I Survived 30 Days on Gardening, Fishing, Foraging & Bartering

Last year, I gave myself 90 days to prepare to live off of my garden, fishing, foraging, and bartering for 30 consecutive days. I called it the Apocalypse Grow Challenge. I wanted to see how feasible it was for me, an intermediate gardener with about 150sqft of growing space, to quite literally live off of my garden and the local environment in an EXTREMELY urban space. I live 1 mile from a major downtown city, so if I could do it...surely anyone could, right?

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[aslandus]

That apocalypse potluck really puts into perspective how important holiday feasts would've been for people before supermarkets were a thing. Most of the time, you'd be eating what you could get or trade for, but a few times a year you could get together with friends and family and really enjoy a bountiful variety of foods you might not normally have access to.

[D_A_D_]

Man, the community aspect of this really shows how our ancestors depended on each other and our different strengths and weaknesses to fulfill the needs of the group

[rancisgamer]

This is the part that some prepers and apocalypse movies skip as having no value but its the part that keeps everyone in the movie alive. 👍🏿 well done

[tami]

There should be a set month where people throughout the country do this every year. I would love to be a part of it in my local area. It would definitely get people out there in the garden and get everybody thinking about the hard work and where their foods come from. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us! I'm super inspired!

[adamhiggins]

As someone who lives in such a rural area in the middle of no where, my first thought was "this is such a dumb challenge" since all of this stuff is a bit easier to get (like hunting, fishing, farming) but as I kept watching I didn't realize all the roadblocks you have to face with living in such a big city like that with the space like that. Is is a true challenge. Every day is a different challenge within itself and it just got more and more interesting how you did it. I was absolutely hooked by the end of it and wanted more! You sir have earned a subscriber.

[mrmrlee]

We recently added 4 chickens to our yard which has a garden, they provide 3-4 eggs daily and consume garden and weed scraps. In turn they provide excellent fertilizer, with very little expense or effort on our part. I heartily recommend chickens to anyone considering improving their preps.

[rogerajohnson]

My wife grew up on a dairy farm in Arkansas. Her family was pretty self sufficient. They did buy sugar, flour, corn meal, coffee and tea. Her mother did know how to grind corn and wheat if she had to. She also knew how to forage for wild food which they did that a lot. I feel that my wife could survive if she had to because of what she learned from her family. She still does these things.

[abyssal_phoenix]

Well, I accidentally planted a potato in my raised bed which I left alone this year to become an ecosystem. When I threw potato peels in for food for the worms and etc. There was 1 potato in there, it hasn’t been watered since early April, and it has been hot and dry for 2 months. All weeds died, the potatoes thrived. So I think potatoes are my goal for growing. Being resilient and adaptive is needed when you want a crop in the climate change, our weather is pretty unpredictable. (Btw new potatoes are starting to grow already)

[amandadebara]

Now that your in your own house you should do another apocolypse challenge once your settled in your bigger space! See what you can do with all the space you will have. lots more potatoes, but lost of other stuff too now!

[kristophjj]

This is what I remember most from my childhood. My family was in a rough spot financially for awhile so we lived with my grandparents out in the countryside of PA and had a big garden that produced most of our food.
We had chickens for eggs, and my dad and Poppop would hunt and fish for our main source of protein. My Grammy taught me how to preserve fruit and veggies through canning and pickling for the winter months and we always had deep freeze full of venison and fish that we'd trade with our farmer neighbors for beef and chicken.
I'm almost 24 now and I can't wait to start my own massive garden again once I buy a home and leave apartment life behind!

[hellodarling]

That right there, is my childhood.
I grew up in the village, post war conditions (during '90s), without good financial source.
Growing food, having farm animals and helping out my parents was my lifestyle for a while.
No internet, no social media, no advanced technology.
I miss it, it was so much simpler and I remember being a happy kid without having much stuff and how united our comunity was.
This video reminded me of that.
Thank you.

[epicgardening]

Hope you guys love this, here are your timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:57 - Rules
3:18 - Body Composition Before
3:50 - Growing Strategy
5:52 - Day 1
7:37 - Grunion Runs
10:55 - Foraging, Bartering, Fishing
15:31 - Mulberry Foraging
17:48 - Silver Play Button :)
19:20 - Apocalypse Potluck
22:17 - Body Composition After
23:40 - Closing Thoughts

[marylandj]

I've seen someone do this as a vegan challenge but actually watching this one with eggs and fish seems more like something I'd eventually try. I'm new at gardening and I want to thank you so much for your videos.

[farisasmith]

Cool challenge. Really shows how important community is. Even now my neighbor and always have something to pass over the fence. If everyone shares something no one should go hungry.

[homesteadgamer]

21:51 This part right here really (the whole barter process entirety, too, but specifically this timestamp) emphasizes how important it is to have community. No matter how small, if one person each has a "specialty" in their home or garden that they can barter, everyone in the community will thrive no matter where you live. It's good for everyone to know how to forage and garden and fish and hunt, BUT if each person is slightly better at one aspect than the others, you will never lack, and in times of hardship, the community is there to pull you back up.

[AlonzoWhite]

I just started following you a couple months ago. Your short documentary was intriguing and compelling. I loved your ground rules. I loved your take-aways, particularly as it pertained to the value of mutually supporting, like-minded friends and neighbors. All in all, I felt very inspired! Thanks for sharing!!

[silentthunder]

I literally laughed out loud when you boiled that stone.

[nehasanghvi]

You can try to barter some coconuts and use dry coconut flakes instead of bottled oil, they release their own oil and add flavour to the food

[seanbernardo]

Sorry Kevin I lied to you
I said you’d have 600k subs by Wednesday
It’s only Monday...this is a result of how badass you truly are..congrats my guy

[megaanny]

The stone in the potatoes reminds me of the fairytale of the soupstone. In that tale a traveller starts boiling a stone in a pot of water. He tells everyone he has a special soupstone that makes the tastiest soup. He allows people to taste it, if they bring some veggies, herbs or meats for the soup. More and more people add things. In the end the traveller removes the stone and everyone shares the soup full of good veggies. They have a lovely meal together. The next day he goes to the next town and picks up another rock along the road.