{"id":2,"date":"2022-07-28T05:48:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T05:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2025-08-04T23:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T23:52:44","slug":"about-survival-food-plants","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/about-survival-food-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"About survival food plants"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/plant-everything-anything.jpg?resize=400%2C353\" alt=\"A survival food plant garden\" class=\"wp-image-29\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/plant-everything-anything.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/plant-everything-anything.jpg?resize=300%2C265&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A garden full of survival food plants<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real food, real resilience \u2014 even if you\u2019re not a keen gardener<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A survival food plant is one you can count on \u2014 in everyday life and times of need. These are plants that feed you consistently, grow with little effort, and bounce back from tough conditions. You don\u2019t need to be a passionate or even competent gardener to grow them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they\u2019re not just nutrient packed food. Many of these plants have multiple uses \u2014 you can eat them, but also make teas or tonics, use them as home remedies, or even mulch your garden with them. Once you get to know them, they can become the backbone of your health and food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What makes a good survival food plant?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To me, a true survival plant ticks a few important boxes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>edible<\/strong>, tasty, and full of nutrients<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>perennial<\/strong>, or at least self-seeds easily<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It needs&nbsp;<strong>minimal care or attention<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It offers a&nbsp;<strong>long or repeat harvest<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has <strong>multiple uses<\/strong> like food, medicine and garden care<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are the plants that look after you when you\u2019re too busy, too tired, or simply not around. They\u2019re the ones still standing when the rest of your vegies have failed. You can plant them once and harvest for years \u2014 no digging, no replanting, no complicated care routine.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/eat-what-you-grow1.jpg?resize=400%2C376&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/eat-what-you-grow1.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/eat-what-you-grow1.jpg?resize=300%2C282&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A bountiful harvest of survival food plants from my garden<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My story: from vegie patch to survival plants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve always loved growing my own food. Over the years I\u2019ve tried pretty much every conventional vegetable there is \u2014 sometimes with great success, other times with total failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I\u2019m not a textbook (or even good!) gardener. Some weeks I\u2019m all in, planting, mulching, experimenting. Other times, life takes over and the garden gets neglected. That\u2019s when something interesting happens: the conventional vegies don&#8217;t do so well\u2026 but the survival plants keep growing. Mostly they outcompete the weeds too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These plants don\u2019t need me to baby them. They thrive in my climate, grow without fertiliser, handle the weather, and often shrug off pests. They\u2019re the ultimate low-effort, high-reward garden companions. The most work is harvesting for your meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not just for \u201csurvival\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be preparing for a crisis to benefit from these plants. They\u2019re brilliant for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Busy people<\/strong>&nbsp;who don\u2019t have time for a high-maintenance garden<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New gardeners<\/strong>&nbsp;who want early wins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seasoned growers<\/strong>&nbsp;looking to boost productivity and resilience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anyone<\/strong>\u00a0wanting to improve their health with fresh, nutrient-rich food and folk medicines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>They also make&nbsp;<strong>great companion plants<\/strong>&nbsp;in your existing garden \u2014 boosting diversity, confusing pests, and sometimes even protecting other crops. Many can be used as mulch, groundcover, or medicine, even if you don\u2019t eat them every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why you won\u2019t find them in the supermarket<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of these plants aren\u2019t grown commercially in Australia \u2014 not because they\u2019re not valuable, but because they don\u2019t fit the supermarket model. They&#8217;re grown and eaten widely in Asia, Africa and the Pacific, but they don\u2019t tick the boxes of mass agriculture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No long shelf life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No standardised look<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not sold by the tonne<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But in your garden, they make perfect sense. You pick what you need, when you need it. No storage, no waste, no middleman.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"285\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/picking-water-spinach.jpg?resize=400%2C285\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/picking-water-spinach.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/picking-water-spinach.jpg?resize=300%2C214&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commercial harvesting of Kang Kong<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A garden that feeds you \u2014 even when you\u2019re not looking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The ultimate goal? A low-maintenance food forest.<br>Once you\u2019ve got a few survival plants established, your garden starts to look after itself. You won\u2019t need to dig, weed, or water constantly. You\u2019ll have free, fresh, nutrient-dense food growing around you \u2014 every day of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even a few survival plants in your backyard can make a real difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You\u2019ll save money<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019ll eat better<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019ll be more self-reliant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019ll feel more connected to nature<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And if times ever got tough \u2014 whether due to illness, supply chain issues, or a bigger crisis \u2014 you\u2019d already be ahead of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bottom line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be an expert gardener to grow survival food plants.<br>Start with one or two. Learn how to cook with them. Add them to salads, stir fries, teas, or smoothies. Share cuttings with friends. Build from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This site will guide you step by step \u2014 with real photos, growing tips, recipes, medicinal uses, and personal advice from someone who actually uses these plants every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to get started? <a href=\"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/product-category\/the-survival-food-plants\/\" title=\"The plants\"><strong>Come check out the plants<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/plant-descriptions\/\" title=\"Plant descriptions\">Read about the plants here<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Real food, real resilience \u2014 even if you\u2019re not a keen gardener A survival food plant is one you can count on \u2014 in everyday life and times of need. These are plants that feed you consistently, grow with little effort, and bounce back from tough conditions. You don\u2019t need to be a passionate or&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/about-survival-food-plants\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">About survival food plants<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":611,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/survivalfoodplants.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}