Let's Suppose (long)

[lonelyfarmgirl]

Let's suppose there is a nuclear something, wide spread rampant viruses, government soldiers taking everyone, alien invasion, whatever. You must hide and stay hidden for quite some time. Best bet is underground.

Remember that show that got posted here about the prepper families? There was that one family in Arizona that put that cover on their in ground pool, and they had a fish pond, half a dozen chickens and a couple pygmy goats? They also had a water circulation system, and vegetables growing, and they also had duckweed and algae and some other things of that type.

So what if you had an underground bunker sort of thing? The pics of the missile silos for sale made me think of this. Could you do this sort of thing totally underground?

If you had a small pond with circulating water and all sorts of water plants, plus innumerable vegetables, and some dwarf trees for fruit and algaes growing, how much greenery would be necessary to put off enough oxygen to sustain a family, half a dozen chickens, a few pygmies for milk and a dozen or so rabbits?

I don't think it would be necessary to have a totally closed system as far as oxygen goes. Certainly, filtered air exchange to the outside, but it would get stale, and unless you had huge fans, certainly stuffy, I would think.

Also, what about light? You would need 16 hours of full spectrum lighting to keep everything happy and growing and producing. How could one produce light like that is there is no power? Batteries are great, but they eventually run out. Would it be better to have ground level skylights that are super thick to let in the sun instead? Maybe a baby water wheel in the circulating water? But that would have to power it's own pumps to keep it circulating.

But then you risk discovery, breakage, and glass doesn't protect against nuclear issues. You need 3 feet of dirt minimum.
Isn't it interesting the crazy things your brain falls into when your mind is a-wandering?

[elkhound]

[Cyngbaeld]

Radiation will normally be lessened enough in a few weeks that you wouldn't have to worry about it while trying to grow things. Therefore it should be ok to have skylights and you could work under them after the radiation had dropped to reasonable levels. If they were slanted so the rain would wash them off, it would be safer, sooner.
I'd want the air refreshed from outside and probably want it filtered. It would depend on what was out there. If there were many fires following war or if there was continuous war with fires you'd want a really good filter to remove pollutants.
Solar panels would likely be your best bet for power. Perhaps under a skylight they might be better protected and certainly safer for you to access. You need a good battery bank though.
It would take some serious size of underground bunker to do everything you want.

[Ross]

I think I would choose remote over underground. Too many support systems to maintain.

[bee]

What I want to know is why all the protective gear on the researcher and reporter while in that hydroponic trailer....?? Sorry I don't want to eat anything I have to wear a mask,hairnet and elbow length gloves to even look at. And if all that gear is to protect the plants from what people may carry to THEM, what does that say for the sustainability of the system?

I don't have any plans to go total underground..but if time allows, I do plan to convert parts of my basement to keep animal breeding stock over the period of contamination.

[JuliaAnn]

Physically underground is not an option here.

[Wags]

Underground is doable IF you have a means for power, water and waste disposal.

Those silos are huge, so a flock chickens and some Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats (Pygmy's are a meat breed) should have plenty of space. Garden could supply food for both humans and critters. And the manure from the critters goes to the compost pile to keep the garden soil at peak performance.

[rickfrosty]

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

Let's suppose there is a nuclear something, You need 3 feet of dirt minimum.
Isn't it interesting the crazy things your brain falls into when your mind is a-wandering?

I'd like to be sheltered by dirt, but have the means to see what's going on topside & defense capability as opposed to being at the mercy of someone topside who wants to smoke you out.

[Jena]

Originally Posted by bee

What I want to know is why all the protective gear on the researcher and reporter while in that hydroponic trailer....?? Sorry I don't want to eat anything I have to wear a mask,hairnet and elbow length gloves to even look at. And if all that gear is to protect the plants from what people may carry to THEM, what does that say for the sustainability of the system?

I don't have any plans to go total underground..but if time allows, I do plan to convert parts of my basement to keep animal breeding stock over the period of contamination.

I couldn't get the video to load, but off the top of my head, I'd guess the protective gear was to protect the growing medium from human contamination.

[JuliaAnn]

Near coastal east Texas, physically underground is not doable unless one would have some sort of pumping system. High water tables and no bedrock. We have no basements here as they would fill with water and make nice swimming pools.

[Bearfootfarm]

Near coastal east Texas, physically underground is not doable unless one would have some sort of pumping system. High water tables and no bedrock. We have no basements here as they would fill with water and make nice swimming pools.

Same here.

Dig down 6 ft in most places and you can hit water.
I can drive a 20 ft piece of pipe in the ground and have a well