Anyone living off the land?

[gypsy767]

I have no idea what that is. Tilapia is great, it is the only fish I can get the whole family to agree on. I never thought of raising fish when I get my land. Wow that would be great. Fish don't need to be fed do they? I could build a pond!

Yep...fish have to be fed every day if you want them to grow into a food supply...

 

[jak2002003]

I have no idea what that is. Tilapia is great, it is the only fish I can get the whole family to agree on. I never thought of raising fish when I get my land. Wow that would be great. Fish don't need to be fed do they? I could build a pond!

Mine are in theory going to get all the food they need from the plant waste and worms that drop through into their tanks. At the moment the plants are very small and I don't have many worms. So I give them a very small amount of pellet food (very cheap).

The fish poop feeds the plant beds. The water from their tanks is what is used to water the plants 2 time a day on an automatic timer pump. Its very early days at the moment and a bit of an experiment.

 

[newbie32]

Well there are many ponds and lakes in the world that don't have people feeding them and you can still catch nice size fish, so there must be a way to do it 'made'. The experiment sounds cool. PICS!!!!!! WE WANT PICS!!!!

 

[Bullitt]

Well there are many ponds and lakes in the world that don't have people feeding them and you can still catch nice size fish, so there must be a way to do it 'made'.

That is what I was going to say. If you have access to a pond, lake, stream, river, or ocean there is a good chance you have a supply of fish. And when you clean fish you can use the parts you don't eat as animal feed and/or garden fertilizer.

The water does not need to be on your land. It just needs to be near you, and you need access to it.

I suppose there are no fish in the Salton Sea, right?

 

[newbie32]

That is what I was going to say. If you have access to a pond, lake, stream, river, or ocean there is a good chance you have a supply of fish. And when you clean fish you can use the parts you don't eat as animal feed and/or garden fertilizer.

The water does not need to be on your land. It just needs to be near you, and you need access to it.

I suppose there are no fish in the Salton Sea, right?

The crazy thing is that Tilapia are everywhere in Salton Sea. It is the only place in the world that they live in salt water. I think they are mutated so I wont eat them

 

[jak2002003]

The crazy thing is that Tilapia are everywhere in Salton Sea. It is the only place in the world that they live in salt water. I think they are mutated so I wont eat them

I think if you eat them you may get super powers and be able to breath under the ocean. lol.

 

[newbie32]

I think if you eat them you may get super powers and be able to breath under the ocean. lol.

More like glow green and die from radiation. LOL people do eat them but I surely will not! I buy mine from Costco because they are already prepared and breaded so its easy to shove them in the oven for quick meals.

If I do decide to do the pond thing, how would I make it so the fish don't need ME to feed them?

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
You would need to make sure it was a "sustainable ecosystem".. so if you are digging or stocking a bare pond you would need to stock it for the first few years with everything from tadpoles to smaller fish and larger species of fish.. smaller fish and tadpoles being food for larger fish.. some people even add crayfish since many fish feed on them.. so in essence you are providing a complete food chain until everything gets established.. pond plants would also be included in the "perfect pond" to provide shade, breeding grounds and also for fry to hide in...

at first the pond would need to be fed until bugs and such would take up residence.. even if you stock it lightly you would need to replenish fish every so often in case of droughts and such...


We have a "fish truck" that comes by our feedstore about once a month during the spring and summer.. they take orders of fish, tadpoles and so on for stocking ponds.. then deliver them to the feedstore for customer pickup right off the truck.

 

[sarahsunshine]

I dream of leaving the desert and getting a few acres where I can have a small farm. I have to work for the cost of land and then just do it. Anyone out there have a farm? where? how many acres? what do you grow? Pics please!

There are ways of living IN the desert and living off the land. It may take a while, but it's totally possible. Check into Permaculture design. Wter is the main component, and if you can manage the small amount of water that you have properly, you can produce food enough for yourself and family in a very short time. People do it in the Jordanian desert (dryest place in the world, saline sand). You could do it in California. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzTHjlueqFI

We are planning to use these principles to live off the land here in northern Alberta, Canada.

As for soil, it's quite easy to create soil. Using various garbage (cardboard without colours, metal and tape, leaves, compost, chicken poop, coffee grounds, etc... you can create some great soil. The key is managing water properly - storing it in organic soil, not tilling, keeping every drop on your roof, putting sales on contour. Watch that video. It will change your world forever!

 

[newbie32]

You would need to make sure it was a "sustainable ecosystem".. so if you are digging or stocking a bare pond you would need to stock it for the first few years with everything from tadpoles to smaller fish and larger species of fish.. smaller fish and tadpoles being food for larger fish.. some people even add crayfish since many fish feed on them.. so in essence you are providing a complete food chain until everything gets established.. pond plants would also be included in the "perfect pond" to provide shade, breeding grounds and also for fry to hide in...

at first the pond would need to be fed until bugs and such would take up residence.. even if you stock it lightly you would need to replenish fish every so often in case of droughts and such...


We have a "fish truck" that comes by our feedstore about once a month during the spring and summer.. they take orders of fish, tadpoles and so on for stocking ponds.. then deliver them to the feedstore for customer pickup right off the truck.

That is exactly what I wanted to know! Thank you!