Survivors - what did you think?

[BorderReiver]

They would be choked out by weeds long before a second self seeded harvest could develop. Weeds take over very quickly. Most food plants wouldn't have a chance. Even if they did manage to grow without human intervention, much of it would be destroyed by deer and cattle which will become prolific in number and wild within two generations (two to four years).
Eric

No problem Eric, I'm not a vegetarian.

Seriously though, we would be talking very small numbers of people going on the TV scenario, so I think enough of the food crops would survive to feed a small group.

When the first farmers started harvesting they didn't worry too much about the weeds. They used a device which was like a big comb to pick off the seed heads and leave the weeds behind..

If someone has a link showing this I would like to see it please.

 

[Toddy]

Ah, now, that was the cart with the toothed front edge board; but it only really worked because the grain then had a fragile connection between the head and the stalk and the stalks were much longer than modern varieties too. The seed heads literally snapped off and were scooped up on the bed of the cart. The Romans talked about the Britons harvesting this way.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Minotaur]

Depending on the time of year everybody else died, plants could look after themselves. That is, if the fields weren't bare, as in mid winter.

Fruit trees exist now and wouldn't need to be planted; other crops would self seed (as long as they weren't GM) and you could harvest by hand.

It would only be necessaey to get to a part of the country with a good mix of farming/horticulture and you could live quite well by foraging.

We only need high yeild farming to feed a large population and that would have been taken care of.

I was talking about setting up from the begining. Something to take on board is that there is only one orchard in England set up to give apples for 11 months of the year so any other has a season. Like farms are set up to be harveted at one time. Part of what you would need in this situation, is food as often as possible, so a harvest a little and often. Also when you harvest fill the space with something else.

Oooooo, I can see a TV company reading this lot and thinking "Time to get these guys and gals into an experiment and see how they do" you'll all get invitations to survive for 20 years and they'll film it

I jest but it would be interesting, although I know that they've done it before, but you'd have all the resources of the world available to you, that might make a difference compared to being dropped on an island somewhere.

They ware ads for a 'Good Life' show which never seemed to get off the ground. Ok, have often said would never do reality TV, but if they do a show like Les Strouds Off the grid, and they pay, I'll do it.

 

[Minotaur]

The Romans talked about the Britons harvesting this way.

Wonder if that is for spelt, or for whatever was before?

One of the modern problems is that a lot of these crops do not seed, they are inert.

 

[Amon81]

I saw it back at christmas and thought it ok, just a bit too pc for my taste, mind you this is the BBC after all.

After a couple of weeks I ended up buying the original boxset of all 3 series. All I'd say is its way better. More realistic for one thing.
(I actually saw all 33 odd hours in one week, that includes working full time!)

One thing though, the bloke who brakes his leg, I'd either of killed him if he asked me to, or got a machette/ butcher's chopper red hot and cut his leg off at the knee (or legs in the original). Crushed bone and no medical help in my mind equals a painful death.

You can tell that they aren't going to follow the original story in the second series. The whole lab/ goverment trying to find a cure is never covered in the original.

No, I don't think I'd want to be anywhere urban or even semi urban. Sadly, as depicted in episode two, those areas would quickly become the preserve of the "undesirables." Better off heading for the sticks if you ask me, via the local Land-rover dealership, large supermarket, and, as mentioned by someone else, via the nearest police/military establishment for a selection of weaponry for hunting and self defence!

Find a nice cottage in the country, with a spring and a bit of land and a good all round field of fire!

Thats pretty much what I'd do, but I'd head for the coast and I know I'd get a good amount of food.

I'd be out of citys as quick as possible, I'd rather not catch anything that would kill me!

 

[mjk123]

>>I ended up buying the original boxset of all 3 series. All I'd say is its way better. More realistic for one thing.

Absolutely. The Tom Price characters' Welch accent is way off.

 

[Amon81]

Well I wouldn't know anything about that (now boy).

I was gald when he left the show.