Making a car Bug Out Kit.

As the weather changes its time to look at our bug out kits. Sometimes referred to as a 72 hour kit.
It is a very good idea to have several kits. The first kit I check each year is the car kit. A car kit is for general use at anytime, any where you may be for any reason.

The number one need for any kit is water. Be sure you have a good water container. The recent commercial water bottles are for the most part very weak. They can break and leak easily. If they get your supplies wet the supplies may be ruined.

So start with strong water bottles. I like to use pop bottles. The pop bottle is much heavier plastic. The lids fit tight and they were made to hold higher pressure. Because it is getting warmer fill the water bottles to the top. You will want at least 2 gallons of water for each person you think will be in your car.

I like to add some flavoring for the water. After a few months in your car it will not taste very good. So some powdered sport drink or other flavoring like tang or cool-aid to make it taste better. If you mix it at 1/2 strength it will last longer and not increase your thirst.

Next you will want some kind of food for energy.  Most foods will spoil over time. The inside of car that gets hot and cold quickly car can make food spoil much faster. Do not use canned or bottled food in your car kit. The heating and freezing inside a car can make the containers leak. The best food energy source for a car kit is hard candy. It is pure sugar. It is not high in nutrition. If fact it is very low in nutrition. But hard candy is high in calories so it will give you plenty of energy. Any hard candy will do. I would have about 1 pound for each person in the car. Keep it in its original wrappers and then put it in a sealed bag. To keep the candy good and easy to use keep it dry.

Next have some tools in your car.

A flash light is the best tool if you have trouble at night.
A small shovel.
A small took kit for minor repairs is a good start.
A knife should be part of every kit they have many uses.
Have a basic first aid kit.

Other tools could include:
 A star lug nut wrench(many lug wrenches in common tire change kits are not very strong.
 A crow bar for digging or prying.
 An ax for chopping and cutting.

Now add a blanket one for each person who generally is traveling with you.

A tarp. If you break down you can use the tarp to cover the windows and keep the car cooler. It can also be made into a tent or canopy to provide shade, protection from rain. Also if you need to get under your car to fix something you can use the tarp to lay on. This is especially helpful if it happens to be wet under your car.

Now get a white handkerchief. A white flag tied to your car antenna is a signal for help.

I always have a bandanna in my kits. They are incredibly useful.

Last you need a container to keep your supplies in. You will want something that will hold it together. One of the best is a used suit case. You can go to a thrift store and find a old hard sided suit case for just a few dollars. You can also use a plastic tub, backpack or wood crate. You do not want your supplies rolling around in your trunk getting damaged.

Be sure to keep your kit covered so that no one can see it through the windows. You do not want to have your kit stolen.

If you think of other things that you would keep in your car for emergency use feel free to add make a comment.

Plant your peas.

Its time to plant the cool weather crops. As soon as you can dig into the earth you can plant your cool crops.

I like to plant peas first. This is the time to put them in the ground. I plant Green Arrow pea. It is a tall bush about 24 inches. It produces a lot of peas and keeps blooming and producing until mid June when the hot weather burns the blossoms.

To plant peas break up the earth. You can use a tiller or spade. I like to use a spade because my pea patches are only 6 feet by 3 feet. I have 2 pea patches. After I break up the earth I rake it smooth. Then using a hoe I carve a furrow into the ground. Each furrow is about 8 inches apart. I plant a pea every 2 inches between the furrows.  That's 2 rows between the furrows.  I plant them about 1 inch to 1.5 inch deep. Now just cover the seeds over and wait.

Peas are self fertile. They fertilize themselves before the blossom opens. You can have hybrids if you plant more than one kind, but it is not a frequent happening. Most peas are heirloom plants and you can save the seeds from year to year. Just let some of the pods stay on the plants until they are dry. Then pick them, pop the dry peas out of the pod, put the peas into a airtight bag or jar and put them in the freezer till next spring.

Next year do the same thing. You will never have to buy pea seeds again.