dragonshiner's Self Sufficient Farmette Log

[dragonshiner]

Hey everybody,
I'm starting the process of self sufficiency and decided to join the others in documenting my push.

I'm 28 years old and live with my hunny, our 2 dogs, my indoor cat, my outdoor cat, and close to 200 birds of different varieties. We just bought a five acre farmette about 1 year and 2 months ago. I had been a city boy my entire life so country living was something drastically new to me. But I admit I'm starting to love it. Even though I was a city boy I have always been an advocate of green living and renewable resources. Now that we have a house and a lot of land we have the opportunity to make it happen.
This last year was mainly a learning experience for us. We now know the land, the buildings, the house, the neighbors and just about every other thing around the farm. This year I'm ready to tackle things with a little more force and a snazzy game plan.
My first step is the garden. I didn't know what I was doing last year, but you can sure bet that I've been reading every gardening book that I could get from my library and planning things out since last fall. It is my intention to grow enough vegetables, and hopefully fruit and nuts, for us to last the whole winter on. Plus with all the chickens and ducks and other meat birds we can raise hopefully cut down on that as well. Note I say it is my "intention." Anything can go wrong and I sure don't expect to get it completely right on my second try.
Renewable green energy is high on the list. Especially with our big old farm house. I'd love to invest in solar energy and might be able to construct a few small model this year that might be able to help us in the future. That's going to be my side experiment this year. Well, that and bonsai trees

 

[sylvie]

Nice to have you here!
The point you are at, starting out, is such an adventure of learning.

I hope you give us a detail by detail run down on your solar model!

 

[lorihadams]

Welcome! Glad to have you!

 

[PamsPride]

 

[PoultryScienceAggie]

Howdy! I look forward to reading your log!!

 

[modern_pioneer]

You know if I was smart I would advise you to address one problem at a time. I know what it feels like to be a super hero, I thought it was all so straight forward too.

But it isn't, I bet your not going to listen to me either.

Last year should be a learning lesson, so now you know your land? I should have bought me a snazzy plan, did you find that on ebay? Thinking about it, I have spent the last three years working my soil, and hopes of a bumper crop this year. All I needed to do was buy a snazzy plan? I gotta get out more

Your not going to get it right on your second try either.

I respect your drive, but as I read you have many things to learn that you didn't know you had to.

Welcome to the forum, and I will offer up my first piece of advice ever.

This book will become a steady read, over and over, until your blue in the face, while your blue in the face, read it one more time.

Let me tell you, there is alot more to working your land than just owning a piece of land and making it work for you. When you have worked the land, and harvest food that your family eats, that is the reward.

If I seem rude, sorry, I have put a lot of work into my land over the past three years. This year, for me, I think I got it right. I hope you have it right from the get-go.

 

[dragonshiner]

Well, first of all, thank you everyone for your warm welcome that's very nice of all of you. I look forward to many journal posts in the future. There's a lot to cover of course, but I'll try not to bog you down with too many posts in rapid succession.

I hope you give us a detail by detail run down on your solar model!

Sylvie I'll be glad to give detail by detail account as all things solar happen. But really the first year, and probably successive years, are going to be more like school science projects than anything else. I want to try some models that I found online first. There's actually a thread in the Solar Energy part of this forum that includes some links to home built solar devices, and that led me to a website called www.instructables.com I'm gonna use some of their ideas to get me started.

MetalPeddler, thank you for your advice. You sound very passionate to me. Saying that I know everything there is to know about my land is presumptuous of me. What I should have said is "I've learned a lot about the land in this past year." There is always going to something that mother nature can throw my way at any given moment to send me off course. That's just common knowledge. But I'm ready to charge forth enthusiastically. I have my big first goal, that being the gardens. Then I have my little side projects so that I can learn and be more informed when time comes for my side projects to turn into big projects.

 

[keljonma]

We found mapping our land extremely helpful. You know when you move to a place you have an idea of what to plant.

Mapping the land after a few years of living on the land was extremely helpful.

Mapping for water accumulation, mud or dry patches, drainage, hilly or level terrain, sun and shade, and wind direction will really help save some frustration. I think you will find this especially true when it comes to planting a windblock, fruit and nut trees, vineyard and bush fruits, and making changes to the buildings (additional buildings, modifying current buildings).

Good luck! I look forward to hearing how this new year progresses.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Yes getting to know your land is half the battle.

Three years ago my garden spot was clay, which isn't a bad thing, but poor drainage and compacting of the soil were some issues I had to work out.

Organic, organic, organic is all I kept adding to my soil. From grass, leaves, horse/cow manure and lime. Last fall before I put in my winter rye, I grew some alfalfa and let it get 5 inches or so, tilled that in and then planted my winter rye.

Here is what my soil looks like now.

I haven't checked the ph level yet, fingers crossed.

 

[dragonshiner]

We found mapping our land extremely helpful. You know when you move to a place you have an idea of what to plant.

Yes! Totally! That is one of the things that I am starting this year!.