What Is Your Opinion On Prepping And Preppers ?

[Nekoborg]

Preparing for hard times or an outright disaster.

What have you done to prepare or does prepping seem too difficult and useless?

[Chunk Norris ☯]

Messaggio originale di kingjames488:

Messaggio originale di Snow ☯:

Do you know any preppers? I mean I'm sure what you're saying happens, but many preppers realize this and rotate their food-stocks.

no, I don't know anyone who keeps food they use regularly in a space specifically dedicated to stockpiling food in case of disaster...

I mean I know people with root cellars where they keep food... but that's a practical storage area for food that might just double as a protective space in the event of a disaster... I don't call them "preppers".

"perpper" is pretty much a term reserved for when it's not actually practical or realistic, if it's sensible it's just called "storage".

edit: you know what, prepping might just be another form of hoarding... that's literally what food hoarders do... stockpile way more food than they actually need and "cycle through it" until they end up just eating old expired food all the time.

I semi-agree they're food hoarders but I think it's important to note that they're aren't just food preppers typically. Many have a bugout shelter. Guns. Tools. Various things to help survive the coming troubles. Toilet paper.

[kingjames488]

Messaggio originale di Snow ☯:

Messaggio originale di kingjames488:

no, I don't know anyone who keeps food they use regularly in a space specifically dedicated to stockpiling food in case of disaster...

I mean I know people with root cellars where they keep food... but that's a practical storage area for food that might just double as a protective space in the event of a disaster... I don't call them "preppers".

"perpper" is pretty much a term reserved for when it's not actually practical or realistic, if it's sensible it's just called "storage".

edit: you know what, prepping might just be another form of hoarding... that's literally what food hoarders do... stockpile way more food than they actually need and "cycle through it" until they end up just eating old expired food all the time.

I semi-agree they're food hoarders but I think it's important to note that they're aren't just food preppers typically. Many have a bugout shelter. Guns. Tools. Various things to help survive the coming troubles. Toilet paper.

I guess I also semi-agree... but people did those things before it was all brought together with a label like "prepper" and like... the last time "bugout shelters" were considered a reasonable precaution was during the cold war, and even then they were of questionable actual utility.

wtf are these people going to do? sit in their hole until they die? restart the human race with their family? cuz they sure aren't going to trust other "preppers" lol.

[Tito Shivan]

99.99% of them are just Doomsday cosplayers.

I'll always love how at the beggining of the pandemic many of them in the US lasted like a week, before they ran out of gas for their generators and electric can openers.

[Zeno]

Messaggio originale di Nekoborg:

Preparing for hard times or an outright disaster.

What have you done to prepare or does prepping seem too difficult and useless?

What people call prepping, my grandmother called living. lol.

It is normal here to store food and stuff and have a basement.

[Chunk Norris ☯]

Messaggio originale di kingjames488:

Messaggio originale di Snow ☯:

I semi-agree they're food hoarders but I think it's important to note that they're aren't just food preppers typically. Many have a bugout shelter. Guns. Tools. Various things to help survive the coming troubles. Toilet paper.

I guess I also semi-agree... but people did those things before it was all brought together with a label like "prepper" and like... the last time "bugout shelters" were considered a reasonable precaution was during the cold war, and even then they were of questionable actual utility.

wtf are these people going to do? sit in their hole until they die? restart the human race with their family? cuz they sure aren't going to trust other "preppers" lol.

Oh I don't know I don't think everyone would share, but I think Hollywood has created this idea that preppers are isolated weirdos. I have family members who are preppers, and they talk about how their liberal retired neighbors wouldn't be starving if something bad happened. They said if the apocalypse happens they would feed people...I joke to them telling them that we should eat the neighbors. That they're grass fed and cannibalism in the apocalypse is the ultimate preppers tool.

[Sir Seanicus, Esq.]

Prepping is definitely a smart thing to do. However, you need to have a plan. You need to have some form of strategy. Just blindly doing ♥♥♥♥ is a recipe for disaster.

[Nekoborg]

Messaggio originale di Dutchgamer1982:

Messaggio originale di kingjames488:

I don't think you could realistically produce enough calories hydroponically... most of the staple carb crops aren't really compatible with it. things like potatoes don't do well hydroponically and the space/effort required to grow grains hydroponically would be ridiculous. I guess maybe some sort of corn, but even then the space requirement is high for the yield and you'd need to generate some sort of artificial wind to pollinate it.

you can't really just live off lettuce and tomatoes.

Netherlands has a huge greenhouse sector. (it's why we export so much food) but growing greenhouse needs tons of energy (heating) tons of fresh water (cannot use the same water as it will collect the pollutants and unless you also own a water treatment plant.. which takes up considerable space.. than means access to a large freshwater source..
and finally they consume a LOT of specific nutrients.. -> that need a chemical plant and access to many mined resources..
it aint exactly sustainable.. and while yes you could stock up on those nutrients.. soon you will run out.

also bees used to pollinate in these greenhouses.. are harmed.. usually in 2 weeks of pollinating in a greenhouse the bee hives are cut down to only 30% of their size going in.. and need at least 2 months in a healthy nature preserve to get back to full strength as your hive needs full size to survive winter you can use each hive only 4 weeks a year and you need a nature preserve to place them in the rest of the year.

seeds used in greenhouses are non renewable.. so you also need a separate facility to produce the seeds...

yes you can store those... but indeed eventually those run out too.

Greenhouse food production does not have to be so difficult and complicated as you describe it to be.

My greenhouse (25 ft. x 12½ ft. or 7.62 m. x 3.8 m.) has a few top and side windows that can be opened to allow natural climate regulation. Bees and other pollinators like hummingbirds take advantage of these windows and often visit my greenhouse.

I collect more rainwater than my greenhouse can use. I filter the rainwater through a mix of locally sourced gravel and limestone to fortify it with minerals and micro nutrients. The soil the plants are grown also contain minerals and micronutrients.

Soil is rotated and fortified in my midden which consists of any food waste scraps, detritus, lawn clippings, fallen leaves from trees, plant material leftover after harvesting last vegetables in early winter, deadwood and sticks unsuitable for my woodstoves, unused livestock manure that was not used directly as fertilizer, bone scraps from slaughtered livestock or field dressed animals (hunting, trapping, fishing), used garden or greenhouse potting soil, even egg shells are not wasted. Worms are often added and even the "wild" plants and mushroom growing on the midden become part of the new soil after midden is tilled in late fall before first frost.. Any scavenging animal "thief" caught with my traps protecting my fenced off midden becomes part of the midden... (racoons, mice and rats). My midden = the best soil by late winter early spring.


Fertilizing my greenhouse vegetables and tubers does not require any chemicals because I use manure from my livestock and pets, even my own -iss is not wasted.

Seeds are harvested from the biggest and healthiest vegetables and stored to be used the following spring.


Sometimes a few plants show extraordinary "fruit" production. From these plants cuttings (clones) will be taken. To aid them produce roots I use home made "willow tree" water. This is made by boiling the thinnest shooting branches from willow trees. This "soup" will be saturated with unique "nutrients" produced by willow trees. A week after the cuttings have produced roots they are repotted from tiny pots to medium sized pots. I keep a written journal of these cuttings and mark identifying codes on the pots they are grown in. Example CSB-12 meaning chocolate scorch bonnet chili pepper from mother plant 12.

These cuttings are taken inside my house usually by mid September and placed in my "winter garden." This is like a south south west facing ½ greenhouse with cobble stone floor. This is the warmest and brightest "room" in my house. The giant south south west facing windows get the warmest and brightest part of the daily sunlight. The growing cuttings will be used to produce 1 to 2 more generation of cuttings before spring. By then each of my gardens can be planted, ½ by my cuttings and ½ by seedlings started in the winter garden after new years.

It has been several years since I last needed to buy seeds or sprouting potatoes for my gardens: greenhouse, outdoor vegetable garden, outdoor potato garden. My own seeds are much better than store bought seed. In fact seeds taken from "fruits" produced by plants grown from store bought seed often only have 3% to 5% germination rate, but those that manage to sprout produce plants with "fruit" that yield seeds with 10% to 15% germination rate. From then on the % germination rate increases more and more with each generation.

I suspect seed companies "do things" to get seeds that produce fantastic harvest but reduce chance of 2 generation seeds being viable. This annoying effect can with time be reversed more and more with each new generation.


Greenhouses are not meant to grow vegetables during the coldest months of the year like a botanical garden. Greenhouses are ONLY meant to extend growing season a few months at the most. Artificial heating or needing to use grow-lights in a greenhouse is incorrect use of greenhouses and only adds pressure to so called "climate change" and so called "global warming"

[Dutchgamer1982]

Messaggio originale di Nekoborg:

Messaggio originale di Dutchgamer1982:

netherlands has a huge greenhouse sector. (it's why we export so much food) but growing greenhouse needs tons of energy (heating) tons of fresh water (cannot use the same water as it will collect the pollutants and unless you also own a water treatment plant.. which takes up considerable space.. than means acces to a large freshwater source..
and finally they consume a LOT of speciffic nutrients.. -> that need a chemical plant and acces to many mined resources..
it aint exactly sustainable.. and while yes you could stock up on those nutrients.. soon you will run out.

also bees used to pollinate in these greenhouses.. are harmed.. usually in 2 weeks of polinating in a greenhouse the bee hives are cut down to only 30% of their size going in.. and need at least 2 months in a healthy nature preserve to get back to full strenght... as your hive needs full size to survive winter you can use each hive only 4 weeks a year and you need a nature preserve to place them in the rest of the year.

seeds used in greenhouses are non renewable.. so you also need a seperate facility to produce the seeds...

yes you can store those... but indeed eventually those run out too.

Greenhouse food production does not have to be so difficult and complicated as you describe it to be.

My greenhouse (25 ft x 12½ ft. or 7.62 m. x 3.8 m.) has a few top and side windows that can be opened to allow natural climate regulation. Bees and other pollinators like hummingbirds take advantage of these windows and often visit my greenhouse.

I collect more rainwater than my greenhouse can use. I filter the rainwater through a mix of locally sourced gravel and limestone to fortify it with minerals and micro nutrients. The soil the plants are grown also contain minerals and micronutrients.

Soil is rotated and fortified in my midden which consists of any food waste scraps, detritus, lawn clippings, fallen leaves from trees, plant material leftover after harvesting last vegetables in early winter, deadwood and sticks unsuitable for my woodstoves, unused livestock manure that was not used directly as fertilizer, bone scraps from slaughtered livestock or field dressed animals (hunting, trapping, fishing), used garden or greenhouse potting soil, even egg shells are not wasted. Worms are often added and even the "wild" plants and mushroom growing on the midden become part of the new soil after midden is tilled in late fall before first frost.. Any scavenging animal "thief" caught with my traps protecting my fenced off midden becomes part of the midden... (racoons, mice and rats). My midden = the best soil by late winter early spring.


Fertilizing my greenhouse vegetables and tubers does not require any chemicals because I use manure from my livestock and pets, even my own -iss is not wasted.

Seeds are harvested from the biggest and healthiest vegetables and stored to be used the following spring.


Sometimes a few plants show extraordinary "fruit" production. From these plants cuttings (clones) will be taken. To aid them produce roots I use home made "willow tree" water. This is made by boiling the thinnest shooting branches from willow trees. This "soup" will be saturated with unique "nutrients" produced by willow trees. A week after the cuttings have produced roots they are repotted from tiny pots to medium sized pots. I keep a written journal of these cuttings and mark identifying codes on the pots they are grown in. Example CSB-12 meaning chocolate scorch bonnet chili pepper from mother plant 12.

These cuttings are taken inside my house usually by mid September and placed in my "winter garden." This is like a south south west facing ½ greenhouse with cobble stone floor. This is the warmest and brightest "room" in my house. The giant south south west facing windows get the warmest and brightest part of the daily sunlight. The growing cuttings will be used to produce 1 to 2 more generation of cuttings before spring. By then each of my gardens can be planted, ½ by my cuttings and ½ by seedlings started in the winter garden after new years.

It has been several years since I last needed to buy seeds or sprouting potatoes for my gardens: greenhouse, outdoor vegetable garden, outdoor potato garden. My own seeds are much better than store bought seed. In fact seeds taken from "fruits" produced by plants grown from store bought seed often only have 3% to 5% germination rate, but those that manage to sprout produce plants with "fruit" that yield seeds with 10% to 15% germination rate. From then on the % germination rate increases more and more with each generation.

I suspect seed companies "do things" to get seeds that produce fantastic harvest but reduce chance of 2 generation seeds being viable. This annoying effect can with time be reversed more and more with each new generation.


Greenhouses are not meant to grow vegetables during the coldest months of the year like a botanical garden. Greenhouses are ONLY meant to extend growing season a few months at the most. Artificial heating or needing to use grow-lights in a greenhouse is incorrect use of greenhouses and only adds pressure to so called "climate change" and so called "global warming"

I was specificly responding to the hydroponic part of the poster I responded to. most of our greenhouse sector is hydroponic (no soil) grown and it usually means bigger better looking produce but the taste is not there..

[kingjames488]

all yall must not have white flies where you are...

edit: oic, you don't use soil... I was wondering how greenhouses apply... that's not what I'd call a greenhouse tho, more a growhouse with a sunroof.

[Sir Seanicus, Esq.]

Dont trust the government to save you.

[Plaid]

Messaggio originale di Sir Seanicus, Esq.:

Prepping is definitely a smart thing to do. However, you need to have a plan. You need to have some form of strategy. Just blindly doing ♥♥♥♥ is a recipe for disaster.

Right. survival isn't all about hoarding supplies.
People in Hawaii are surviving now by working together, despite the efforts of their moronic government to stop them.

Messaggio originale di kingjames488:

all yall must not have white flies where you are...

edit: oic, you don't use soil... I was wondering how greenhouses apply... that's not what I'd call a greenhouse tho, more a growhouse with a sunroof.

we have a bad aphid problem this year from all the rains. The grasshoppers are everywhere too!
Depends on weather out here.

[kingjames488]

Messaggio originale di Plaid:

Messaggio originale di Sir Seanicus, Esq.:

Prepping is definitely a smart thing to do. However, you need to have a plan. You need to have some form of strategy. Just blindly doing ♥♥♥♥ is a recipe for disaster.

Right. survival isn't all about hoarding supplies.
People in Hawaii are surviving now by working together, despite the efforts of their moronic government to stop them.

then again, the people of hawaii consider SPAM a delicacy...