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--- 2543379
Homestead General
Red Barn Edition
>Thread 02

This thread is for people who would like to live, or are already living, completely or partially off their land in a self sufficient way.

Old Thread: >>2500534
--- 2543381
>>2543379 (OP)
getting this chart out of the way
--- 2543794
I've been dreaming about homesteading for years and it seems like something you have to jump into and figure it out.
I want a big off grid 800sqft insulated concrete form house with a cellar. On a budget of $60k and ICF not really being something easily modified it seems unrealistic to have everything up and running from the start. I'm thinking about getting a camper, small solar bank, and roughing it for a couple years so I know what is actually needed. Starting small and eventually growing into it. The well will probably cost $4k based on what others have told me. Swap out small propane tanks for cooking and heat. As the 'I wish...' thoughts pop up hopefully a natural flow will develop and things gradually become more self sufficient and leads to a permanent and more comfortable living arrangement. My family has rural land in the Midwest I can larp on so the $60k should be enough to get something started, even if it's not the full orchard, garden supplying 100% of fruits and vegetables, pigs, ducks, rabbits, foundry, machine shop, vaulted underground chamber with pool, sauna, and orangery 100% turnkey from day one operation.
I'm told the county is lenient so you can build pretty much whatever. Don't even have to do a septic tank since lagoons are legal here.
No clue what I'm doing but I'm tired of everything. After the well and camper I'm selling my house and hoping for the best. Just want to play little neet on the prairie.
--- 2543807
Really wish I knew the answer to the goat vs sheep debate. Should I just flip a coin at this point?

I'd love to have wool for making clothes and stuff (pic related) but I also want milk and dairy sheep are impossible to find around here. Also goats are more profitable. And I have about 10 acres overgrown with multiflora rose which would suit goats far better.
--- 2543884
>>2543807
Sounds to me like goats are the way to go.

Why not get angora goats and use for them to produce mohair wool?
--- 2544599
>>2543794
Nice story anon. You are blessed. Good luck with your adventure.
--- 2544684
is this the larp general.
we already have /hgm/
--- 2544856
>>2543807
get a dairy cow
--- 2545726
we went with dairy sheep. awassi/lacon/east fresion cross.

we raise guinea hogs now. did berkshire last year. 

we have red bourbon turkeys, cortunix quail, Americana, Rhode island and rock chickens (not cross bred) and we buy Cornish x rock meat birds each year. we also raise welsh harlequin and silver Appleyard ducks.

we raise Tamuk meat rabbits.

we are moving from the outskirts of our city to a 10 acre homestead in the country in about 3 months... as soon as the house construction is complete.

3 bedroom, 2 bath, 400 sqft basement.

house is triple redundant for off grid and disaster living.

it has complete solar and battery storage, mini-split HVAC, Propane option, wood stove heat, wood cook oven in kitchen, Propane oven in kitchen. 

water well and septic.

year one at the new homestead, so it will grow from here.

we are trying to get our gardens set up. we already have 2 cubic yards of compost to start with, from our current home. 1st year gardens will be hit and miss.

we began planting our orchard last fall and are continuing now. apricots arriving next week.
--- 2545804
>>2544684
Hgm is for gardening? This is for everything /homestead/ minus gardening. Beekeeping, barn-raising, animal husbandry, land-clearing, aquaculture, well-digging, remote work setups, range waifu finding, etc. All /homstread/ related topics welcome.
--- 2546057
Any good /horse/ youtube channels? I really enjoy Greg Judy's ranching videos but he doesn't focus on horses much, I tried lurking /an/ but I think they want to fuck horses not raise them.
--- 2546083
>>2543379 (OP)
How do I get my driver's license bros
--- 2546272
>>2545726
Love to hear this anon. What part of the country?
--- 2546656
>>2543794
when my uncle built his cabin he piped in a dugout for water and put in a sewage lagoon
he rented a backhoe and did it all himself for cheap
theres a holding tank in the basement, he just adds a small amount of household bleach to the water
its not potable, but its fine for showers, dishes and flushing the toilet
he just refills those water cooler jugs at his friends for potable water
it costs him about $20 a month if he buys it at a refill station
--- 2546699
>>2545804
HGM is for all those things in addition to gardening. This thread is for larping. Notice there is only one post so far from someone who raises livestock of any kind.
The term "homestead" is a magnet for LARPers and maladaptive daydreamers.
--- 2546704
>>2546699
why does every thread have to be ruined by some poster that has to make it personal?
every single fucking thread, its the same MO
name calling, personal attacks, speculation about any dectractors emotional state or ethnicity
claims that youre triggered, even if you are just politely disagreeing, total projection
bunch of 'good cop, bad cop' samefag posting
its the same thing every time
im convinced its one guy
--- 2546706
>>2546699
this you?
>"Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) defines excessive use of fantasy which replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning. This study tests psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming "
so if it's interpersonal, and productive toward the self, as such is my relationship with God and my dreams respectively, it isn't maladaptive, but, I think you're just sort of a nihilist about starting over cause you know the owner of the world is satan, BUT, remember the Love between you and God, and then the love between others, that is why you are in this world. That's it. The rest is satan, and iniquity. (not saying I'm good at practicing this either). Plus, it does say, take care of the land, so, whatever land or community you're in, take care of it.
youre a loser
--- 2546707
>>2546704
Post a chicken or rabbit or even a bee. PLEASE prove me wrong.
--- 2546714
>>2546704
Maybe two or three, but definitely assholes who think they can gatekeep something like going outside
--- 2546716
>>2546714
>gatekeep something like going outside
Yeah it's really shitty that someone would gatekeep going outside, it's really simple and fun to go outside and there's no way to do it wrong. All that matters is that people get out there.
So, since you go outside would you mind sharing some of your experiences from going outside? Since this is a homesteading thread I'd love to hear about your homesteading experience or see pictures of your homestead.
--- 2546723
>>2544684
>>2546699
>>2546707
>>2546716
now that they evidence has been provided, the goalposts will be moved
the evidece will be rejected for something arbitrary
followed by ad hominems, deflection, cherry picking, even outright lying
every dishonest tactic he can muster
when that doesnt work hell start same fagging with a slightly more reasonable perspective to create the illsuion of consensus
its the same shit every time, its the same guy
its probably a schizo from pol
--- 2546725
>>2546707
How can i start with chicken? Do you have pdf, books and how can i build a chicken coop? Also do you have some blueprint for a good chicken coop?
--- 2546727
>>2546716
Started off subtle, but it's still obvious you're salty. 4/10
--- 2546732
>>2546707
and by the way, what kind of retard feeds his chicken whole corn
get a mill dumb shit
--- 2546736
>>2546723
Awesome sheep man, I wish there were more people in this thread like you
>>2546725
Unfortunately I can't really help you because I was in a unique situation where I was able to barter for a chicken coop that was way nicer than anything I could make myself so I don't have any blueprints for you. If I were you I would find a YouTube video on how to build one and follow it along, making minor modifications if necessary for your situation. There is a ton of information on YouTube and online in general about chickens. I would personally not waste any money on books.
>>2546727
>>2546732
Still waiting for pics, "homesteader"
--- 2546738
>>2546736
>Awesome sheep man, I wish there were more people in this thread like you
>Still waiting for pics, "homesteader"
now hes pretending to not know that im the same guy
i told you, i fucking told you he would reject the evidence
how can a supposedly religious person be so dishonest?
--- 2546742
>>2546738
Well, in his defense, there are no default poster IDs on this board that I can see. Other than that he's a useless cunt who didn't read the OP.
--- 2546744
>>2546738
If (you) are the guy complaining about gatekeeping than I am not really sure what your problem is because as someone who raises livestock (you) are not the problem. The problem is the people who do not and will not ever garden/homestead/farm/whatever outnumbering people like you and me 10 to 1. At best they add nothing to the conversation and at worst they regurgitate false information and become belligerent when called out. Keeping them out of the conversation is not gatekeeping anymore than ignoring sex advice from a virgin is gatekeeping. Even such I am happy to answer legitimate and thoughtful questions they may have, but I won't be entertaining questions like "how much land to I need to be 100% self sufficient" or "how much money do I need to run away from my parents and build an off grid cabin" etc 
If you are the person talking about milling corn I don't do it because the chickens eat it as is so milling would be a waste of time. I buy "deer corn" on sale after hunting season as a cheap feed supplement for the winter.
--- 2546764
>>2546744
to actual farmers were all larpers
we dont know shit
--- 2546778
hey /homesteaders/ I bought 1 acre of land on a Greek island that gets tons of visitors a year. It is located a big off the beaten path though which is good, I get my space.

I want to make it into a permaculture/homestead type place and sell high-value yippie shit to the tourists and potentially all the restaurants that serve them.

Some thoughts:
>microgreens for restaurants
>selling "native plants seed balls" for like 1$ for 3, literally just mud and seeds in a small burlap baggy
>get some weird bird like emu and charge money to take a pic
>sell special salt from sea water that I dehydrate

anyone have other ideas? Im thinking of buying more land to be self reliant, but for now this will do
--- 2546780
>>2546764
kek, some leathery old codger is standing in a field right now with his pitchfork saying "fucking larpers, they should lurk moar"
--- 2546868
>>2546778
Beekeeping is very rewarding and easy to sell. Difficult to turn a profit depending on your market.
--- 2546884
>>2543807
You could raise both. Goats browse while sheep graze, so as long as you have both brush AND grass they can both feed. Only issue is some differing mineral needs like copper. Sheep need less of it and can OD on goat copper supplements. I once heard someone recommend putting the mineral lick somewhere high that the goats can climb to but the sheep can't.

Goats are definitely easier than sheep and tend to have better milk production, so bear that in mind if you can only have one.
--- 2546967
>>2546868
Yea i will do beekeeping but just for me and friends and family
--- 2547163
>>2543379 (OP)
I'd like to give homesteading a shot. While I'd like to start small, land around me is expensive as fuck (like $100k+ for 1 acre) and still located in/close to neighborhoods. There is a forested 5-acre plot that's actually fairly cheap (comparatively), but I worry that might be too much land for starting out.

I'm also hesitant about moving more than a couple hour drive away from family and friends, as I feel like they're the only thing keeping me from going full social recluse and I would miss our biweekly gatherings. If I wasn't single moving away wouldn't be so intimidating, but tfw forever alone.

Do I just bite the bullet and buy expensive land, figure out a plan for the 5 acres, or admit I'm a cuck who thinks too much?
--- 2547168
>>2547163
For more info, I'd plan to build my own home on the land, raise a few chickens (maybe someday goats), grow some food, and use solar to try and reduce grid dependence.
--- 2547239
>>2546778
that's actually super cool. Pick-your-own and charging for it might be a good business. Those operations tend to have great margins, with the trade-off being that they cannot scale easily.
--- 2547243
>>2547163
>>2547168
first you have to get a job
--- 2547253
>>2547243
I do have a job...
--- 2547346
>>2546780
yes I am
--- 2547348
>>2543794
>Swap out small propane tanks for cooking and heat.
You're not off grid or homesteading if you're dependent on the grid for fuel. Even if you're not aiming for off grid try to minimize your dependency on the grid as much as possible to prepare for bad times. Aim for a place that has enough trees for your heating and cooking needs. Calculate the BTUs you'll need in a year, convert that to trees you'd need per year, and then buy a lot with 15-20x those trees and replant 1-2x what you chopped down the year before. I consult with energy use and this is how I help rural/off gridders heat themselves.

Hell, I just get a salvage permit for my cabin/camping, way cheaper than a felling permit. All in all good dream anon I wish you luck. Try and do as much work yourself if you can, cost of labour is a real bitch now.
--- 2547390
what i bought
--- 2547405
>>2547390
>$79
???
--- 2547413
>>2547405
!!!!
--- 2547645
>>2543379 (OP)
How bad would it be if I set up in the general area near a wastewater treatment plant?
--- 2547648
>>2547645
You might get some shitty results.
--- 2547949
>>2546967
And for me, great thanks!
--- 2548234
>>2547163
good luck anon
--- 2548453
>>2547163
>>2547168
I'm in the same position, been researching this for a long time. Last year finally bought a small plot of land. I'd recommend that you don't go balls deep yet. You should buy a plot of under an acre, whatever you can afford, and try small scale projects. Yes wooded land tends to be cheaper but clearing it can be a lot of labor and/or expense. Plus installing utilities, which you will need if you want to build a home or sell it at some point. This is why I recommend you just buy a regular vacant lot, they will be already cleared and typically have utilities so you have a clean slate and it's feasible to sell it at a later point. The ones in core urban areas tend to be expensive, but if you go a bit further out you should eventually be able to find one for around $30k/acre, unless you live in some yuppie-infested shithole.

A typical suburban plot of 1/4-1/2 an acre is plenty to grow most if not all of your diet plus keep some chickens for eggs. You could also get some goats and import feed but IMO that defeats the purpose since ideally you should be grazing them. With larger livestock in general I think it's much better to lease grazing land by probing the area and asking people if you can lease. I don't have any animals yet but I started doing this just to see. Before buying my plot I also asked dozens of people to lease their land for growing crops, and it seems people are way more receptive to grazing than growing crops. Probably because you're just letting animals roam for a while rather than tearing up their ground to create a jungle. For more on this I highly recommend Greg Judy on jewtube.

Also mowing lawns is a good idea. On top of making some cash, if you get a lawn tractor with a bagging attachment you can save the grass to use either for green manure or feeding livestock.
--- 2548457
>>2548453
Also building a house is a ton of work without lots of help. If you really want to do it you should try building a tiny home. And getting it up to code can be a bitch, there are guides for it. If you just want a place to live then buying a prefabbed one is better.

Really if you're on your own the point should be more about developing skills. There's a reason why the few people who succeed in homesteading tend to have a big family and network of people to rely on. To do really serious shit you need to work with others, no matter what the antisocial spergs on here say.

I'd even say that homesteading, or at least an over emphasis on it, is unnatural. It's a relic of the colonial era when people needed to settle vast expanses of untamed land, so families had to split up and work on their own. Even then there was still a good deal of cooperation between families. The ideal is a village-like community full of resourceful people. However those are non-existent if you live in an *nglo country, so here we are.
--- 2548522
>>2547348
I've been reading a bit more about using wood. I was under the impression you needed a lot of land for it but people are getting 0.5 cords wood/acre/yr just growing for timber by grabbing dead or misshapen trees. Switching to all electric or possibly biogas at some point if I ever get animals is doable, but that is probably a harder than using either wood or electric.
Wood is attractive in the sense that there is less than that can go wrong. More romantic than electric for sure. Are there any books on the subject you liked? I guess it can't be terribly hard to figure out but I'm not at the place right now so I have a lot of downtime. Osage seems like a good one to plant.
--- 2548663
>>2543379 (OP)
bump
--- 2548668
>>2548457
>>2548453

Best of luck to you, anon. Hope it works out nicely.
--- 2548749
I'm having trouble starting out tomato seeds. They've been in the starting mix for one week and still no signs of life.
What am I doing wrong?
--- 2548773
>>2548749
Make sure they're staying warm and wet enough?

Try wrapping some in a wet paper towel in a ziploc baggie and leaving them somewhere warm for about a week
--- 2549069
>>2548749
temp?
--- 2549083
>>2548749
Tomatoes are always hit or miss with me. I’ve had 100% non starters and I’ve had plants which produced in year two.
--- 2549232
>>2547390
Use case
--- 2549911
>>2546868
Bees are great
--- 2549974
>>2548522
Look up the best species which grow in your area for pollarding and coppicing. I’ve been doing it the last few years with some invasive species growing on state land behind my house. I’m far from knowing anything about it except that it works. I get enough wood for a season of campfire cooking, but so far that’s all I’ve really been after.
--- 2549975
>>2549911
>Bees are great

Just split my hive. Hoping it sticks.
--- 2550270
>>2549975
Very nice. 2 queens?
--- 2550915
>>2546778
godspeed anon
--- 2551232
Planning on taking down three mature pecan trees this summer. We have more than we can harvest and need the space to put up a barn. Any creative ideas for what to do with the wood? I don't use wood heating much. My short list so far is hugelculture or start producing a mass amount of biochar
--- 2551321
>>2551232
Dry it?
--- 2551666
>>2543379 (OP)
What is the purpose of the small towers on top? Lighting?
--- 2552148
>>2551666
Good question
--- 2552183
>>2547390
How much did it actually cost?
--- 2552212
>>2551666
Improves ventilation.
--- 2552368
>>2543381
What chart is this?
--- 2552438
Sometimes I wonder if producing a good part of what I eat is actually possible.
My dozen chickens are pretty reliable for covering egg-needs, I heard that Dwarf goats are pretty good for cream/milk.

It's the carbs that completely stump me. Potatoes don't grow well here, corn has been really unreliable the times I tried it.
Got a good harvest from beans, though my family didn't like eating them.
--- 2552520
>>2543379 (OP)
How can I, a poorfag tech-wagie late-millennial saving up for land and living with family, get started with homesteading projects to make things less "zero to one hundred". Have yard, but I don't want to dominate the space. Ideas?
--- 2552524
>>2548522
How much is "a lot of land" to you? 3 acres of moderate to heavily forested, well managed by you, is plenty to support a single homes needs in a northern cooler climate forever.
--- 2552546
>>2552438
Keep trying more staple crops until you hit mix and amount that works. Overcoming the eating habits of family is the hardest challenge of you have the average to pull of the carbs part
--- 2552735
>>2552438
I realize this may be more of an ideological desire on your part than a practical one, but a good middle ground may be developing a personal comfort with trade and then switching over to rice. A diet of rice means that you can avoid processed carbs and all the baggage/obesity/diabetes that impacts normal westerners. Rice is dirt, cheap, easy to cook, and allows you to focus your farming on everything else. 

A good healthy diet like what is found in East Asia has a mass of more than 60% fruits and vegetables, then much smaller amounts of rice and animal protein. 

Your children, growing up with a daily intake of eggs, milk, poultry, and a small bowl of rice will keep them strong, lean, and healthy.
--- 2552740
How do I cope with the fact I'll eventually need to cull my animals, for food or otherwise? I want to have some chickens and something bigger like goats or sheep, but I'm worried about being devastated emotionally when their time comes.
--- 2552754
>>2552735
Look up diabetes rates in rice cultures. You'll be disappointed with severity
--- 2552796
>>2552740
Offer thanks to their spirit for the sustenance.
--- 2552800
>>2550270
>two queens
I’ll check in a couple weeks. I took five frames full of brood, honey, and capped queen cups to put in the new hive and checkerboarded the old one. Hopefully both hives are queen right when I check in two weeks.
--- 2552803
>>2552796
Does this actually make any guilt go away?
--- 2552804
>>2552803
I don’t know. It’s the native way. I grew up hunting - and killing animals I raised. Not always for food. Taking care of an old dog you’ve had since a pup is probably the hardest thing anyone can do.
--- 2552807
>>2552804
>Taking care of an old dog you’ve had since a pup is probably the hardest thing anyone can do
My family didn't hunt or anything like that, but I can relate to this. Granted we took our dogs to the vet when their time came, but it was still absolutely soul crushing. I suppose I would just need to live with knowing I gave my animals the best life I could while I had them
--- 2552810
>>2552807
One of the things they did in the past was keep a productive animal as long as possible. Is the hen still laying? The cow still producing milk? Pigs are whatever.
--- 2553191
>>2543379 (OP)
good thread
--- 2553227
>>2543379 (OP)

Any fish farmers here?

The most peaceful way to kill a fish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazDzYdXmDc [Embed]
--- 2553254
>>2543379 (OP)
Question for people who have made it: How much free time do you usually have after daily shores?
--- 2553399
>>2552803
I had to turn most of my animals into soup for awhile till I got used to the guilt. I didn't grow up hunting or anything.
--- 2553430
>>2553399
Stop being a pussy
--- 2553441
>>2553430
I'm killing and eating critters. What else do you want in this pissing contest?
--- 2553531
>>2553399
good luck anon
--- 2553537
>>2543379 (OP)
How do I meet homestead quality wife-able QTs?
--- 2553541
>>2553537
much like a prize-winning hog, you have to nurture them yourself.
--- 2553567
>>2553541
So what, trick some lady into my basement and nurture her into the ideal stockholme syndrome homestead wife?
--- 2553697
>>2553227
Thats just a lobotomy for fish...
--- 2554340
>>2553537
According to the prior thread, this is the hardest problem when homesteading. Cities act as a vacuum and fill the impressionable with degenerate values. Lifestyle makes certain women unable to get married in the future.

>>2553697
Ikegaki and similar methods are not as widespread as you imagine. Essential for preserving, taste in fish and reducing animal cruelty.
--- 2554655
>>2553537
Good luck anon
--- 2554661
>>2553537
ugly church* girl is probably the best you'll do for joining you in your faggot shack.
*the extra kooky kind
--- 2554922
>>2553227
nice fish
--- 2554926
>>2553537
Smell nice. Be smart. Be kind. Be interesting.
--- 2555280
>>2543379 (OP)
Is it a bad idea to buy reclaimed strip mine land? The land I'm looking at was mined for coal more than 30 years ago and was reclaimed pretty good. It has several acres of pine that will return most of the cost of purchase in less than 5 years.

Is heavy metal contamination still an issue after 30 years? I want to turn most of the land into garden and pasture. I was going to make an offer on it tomorrow.
--- 2555353
>>2555280
Heavy metal contaminated more or less doesn't go away
--- 2555419
>>2543807
>>2546884
Trying both is a good idea... You will never truly know until you see them for yourself. I did both and just made sure to put out sheep mineral buckets and then gave each of the goats a copper bolus, which is a little pill with copper shards... It gets in their digestive tract and they absorb it over the course of a year, meaning they get copper without ricking the sheep ODing on it.

After my experience, I found that sheep are tamer and easier to keep in a fence. They tend to be more skittish though, so a good catch system and a lot of hands on time is important with them. Goats are BUTTS. Like if I had to give them all an analogy, it would be that sheep are dogs and goats are cats. Goats are bully's through and through, even when they are sweet. They won't fight you, but they will climb all over you to reach food and they break out of fences all the time, so a really good fence is a must. If there is a way out, they will find it and they will poop all over your porch.

Unfortunately, sheep aren't really good for milking... So I'm stuck with a bunch of bullies that keep pooping on my porch.
--- 2555439
It's still another month until I can plant out and I keep ordering/buying plants and seeds. Send help.
--- 2555443
>>2555280
maybe, maybe not
I'd pay a company to analyze a sample of soil and a sample of groundwater from the place
it's not that expensive in the grand scheme of things and will come in handy if/when you start growing crops
--- 2555474
>>2555280
sunflowers will pull up heavy metals
just use any extra seed as birdseed
--- 2555518
>>2552740
Not trying to be condescending, but....
Does it bother you to buy meat from the store? If anything, that should bother you more because most of those animals live off minimal pasture and they live very short lives. With your own animals, you call the shots. You decide how long they live, which means you could let them live longer. You manage the land they graze on, so you can make sure it isn't overpopulated. You take care of their medical needs and handling,so the handler-animal relationship will likely be a closer bond than they would have had elsewhere. You can give them an all around better life and be more self sufficient in the process.
What I found the hardest, is actually accidental deaths. You are going to have animals just up and die on you. Most of which is because herd animals are really good at hiding when they aren't well. You have to be very attentive to their normal behaviour to pick up on the early signs. Sometimes you won't know until it's too late, but you will never pick up this skill if you don't start somewhere.

My advice for this is to make friends with someone who already homesteads... You can find them on craigslist by the ads of new livestock for sale. Ask around and see if any of them will give you hands-on, in-person advice since you might be buying your starting animals from them.
--- 2555720
>>2552754
This is primarily because EA/SEA cultures don't have as long a history of dairy and appropriate exercise.

Processed foods have also rekt them since the 20th century. 

On average for a person who gets appropriate exercise, a diet that is heavy on home-prepared veggies and rice is superior to a diet that is heavy on factory-prepared processed carbs products.
--- 2555722
>>2555280
you could just farm trees

or not eat the food you grow

consider aquaculture as well
--- 2555732
i am planting pumpkins this year
--- 2556302
>>2555732
why pumpkins anon?
--- 2556423
>>2543794
glhf
--- 2556572
>>2555732
Lost another one to the pumpkin cult.
--- 2556815
>>2556572
what meme?
--- 2556819
>>2548749
It takes about a week for tomatoes to germinate, they might just pop tomorrow.
--- 2556820
>>2551232
Idk how it differs with pecan, but any hickory wood is too awesome to just throw back in the dirt. Great wood for smoking meat, great hard wood for specifically tool handles but also anything else. I'd use the lame trees for biochar or Hugel.
--- 2556943
>>2556302
i have seeds from last year
>>2556572
is it any better if i got introduced to it by my uncle and aunt from their patch
--- 2557559
>>2551232
Build a bee stand for bees
--- 2557567
>>2552438
Have you looked into growing sweet potatoes, peanuts, wheat, barley, rice, oats, and rye ?
--- 2557669
>>2547348
Wood is great but I would really recommend having propane or some other backup system with a thermostat, even if it's just a big Mr Heater. If you only have wood you can't just leave town for a week or your pipes and canned food and so on will all freeze and break. So if you're building one piece at a time it makes sense to start with propane and add the wood stove later when you can afford it and have the time to install it.
--- 2557817
>>2543379 (OP)
I am trying to fix this patch of soil that got completely disgusting because we had to keep a bunch of sheep and goats here.

It is basically just pure shit that has been rained on a lot and it never seems to dry out.

I tilled it some today in hopes of aerating it to encourage breakdown, but I think I may need to add something to it. Pure Carbon source to help fix the C/N balance, maybe?
--- 2557825
>>2557817
woof
--- 2557830
>>2557825
Yeah. It's truly wretched. Smells terribly disgusting. Rotting egg, manure, shit when I was tilling it. 

3-4 inches of pure anaerobically fermented goat and sheep shit.
--- 2558033
>>2557817
Been there. Add hay or wood chips. You can go to a local lumber mill and buy wood chips by the truckload for pretty cheap. Or you you get hay bales and use some for this and some for weed prevention in a garden since it's about time to start planting
--- 2558435
>>2557817
gross
--- 2558481
>>2558033
Ty for the advice. I was considering hay so it would break down a bit faster. Thoughts on using sawdust? If my thinking is correct the sludge needs a lot of carbon to balance things out, and saw dust would break down fairly quickly.

I have 640sq.ft of raised beds and a greenhouse I mainly plant in. I'd like to try and fix this patch as a sort of learning thing, and to plant a huge patch of sunflowers.

If I do fix this ground it should be pretty fertile, right?

>>2558435
I'll post some more pictures of it tommorow. That isn't even the worst of it. Be thankful you can't smell it lol.
--- 2558523
>>2543794

anon just get a remote job and outsource your labor to an AI.

Running LLaMA locally:

https://medium.com/@martin-thissen/llama-alpaca-chatgpt-on-your-local-computer-tutorial-17adda704c23
--- 2558524
>>2558481
morbidly curious about the impending photos
--- 2558563
Second year, still so much struggle. 
I've got five cubic meters of weeds piled up that won't compost or aren't suitable for composting. 
The cost of arborists is greater than the net value of my fruit. 
My lawns are thatched over and I don't have the machinery to aerate it, the $1500 mulcher is still waiting on parts, potatos didn't grow well because I planted them too close to tomatoes. Rookie error.
The berries didn't sell fresh at wholesale rates and the jam didn't sell either. A flood washed away all my raddish and cabbage.

I'm working seven hours a day for money and just come home exausted, I've been injured twice and am severely demoralized by the accumulation of things which I either can't afford to get done or don't know how to do.
--- 2558717
>>2558481
Sawdust might work if that's what you have available, but I suspect chips would work better. Once it's not sludge anymore, it should be SUPER fertile ground
--- 2558723
>>2558563
Look at carrots cash flow or farm small farm smart. You can glean a lot of market garden tips
--- 2558745
>>2558524
Here you go. Remember this ground has been wet like this for probably 4+ months.
--- 2558747
>>2558524
Scrape away a little of the surface muck and you can see the true horrors.

>>2558717
Awesome to hear. Figured as much.
--- 2558897
>>2558747
>>2558745
thanks for sharing. terrifying anon
--- 2558967
>>2557817
>>2557830
If pic is all that is destroyed; plough in a 20/80 mix of diatomaceous earth and sand/fine gravel. That shit patch will then be some of your most productive dirt you've ever had.
--- 2558982
Did I make a mistake getting chickens? I have a house and a couple acres the middle of nowhere and I already take care of a well trained dog and a few cats.
I was partway through building a coop and already had a lot of supplies for the chickens. I just had to keep telling myself that it would work out.
Now I finally have them after two years of thinking about it and lots of research, and I immediately think it was a mistake.
My concern is that I wont be able to take care of them properly and that I will somehow fail at it. I just doubt myself a lot.
I got barred rock chickens because i think that they would be a fairly easy breed to work with.
--- 2559015
>>2558481
I always had good luck with Royal Hybrid and Super Snack sunflowers for eating seeds. They get around 6' tall and have a 8-10" head. I've alsogrown other sunflowers like russian mamoth, sky scraper, pikes peak, and american giant. Those are okay for seeds but since they get so tall they need a long season to form full seeds.
--- 2559046
>>2543807
sheep are based
--- 2559214
>>2558982
Nah man. Just keep at it. Chickens are pretty easy and you can do it. Your biggest hurdle now is to finish the coop before they outgrow the brooder. Once you get that done, just make sure they have food and clean water and you should only need to check on them twice a day (morning to let them into the run and evening to lock up after the go to bed) Barred rocks are a good choice. Did you get pullets or straight run?
--- 2559221
>>2559214
I got pullets because I was doubtful about taking care of a rooster. It should be ok without one. 
The run that I build should be safe, as I always overthink things and always over prepare. I have a lot of predators around though, so I am still worried. Coyote, raccoon, foxes, mink, hawks, and owls all hang out on my property.
--- 2559245
>>2559221
You still get the occasional cockerel in the mix. But they're easy animals and no picky about habitat. It's mostly predators, including humans and dogs that are an issue. And interflock conflict
--- 2559265
>>2559245
I will keep an eye on them to see if one is a rooster. I may or may not keep them if thats the case, it will probably depend on their behavior.
--- 2559269
>>2559265
You got to cuddle and embarrass
 A rooster to keep them friendly and even then sometimes your get a dick.
--- 2559283
>>2559221
Pullets is good. In my experience, a straight run is mostly roosters, which leads to a lot of fighting and, of course, not as many eggs.


As >>2559245 said, you could still end up with a Roo, but it's not going to be so many as to cause problems. As long as you have them in a run that is secure from coons, you should be fine without a rooster. I would definitely pick one up though if you decide to let them free range at all when they are older. A good rooster will protect his ladies. My first one would charge across the yard any time he heard one of his ladies cry out if something spooked her. He looked mean, but was super easy to be around... I would not have called him friendly per se, but he wasn't the slightest bit aggressive towards humans, which mattered because he could stand up almost as tall as my toddler. I would avoid wyandotte roos because they are they opposite. We had them and they would jump at EVERYONE. Some decent roaster breeds would be White Rock (that was mine), barred rock, Rhode Island Red.

Rhode island red would be especially good for you if you decide to raise your own chicks later. RIR rooster with Barred rock hens is a very popular sex-link so you know the cockerels from the pullets at birth.
--- 2559412
>>2546699
I've been on 4chan for near a decade and realized there is no agriculture and livestock interest board. I was pretty surprised considering all the others. I've just now discovered /homestead/ and /HGM/ being the only places to talk about these topics. What is it then? Homestead has legal precedence in the United States and other British colonies as an official legal term. United States has dozens of Homestead Acts in our government regarding settling the western frontier. Even the modern concept of homesteading term that is so popular has origins in 18th century agriculturist philosophy. By broad definition a homestead is a home and it's adjoining land belonging to a family. It's an ancestral home. Basically a generational estate. I don't see why gardening should be separate from anything. We used all have gardens whether urban or rural living. It's really all about just making the best out of what you got on your land. Making your home produce resources. Working the land for both subsistence and income. For me, I don't know much. I'm brand new and lived in a city most my life. I plan to get several acres and just go for it. I just want to be farmer. I don't give a shit what you call it. Honestly I don't see the difference between the two generals.
--- 2559439
>>2559412
I don't see a difference between them, so I follow both. There might have been a distinction at one point or another, but all of the topics interlace with each other, so it's not surprising that they both cover the same topics now.
--- 2559460
>>2558982
How many chickens are we talking about here? I'm not hearing a specific problem, maybe you're just anxious about the whole thing.
--- 2559477
>>2559269
>>2559283
Thank you.
I will learn to work with the rooster if that is how it turns out.
I did not really plan on letting them free range just because of the amount of predators. There are a lot of hawks in particular.
I had narrowed it down to a few specific breeds, like the rhode island red, but I ultimately decided on barred rock because I like the feathers. I really hope this works out.
>>2559460
I got seven of them.
You have to buy a minimum of six, and I didnt want to leave one alone in the thing at the store. I think that I would have preferred five, I dont know why. Maybe I feel like less can go wrong with less chickens. I am quite anxious about it, I worry a lot. Its a problem of mine.
--- 2559540
>>2552438
>Got a good harvest from beans, though my family didn't like eating them.
What's wrong with your family?
--- 2559603
>>2546778
based tourist fleecer
open a "museum of local rural culture" full of random trash and rusty old tools people dig up in barn and would throw in a bin
--- 2559745
>>2546778
Peacocks, or "Juno's bird" are relatively cheap at around ~$10 per bird. They also cost about as much as a chicken to keep, and fit into the tourists' idea of what Greece looks like.
--- 2559897
>>2558982
They're cheep livestock. Failure just means they die. Learn from your mistakes. Move on
--- 2559957
>>2543379 (OP)
bumpi
--- 2560021
>>2546778
Onions, Hardneck Garlic, and Shallots
--- 2560039
>>2560021
Beautiful photo
--- 2560350
>>2558747
>>2558745
>>2557817

Need some soil thickener
--- 2560385
Chicken update. They seem happy in their new pen and I am feeling much better about them. I used my dogs little pool, that she hates, as a new enclosure. I have also been trying to handle them to get them used to me. They have started jumping a lot. 
>>2560021
Very nice! I just love garlic so much. It was the first thing that I successfully grew on my property. I harvested a lot of hardneck garlic last year and gave some to my mom.
--- 2560504
>>2560385
Nice chickens
--- 2560928
>>2560385
Cool. Always glad to hear that someone else grows hardneck garlic. What kind did you grow ?
--- 2560978
>>2560928
Purple stripe. Very tasty
--- 2561315
>>2560021
love shallots
--- 2561487
How realistic is it to entertain fantasies of homesteading and raising some livestock if you’re a trucker who is gone five days out of the week? Like can I build a giant chicken enclosure and leave enough food and water out for the week and have them be OK? I know they have automated systems for watering gardens and what not but I really want goats and birds
--- 2561571
>>2561487
You would probably need to set up a good camera system. If something goes wrong you're screwed. Also there will be daily chores 100% necessary to be there for. If you think you can make money just hire someone.
--- 2561725
How many desert acres do you think it would take to support 6 or so sheep?
--- 2561733
>>2561725
Depends if you're going to let them "graze" on scrub or buy feed for them
--- 2561789
>>2545726
Good luck, sounds like a rock solid foundation!
--- 2561791
>>2553567
it's what I am doing at least. Be upfront about your plans
--- 2561792
>>2555732
which varieties? I'm growing butternut, hokkaido, crown prince f1.
--- 2561799
not exactly homesteading but ive started to get into planting shit, rn only planted 3 berry stick tree things, very excited to see how itll go
--- 2561977
>>2561487
>homesteading
>never home
What's the point?
--- 2562019
>>2546706
I love you anon
--- 2562044
>>2546704
/out/ has a lot of gatkeepers

Very dumb
--- 2562049
Egg haul
--- 2562070
Yeah whatever there's some dumbo dumbing, big deal.
Here's my wabbit. I want to get him a gf, but I fear they will become too numerous. Also I don't have a place to hold them, and this little dude goes away all night as it is; with enough of these the smell will attract the coyotes and it won't be nice.
Yeah, I could eat them, but like >>2552740 I can't get myself to do it. I couldn't kill an aggresive rooster, let alone a fluffy rabbit.
Man I need to man up.
--- 2562071
>>2552520
Perennial shrubs. Maybe a nut tree, depending on your climate, hazel would be good, if your site is big enough. Besides the hazel, find out what shrubs grow in your area, go take a walk. You might be able to grow blackberries, raspberries, gooseberry, and in he shade of those fellas, all the herbs you can find. Lavender, basil, rosemary, thyme.
Separate the organic waste from your kitchen, throw it in bin or just pile it up at the back of the yard, rake the leaves on summer and throw them on top. Give it a turn every month or so, and after 6 months use it as fertilizer for your stuff. Pull out any weeds that seem to affect your plants, such as climbers, or anything that starts to take up space from your plants.
Use some of that compost to try and grow anything that comes your way.
--- 2562320
>>2552740
Start by just shooting them in the skull with a .22 or 9mm to start. About as quick, easy, and painless as you can get.
--- 2562326
>>2562044
I'm sure lots of people here have cats whys that dumb?
--- 2562430
>>2543379 (OP)
Bumpoo
--- 2562471
>>2561977
I would be gone five days and four nights out of the week. Still home on the weekends
--- 2562513
Anyone have some game changing revelations they could share? Things you wish you could have known sooner?

I'll start...I always thought that goat kids should be separated at night and milk the doe in the morning before reuniting them for the day. But this meant mid-night bottle feeding and waking up early to milk the goat. I am NOT a morning person and I move like a slug until about 10am even though I am usually up for hours before that. 
I started separating them in the morning, milking after dinner, and then reunite for bed time. I just walk out in my PJs and let the doe our before I start breakfast. She gets all day long to browse the brush around our house and can come check on her babies through the fence as often as she likes. I'm fully alert and awake when I go give them bottles and am able to enjoy the time with them. She gets milked on a more regular schedule because dinner is usually at 6, which puts me outside to milk around 6:30 and her back with her babies by 7pm and I get to go to sleep with only my own children to worry about.
Also, I learned that I can tie her leg back so she cant step in the bucket during milking! It seems like a no brainier, but I was fighting stompers for so long and now, with the schedule change and the leg tie, miking takes about 10minutes instead of 30 minutes with little to show for it! I'm so excited and happy to have this thing finally working out for me.

What kinds of game-changers have you experienced?
--- 2562546
>>2561733
let's say half and half
--- 2563011
>>2562430
True?
--- 2563020
>>2562546
On good land you can run 6-8 goats a acre. And thats with buying feed. I'd say 1 or 2 per acre in a desert/arid area. Even then you need more land so you can rotate the pasture unless you increase the amount bought feed. But I'm not goat expert.
--- 2563132
>>2562471
I'd suggest pursuing a different career. Or start trucking locally so you can be home everyday.
--- 2563220
hi i'm not reading a single post in this thread.
i have a question for you guys
how many of you itt live off grid vs how many of you guys just watch youtubes about it?
--- 2563240
>>2563220
Only the siith deal in absolutes. Kill this man.
--- 2563282
>>2563220
I dont live off grid. But I have 6 acres and produce food for myself on it. I fix our own shit and my wife bakes our bread.
We preserve for winter and produce out own compost. Stared an orchard last year. In the evenings I am stiff from work. I sit on my porch and watch deer play in my yard while my wife makes dinner. Sometimes I play pokemon. 

What have you done?
--- 2563485
>>2562513
Thanks for sharing anon.

Game changer: not from personal experience but make connections with local bank officials and the nearest federal agriculture official. Lot of financing and grant opportunities out there.
--- 2563556
>>2563485
What US states have the best grants and programs for homesteaders starting out? I don't have the money I need yet. Getting there but it helps to have a goal in mind. Also am learning as many diy skills as I can to fix up any structures I might need to.
--- 2563944
>>2563220
Not even close to off-grid, but..

Raising my kids with my wife on 50 acres of land that backs up onto a major river. Got a few tractors, an old truck, keep about 30 or 40 chickens and ducks, multiple food plots, I hunt and fish, and we can and preserve a lot of what we grow. I cut our own firewood, soon will make my own lumber too when I have my mill up and running. Looking to get into raising pigs and a cow or two in the near future after I get some hay equipment.
--- 2564018
>>2563944
May I ask how old you are? Also congrats, I'll hope to be there in a few years
--- 2564248
>>2563944
Can you share what state? And how much you paid per acre?
--- 2564332
>>2563944
I'll be 30 this year
>>2564248
Eastern leafistan. I bought a fixer upper house on 5 acres afor 110k back in 2017 and have been working on it ever since lol. It was right next to my grandfather's woodlot, and I was fortunate enough to inherit the 45 acres of timber and marsh when he passed. Hustling to build up a business and some money in the bank so I can make an offer on the 50 acre lot next door in the future so I can have something to pass on to my son.
--- 2564422
>>2563282
>my wife bakes my bread
What grain/cereal do you use?
How do you process it? Do you have a combiner?
--- 2564700
>>2564332
> $110k Canadian for house and five acres in 2017

You're very lucky anon. Today, that price would be significantly higher.
--- 2564755
>>2546057
thinklikeahorse does great videos but he can get into rants too often. just skip his rants and look for positive videos. some of his rants can be informative if you never heard them before but trust me even if you agree they get tiresome to hear over and over.
--- 2564756
>>2546723
Thats not evidence
>the goalpost will be moved
timestamp and thread number sticky note have been a staple on this website since 2007 you fucking newfag.
--- 2564771
>>2564700
>you are very lucky
Tell me about it. But it was market value for the area at the time. Based on other listings around me I could ask 6 - 700k for the entire acreage, not that I'll ever sell. I don't envy a young guy trying to put down roots today, seems almost impossible.
--- 2564804
>>2564422
We buy flour. We aren't autistic
--- 2565064
>>2564771
$600-700k Canadian for 5 acres with house in your neck of the woods? That... actually sounds about right for CAN. Certainly would cost at least 2x that in the GTA.
--- 2565089
>>2565064
I was counting the house and 5 acres + 45 acre woodlot.

There a place less than a few km from me, 30 acres with a 30 year old minhome and a couple old old falling down barns and an old farmhouse that has been vacant for 30+ years. Asking $450k
--- 2565090
Anyone sugaring tonight?
--- 2565147
>>2565090
Nah, I don't even really care for syrup that much, and everybody and their mother makes it around here. I'll buy a bottle of theirs and it will last me a year or more.
--- 2565259
>>2565090
I have access to a couple of large sugar maples but I didnt have the time this year.
--- 2565368
>>2549975
Just split mine yesterday.
Feral colony I caught as a swarm out of a bee tree.

They have been the most productive bees I've had. When I went to split them they had 2 mediums and a deep I gave them 6 frames of medium brood and the parent colony still had 2-4 frames of brood and was filling the extra super with nectar already. I had to give them another super to keep them busy.
> Tl;Dr feral bees are based
--- 2565379
>>2565089
This is total insanity but sounds about right for the CAN / US markets.
--- 2565403
>>2546707
Random muttflock of meme breeds with no concrete purpose.

Backyard chicken keeper detected. Opinion disregard.
--- 2565471
>have savings
>move to northern state where stuff is cheaper (flyover, one of the Dakotas)
>live in simple apartment, take funds from job to buy land and put shed (or elog house kit or just build with trees on the property) on said land
>build a simple homestead with job money
>quit job and live at homestead full time
>worst case scenario use tech knowledge to do a WFH job
how retarded is this idea?
--- 2565555
>>2565471
that's more or less my plan as well. I'm a 'self employed' software dev and my goal is to buy a piece of land and gradually build it up. I like my job so I would like to keep working, at least part time, once I'm on the homestead. The best case would be if one of my projects turns into a profitable company.
--- 2565563
WATER'S TOO EXPENSIVE TO GROW ANYTHING FUCK
NO IT DOESN'T RAIN HERE FUCK
--- 2565631
>>2565471
>>2565555
Have you researched how much it's going to cost to build your house? Kits are expensive and they usually don't include any plumbing or electrical... They are just fancy looking sheds which is why shed to tiny home conversions are so popular... So unless you want primitive housing with no running water and no electricity, you are going to have to figure out how much that costs and if it is even something you are capable of learning how to do.

Don't get me wrong... I'm all for building up a homestead. I did it myself. But I wasn't about to do everything myself from square one. There's a reason I'm not a plumber or an electrician. I used an old, but functional single wide. I opted to put in a well instead of getting on public water. Getting that up in my area (well, septic, electricity, and the trailer moving costs) cost about $30k plus what I spent on the used trailer I found on craigslist and the cost of the land itself. It would probably be more today just because gas prices have gone up so much.

Everything said and done, I would rather buy an old house with some acreage and go from there. Even if it's only 2 acres, it's a good starting point especially if you can get it for less than it costs to put in a new home site. Once you have done enough homesteading that you need more room, you will have improved the property so much that you should be able to sell it for a profit and you will have a better idea of what things actually work for you, rather than going off all the memes that everyone falls for in the beginning.
--- 2565676
>>2565563
>DOESN'T RAIN HERE

make a chembuster
--- 2565740
>>2561487
Well, you could do a lot with etc. timers/smart devices, but you will need a person for back up. 

>>2563220
In my garden I have pear, apples, plums, blackberry, strawberry, mulberry, cherries, raspberry (yellow, red), currant (white, red, black), grapes, Blueberries, sea berry, quince, pumpkins, carrots, rhubarb, potatoes (new this year) and all kinds' kitchen herbs, and some random mushrooms.

But I live only 15-20 minutes from a 250k city, so not even close to anything off-grid or a homestead ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kinda happy, but I'm saving money and concentrating on my job to get more remote option and buy some raw land. So i test now and dream for later and collect ideas
--- 2565850
>>2565368
>feral beekeeper

Profoundly based
--- 2565896
>>2565631
I'm doing research when I have free time to do so. I just think of these questions and try to get the answer right away, so I spend less time factoring in something that won't work. Only thing I'm hesitant on is an old building on a property that's not structurally sound.
For water, I feel like I'm too much of a prissy bitch to go without city water, but I would like to use solar panels if possible.
--- 2566207
I have a first year Meyer lemon tree and so far three little yellow lemons about the size of Jellybeans have already fallen off. Is this normal?
--- 2566228
>>2565850
Why pay for bees when you can get local hardy bees?

Worst case scenario I get a hot hive and have to requeen. 

I'm slowly starting to get equipment and numbers in preparation for trying to create superior bees using selected genetics (for my area). Beegenics if you will.
--- 2566433
>>2543379 (OP)
Bumpooo
--- 2566542
>>2565631

(>>2565555) I'm a DIY guy so yes, I've looked into how to install e.g. septic systems, electricity, and stuff like that.
With unlimited money I'd buy an old stone farmhouse with 100+ acres but I'm in my mid twenties and just started working. 
The way I imagined it was working ~3-4 months full time on the property and then fuck off and work for the remaining time for the first few years. 
In the first year the time would be mainly spent by analyzing the property, clearing a (small) building site, and felling trees / cutting wood for a first cavin. Once that's done I'd draw up a concrete plan for that first cabin (which one day should serve as a place for inlaws/friends to stay) and build that in the second season. 
After that shaping the garden, more planning, bigger house, etc. and one day one could move there full time.
I have a gf and convincing her to live with me in a small shed and shit in the woods is impossible.
--- 2566567
Winter squash is one of my favorite vegetables, but I have had really bad problems with vine borers killing every plant I have. Apparently it's the Hubbard type squash that are most affected by them, and that's the cool varieties I try to plant. I've had great success with spaghetti squash in the past, but I really want a "regular" type pumpkin. I've heard C.Moschata is most resistant to the borers, so I'm trying long island cheese this year. Will they be good, or is there something else I should do to ensure success?
--- 2566591
>>2543379 (OP)
I bought an abandoned house with a barren plot of land. I want to plant some trees that are quick to grow and will provide good shade in the future. I'm located in zone 6. I've read about the empress tree - apparently it grows extremely quick, however I've also read reports that it won't properly grow where I'm located due to cold winters.
What are the quickest growing shade trees for zone 6?
--- 2566681
I need a reality check on my pipe dream. There's an uninhabited island in the Aleutians that I've found out about. It looks ideal for making a homestead. The climate is roughly similar to the Faroe Islands, and it'd be perfect for grazing sheep. However, it's "managed" by the Alaska National Heritage Wildlife Refuge. Presumably, I can't just set up shop there. Is it possible to squat there and not get kicked out the second a park janny notices me?
--- 2566685
>>2566228
This is cool
--- 2566889
>>2566591
Hybrid poplar is a fast grower
--- 2566965
>>2566681
This is likely not legal
--- 2567095
>>2543807
Please do milk sheep.
--- 2567106
>>2566681
How would you plan on getting supplies, fuel or replacement parts? Not exactly a quick trip to the hardware store, and doubt anyone would deliver to an illegal squatter on an uninhabited island.

Jannies would be the least of your worries
--- 2567195
>>2566207
Fuck bros two more fell off today, what do I do? could it possibly be too small of a tree for the lemons? I'm not sure why they're turning yellow and then just falling off on their own
--- 2567209
>>2566567
I had terrible luck with vine borers for years, but found that the solution was to tent my vines with muslin when soil temps broke into the 70s (second or 3rd week of June, here). Put out a trap for the adults (yellow bowl of water with a drop of soap to break surface tension), and take your covers off when you go a week without catching one.
--- 2567445
>>2566567
Good luck anon
--- 2567817
Alright fellas I've started to make some real steps towards having a little homestead. 
Currently own a decently sized home with a bigass garage with space for projects, sitting on 5 acres of land. Wife and I started a small garden that honestly might not do too hot but we'll see- we planted tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, beans, and carrots. We also planted a blueberry bush, a pecan tree (looks more like a fucking stick in the dirt honestly) and a peach tree. 
About 1.5 acres of the property is fenced out for horses or cattle but local laws say you can only have 2 large animals per 5 acres of land so I'm kind of torn on what I want to do there. We're going to build a chicken coop within the next few weeks and get some chickens for egg laying and maybe a couple of meat birds. 

What else should I try to do with all this land? I'm a first time home owner and honestly outside of working on a small organic farm for a year I don't have a ton of experience. I can give more details as needed because I'm sure this is fairly vague.
--- 2567838
>>2567195
Just one lemon left guys. Anything? Any advice?
--- 2567852
>>2567838
Are you watering it?
--- 2567864
>>2567852
Yes, daily. At sunset so I don't burn it. Gave it a little fertilizer too.
--- 2567893
>>2567864
Maybe you're over watering. Do you let the soil dry out?
--- 2567904
>>2567893
That's what I thought, I only water it for a couple of minutes every day but I'll get in the habit of checking the soil dryness. It's got one little yellow lemon left, but maybe the tree is just too young since it's only about a foot tall.
--- 2567909
Caught a swarm of bees in a swarm trap today. Southern Ohio here so if any beekeepers out there that haven't done inspections yet you might be dangerously close to them swarming.
--- 2567988
>>2566433
Too soon???
--- 2568016
Link to the server?
--- 2568107
Hey anons, do you have any advice for catching pests or naturally deterring them, mainly rabbits and squirrels? The fuckers keep digging up my peas and peanuts or just eating the young sprigs and its rather annoying. Most of the plants are fine, and I snared around entry points to catch the rabbits but have no luck just yet. I was thinking of making a crossbow to pop them when they are running around late at night/early in the morning but I wanted a natural deterrent that I don't have to go to the store to buy.
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>>2567909
Oh wow, that's not good