are slowly introduced to growing crops at a normal pace. While the author elaborates on different techniques of growing, composting, protecting, and creating seed banks, on the other hand, he somehow forgets the word "emergency." The author does mention USDA zones and temperatures for growing crops, but in the case of sudden climate change or small calamities, details on prompt and effective ways to save the crops are lacking. Nonetheless, the author does showcase methods of disaster management in case of droughts, hurricanes, and even nuclear disasters.
The book mentions very little about the author’s expertise on the subject, but the hypotheses and claims used throughout the book would be better if backed by more evidence. Gardening is not as simple as it seems; every now and then, with or without disaster, climate remains a surprising element when you start growing your own crops. Another aspect of homesteading involving animals and insects is interesting and discussed in utmost detail. Another thoughtful gesture from the author is to include some recipes. Some other important details one cannot ignore are the diagrams and graphics provided—they are self-explanatory and seem really easy to follow.
Survival Gardening by Sam Coffman makes every effort to give that boost to start homesteading. More focus on the 'emergency' aspect would take this book to the next level. The photographs and graphics used are really helpful and do justice to the overall appearance of the book. I would generously give 4 out of 5 stars to the author for this endeavour.

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Survival Gardening

Knowing you have a plan makes all the difference in the world. The author makes this subject so approachable, so doable.

Ideas are given to prepare now before a survival situation. Details are given what to do in order once a disaster strikes. That information is invaluable at making me feel calm and reassured. Having a list I can go to when I am already stressed is always a great idea.

The chapter in choosing what to grow solidified for me what options I want to think of. Nutrient rich options will be what I need to know about, and these pages gave me lots to think about. Irrigation, bed style, and fertilizing is also briefly covered.

I enjoyed this book and appreciated the concept of being prepared that this book covers.

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Sam Coffman
We don’t know what lies ahead so we prepare for emergencies by purchasing insurance. While I believe insurance is important it will not feed us. It is up to each family to be prepared. Our household keeps at least a 3-month supply of food in the pantry but what will we do after 3 months? Author Sam Coffman has the solution. We must learn to grow our food and to preserve it. He discusses the need to look at crops that are healthy and provide the most nutrients. We also need crops that have a high yield. The crops we raise must have seed we can save for the next year…that means using heirloom seeds. The crops we raise need to be space saving. We may not have access to store bought foods. There is so much more to learn from this Sam Coffman in his book Survival Gardening.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

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Covering a wide range of topic, this book addresses everything from soil health and plant selection to sustainable practices and foraging. The topics are accompanied by illustrations that help the visual learner and clearn instructions that even beginners can follow. Whether you want to lean toward being a prepper or just want to learn how to grow your own salad, this guide is full of practical advice to get you started.

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Although Survival Gardening would make a fine addition to any library gardening or sustainable living collection, it seems ideal for the smaller library where every book needs to do double duty. Coffman manages to pack a huge amount of information into a small and accessible space, in many ways mirroring the small scale/sustainable yield techniques discussed on the page.

Leading the reader from the extremely basic first steps of growing food crops through to much more sophisticated techniques of land management with a reassuring tone and excellent photographs, Survival Gardening will engage those who are just starting out as well as those who have been exploring off grid sustainability for years. A perfect companion book for readers of Mother Earth News or MaryJane's Farm, and an excellent addition to any library collection! Thank you to NetGalley for access to this informative arc.

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Absolute superb survival gardening guide - but with such a dire economical situation at the moment, this book is more important than ever. Not for apocalyptic survival, but simple a means to enjoy nutritious food, while keeping costs down. There are illustrations, guides and so much information to gardening. One of the best gardening books I have encountered.

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