As a self-sufficient home owner, you are no doubt aware of how important it is to provide nutritious and delicious food to your family every day. There are definitely places where you can pick up organic food items in your area, but can you ever truly know how fresh and chemical-free these foodstuffs are? Luckily, there are ways to grow and harvest your own vegetables to prepare for your own dinner table.

Here are some tips to start your own organic garden this summer:

Map It Out – Before you start tilling the ground and putting up fencing to encase your garden, mark the area off with stakes. Find a relatively flat area and work out how much room you will need for the crops you decide to plant. You will also want to find a space that allows for simple watering and easy access to your gardening tools as well.

The Right Seeds – Choosing a wide variety of truly organic heirloom seeds can be difficult, but once you have decided on what you’re going to plant, you can begin choosing the right types of seeds for your particular needs. Some companies sell collections of seeds that can cover a wide area (up to an acre) and produce a variety of different types of plants and vegetables.

Add Compost – If you live in a self-sufficient home, there’s a very good chance that you own a compost tumbler and have been creating your own compost for years. Use this compost as a good bed of healthy support for your new garden. All-natural compost not only cuts down on your waste, but also provides your fledging seeds with the nutrients they need to grow.

Organic gardening may take some time and effort, but you will be very pleased the first time you get to serve totally fresh, pesticide-free vegetables to your family. Take your time, be patient and use these tips to find your own best gardening practices.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this March was unseasonably warm across the contiguous United States, registering some of the highest temperatures ever during this time period in years past. The mixture of gusty winds and low humidity might have been nice for people spending time outdoors, but wasn’t exactly ideal for areas trying to avoid wildfires. Still, the amount of wildfire damage was below average during this same time, possibly due to wildfire education.

This is not to say that Red Flag Warnings have not been springing up all over the country. A recent check showed that areas of Connecticut and New Mexico were at risk. To make sure you’re ready for any type of wildfire situation, here are some tips:

Defend – Make sure your home has enough space between the structure and the forest, plants or other shrubbery around it. This will create a buffer around your home to give you maximum time to exit in case of wildfire. Also, remove any dead vegetation and loose items surrounding your home, especially if there are red flag warnings in your area.

Preparedness Kit – Have emergency kits ready around your home and in your vehicle. Stock these with essential items like emergency batteries, first aid kits, emergency water and/or water filtration bottles, freeze dried food and other items you deem necessary. If you have nowhere to go, these kits will help you survive.

Don’t Get Stuck – If your area is under wildfire warning and you see smoke, evacuate your home while you have time. Remember – if you get trapped inside your home, you may not be able to alert the authorities that may be outside. Keep your wits about you and stay calm and you’ll be totally prepared for wildfire season.

Find wildfire preparedness items and other supplies at Earthwave Living’s online store.

Every area requires a different level of emergency preparedness due to the types of situations that can occur in that region. Is a hurricane likely to make landfall in Kansas? Probably not. Is Montana at risk for earthquakes? Again, probably not. However, when an area does face certain types of natural disasters, local and state emergency services authorities must be prepared to enact a plan to lessen any destruction that is possible. While this may seem pretty cut and dry, some places are finding this to be a difficult task.

A report from Seattle Times Newspaper has found that Washington and Oregon are not ready for the aftereffects of tsunamis, which are likely to hit the Northwest at any time:

“Recent research indicates that major subduction earthquakes such as the 2011 temblor in Japan have shaken western Oregon and Washington once every 300 to 600 years on average, the newspaper reported. The last great Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake occurred 312 years ago in 1700, but it is difficult to know when the next one will hit because the interval between these great earthquakes is highly irregular.”

The article says that the next tsunami-related earthquake is next to impossible to pinpoint, but it is likely to come within the next 5 decades. The lack of preparedness in this region does not lie with warning systems, but with evacuation routes and shelters. There are not enough of these precautions to aid the large numbers of people who would potentially need to evacuate and find shelter in case of an earthquake.

“Northwest communities have placed a priority on warning systems but not enough on evacuation facilities and caring for people once a quake hits…very little has been spent to retrofit buildings or to build vertical evacuation structures on the coast to shelter people from tsunamis…”

This story stands to show you how important it is to be self-reliant in the face of emergencies. Make sure you have medical supplies, water storage and emergency food supply in case your area isn’t ready for the fallout from the types of problems that come with natural disasters.