Anyone living off the land?

[chicken-lady13]

Bugs like grass and chickens like grass and bugs. So I think YES !

 

[J3nn]

Cool! That's what I was talking about!!!!

Now how do I do it? What can I plant as cash crops(except it is my backyard not for cash) that will grow in or at least not die in desert summer months? I need ideas about the specific things I could do. I looked it up and didn't find anything on the actual specific plants to grow in order to achieve what you were talking about.

Sorry...I can't help you out with specific crops. I'm in Indiana, so totally different climates! I would find the land grant university in your area and talk to their extension agents, or talk to your local master gardeners associations. For my backyard garden, I cover crop with radishes and beets. I should mention the root tunnels (which make your plants more drought resistant) only work when you do NOT till your ground. You may experience decreased yields in years 2 and 3 with no till, but the long term benefits will more than make up for that. I add the chicken manure throughout the year, so low nitrogen is never a concern for me! Also, some cover crops can be difficult to kill. Most cereal grains can easily survive the winters here, and I don't chemically burn anything, so that's not a route I would suggest for personal gardens.

 

[newbie32]

Bugs like grass and chickens like grass and bugs. So I think YES !

LMAO yes bugs do like grass. One of my friends has 2 huge ornamental grass bushes in her yard-IDK what kind, they are tan and very tall. I am going to ask her if she will let me divide one so I can have some to plant without paying for it. FREE IS GOOD!

Sorry...I can't help you out with specific crops. I'm in Indiana, so totally different climates! I would find the land grant university in your area and talk to their extension agents, or talk to your local master gardeners associations. For my backyard garden, I cover crop with radishes and beets. I should mention the root tunnels (which make your plants more drought resistant) only work when you do NOT till your ground. You may experience decreased yields in years 2 and 3 with no till, but the long term benefits will more than make up for that. I add the chicken manure throughout the year, so low nitrogen is never a concern for me! Also, some cover crops can be difficult to kill. Most cereal grains can easily survive the winters here, and I don't chemically burn anything, so that's not a route I would suggest for personal gardens.

Thanks for the advice. I will look into it all and see what I can come up with. Chemically burn? Am I missing something? What the heck is that?!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Chemically burn would be like using round-up to kill the plants.
I am not sure if you will be able to find any fruit trees or perennials that will survive Cali and Montana both, two very different climates. Not sure where in Montana you are going to get land, but the difference in elevation and latitude are going to be a huge deal to any plants you try to move. Too much sun where you are - not enough where you are going for one.
You may be able to grow heirloom vegetables and save seed that you can take with you. Practice raised bed gardening and composting to improve the soils. Build the frames for the raised beds so they can be taken apart and moved with you.
Any skills you gain will travel with you wherever you go.
Have you thought of building an earth bread oven? Practice in Cali and learn how to make it work so you can build a better one when you move.

 

[J3nn]

Thanks for the advice. I will look into it all and see what I can come up with. Chemically burn? Am I missing something? What the heck is that?!

Herbicides, like glyphosate, to kill unwanted plants

 

[newbie32]

Oh yeah okay I know about the chemical burns, just didn't know they called it that. I will try a bread earth oven someday. Right now I am focusing on getting my raised beds up and running. Someone gave me the idea of using an old dresser and cutting holes in the bottom for drainage. I think I Like the idea because I have a dresser I am not using so it would be free with no labor

 

[chicken-lady13]

Ok y'all what is a earth bread oven ? You can also use rail road timbers and of course landscaping timbers for your raised beds.

 

[newbie32]

Ok y'all what is a earth bread oven ? You can also use rail road timbers and of course landscaping timbers for your raised beds.

It is an oven made from bricks and clay that is outside.

On another note-does anyone know if the wood-cheap-material from the dresser will rot?

 

[J3nn]

Ok y'all what is a earth bread oven ? You can also use rail road timbers and of course landscaping timbers for your raised beds.

Word of caution about rail road timbers-preservative chemicals could leach out into the soil and into your plants. Here's a good neutral response to that: http://www.bhg.com/advice/gardening...s-okay-to-use-to-construct-vegetable-gardens/

 

[J3nn]

It is an oven made from bricks and clay that is outside.

On another note-does anyone know if the wood-cheap-material from the dresser will rot?

Pressboard will rot. I would check with livestock farmers for their scrap wood. I was able to get a whole truck load from a guy who had put up a new fence a few years back. He had all the old fencing sitting in a pile on his property, just waiting for someone to take it! It's really nice oak and the only cost was my gas to pick it up.