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Forum » Homesteading, growing food, getting off the hamster wheel
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Thread: Homesteading, growing food, getting off the hamster wheel

post 1668881273 10-03-2022, 06:22 PM
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#31
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Would much rather spend my days digging in the dirt than sitting in a cubicle
post 1668885923 10-03-2022, 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted By BalognaNbeans⏩
Would much rather spend my days digging in the dirt than sitting in a cubicle
This. I would expand on this, I'd rather build a rabbit hutch with my son, sow seeds with my daughter, or harvest the garden with the whole family.
Originally Posted By JonZ⏩
Built a self-sustaining homestead and work part time crew.
This is sorta my plan.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669157503 10-08-2022, 07:23 PM
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Been checking out Missouri for some time.


There's some other reasons Missouri is a good choice-fewer building restrictions, easier homeschooling. Also looking at Arkansas since Missouri has been a mecca for homesteaders it seems.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669157703 10-08-2022, 07:27 PM
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#34
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Originally Posted By Johnez⏩
Been checking out Missouri for some time.


There's some other reasons Missouri is a good choice-fewer building restrictions, easier homeschooling. Also looking at Arkansas since Missouri has been a mecca for homesteaders it seems.
I had family that farmed in MO and NE. I tried to search which states are best for food production some time this morning. Expected CA and WA. TX was higher than I thought it would be. GA and NC ranked pretty high.
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post 1669158383 10-08-2022, 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted By katya422⏩
I had family that farmed in MO and NE. I tried to search which states are best for food production some time this morning. Expected CA and WA. TX was higher than I thought it would be. GA and NC ranked pretty high.
There's a lot of tradeoffs to be had for sure. In NE Land really isn't as cheap as it used to be (duh) but for other reasons beside current inflation-development is happening like crazy. Growing season isn't super long like CA or the south, but there's tons of water since we can draw from Ogallala freely. Haven't researched many states extensively but have excluded desert states for water reasons. East coast and deep south for flooding and storms.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669179153 10-09-2022, 09:41 AM
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"About ten years ago Louise and I began to see that there was something very wrong with the typical American superconsumer way of life. Not that we were better able than anyone else able to predict the environmental problems, overpopulation, and shortages which are now forcing all of us change the way we live. Louise and I just got fed up with being consumers--commuting to dull city jobs to keep up payments on a gadget-filled suburban house, flashy cars, and other non-essentials that symbolize success to most people"

-John Vivian fromThe Manual of Practical Homesteading ....published in1975.

How prescient.
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post 1669179443 10-09-2022, 09:48 AM
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#37
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Goddam if these people can do it and snatch up 60 acres I better hurry the fuk up before all good land is snatched up. "Pig coop"...jfc lady. I wonder if she calls hens "girl chickens" lol.



Holy chit at that black snake.
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post 1669180163 10-09-2022, 10:00 AM
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#38
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I have a good friend of mine starting his homestead now. I got him a good paying job in the corporate world (his first real job) and he noped tf out of there in 6 months. He just moved up north with an acre or so and him and his fiancé are building out their garden now. I eventually want to follow suit.
post 1669180233 10-09-2022, 10:01 AM
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#39
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It's amazing to me that such a low percentage of the population are farmers or ranchers. Just quickly googling it...said 2%.

They definitely don't get the recognition they're owed. Absolutely essential work, and we never even think about it for the most part.
post 1669180353 10-09-2022, 10:05 AM
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#40
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This is a cool philosophy even if you're a suburb cel.

You don't have to completely off-grid yourself, but to limit your reliance as much as you reasonably can is respectable IMO.
post 1669180703 10-09-2022, 10:10 AM
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As somebody with a small farm I can tm you this. Start now, even with a simple tomato in a pot in your balcony. You're going to start learning about growing food and gaining valuable experience.

A very important part is also waste managment. Start composting asap and learn how to properly compost, a healthy compost is vital to get healthy crops without pesticides.

There's so much food you can grow even in a balcony

post 1669180793 10-09-2022, 10:12 AM
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#42
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Originally Posted By suave2000⏩
As somebody with a small farm I can tm you this. Start now, even with a simple tomato in a pot in your balcony. You're going to start learning about growing food and gaining valuable experience.

A very important part is also waste managment. Start composting asap and learn how to properly compost, a healthy compost is vital to get healthy crops without pesticides.

There's so much food you can grow even in a balcony
oh god not this fuarking hipster again.
post 1669180993 10-09-2022, 10:17 AM
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Originally Posted By TheAdlerian⏩
It seems like a massive amount of money would be needed to get enough land and animals to actually do it.

Also, at least in the US, you need a job so that you can pay taxes on your land and house.

I have never liked plants but have had friends who do. Every time you turn around mold is growing on them, bugs are eating them, or animals if the plants are outside. I assume animals are going to need medical treatment.

It seems like, again, you would need a lot of money to be able to produce your own food and keep it going without getting wiped out.
Nope. You don't need that much land or resources to do a meaningful change in your diet and lifestyle. And no you don't need to go full 100% self sustainable right of the bat.
A simple balcony can give you enough room to be completely self reliable regarding tomatoes for example.

I started like that in a 3x6m garden and I had 5 different kinds of tomatoes and some eggplants and arugula/spinachs.

You can start replacing a few vegetables from your diet with self grown ones and take it from there
post 1669181093 10-09-2022, 10:19 AM
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#44
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Originally Posted By HMFIC_BROWSIN⏩
oh god not this fuarking hipster again.
"Hipster"
Only decrepit boomers still use that term.

I think the word you're looking from is self reliable alpha male.
post 1669181363 10-09-2022, 10:24 AM
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#45
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Originally Posted By HMFIC_BROWSIN⏩
You don't have to completely off-grid yourself, but to limit your reliance as much as you reasonably can is respectable IMO.
I think this is the way. To live completely off grid and out of modern society and you risk handicapping your kids. Naturally replacing crap like screen time with homesteading chores (weeding, gathering eggs, whatever) should probably put a big dent in the damage our modern world is inflicting on kids.

@suave2000, we've grown tomatoes and peppers, and still grow orchids. If nothing else it was good primer in the world of growing food, from amendments, to soil, to watering, to managing pests, to companion plants and conditions required. Basically its good prep for knowing how deep we gotta research for other things. 100% agreed man.

GOO, the thing they get the least credit for is the lessening of environmental impact. Salatin points this out, and if more people followed these examples there's be less need for the truly environmentally damaging practices of factory farming. The connection between our food and how it's grown has been severed for some time, which has allowed atrocious practices to go on unchecked and unchallenged.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669181683 10-09-2022, 10:32 AM
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#46
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Originally Posted By Johnez⏩
I think this is the way. To live completely off grid and out of modern society and you risk handicapping your kids. Naturally replacing crap like screen time with homesteading chores (weeding, gathering eggs, whatever) should probably put a big dent in the damage our modern world is inflicting on kids.
my mom got some baby chickens not long ago and my nephews think it's the best lol.

now they get like 4 eggs per day out of them.

Kinda neat, and not very characteristic of where they live LOL.
post 1669184973 10-09-2022, 11:38 AM
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#47
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My buddy if a farmer and thats his loving.

he does it all by himself, works like a slave in the rain welding broken stuff and fixing stuff the cows broke constantly.

I sit in san diego watching tv, going to the beach, dicking around and complaining I stubbed my toe.

No thanks. Sounds like a neat idea but its way too hard and ages you fast.
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post 1669186013 10-09-2022, 12:00 PM
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#48
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Originally Posted By crupiea⏩
My buddy if a farmer and thats his loving.

he does it all by himself, works like a slave in the rain welding broken stuff and fixing stuff the cows broke constantly.

I sit in san diego watching tv, going to the beach, dicking around and complaining I stubbed my toe.

No thanks. Sounds like a neat idea but its way too hard and ages you fast.
I agree. Sitting around watching TV is incredibly unhealthy, unfulfilling, and leads to premature aging.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669190933 10-09-2022, 01:35 PM
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#49
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This is my goal maybe 5-10 years down the line. We want to buy a house with at least an acre so we can do a dozen planters or so and have a chicken coop. A few years back my plan was to go full farmer but my wife is not up to the task of doing larger scale farming and I don't want to be responsible for multiple acres by myself.

So we will relocate to a smaller city like Tulsa and build a new business there while growing as much of our own food as we can.

Highly recommend checking out Curtis Stone on YouTube his channel is called The Urban Farmer because he lived in a city and grew a lot in his back yard, as well as renting a small plot and growing crops there to sell. He recently bought an off grid property in rural Canada and it seems pretty amazing what he's been able to do so far. Green houses, water capturing, energy independence, etc. He has been doing it long enough that he makes money via YouTube videos and also consulting on homesteading and farming. Pretty smart to have a lucrative online gig like that so you can continue to buy supplies etc. Would suck to be off grid and poor because then when equipment breaks down you are probably fukked.
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post 1669256303 10-10-2022, 03:54 PM
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#50
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Really dig this homesteader. Very level headed, straight facts.



Kunekune pigs are probably the one for me with regards to the lard for same reasons-cooking and soaping. Curious about the leaf lard amount.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669261393 10-10-2022, 05:19 PM
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#51
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Another video by same dude. This guy looks like he's a professional, he's mentioned serving warrants in the past. 3.5 acres, pigs, chickens, rabbits, a guard goose (lol) and a full time job. Pretty fecking impressive, and down to earth dude.

Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669261803 10-10-2022, 05:26 PM
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#52
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I used to grow tomatoes, salad leaves, potatoes on my balcony here in the UK back when I lived in a flat.



Then I had an allotment over lockdown with my girlfriend, growing all kinds of fruit and veg but it's a lot of work, it was fun to do for a while but I'm over it now.



Get a couple bowls of strawberries twice a week for a couple of months.



Weekly veg haul.




Doing it like you're talking about full time to live off with loads of land is too much work for me, plus the price of land over here is crazy.
post 1669263193 10-10-2022, 05:57 PM
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#53
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There are plans and methods for homesteading on very small plots of land. You can do it something as small as a 1/4 acre, but the smaller your lot, the more ingenuity involved. Gardens can be done in raised flower beds. Its extremely efficient when set up right.

Miniature livestock works great too. Mini goats produce some of the sweetest milk and require little food and upkeep. They’re like backyard pets if you don’t keep the offspring. The goat cheese made from them is amazing. So you could have goats with a garden and have most of what you need. Just make sure to keep them out of your garden.
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post 1669332343 10-11-2022, 09:02 PM
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Kinda worried about Becky's Homestead. Hasn't posted a vid in 2 weeks since the hurricane went through Florida.
Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669381523 10-12-2022, 06:37 PM
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Middle ground between stick built and mobile home - manufactured house. YouTube homesteaders "Living Traditions" filmed part of the set up which is pretty fascinating.

Virtue is its own reward.
post 1669382963 10-12-2022, 07:04 PM
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#56
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My house is off grid. So is my trapline cabin in the bush. I don't buy meat. Hunting and fishing is by far the easiest way to get food here.

Going full retard unplugging from society and growing your own food sounds nice, till you realize the absolute ass load of work that goes into it.

I butcher everything I kill, and while doing a deer or bear takes a while, it's worth it. In terms of gardening, one thing I can never get through my wife's head is to pick a few crops and grow a TON of them. Not small amounts of everything.

Keep in mind that growing food is one thing, but storing it is another. You would need a significant canning operation to provide for a family. The Mennonite here do that. Their pantries are astonishing and the wives lives are constant work to do it.

I'm happy hunting and fishing. I also love mushroom picking, because you can fill a 5 gallon pail in an hour with delicious chanterelles, black trumpets etc.

But going all in on gardening and being totally self sufficient imo is a bit of a waste. I enjoy too many other activities and things to devote such a significant chunk of my life to feeding myself especially when agricultural systems are in place that do it so efficiently.


I do love fresh snap peas, beans and cherry tomatoes from the garden, but I don't kid myself that what I grow is even 1 percent of what I'd need to survive.
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post 1669384373 10-12-2022, 07:32 PM
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#57
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Originally Posted By Hutrapper⏩
My house is off grid. So is my trapline cabin in the bush. I don't buy meat. Hunting and fishing is by far the easiest way to get food here.

Going full retard unplugging from society and growing your own food sounds nice, till you realize the absolute ass load of work that goes into it.

I butcher everything I kill, and while doing a deer or bear takes a while, it's worth it. In terms of gardening, one thing I can never get through my wife's head is to pick a few crops and grow a TON of them. Not small amounts of everything.

Keep in mind that growing food is one thing, but storing it is another. You would need a significant canning operation to provide for a family. The Mennonite here do that. Their pantries are astonishing and the wives lives are constant work to do it.

I'm happy hunting and fishing. I also love mushroom picking, because you can fill a 5 gallon pail in an hour with delicious chanterelles, black trumpets etc.

But going all in on gardening and being totally self sufficient imo is a bit of a waste. I enjoy too many other activities and things to devote such a significant chunk of my life to feeding myself especially when agricultural systems are in place that do it so efficiently.


I do love fresh snap peas, beans and cherry tomatoes from the garden, but I don't kid myself that what I grow is even 1 percent of what I'd need to survive.
Lot of homesteaders hunt. I do cringe when I see some of the overly optimistic stuff, but if you check out homesteaders they are not 100% self sufficient, but they are sticking with certain things they do well and buying the rest. Example, growing out 2 or 3 hogs and having enough meat to last a year in the freezer. Growing tons of tomatoes and canning the chit out of them for sauce, diced tomatoes, paste etc. The main point is any shock to the system is probably going to be easier to weather as a homesteader with 5-20 acres, free ranging chickens n hogs with a garden than being stuck in the city at the mercy of 3 days stocked grocery stores that are gonna be wiped out in hours if chit goes down.
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post 1669385453 10-12-2022, 07:53 PM
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#58
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Originally Posted By Johnez⏩
Lot of homesteaders hunt. I do cringe when I see some of the overly optimistic stuff, but if you check out homesteaders they are not 100% self sufficient, but they are sticking with certain things they do well and buying the rest. Example, growing out 2 or 3 hogs and having enough meat to last a year in the freezer. Growing tons of tomatoes and canning the chit out of them for sauce, diced tomatoes, paste etc. The main point is any shock to the system is probably going to be easier to weather as a homesteader with 5-20 acres, free ranging chickens n hogs with a garden than being stuck in the city at the mercy of 3 days stocked grocery stores that are gonna be wiped out in hours if chit goes down.
Truth is that if someone crazy Armageddon type chit happened, a significant percentage of the population would simply die.

Food transport and agriculture? Medicine? Electrical grid? No more fuel deliveries? Goodbye to a lot of people in months or weeks.

I can fish just fine out of my canoes, and snowshoes are fine transportation in winter. Beaver to trap, critters to hunt, mushrooms to pick and dry. With no fuel its not like hordes of people will be descending on the natural resources here.

More self sufficient and rural people will indeed fare way better.
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post 1669385643 10-12-2022, 07:56 PM
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Posting so I can come back later when I have more time to post a quality response. As a rancher I’ve got quite a bit to share with those interested.
post 1669385743 10-12-2022, 07:59 PM
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#60
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Originally Posted By SmillironS⏩
Posting so I can come back later when I have more time to post a quality response. As a rancher I’ve got quite a bit to share with those interested.
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