Homesteaders

[owly]

I'm just going to jump in here.

I've always been so fascinated by homesteading and that related. Eating or using something that you've raised from nothing is just... I don't quite know how to explain it. I guess you could say that it's very satisfying.

The rest of my family, though, finds it uneconomical and a waste of time. My parents just kind of let me do whatever for gardening, but when I'm canning tons of, well, everything, they don't really eat or use what I make. So, generosity is more of a waste, because I alone cannot finish everything off (especially if its in a large jar and it spoils before I finish it).
I also raise a lot of chickens. Currently, we have 20 hens (4 Amber SL, 5 Red Productions, 5 Black SL, 1 Barred PR, 3 Salmon Faverolles, 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte, and 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte) and 4 ducks (2 Pekins and 2 Mallards). In the summertime, we get a dozen or so meat birds and two or three turkeys. I love them all to death.

Anyways, I've always felt that homesteading in itself is pretty expensive in both time and money, with solar panels, composting toilets, and all the animals that depend on you. Is it really like this?

 

[K-Kritter]

@K-Kritter , what zone are you in? I am in zone 4.

I have a lot of sod to strip before I can plant; the garden area has been abandoned for a while - guessing 8 years or so. I have some sod from another area that is in a pile cooking right now, well frozen right now, but should be ready in spring to put on the garden area. I threw a bunch of old hay and coop cleaning in with it, so hopefully with some intensive composting it will be ready come spring planting time.
The guinea coop needs to be cleaned out pretty badly. Hoping for a little bit of warmer weather so they will leave the coop and I can get in there. The Kuboda makes it a little bit easier.

I am in zone 8. My grandparents moved here 40 years ago so there are a lot of azalea bushes that are about 12 feet tall and as big around. Camilla trees that are blooming right now and other 'Old School Southern' plants. I have been reading lots of books about Edible Landscaping so am trying to slowly transform each area. I am wanting to try the lasagna/cardboard sheeting gardening method since I don't have Deere or a Kuboda I try to recycle everything and due to us moving so much, I had a ton of cardboard boxes. And since I will NOT be moving again, I already have a good supply. Just did a little around an old building and lined the front with some old wine bottles. Haven't planted anything yet.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Homesteading is a lifestyle. It is a huge dedication of time, energy and resources.
In my honest opinion, solar is economical in certain instances. If it would cost more than the price of a solar set-up to run electric to where you need it, then solar is a good idea. A lot of ranchers are going solar for water pumps for cattle out west, because the cost of running electric is prohibitive. If you have an unreliable electrical supply - like whenever there is a bad wind storm the power goes out, it may be economical to install a solar system.
If you won't use what you can, then it is a waste to can it. Maybe you need to invest in a bunch of pint and 1/2 pint jar to can stuff in, so you have smaller, one person jars. I am canning a lot more in pint jars. Even my apple pie filling is going into pint jars. It takes one quart for a whole pie, but we are using it more for pudgy pies than big pies. If I want a big pie, I will use 2 jars. Peaches are OK in a quart jar and we eat them fast, but I like the pint jars of chicken stew to eat for lunch.

 

[DesertChic]

I'm just going to jump in here.

I've always been so fascinated by homesteading and that related. Eating or using something that you've raised from nothing is just... I don't quite know how to explain it. I guess you could say that it's very satisfying.

The rest of my family, though, finds it uneconomical and a waste of time. My parents just kind of let me do whatever for gardening, but when I'm canning tons of, well, everything, they don't really eat or use what I make. So, generosity is more of a waste, because I alone cannot finish everything off (especially if its in a large jar and it spoils before I finish it).
I also raise a lot of chickens. Currently, we have 20 hens (4 Amber SL, 5 Red Productions, 5 Black SL, 1 Barred PR, 3 Salmon Faverolles, 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte, and 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte) and 4 ducks (2 Pekins and 2 Mallards). In the summertime, we get a dozen or so meat birds and two or three turkeys. I love them all to death.

Anyways, I've always felt that homesteading in itself is pretty expensive in both time and money, with solar panels, composting toilets, and all the animals that depend on you. Is it really like this?

Well, it can be expensive, especially at start-up when you're making significant changes to your property. When I started my garden it cost me a lot because 1) the soil where I live is just about sterile, 2) I was born with a brown thumb and had to find a technique that actually works for me, and 3) the summer AZ sun scorches everything. I've been at it a couple years now and some of the expense has been reduced as I've gotten better at seed harvesting, composting, and just keeping my plants alive...but it takes a while to get to that point.

Now I have chickens. My first flock was hatchery stock and not very expensive and my first coop was small, and also not very expensive...but now that expense is increasing as I've honed in on two specific breeds to raise and breed...NN Turkens and Bielefelders. The new larger coop and run are expensive. The Biels are expensive. There's no getting around that, but after my first hatching I'll have enough of them to breed myself and keep my flock well populated for years to come.

The average home is not currently set up for homesteading. It's set up for basic habitation, including taking trips to the grocery store or nearest fast food joint for what you need to eat. Transitioning from that takes patience and a financial investment. But...not only do you enjoy the satisfaction of consuming food you've grown from seed or egg, a connection to your food that most people cannot begin to fathom, but if things do take a turn for the worse, you'll still have food to eat while the grocery store shelves are bare. Personally, I get some satisfaction from that idea too.

 

[rancher hicks]

My problem with composting in Wyoming was whenever I went to turn it, I had a cloud of dust.

Well you need to add some wet stuff or water it. You could cover it with black plastic. That will help it cook.

Perhaps you need more animals to generate more manure. You can find books on composting. For some it's an art form. Me I just throw stuff in there. I have more than one so I don't turn it like the say. I just let it sit and do it's thing.

My chickens like to get in there and mix things up too. I toss some scratch in mine so they have reason to look and dig.

Like this one right here. I saw on a show where the town had a huge compost pile and feral chickens that lived on it all year long.

This here is similar to mine. I plan to add a couple more. When I mow in the fall I use a bagger and dump much of it in the pile. I don't have nearly that much kitchen scraps. I also keep a bag of peat moss nearby to toss in and some bags of top soil to dump on. Mostly it's coop cleanings and yard waste. Having more than one allows me to let it sit. If you can set up pallets you can make a compost pile.

 

[RichnSteph]

This here is similar to mine. I plan to add a couple more. When I mow in the fall I use a bagger and dump much of it in the pile. I don't have nearly that much kitchen scraps. I also keep a bag of peat moss nearby to toss in and some bags of top soil to dump on. Mostly it's coop cleanings and yard waste. Having more than one allows me to let it sit. If you can set up pallets you can make a compost pile.

My little flock would be in that thing all day long, or at least until it was scattered about the entire yard. I can't even pile up leaves for burning without them all jumping into the pile like I've buried food in it.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have a 2' piece of plywood in front of mine. Keeps most of the stuff in there. It's not really as messy as you'd think.

These folks in the pictured piles clearly have no chickens. I would put some plywood in front to keep things in.

Of course with winter here the snow covers everything from the chickens but not the squirrel or rabbits.

 

[silky smooth]

Not sure if there's a link buried in here for homesteaders but I figured I'd start this one to talk with some of you guys.

We are new to homesteading. We've always had veggie gardens but never on the scale we are undertaking now. It will be about 3/4 or 2/3 of an acre (haven't measured it out yet) in addition to beds all over our property (2 acres total). We are going to have two ducks and 10 chickens total. We were going to get goats but would rather wait until we are fully on a farm setting before that undertaking.

There are three of us (me, DH, and DS who is 2) with a dog, a cat, 5 chicks and two ducks at this point.

We are wanting to be more self sufficient, eliminate our debt, and save money to buy a small farm (farmette as I call it!) I'm getting into canning, I've been knitting/crocheting for years now, and we both work outside the home.

Anyone else into this kind of life? I'd love to eventually have one of leave work and be fulltime on this project!!!

you can many times your yield by laying out a natures way or survivalist garden, instead of the standard row by row.
as the plants and trees mature they will increase their yield and each of the plants protects and or helps the others to flourish.

 

[Talithahorse]

We also have a small farmette and work outside the home (I am a teacher). You are good to start with basics and slowly add as you get comfortable with each part. We started with horses because I had them in college, then added chickens and then a garden. Having grown up around animals and killed most every plant given to me, the garden is the hardest part for me. A few years after moving into our 24 acre grass farm (that is the one thing that grows well around here.... too well), we added chickens. Silkies first thanks to my son's preschool class. We then added Plymouth Rocks which we adored. The silkies have proven their worth over and over again as they keep our laying hens free to lay, while hatching out the chicks. The kids also adore them. Our flock grew and we dabbled in a couple of other things, a wayward goose, a duck left on the property, etc. Finally we took the big plunge and brought home a pair of angus calves. There is a funny story about that and one of our steers lives in the neighbors field and the other graces our table with fine food. We will try again with calves this year and then my children want us very much to add goats to the menagerie. Getting comfortable with one thing at a time helped me to bring everything together and realize just how cohesive and interrelated the farm is. Each part building on another. The one thing I wish we had done more of earlier in the farm is to plant fruit and nut trees. Most of them take 3-5 years to start getting a decent crop and the ones we started early are now our best. (Like pear trees which are super easy and very reliable year after year) Still don't have a hazelnut crop as my two trees haven't faired well. Blueberries are finally coming into their own and the tame blackberries are wonderful, just wish I would have planted them in a slightly different spot.




It is challenging working off the farm and getting everything done, but we wouldn't trade it. Don't underestimate how much putting the effort into canning can go towards self sufficiency.

Good luck

 

[wyoDreamer]

I fully support the concept of "one thing at a time". Pick a project, do it, learn it and enjoy it. Then add another thing. I see too many people jump in with both feet and bury themselves with all sorts of projects and animals and responsibilities; then they quit it all, say it is too much and sell the place.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and your homestead doesn't need to be everything all at once. Everyone is different and every farmstead will be unique to those individuals who live there and their rhythm of life.

We are planting our mini orchard this year. I may add a couple of more apples, or a pear, but I have the start of it going into the ground this spring. The garden may not be much and chickens will have to wait until we get the garden fence done. But fencing the garden from deer and raccoons is a high priority here.