Becoming self sufficient

[locoguru]

A few of my chickens started laying in the past week. I have had my aquaponics system up for about 1 month now. Just added a few goldfish to test the water to make sure is was as good as my test readings said it was. Didn't want to spend $100 on catfish to watch them die. Just got my raised beds in around my yard to get some grapes and berries growing.

Plants after 2 weeks.

My system as I was getting it setup about 1.5 months ago. Will have to take some more photos and update you all. Under the redwood cover is a 275 gallon sump that the beds drain back into. 275 gallon fish tank is at the other end of the beds.


This was the day I started system cycling. Only using 1/2 of the grow beds as I got a late start this year.

 

[cws451]

A few of my chickens started laying in the past week. I have had my aquaponics system up for about 1 month now. Just added a few goldfish to test the water to make sure is was as good as my test readings said it was. Didn't want to spend $100 on catfish to watch them die. Just got my raised beds in around my yard to get some grapes and berries growing.

Plants after 2 weeks.

My system as I was getting it setup about 1.5 months ago. Will have to take some more photos and update you all. Under the redwood cover is a 275 gallon sump that the beds drain back into. 275 gallon fish tank is at the other end of the beds.


This was the day I started system cycling. Only using 1/2 of the grow beds as I got a late start this year.

This is a very nice set up.Do u have any trouble with temperature? I live in tennessee so in the summers it gets in the 90's and the winters get into the 20's?

 

[locoguru]

It has been 100+ for the last 3 days and 90's for weeks. My temp was 84 last night. Starting to get up there but still within specs. We dip down in the 20's each year also. I am thinking that I might cover the whole setup with a simple plastic greenhouse and try to use some black pipe for solar heating during the day to keep the water as warm as possible.

 

[bachbach1]

Deleted

 

[bachbach1]

i was thinking about catching some wild rabbits on my property but i was reading online about the risks of eating them(parasites,rabies,etc) do u think that only applies to certain areas?

I have caught wild rabbits a lot in the past, so have many people I know, and used them for food. Some of this next part will possibly freak you out a bit, but hear me out. The odds of running into a sick animal is almost unheard of, still here is the dark side. You can check your local animal control the see if any wild mammals in your area are having disease problems. The main thing you have to worry about is rabies. You cant afford to get bit by a rabid animal. I know in Arizona some of the jack rabbits have the bubonic plague, it is a simple bacteria that is killed with antibiotic, it was deadly 500 years ago. Anyway, if you cage them and feed them for a few weeks sort of a quarantine it is extra safe. It they have any bad bug they die, pretty fast. People have been shooting them for ever and eating them, never knowing their health. If one is sick, actually skinning and cleaning them is when you are in danger. Eating any animal with an infection, (a nasty idea) wont hurt you because cooking kills the pathogen, and that makes it harmless. Rabbit and dumplings is superb. Fried rabbit is good too, boil it first to make it tender, then bread and fry it, so so good. I do know one guy that raises wild caught rabbits. He says keep them in small cages because they are turbocharged, you will never catch the otherwise.

 

[QnBeryl]

To help with the itchy scalp you can add Tea Tree Essential Oil. I make a mustard squeeze bottle of the baking soda/water mixture and add about 10 drops of the oil. Helps control dandruff as well.

 

[K R 2709]

Awesome ideas. anyone have some that work outside for cold winters(-30C)
Thanks,

 

[Dreyadin]

Organization.
Keep journals. Sounds tedious and boring.. but helpful especially if you have limited space. A gardening journal- keep track of what plants you started, how many and when/ when you fertilized/ when pests emerged/ weather & precipitation amounts/ weigh yields/ when plants started flowering/ diseases.. etc. It helps you to figure out what varieties did well for you, helps you gauge how much to plant, how to keep ahead of bugs, time rotations for succession planting, etc. (Also important if you get into seed saving.. some plant diseases infect the seed.) I figured out one year that it costs us about a quarter for 2 transplants. It's basically just for electric (homemade potting mix, repeatedly reused pots, very very few purchased seeds- most are from what I have saved.)
If you get into canning and preservation- it's helpful to have a rough idea what to expect. Also if your garden has issues.. you can still hit up farmer's markets/ trade/ pick your own/ etc. while everything is in season. That said.. keep track of consumption. (That's easier said than done.. especially if you have a teen that decides to cook.) I have 2 binders- 1 in the kitchen and 1 by the jars. Always trying out new recipes- I keep track of how many I put up and when- changes made.. and if we like it. The second binder is just back up (as in.. I have no desire to go back up the stairs again lol).. and will go to my daughter when she is older.
Keeping track on foraging or gleaning.. when things are coming into season.. also little maps or notes where things were found- and recipes for it. Like our favorite black raspberry patches- there are some in full sun and they are ready weeks before the huge patch in the woods. Maybe you notice someone- or even a business- has a fruit tree they aren't harvesting. Ask them if they'd mind first. I share some of the things I make with them- and they've all let us come back. We barely make a dent and can round up several hundred pounds of apples- then there are pears & plums & walnuts too.

Network.
Get to know people.

A lot of people talk about being self-sufficient, but I've really only ever met 1 person that has come close.

 

[Penton]

Carla Emery's book, The Encyclopedia of Country Living, has many great ideas with instructional information on how-to do those things. With her book and the series of The Tightwad Gazette, (There were three last I had them), you'd be well on your way to a ton of self-sufficiency ideas with frugality in mind. If you have a milk sorce, cheeses are easy. Goats are probably the easiest milk sorce, but I don't recommend keeping a buck on the premises except for servicing the does.....borrow one for two weeks....your barnyard will smell a WHOLE lot better without a buck. Soap is also easy, but be sure to follow the cautions......read instructions completely before starting and I wouldn't recommend having children nearby while you're mixing or pouring it. The tire ideas for potatoes have been used a lot when the soil isn't workable (but I personally don't like the look of tire stacks......personal preference). The equipment you have available to you would also make a difference in all you can do. Years ago, I made a super simple fire pit which is easy (dig a hole), filled with coals and when hot, divided coals, added wrapped potatoes, put half the coals on top of the potatoes and covered with dirt. Four hours later, I uncovered it...........best potatoes I ever had! But there is quilting, outdoor showers, rain barrels for collection of water, well water, start an orchard (this seems like a huge project, but if you buy the trees small or start them yourself, it's not a major job initially. While you're waiting for your trees to grow, you'll be busy will everything else there is to do when you work at being self-sufficient or off the grid. Then comes the day you'll notice your trees are already producing fruit and you'll spend all your time canning. If you haven't learned to can, there are plenty of canning books available, but even better is ask an older experienced person how to can. Most will be thrilled that you asked and more than happy to show you how........even better, offer your kitchen for the mess that will be made. They won't have to clean up and you'll get a hands on lesson. Sprouts are easy, too. Lots of how-to on the internet and in Carly Emery's book. There is so much to learn and the more you learn the more you want to know. Don't overwhelm yourself. Start slow and increase as your proficiency increases. Nothing worth than being all enthusiastic about something and become discouraged because you started too fast and too big. Enjoy the process and get the family involved! Good Luck!!! (You'll do GREAT!)

 

[Penton]

lazy gardener,
from what I hear the homemade soap is great for front loaders and HE machines. It's very low-suds, which is great for that kind of machine. It may void your warranty though, FYI.


OP,
I'm having a rough time too, I'm about ready to throw in the towel. I lost my ducks to predators 2 nights ago, just lost 3 chickens 20 minutes ago (trampled each other to death panicking during a sudden storm), rabbit gave birth to dead kits instead of a healthy litter, and all my new fruit trees were destroyed by wind and wild rabbits. I'm about to give up and quit putting $$ into all these things that aren't even coming up even, much less saving me any money.

 

de