Any "homestead" folks? Self sufficient farmers etc

[marsh]

Hiya! I just got a magazine gift (not spam!!i won't sell magazines I promise) that was meant for my aunty up in the New York Adirondack mountains, because well,

My granny mixes up all our names! Lol. It is called "mother earth news" and it was for my aunty who works with a farmers market co-OP.

Who has lived the "homesteading" lifestyle? Or knows how to live off the land out away from the lights and roads? Do you enjoy it and what especially?

I am an urban child, recently moved to a small rural CA town from a semi-small coastal college town (go slugs!)

I am trying to plan my garden now that I finally have some dirt to plant in! Would like to hear what you love about this season too!

 

[wildroseofky]

I am working on developing a home stead lifestyle. I live in the country, the Appalachian hills. I was raised by parents who always had a garden, a few farm animals, and canned what they grew. As the economy got better my Dad went to the coal mines and we kids because spoiled. At least I did. LOL I didn't have to use an outhouse in the cold of winter, or carry in coal for the fire, or share a tub after carrying the water from the spring and heating it as my previous siblings did. LOL

I live on a very low income and I am trying to be as self sustainable as I can. I started gardening a few years ago. I am learning about edible wild plants and medicine from the wild. Things my parents grew up with. Finding great joy in not having to depend on large companies for everything. I am building my own tiny house one board at a time and looking into solar energy for part of my energy consumption. I like the magazine you mentioned. I get lots of great info from it.

 

[marsh]

Nice, what an inspiration. My path starts this year, slowly making adjustments to try to reduce the amount of dependance I have on bought goods.

I suppose I have been into gardening for a few years, but this time around I get to grow my food in the ground rather than pots! I got used to courgettes and cherry tomatoes while my mom's garden yields a few months worth of endless zucchini and a rainbow of tomato types! I get to play catch up.

Here's a question from a naive kid on a few grassy acres... How do I attack this tall grass on a regular basis, with out killing myself with a dinky weed whacker? I was thinking of having a goat or a rescue pony/donkey to help nibble it all down. Or hire a younger stronger type with more tools lol

 

[wildroseofky]

Sheep make great lawn mowers. In areas with large estates, they often rent sheep to mow their lawns. Sheep only eat the top part and leave an almost level field. Goats, contrary to their reputation, are actually pretty picky about what they eat. Many people have bought them to clear overgrown fields and hill sides to find that they much prefer the flower beds and leave the weeds alone. Geese will also clip the grass but make a mess with their droppings. I use a beat up old gas lawn mower and a weed wacker. Hard work but lots of free exercise. LOL. Sometimes I can talk my son in to doing it but he is lazy.

Have you started a compost bed yet. It greatly improves your soil. I made one out of an old washing machine case. Took the insides out and that left one side open to access the compost. You can compost paper, cardboard, any organic matter. Lots of great ideas for composting on the web. There is a magazine called organic gardening that has a lot of great tips.

We have a farmers market here and I have gotten lots of great advice from older farmers. I can't wait for the first tomatoes to come in. I could live all summer on cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden.

 

[marsh]

That's great! Do sheep prefer company? Would a pair be enough? Ill ask for loaners but have only had offers to "borrow" kids (the goat type, not children) who are ready to leave their moms.

And surprise I actually have a spare busted washer! Just got a replacement. I wondered what "turning" was, just periodic stirring? I had compost growing up but again the work was all mom Ill see if I can pick up the magazine locally at a stand.

Sounding clueless here - Does compost prefer shade, sun or partial? Do I keep it to leftover food (non meat or dairy) or add any mulch? I'm not producing much compost on my own so I haven't invested in that project yet, though ill soon be in the kitchen more as winter wanes

Also, geese are an idea, but I was attacked by the gander near my horse barn as a kid... "Amadeus", ill always remember him. What a jerk!

Yeah.. Geese still kinda freak me out

 

[wildroseofky]

Sheep do like company. At least one other is nice for them. However, you can combine them with other herding animals like goats. They will adopt each other like a herd. Works best with young animals. Goats make nice pets and provide milk and the will eat some brush an such. They are just picky about what they eat unless they are starving. Do not get a male goat unless you plan on breeding. Even than you can hire out a billy goat to fertilize. Male goats stink. Females are don't.

As for composting, you can put old newspaper, eggshells, wood that is not treated with chemicals, napkins, paper towels, veggie and fruit scraps, grass cuttings, straw, almost anything that you can think of. Lots of great lists on the internet. Put it somewhere it will get a little sunlight but not too much or it will dry out. Any out of the way place will work. I have mine behind a shed next to a hill and it does really well. You do have to turn it over every few days to get air into the bottom. I am lazy about this though. It just takes a little longer for it to turn into compost that way.

You can compost animal waste but don't use it on your garden. Flowers and such only. I have a lot of dogs, 8, so I have to clean up a lot. I hate sending it to a landfill. I found instructions to make doggie septic tank and I plan on doing that. Grass eating animal poo makes great fertilizer. Just let it sit for a week or so to age. There are a lot of resources out their for those wanting to get back to being self sufficient. I have even got ideas from that show Doomsday Preppers.