Homesteaders

[CourtneyBowman]

New to this urban farming/ self sustaining thing. What to you consider THE MOST important thing you do? Gardening? If so what is the most important crop to you? Raising Meat? If so what meat is your most sustainable? How do you preserve your food?

I need to learn to can meat,and veggies. It will be my project this spring. I just have a small urban home, and am trying to best utilize the small amount of property I have. We will be raising and processing our chickens. I will be growing a small garden. We are in Nor Cal, so weather is perfect.

My personal yearly "most importants" vary year by year. I usually concentrate on a garden. I grow tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers mostly. Salad stuff lol have never had luck with peppers because it's so hot here, death valley area, but I always try anyway. I'll be taking on potatoes again this year. But this year I'm really concentrating on my chickens, since it's my first year with them. I need to learn how to incorporate their waste into my garden too. I'm currently doing chickens for eggs, but will be using them for meat later on as well. One step at a time. My advice would be to pick one big project a year and focus on that. It gets pretty overwhelming pretty quick if you try to take on too many new things.

 

[rancher hicks]

New to this urban farming/ self sustaining thing. What to you consider THE MOST important thing you do? Gardening? If so what is the most important crop to you? Raising Meat? If so what meat is your most sustainable? How do you preserve your food?

I need to learn to can meat,and veggies. It will be my project this spring. I just have a small urban home, and am trying to best utilize the small amount of property I have. We will be raising and processing our chickens. I will be growing a small garden. We are in Nor Cal, so weather is perfect.

1. Write things down. Draw out you garden plot and plane. Grow what you'll use. How much do you need for the year. This year I'll plant less garlic. Next year more tomatoes. I tried potatoes they failed miserably.

What perennial crops will you plant and where. Ex. berries, fruit trees and vegetables if your growing zone allows.

2. Plan on storing what you grow. Where will you put meat if you process your animals. Where will you store food you grow.

3. It's been advised by one homesteader to carry a note pad and pen to write thing down that need to be done as you go about your day.

If you have animals how will you house them. If you plan store food how will you store it. I repackage feed to empty cat food contains because I can't carry the bags. One coop I keep it in the run in the winter. I've modified my coops roosters twice. I'm changed watering systems twice or use two methods in the winter. heated and non. Not everything works for everyone.



4. Never give up, never surrender.

 

[lazy gardener]

New to this urban farming/ self sustaining thing. What to you consider THE MOST important thing you do? Gardening? If so what is the most important crop to you? Raising Meat? If so what meat is your most sustainable? How do you preserve your food?

I need to learn to can meat,and veggies. It will be my project this spring. I just have a small urban home, and am trying to best utilize the small amount of property I have. We will be raising and processing our chickens. I will be growing a small garden. We are in Nor Cal, so weather is perfect.

The most important thing I do in my "self sustaining" activities is to always be experimenting, reading, trying new plants, new methods of growing crops. Challenge the status quo. Just because someone says that such and such should be done in such a way don't always make it so. Does it make sense? Is there harm in challenging the status quo to see if you can make it better? The second most important thing I do is to advocate for gardening and poultry keeping, as well as the many ways a home owner can cut expenses while living better. I would love to see everyone who can keep a garden do so. Even if it's simply planting a few lettuce and chard plants in a flower bed in front of their apartment, or planting a cucumber and tomato plant in a pot instead of petunias. If everyone who could would: keep a small garden, keep a few chickens, cut back on processed or fast foods in favor of simple home cooking, think twice before dragging out the credit card to buy more stuff when there's not room to store the stuff they already have, recycle and repurpose stuff they already have, the economy of this country would be turned on it's ear, and household debt would be greatly decreased.

Favorite garden crops: Suyo Long cucumber, Fortex pole bean.
Favorite garden aids/methods: Hay bale cold frame. Back to Eden Gardening. Hugelkulture. Hoop green house
Favorite seed company: Fedco Seeds. I grow OP when it suits my needs and harvest and share my seeds.
Favorite poultry: Dominique, EE. Benefit flock with fermented feed. Renew flock with home made incubator. Favorite brooding: heating pad, outdoors!

I am a confirmed dump scavenger, and have come home with some fantastic materials for my next build which is never far from the planning stage.

 

[Beekissed]

New to this urban farming/ self sustaining thing. What to you consider THE MOST important thing you do? Gardening? If so what is the most important crop to you? Raising Meat? If so what meat is your most sustainable? How do you preserve your food?

I need to learn to can meat,and veggies. It will be my project this spring. I just have a small urban home, and am trying to best utilize the small amount of property I have. We will be raising and processing our chickens. I will be growing a small garden. We are in Nor Cal, so weather is perfect.

THE most important thing? Do everything as if you are doing it unto the Lord. It changes every single thing you do and how you think about it if you are working for God instead of yourself. At that point you are just a steward of God's land, His chickens, His provision for you and yours and you can relax into the whole thing. Every big decision is His, all things out of your control are in His so if you have drought, too much rain, too many pests or just don't have good crops for any reason, predators get your chickens, etc., you don't have to stress about it, because He's in control. You've done your best but He's in control, so let it go.

When it's approached in that manner, it's all very exciting and peaceful, full of good things to experience and learn and you can start and finish each day in gratitude for the One who lets you live that kind of life.

 

[chantels1]

Some great wisdom here. I will be re-reading a few times (mainly because I have not finished my first cup of coffee!

)

 

[Chicken girl 15]

New to this urban farming/ self sustaining thing. What to you consider THE MOST important thing you do? Gardening? If so what is the most important crop to you? Raising Meat? If so what meat is your most sustainable? How do you preserve your food?

I need to learn to can meat,and veggies. It will be my project this spring. I just have a small urban home, and am trying to best utilize the small amount of property I have. We will be raising and processing our chickens. I will be growing a small garden. We are in Nor Cal, so weather is perfect.

My first garden was a disaster that grew like crazy. I had 4 different types of beds in my garden. I had rows, boxes, hay bales and containers. Each year I omitted 2 ways that worked the least and added 1 or 2 new ways. I grow a ton of vegetable variety because we love it all. Just like @rancher hicks said, keep notes and keep track. Know how much you plant so you can adjust next year.

For meat and protein purpose I have chickens. They are a great help with the garden. I put all spent litter (old nasty bedding) in my compost all spring and summer then fall hits and everything hits the garden, including the chickens. All winter I use the garden as a compost pile and the chickens take care of it for me. Then come spring I start all over.

I hatch or buy chicks all spring and summer so I have a steady flow of eggs. I also order meaties every 4 weeks from the time they come available until they stop for the year.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

THE most important thing?  Do everything as if you are doing it unto the Lord.  It changes every single thing you do and how you think about it if you are working for God instead of yourself.  At that point you are just a steward of God's land, His chickens, His provision for you and yours and you can relax into the whole thing.  Every big decision is His, all things out of your control are in His so if you have drought, too much rain, too many pests or just don't have good crops for any reason, predators get your chickens, etc., you don't have to stress about it, because He's in control.   You've done your best but He's in control, so let it go. 

When it's approached in that manner, it's all very exciting and peaceful, full of good things to experience and learn and you can start and finish each day in gratitude for the One who lets you live that kind of life. 

again you say it perfect. You are such a ray of sunshine. I wish everyone had you in their life, maybe people would be nicer.

 

[lazy gardener]

again you say it perfect. You are such a ray of sunshine. I wish everyone had you in their life, maybe people would be nicer.

AMEN!!!! Love you Bee!!!

 

[chantels1]

My first garden was a disaster that grew like crazy. I had 4 different types of beds in my garden. I had rows, boxes, hay bales and containers. Each year I omitted 2 ways that worked the least and added 1 or 2 new ways. I grow a ton of vegetable variety because we love it all. Just like @rancher hicks said, keep notes and keep track. Know how much you plant so you can adjust next year.

For meat and protein purpose I have chickens. They are a great help with the garden. I put all spent litter (old nasty bedding) in my compost all spring and summer then fall hits and everything hits the garden, including the chickens. All winter I use the garden as a compost pile and the chickens take care of it for me. Then come spring I start all over.

I hatch or buy chicks all spring and summer so I have a steady flow of eggs. I also order meaties every 4 weeks from the time they come available until they stop for the year.

You must have a huge freezer, or do you can part of the meat? I am interested in both. I fear my freezer going out though. So canning seems to be a good idea too. A little of both...

 

[Chicken girl 15]

You must have a huge freezer, or do you can part of the meat? I am interested in both. I fear my freezer going out though. So canning seems to be a good idea too. A little of both...

I can, free and sell. I love providing friends and family with fresh goods. Plus I have a family of 8 to feed 3 times a day so we need lots of food.