Re Post - Homesteading

[deChickyHen]

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Thank You... (garlic, potatoes and onions ) I planted all of these this year and it was sooo worth it.. it seemed like they just keep coming and coming, barrels full , they are really great crops to plant, I can send you some drawings of how/ where we planted to get the best out of small spaces, I got most of my ideas from hgtv, but they really helped..

we have an electric movable fence that is great for keeping the animals in 1 area so that the droppings can go strait to the area where you plant to plant the next year.. it truely is a great system and it cuts the work of having to carry bags and or shovel manuar from one place to another..

We need a homesteading forum lol.... that would be great

, there is alot of info out here , would be nice to get it all in one spot

 

[LilyD]

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Garlic and onions are so easy to grow believe it or not I grow those in my flower beds in between the flowers. It keeps the bugs from eating my blossoms because they don't like the garlic odor and since I am always adding more stuff to my beds they are nice and soft which the garlic and onions like.

zzGypsy Her website is through ebay I know that but I don't remember what her name is. I know she doesn't have wool on there now. We sheared today and sold it all within minutes of shearing to a local lady who likes to knit. We sold it uncleaned for 25$ a pound. The sheep we have are Shetlands and in our area their wool is in high demand because it's so soft and not itchy at all. She has also sold items made with the wool as well. But they seem to go very fast. I will call her and get her ebay vendor name so that I can give it to you. I know she sells a mishmosh of stuff like books and kids stuff games etc plus whatever we make locally as it becomes available.

 

[zzGypsy]

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thanks!

We probably won't do it this year, but after the garden next year, I'm going to build a pig tractor... same idea as a movable chicken run but for hogs... a shelter and a pen on skids. you start it in one end of your garden and every couple of weeks, you move it the length of the pen. start with a couple of weaner pigs and by the time they finish rooting and digging and eating all the roots and weeds and seeds, you've got a weed-free, freshly turned, partly fertilized garden, with butcher hogs as a bonus!

 

[LilyD]

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thanks!

We probably won't do it this year, but after the garden next year, I'm going to build a pig tractor... same idea as a movable chicken run but for hogs... a shelter and a pen on skids. you start it in one end of your garden and every couple of weeks, you move it the length of the pen. start with a couple of weaner pigs and by the time they finish rooting and digging and eating all the roots and weeds and seeds, you've got a weed-free, freshly turned, partly fertilized garden, with butcher hogs as a bonus!

I can agree with that we have ours on a probably 5 acre pasture and the area they have access to has no grass in it now they have completely turned up all the soil and then they start eating the plants at the roots and going up to the tops of the plants. They have until the 21st of October and then it's processing day then that field will rest for the winter and spring to be reseeded and grow until we add the critters back on it again.

I highly recommend very strong fencing. Most anything will keep them in when they are weeee piggys but when they get huge they tend to break things without trying. Right now mine are around 250 pounds give or take 50 and they are like a group of wrecking balls lol. Fun to have around but boy you have to be able to batten down the hatches.

 

[BarredBuff]

deChicky we do have a Homesteading forum, SufficientSelf its a sister site.

But in Response to your meat question:

I think that if you eat that much chicken, you really need to do just two LARGE batches because butchering all that every month is a drag. I ve got meaties in the coop now, Im going to do another batch this Spring then see how long that lasts us. Im also gonna can up our older layers next fall. I have rabbits for meat. They are just now getting ready to breed, so Im doing meat rabbits this winter. They are definitley economical and much more efficient and easier to butcher (after you get past the cuddly factor). Then I have Muscovy Ducks for meat. I sell the hens and butcher the drakes. I have 3 to take to the camp soon. Then you can contract a beef for your freezer we get ours in a month

 

[zzGypsy]

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ha! wrecking balls, that's excellent!
one arrangement I've seen is heavy duty cattle panels, 2 layers, with the second layer shifted up half a grid, framed on 4x4s. hog house shelter end is 4' high and about 4'deep. pen section is 12' long and the whole thing is 8' wide. takes a tractor or a draft horse to move it. a hot wire on short standoffs can be used inside the fence if needed... a solar charger can be mounted right to the side of the house.
hog panels would work fine too, as long as the piglets are big enough to not slip through when you get them.

 

[Noymira]

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I'd love that! I'm still trying to decide where to put the garlic and hoping I can get it into the ground this fall so I have a crop next year. If I don't get that done I'll try planting a soft neck variety in the spring. There are only 3 of us, but we LOVE garlic! My husband would be in heaven if I could make him potato and egg salad all year with our own eggs, potatoes and onions!

 

[deChickyHen]

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I agree with you maybe do more so it's not that much labor in the long run... I am trying to write out a plan now to see how it goes... getting past the cuddly factor is right, I love lamb but I don't know that I could be any where near the slaughter process.. the same for rabbits.. it really does suck to be an animal lover..

 

[deChickyHen]

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My husband would be in heaven if I could make him potato and egg salad all year with our own eggs, potatoes and onions!

LOL I hear ya... With my Dh it Chicken and egg salad....

 

[MyBlackHen]

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I'd love that! I'm still trying to decide where to put the garlic and hoping I can get it into the group this fall so I have a crop next year. If I don't get that done I'll try planting a soft neck variety in the spring. There are only 3 of us, but we LOVE garlic! My husband would be in heaven if I could make him potato and egg salad all year with our own eggs, potatoes and onions!

We grew carrots and onions this year for the first time and had a lot of success. The onions are storing well (I have them braided and hanging in my kitchen) and the carrots are still out in the garden; I pick them as we need them. I wanted to do garlic but I didn't realize that it needed to be planted in the fall, so that's what I'll be doing this week!

I want to grow potatoes next year ... and I really want to try sweet potatoes. Some websites say that "you shouldn't even bother trying to grow these in the North" because they are a warm-weather crop. But then I read about a guy who grows them with success in Alaska! I love sweet potatoes so I'm going to give it a try!

Are you growing winter squash? They keep very well and are very nutritious.

I love this thread, and I didn't know about the sister site on homesteading. I'm going to have to check it out!