What’s The One Prep You Wish You’d Started Sooner?

[CrimsonWren145]

If I could go back, I’d have started growing and preserving my own food much earlier. The learning curve with gardening, canning, and seed saving is steeper than I expected, and gaining those skills has been slow. Curious if others have had a similar experience—what’s the one prep you wish you’d started sooner, and how has it changed your approach now? Always looking for insight before I invest more time or resources into a new skill.

 

[BlueSkyWanderer]

Getting comfortable with herbal remedies is my big one—I wish I’d started making tinctures and salves way earlier. Took for granted that the pharmacy would always be there, but growing and using medicinal plants is its own skill set (and not a fast one to learn). It’s changed how I look at every weed in the yard, honestly. Does anybody else struggle with figuring out which plants are actually useful versus old wives’ tales?

 

[TeaTimeTalisman]

If I could do it over, I would’ve started composting way sooner. Turns out, building good soil is a marathon, not a sprint, and you can’t rush the process no matter how much kitchen scraps you save. It makes such a difference in the garden and goes hand-in-hand with growing your own medicine, too. Anyone else notice how much healthier their plants are with homemade compost?

 

[BlueMarigold]

Wish I’d learned proper water filtration earlier—it’s not as simple as just boiling. Anyone else surprised by how tricky it can be to get truly clean, safe water?