Striving for self sufficiency in Kansas

[LaurenRitz]

I am a writing obsessed gardener (reverse that in the winter) currently building a homestead on 3 acres in Kansas.

I am in the process of setting up the property with a soil water bank, food forests, and gardens.

Into the second generation of creating a chicken landrace, while constantly forgetting what I have on the stove and dealing with priority paralysis.

With limited funds I am repurposing what I can. The eventual goal is no cullinary water use outside the house and provide all food for any animals as well as most of my own food. (I have yet to find a decent recipe for Oreos, but make my own Mounds bars.)

 

[Mini Horses]

Hello & welcome. Is there a house on the property & you live there? That's a start. Raising your own food can be easy or not -- depends on ground to garden, your tools and your ability to work. It is work. Then consider preservation methods. If you still work, that always seems to get in the way of most everything except your wallet.

Lots of good people here, with experience & they share. Most garden, many raise animals for milk & meat. So jump right into the herd. Welcome from VA.

Love mounds....Oreos scraped free of filling only. The thins aren't too awful.

 

[LaurenRitz]

House on the property and recently finished the 2nd chicken coops. First greenhoise up but I'm trying to clear out the mice. Water catchment is in place but not yet plumbed.

Still working on wood chips for the first garden, 2nd garden is partially planted.

I work from home, which makes things much simpler.

 

[flowerbug]

...
Love mounds....Oreos scraped free of filling only. The thins aren't too awful.

the plain chocolate crackers you can find in bags (Stouffers i think is the brand) for a very reasonable price, and then you don't have to waste the filling.

 

[flowerbug]

welcome from mid-Michigan.

being somewhat differently abled i have to plan and pace myself for almost everything but i still manage to get most things done (and the heck with the rest...). plus i really hate having to do things twice (or more times) - but that is also what learning is about...

 

[Hinotori]

Sounds like you have a good start

 

[Xantofer]

I am a writing obsessed gardener (reverse that in the winter) currently building a homestead on 3 acres in Kansas.

I am in the process of setting up the property with a soil water bank, food forests, and gardens.

Into the second generation of creating a chicken landrace, while constantly forgetting what I have on the stove and dealing with priority paralysis.

With limited funds I am repurposing what I can. The eventual goal is no cullinary water use outside the house and provide all food for any animals as well as most of my own food. (I have yet to find a decent recipe for Oreos, but make my own Mounds bars.)

Follow up.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I am into 5 generations with my chicken landrace. The base is Jersey Giant and Rhode Island Red, with Marans, Black Australorp, Ranger and Buckeye. This year I added Kraienkoppe, American Game (looks like none of the AG survived) and a Sussex-Dorking mix that's supposed to have really good disease resistance.

Right now, in mid winter, they're foraging about half their food.

I have successfully grown my garden without water two years, including my seedling fruit trees. I am using deep woodchips in the main garden. Nowhere close to providing my own food, but it's a start.

A friend gave me the pears.

The food forest is stalled, as most trees die and the rabbits and deer get the rest.

My first flood and drain pond seems to feed an area about thirty feet across and fifteen feet wide, staying damp for as much as 2-3 weeks longer than the surrounding area after any storm.

I'm going to plant a fruit tree guild on the berm. Not sure what will go on the overflow yet, but I want to try rice in the pond itself.

One planned addition is a coppicing firewood system farthest from the house. I figure an acre should be sufficient, although it might turn out larger. Fast growing trees that can be coppiced once every three to five years, providing my own firewood.

Seedling peach, apricot, peach x plum, cherry x plum. Almond seeds, pecans, walnuts, plums, and grapes, outside waiting for spring.

 

[Mini Horses]

That's total depth for being self sufficient. I gave up wood burning several yrs ago as a heat source. But know well the dedicated work it takes. My own primary is to provide my own food. I'm not at 100% but primarily some meats are bought, some raised. I do have meat options I raise if I choose to butcher. Garden is canned, dehydrated, etc Rarely frozen. I think that's true of many of us....buy staples like flour, sugar, coffee...and some treats, chocolates

And I try to add livestock feed to the mix, beyond pastures. That's sometimes more difficult than veggies, which they also get part of from the garden

 

[LaurenRitz]

The squashes and grains (eventually amaranth, quinoa, oats, flax, sesame, sorghum, possibly sunflowers) will be primarily for the birds winter forage. Their area currently has plum, pear, and apple trees, as well as a number of fruit bushes. Once their area is done, they should have plenty of winter forage.

I am more focused on making sure the birds have everything they need. My food is important, and I'm working on it, but I can grow their food here. I can't (yet) grow all my food here.

As far as firewood, I want to be ready if it's necessary and I can no longer get propane. At that point it will be worth it to have firewood on site.