Urban Homesteaders

[operationindigo]

That is so impressive! I'm interested to check and see what our local laws are like about keeping bees here in Jacksonville. One thing I have always struggled with in our current location is that we have considerable backyard shade that shifts around the yard based on the seasons. The spots that are sunny for winter gardening are shady for summer planting.

 

[CSWolffe]

how do you START a beehive? where do you get them?

You buy the hive/gear, and then order a package of bees.
There should be at least one, likely more, beekeeper supply stores in your area, where you can pick up the basic hive setup for less than $200. Here in Salt Lake, our local farm supply store, IFA, has started carrying beekeeping supplies as well. You can also hunt around on Craigslist for people selling surplus equipment. If you are at all handy, and are interested in the more natural keeping methods, you can build your own Warre hive or Top Bar Hive. Check out Biobees.com for dowloadable PDFs for both hives, as well as books, podcasts, and a forum where natural keeping enthusiasts from all over share ideas and tips.
There are two ways to get bees, either a swarm or a package. It's possible to catch a swarm, but you can't count on being that lucky. Look for local bee swarm removers, they often sell the swarms they remove for a reasonable price. Or, you can just order a spring package. Most large scale operations sell 3lb packages of bees in the spring, with a mated queen, for about $100. They come in wooden box with screened sides, and you basically just open the box and pour them into the hive. Once in a hive, a swarm or package will likely stay put and immediately start building comb and laying eggs. Sometimes you can get Nucs, which as are small boxes with frames of honey and brood, with worker bees and a laying queen. Nucs are easier to establish, but are more expensive, and only work with the traditional Langstroth hive, not the Warre or Top Bar Hive I recommend.
No matter which hive type or keeping method you choose, you may want to educate yourself first. Look for local beekeeping clubs, they may offer classes or can put you in touch with a mentor. The IFA here not only sells equipment, they sell packages of Italian bees each spring, and offer classes all summer long.
The best time to order a package of bees is early to mid february, any later and they sell out.

 

[veggietreeigrl]

Hi all! Great to have this thread! I was reading other threads about homesteading and had to laugh at the people lamenting about "only" having 5 acres.

If only! I live on the border of town and the country in Southern California. Kinda an odd place to be. If you go in one direction it's all shops and apartments, but if you go the other direction it is all ranch property and mountains. My hubby and I rent a guest house on a ranch property with our own fenced in yard. A bigger yard then I grew up with in town, but it is a far cry from the farm I'm hoping for some day. I'm really interested in being more self sufficient. Being such a small guest house we've kinda had to be. We own a washing machine, but not a dishwaser or dryer. I hang my clothes to dry and use homemade laundry soap. I reuse a lot of things. My current projects are making flowerboxes and composting boxes out of discarded pallets. Right now in my garden (besides flowers and trees) I have rosemary, onions, lettuce and peas. I recently planted carrots and jalapenos in containers, but they haven't sprouted yet. In Spring I will be planted some or all of these: basil, dill, lavender, cilantro, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini. Depending on if I can find enough space for all that. I have 10 animals that are all pets. I might like to have chickens some day for both eggs and as pets. I'd like to learn more about being self sufficient for example making stuff I need instead of buying it, possibly making homemade pet food, learning to sprout etc.

 

[nayeli]

@veggie, I wanted a farm but my husband is a city boy. We are buying a house with .23 ac, a far cry from my 2 ac minimum. As with anything it is all about how you use it! Layout is everything when it comes to space which is why with houses it is more important than sq ft. Ever been in a small house that seems bigger?

I plan on planting some of the nicer looking vegetables/fruit in a flower bed in the front then planting more in our backyard which will be fenced in and also contain rabbits/chicken/ducks/quail and dogs!

It would be great if I could get our grocery bill down while getting healthier organic foods, so that is the goal. I am all about sustainability and I am also an animal lover. I pay a premium for organic free range food and unfortuantely with meat I haven't found a local producer so that means the chickens get a little better quality of life but still horrid.

 

[CSWolffe]

Have I mentioned my 0.13 acre lot? with a garden, dogs, kids, chickens, and bees?
Any lot can be worked, if you lay it out well and put in the hours.

 

[Plough]

Have I mentioned my 0.13 acre lot? with a garden, dogs, kids, chickens, and bees?
Any lot can be worked, if you lay it out well and put in the hours.

 

[nayeli]

@Plough whose house were you referring to?

 

[Plough]

Thought it was yours, it had a large enclosed porch in the back. Maybe it was someone else's <shrug>.

 

[nayeli]

Oh it was mine haha I was just making sure you were talking about me. I had to take down the link once I realized I was giving out my address smh! It has space but there is lot we will be doing so I want to make sure I'm maximizing my space!
I'm going to be doing green roofs to maximize in one way. http://thenewdaybringshope.blogspot.com/ Then utilizing vertical space!

 

[RichnSteph]

My wife and I will be starting our own little urban homestead in about 45 days. We just bought an acre of land down south in Atkins Texas (don't even ASK how much land is going for......) and our house should be finished by mid May and in place. Plans include cutting down some trees (there are just a shade under 100 oak trees on the place ranging from 4" diameter fence posts up to 2' diameter keepers), keeping the largest ones for shade and making the others into fence posts and fire wood. We also need to fence the back part of it, we're planning on having 9/10ths of the land behind the house since we don't do much "front yard" stuff. I've got to level and seed the back yard with Bermuda grass for the sheep we'll be getting (2 Dorper ewes and 1 Dorper ram). The sheep will be raised and processed by me to supplement our diet. Currently I kill several deer a year and we eat that meat instead of beef. We'll be getting chickens of course. Hope to get 6 laying hens and a rooster and then 6-8 meat hens that will see us through the year. My wife has plans for a large garden area that will be fenced to keep the critters out. I'd like to do raised beds since the soil we have is almost all sand and I have access to free/cheap compost out of a local mushroom farm. I'll not list the plants we want in the garden since I can't remember all of them. I'm also going to put in strawberries, blueberries and blackberries along the back part of the place and we have a half dozen avocado trees that have got to go somewhere.

Other endeavors include a 300 gallon water catch system for animal and plan watering. A well if I can sneak a truck in there to punch it and a solar array to power the house and out buildings. The solar will probably be on of the last things we do since it'll be the most expensive.

We have time though. I just started a new job as a civil servant and will be here for at least the next 18 years, should have 20 years as a CS and 30 years military retirement by the time I hit 62. That same year my daughter will be 18 and headed to college. Her mother and I hope to be 100% self sufficient by that time, sooner is better of course.