If you’re active on social media, you’ve probably seen posts about “survival gardens.” The idea’s not new, and the definition varies, but they generally refer to gardens that can grow enough food to help you get by for a while, whether you’re laid off and can’t afford produce or something like a pandemic causes major supply chain disruptions. 

You might want your garden to support you for a few weeks or indefinitely, depending on how pessimistic you are and how much land you have. Still, survival gardens share a few common characteristics: They prioritize productivity, calories per square foot, and balanced nutrition, and can be customized based on the foods your family likes to eat. 

I grew up with this kind of gardening. My father had a lifelong dream of self-sufficiency, and his gardening magazines were literally some of my earliest reading. He did eventually achieve his dream, and I’m constantly expanding the garden on my rural acreage. Drawing on that lifetime of experience and reading, here are some of the crops I’d recommend for your own survival garden.