Homesteaders

[alldembirds]

@DesertChic did you see the book I recommended earlier , "fruit, berry, and nut inventory," the book has a directory in the front with 275 different companies selling more than 8750 different plant species , I am pretty positive you could find some plants in there that would work on your property , If you found a couple trees you could plant them strategically so that they take that strong evening sun and shade your crops.

lots of dates are hardy to zone 9 , lots of figs are even hardy in zone 10 once you get them established

 

[boxofpens]

@DesertChic
I too prefer books. I also agree with Boskelli about the permaculture. The book Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Homescale Permaculture, is one that I think would really benefit you. We have some pretty crummy soil around our house. My husband called it ''moonscape" when we first moved in. Using techniques from the book has considerably improved our soil. It's thorough, very easy to read, and makes you look at various plants, rocks, etc. completely different. It's made me look at dirt in a whole new light. All kinds of dirt. It even discusses someone in the desert in Arizona, and how they used permaculture to create basically a food forest in what was once a barren piece of desert. I know I'm babbling, but I honestly can't recommend that book enough.

(FYI: I have no interest or stock in it at all.)

 

[RichnSteph]

DesertChic,

Search around here for a member named Gallo de Cielo. He is located in Tucson and has an amazing aquaponics set up.

Welcome to BYC!

RichnSteph

 

[trsturself]

Welcome! Are you planning to do the greenhouse with tinted plastic and only a top? A full greenhouse will bake your plants even more. Even here in CO greenhouses have to have ventilation and be able to be completely opened so plants don't fry in the summer. I could see something like 4 posts with a frame on the top covered in dark plastic to provide shade with plenty of ventilation, or the one side that gets the prevailing winds blocked off to provide a wind block for the plants. I liked to use sun loving plants up a slanted trellis to provide shade for the cooler plants. For instance, I grew my squash up over my lettuce.

I am a reader too. I only read about chickens for about 6 months though. I like to have a general idea about what I need to do to care for them. But reading about every disease they could get before I even have them, just makes me worry too much. lol

CO is taking quite a few seasons to get used to. I lived in CA my whole life and it was a VERY different growing climate. We have hard sandy soil here, only 15" of rain a year, high winds, late and early frosts, and hail. I miss CA for it's growing climate, but not for it's price tag. lol

 

[DesertChic]

I will definitely look into all of your suggestions! Thanks!

 

[rancher hicks]

Hello! I just wanted to introduce myself as a work-in-progress semi-homesteader / prepper living in the desert southwest. I started reading this thread from the very beginning, but finally jumped to page 115 after reading the first 25 pages, so please forgive me if I ask questions about things already discussed long ago.

Anyway, we live on 5 acres of land previously used as a rock quarry, so the soil is more rock than dirt, and the dirt isn't suitable for growing much of anything other than the hardiest of native desert plants...especially nutgrass, which I detest. I've spent the past couple of years reading, researching and experimenting with methods to make our home more self-sustaining and I'm finally beginning to make some progress by focusing my efforts almost exclusively of my approximately 1/3 - 1/2 acre back yard. I started last year by trying to turn my brown thumb green by planting in both raised beds in the form of watering troughs, and straw bales, which worked surprisingly well. I discovered, however, that I MUST invest in some sort of greenhouse covering to protect my garden from the scorching summer heat, as much of my hard work turned brown and died this past summer. Like I said....work-in-progress. Right now I'm growing cover crops of beets, carrots, three kinds of kale, cabbage, spinach, swiss chard and clover in my raised beds. I'm starting my indoor seedlings now and preparing to acquire more straw bales to season for my winter/spring harvest while I work on a greenhouse design.

This year I've added chickens to the mix, and plan to use them not only for eggs and meat, but also to help me nourish the soil and return it to a bioactive state conducive to planting. Last years straw bales are now being composted by the chickens, and I hope that in the next couple years I may be able to grow fruit shrubs and maybe even some fruit trees...none of which have been able to survive my soil and sun so far. Many of my garden clippings are currently going to my chickens to help supplement their diet. And while I don't know of any other homesteaders in my area, everyone I've told about my chickens has already begun offering to buy eggs from me. (They all know I'm a food snob, and my chickens are 100% organic, no soy, no corn, no canola.)

I have ten chickens right now, my first flock, comprised of 4 Australorps (all pullets), 3 Barred Rocks (2 pullets and one cockerel) and 3 Silkies (2 cockerels and 1 pullet). These are my eggs layers an pets, not meat birds, and even though my BRs are hatchery stock, I plan to breed them this next year to aid me in understanding a bit more of the genetic material I've studied in my poultry husbandry reading. I'll also be acquiring some meat birds in the very near future, as my hubby allowed me to purchase an incubator as my Xmas present, and I'll be ordering hatching eggs in the coming days. Right now I'm favoring the Naked Neck Turken for meat, as it's a very hardy bird that typically acclimates well to this desert environment. I'm very excited about hatching them! And I look forward to being able to breed them and have some broody hens to take over the incubation process.

I should also add that I'm a total nerd. I read and study almost obsessively, preferring actual books to digital...which may help explain why my intro is so long and wordy.

Welcome.

You can't see it but under these beds is hunks of tarvia/pavement I couldn't dig out. In the beginning I would fill the bed with hay or straw and dump a bag of garden soil over the top and plant my tomatoes. Gradually things would get worked in. Point being raised beds should work for you. Dump in leaves or other organic stuff in the off season and cover with black plastic.

Wouldn't your growing season be different than mine in the north? I have family in the south and theirs would be in the spring and fall right? Hot summer would be their down time?

I suspect some form of shading would work right? Like an arbor or some type of filtering?



You'll want to follow my idea for watering. I use metal cans but you could use plastic buckets or something in that vain. Then you just water keeping the water on the plant and it will soak in rather than run off and evaporate. Can you see the cans in the center bed? I just fill each with water and move on. Saves time and water. The plants in the top bed are tomatoes. You can't see the cans but they're there. You'll want your beds at least 12" deep. i wouldn't go much deeper than that.

 

[RichnSteph]

What are those rather large leafed things in the foreground there in this picture?

 

[rancher hicks]

What are those rather large leafed things in the foreground there in this picture?

That would be Brocolli. It did not turn out so good. I never planted it again. Nor Brussel sprouts. Swiss Chard did good though.

Of course I rotate crops and try new things.

Butternut Squash did good and the chickens couldn't peck through the skin, but we didn't like it.

Those white things along the beds in the back are pieces of PVC pipe. I put them in so I could stick "stakes" in for the tomatoes and didn't have to pound them in. They'd work well for pole beans too.

I advise looking at lots of sites and pick what will work for you. Somethings didn't work well for me.

 

[trsturself]

That would be Brocolli. It did not turn out so good. I never planted it again. Nor Brussel sprouts. Swiss Chard did good though.

Of course I rotate crops and try new things.

Butternut Squash did good and the chickens couldn't peck through the skin, but we didn't like it.

Those white things along the beds in the back are pieces of PVC pipe. I put them in so I could stick "stakes" in for the tomatoes and didn't have to pound them in. They'd work well for pole beans too.

I advise looking at lots of sites and pick what will work for you. Somethings didn't work well for me.

I tried broccoli too knowing nothing about it. After that season I learned there are different types of broccoli and that they are cooler weather plants which is why mine didn't do well. I'm going to try again next season since I have more knowledge now.
I LOVE butternut squash. We cut it up with some sweet potatoes, put it in a cast iron pan, then place a whole chicken on top and roast it. The chicken drippings keep the vegetables moist and they soak up the flavor. Our whole family loves it and there are never left overs of the veggies. We also do other root vegetables if we have them (potatoes, rutabaga, etc). There's a few tips in the whole technique if anyone wants to try, but I didn't want to type the whole recipe here if no one cares. lol

I also used pvc pipe in the garden for a variety of uses. So handy.

 

[DesertChic]

I tried broccoli too knowing nothing about it. After that season I learned there are different types of broccoli and that they are cooler weather plants which is why mine didn't do well. I'm going to try again next season since I have more knowledge now.
I LOVE butternut squash. We cut it up with some sweet potatoes, put it in a cast iron pan, then place a whole chicken on top and roast it. The chicken drippings keep the vegetables moist and they soak up the flavor. Our whole family loves it and there are never left overs of the veggies. We also do other root vegetables if we have them (potatoes, rutabaga, etc). There's a few tips in the whole technique if anyone wants to try, but I didn't want to type the whole recipe here if no one cares. lol

I also used pvc pipe in the garden for a variety of uses. So handy.

I grew lots of broccoli last year in both my troughs and straw bales. This is one vegetable you must seed indoors and transplant once they're large enough. Seeding outdoors just doesn't seem to work. Oh...and in case you don't know, once you harvest the main stalk you will continue to get small shoots of broccoli for weeks or months to come....and the leaves are also edible. They have a cabbage-like flavor and dense texture that cooks up nicely with butter.