Truly sustainable homesteads.

[SheepDog]

The wheat fires happen almost every year. This year a man got killed trying to fight the fire on his tractor. Usually some portion of the crop is burned and the farmers get a check from the insurance company. The fire in the Dalles was set in a power substation so it is arson and murder. Over 70,000 acres of wheat was destroyed. Around here dry lightning storms are the cause of most wheat fires.

 

[PopPopT]

Sustainability is a wonderful goal that I suspect is never actually reached.

I look at our own situation and think that we are awfully vulnerable. And so, slowly, I'm working to make things better. I'm planting things like blueberry bushes, blackberry/raspberry plants, asparagus patches, and working on garden spots. I would like to work on either a cistern or water tanks that could allow me to operate solely off of rain water if the need would present itself, perhaps some pond water for garden bed irrigation. I've wanted chickens but am not quite set up for them yet. Hopefully, this coming year we can get started with that. One reason I've not gotten chickens is that I really do need to make sure I have a secure place for them and that I have decent fences and pasture areas for them. That's important. Also, I don't have the food plots set up to the point where I can grow a food just for them.

As much as I lust after "sustainable living", I know that it's probably never going to be something I'll achieve. Doesn't mean I can strive to head in that direction.

We only got a small (40' x 60') garden planted this year, not nearly what I'd have liked, but we've been getting a lot of good food out of that little garden. We can and/or freeze stuff probably 3 days out of every week. Friday was tomato sauce day and we canned 6 quarts of some of the most wonderful sauce I think I've ever had, along with that many quarts of the liquid that comes off, not exactly "juice", but a wonderful stock for the beginnings of something like soup or minestrone. (There will be more!) The lowly greenbeans and squash have been abundant and even though we get a little tired of them right now, when the garden is over, we'll be very glad for what we've preserved.

We have a house with a nice southern exposure. And the roof is aligned nearly perfectly for solar production. I do hope that at some point I can look towards at least a small backup system, at least enough to run the refrigerators/freezers indefinitely, maybe some lights, computers, that kind of thing.

So many things we'd like to do. Life doesn't always cooperate. But we're trying to at least head in the right direction.

It's interesting to read about what others are doing. I always appreciate the little ideas that crop up on threads like this. And I also find that I learn just by doing. For instance, I've learned several things that I want to do next year for the garden spaces and several things I want to do differently. I wouldn't have known had I not done what I did this year.

And though it's not exactly a "sustainable" kind of thing, I was a piano tuner / repair person many years ago. I'm planning to allow that to expand again, certainly not into a fulltime job or anything, but as an extra income sort of thing when it happens.

Thanks for those who've posted. I'm enjoying reading.

 

[Meerkat]

Sustainability is a wonderful goal that I suspect is never actually reached.

I look at our own situation and think that we are awfully vulnerable. And so, slowly, I'm working to make things better. I'm planting things like blueberry bushes, blackberry/raspberry plants, asparagus patches, and working on garden spots. I would like to work on either a cistern or water tanks that could allow me to operate solely off of rain water if the need would present itself, perhaps some pond water for garden bed irrigation. I've wanted chickens but am not quite set up for them yet. Hopefully, this coming year we can get started with that. One reason I've not gotten chickens is that I really do need to make sure I have a secure place for them and that I have decent fences and pasture areas for them. That's important. Also, I don't have the food plots set up to the point where I can grow a food just for them.

As much as I lust after "sustainable living", I know that it's probably never going to be something I'll achieve. Doesn't mean I can strive to head in that direction.

We only got a small (40' x 60') garden planted this year, not nearly what I'd have liked, but we've been getting a lot of good food out of that little garden. We can and/or freeze stuff probably 3 days out of every week. Friday was tomato sauce day and we canned 6 quarts of some of the most wonderful sauce I think I've ever had, along with that many quarts of the liquid that comes off, not exactly "juice", but a wonderful stock for the beginnings of something like soup or minestrone. (There will be more!) The lowly greenbeans and squash have been abundant and even though we get a little tired of them right now, when the garden is over, we'll be very glad for what we've preserved.

We have a house with a nice southern exposure. And the roof is aligned nearly perfectly for solar production. I do hope that at some point I can look towards at least a small backup system, at least enough to run the refrigerators/freezers indefinitely, maybe some lights, computers, that kind of thing.

So many things we'd like to do. Life doesn't always cooperate. But we're trying to at least head in the right direction.

It's interesting to read about what others are doing. I always appreciate the little ideas that crop up on threads like this. And I also find that I learn just by doing. For instance, I've learned several things that I want to do next year for the garden spaces and several things I want to do differently. I wouldn't have known had I not done what I did this year.

And though it's not exactly a "sustainable" kind of thing, I was a piano tuner / repair person many years ago. I'm planning to allow that to expand again, certainly not into a fulltime job or anything, but as an extra income sort of thing when it happens.

Thanks for those who've posted. I'm enjoying reading.

POPPop, the native perrinials and berries sounds great. I like the way you think.

 

[Sewingcreations15]

Hi @BioBacon and your plans sound good and I would second buy a property in the country but be prepared if you retire early to live a more frugal lifestyle than when you worked, although homesteading provides you with a lot of food etc. Also having gone to gardening seminars is that you need 100 square metres of garden beds including fruit trees per person in your family to be self sustaining and you will not be able to grow every variety in this space. Water storage is something to strongly think about too and have plenty of it.

I second the always having a second source of income as we here are semi retired due to be caring for DH who was in a military accident. We do things like I clean houses, dry herbs and sell them on the internet that we produce here, make/design and sew homemade decor items and supply some businesses and sell to the general public. DH likewise brings in additional income by helping me clean houses, doing lawn mowing on properties and we trade the use of our land for free honey which supplies us all year round. Things to think about to supplement your income.

@PopPopT I am a firm believer that no-one can be 100% self sufficient but if you can make your situation better in any way by making yourself more independent from relying on outside purchases you are doing better than most in general society. You are doing well by the sounds of it and thinking out future plans for becoming self reliant too .

 

[BioBacon]

I think the biggest thing I'm feeling now is the lack of motivation. I've done a lot of what I call learning experiments over the last 6 years. If we are going to move I just lack the motivation to do a lot of the larger time and or money expensive projects. I don't know anything about renewable energy so I've been looking at getting a small portable setup to experiment with for next year's project. I'm just trying to work a lot and build savings and pay off debt right now. It's not fun but nessecry. It's much more fun to raise a new type of animal or invest in tools for a new skill but that's not what's needed right now. Sometimes you just got to keep to the grind if you want a sharp tool.

 

[SheepDog]

Getting rid of debt is the #1 step in being prepared. Most people are just 1 paycheck away from being on the street. The next step is to build your savings up then precious metals.
You have to eat so growing some of your food makes a lot of sense. We grow what we use the most and what we like to eat that is more expensive. When there is something on sale we buy a lot and then can it.
We, after five years, are ready for a place with an extra 40 acres. That will give us the room to raise all our food, including meat but we will have to develop new skills and equipment. Our next place will provide us with meat, veggies, fruit and the staples to feed the animals and ourselves along with fuel and power. The goal is total sustainability. We won't need to buy anything other than maintenance parts for equipment. I might even make my own tractor and tools for it. The home is paid for, we have two months of money in the checking account and putting money into the savings account. What we have canned will last two years and it is in the pantry. We still buy milk and coffee, flour, oats, sugar and salt but we buy it in bulk because it keeps a long time. It is just the way we live now. We work together and have fun with it.

 

[BioBacon]

Getting rid of debt is the #1 step in being prepared. Most people are just 1 paycheck away from being on the street. The next step is to build your savings up then precious metals.
You have to eat so growing some of your food makes a lot of sense. We grow what we use the most and what we like to eat that is more expensive. When there is something on sale we buy a lot and then can it.
We, after five years, are ready for a place with an extra 40 acres. That will give us the room to raise all our food, including meat but we will have to develop new skills and equipment. Our next place will provide us with meat, veggies, fruit and the staples to feed the animals and ourselves along with fuel and power. The goal is total sustainability. We won't need to buy anything other than maintenance parts for equipment. I might even make my own tractor and tools for it. The home is paid for, we have two months of money in the checking account and putting money into the savings account. What we have canned will last two years and it is in the pantry. We still buy milk and coffee, flour, oats, sugar and salt but we buy it in bulk because it keeps a long time. It is just the way we live now. We work together and have fun with it.

Awsome work. Good for you

 

[musketjim]

Grow what I can on 1 acre in town. Started working on hydroponics this summer. This winter I will try it indoors. Interior AK winters are long so we'll see how it goes. When I live at BOL during the summer the garden and barley up there is small but growing every summer that I get to stay. Otherwise mother nature reclaims a bit such as this year. My chickens free range in the summer, plus a little scratch or corn. They also get table scraps. I suppose the dream of everybody on these type forums is self sufficiency. Very difficult to achieve without complete and total dedication. Follow the Korth family in upstate AK. to see how that looks. We may all be there someday, so we learn and do as much as we can now.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

The only debt I have is new to me 2015 FIAT,
But this is the only new car I have ever owned too.
Still have less than 3500 miles on it. It had 31 miles on it when I took it out for test drive.
Already paid about $4000 off on car loan, in year and half.
I live on less than half of my monthly retirement check.
Only have monthly bills for less than approx.$ 450 monthly including
car loan, full coverage car insurance, electric, internet,rent, Strawberry's needs.
It costs me $10 in quarters monthly for laundry.Got money in savings, money in household checking account, money in retirement savings, precious metals, spending money is $50 monthly. Just the way I roll.

 

[Amish Heart]

That's a smart way to roll, Mo

 

[MoBookworm1957]

That's a smart way to roll, Mo

Thank you