# Small lot, lots of food



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Learn How This Family Grows 6,000 Lbs Of Food on Just 1/10th Acre | DIY Cozy Home

Pretty amazing what can be produced on a small lot.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

That is really incredible. What a great story and approach. Thanks for posting.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

That is way too cool. Thanks.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

Great post, thank you for sharing!


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

That's a LOT of work! Hope the Californians figure out that water problem soon. It's nice to know that something like this can be done though.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

That is super cool.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

I like it. They grow their own food, and have no shortage of suckers to take the surplus off their hands. What a beautiful operation.
Those planters look almost like they are not fixed in place. I wonder if they are portable.

Didja notice that the blurb that Monsato tried to ban the video?


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## 7052 (Jul 1, 2014)

Nice operation they have. They claim to be "off the grid" but I'm pretty sure they are still on municipal water. Since they are still on the power grid ($12 per month bill he said) they should get some wind turbines. Maybe they can sell power back to the utility. Does California allow that?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Very nice set up. Thanks for posting.

Even though we have about 30 acres, we've found that raised bed gardening is much more efficient and productive (for us) vs larger gardens. Raised bed gardening allows for better control of soil, fertilizer, weed and critter control.

These are old pics but I've added 2 more stock tanks that I use for raised beds (1st pic). I'd rather grow veggies than mow! 

I've also built another wooden raised bed near the others in the 2nd pic. 
View attachment 10356
View attachment 10357

The pic below is our "larger" garden. 
View attachment 10358

It's getting that time again!


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Egyas said:


> Nice operation they have. They claim to be "off the grid" but I'm pretty sure they are still on municipal water. Since they are still on the power grid ($12 per month bill he said) they should get some wind turbines. Maybe they can sell power back to the utility. Does California allow that?


I'm off grid as far as water goes (for my garden/trees). I am still on municipal water for my household (~$35/month).

And my power bill is only double theirs! It'd be nice to have some hand powered gizmos. All I have is a manual can opener!

This vid make me feel like a turd. I have more land than them, yet I do nothing with it! Not as much as them. I do have mostly fruit trees. Maybe tomorrow I'll clear another spot for an above ground planter. I have one already. Had to because of gophers (lined it with mesh and concrete blocks. I'd like to see those bastards get through THAT!). I wonder if they have gophers? What did they do to discourage them?

Also took him 10 years. I've been here 4. Only 6 more to go and I'll be making $20k a year. Now I DON'T want my house to sell! Lol


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## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

Makes me feel bad for not doing anything on our land.  
Then again, I have an aquaponics system. But still..
*sigh*

Is there a thread here that helps out gardening starters? And is gardening really a great prepping hobby?


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## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

Oh and Thanks!


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Sarahwalker said:


> Makes me feel bad for not doing anything on our land.
> Then again, I have an aquaponics system. But still..
> *sigh*
> 
> Is there a thread here that helps out gardening starters? And is gardening really a great prepping hobby?


Sorry it took me so long to get back to you with a link, I was out doing some Parkour. But you might want to check out these threads below on the link that I provided. You should find some on gardening. If not, you can always start a thread yourself. Good luck!

Garden, Canning, Long Term Food Storage


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Sarahwalker said:


> Makes me feel bad for not doing anything on our land.
> Then again, I have an aquaponics system. But still..
> *sigh*
> 
> Is there a thread here that helps out gardening starters? And is gardening really a great prepping hobby?


Absolutely gardening is a great prepping hobby! When I first got my place there had been only a couple fruit trees. Mostly inedible yuccas. Being the cheap and broke arse I always am, I decided to "clear the property, and replace everything inedible with edibles.

Why? Because why store food, that'll eventually run out. Have to replace it somehow. Especially AFTER SHTF when stores are not open, or a fresh orange is $25 or a loaf of bread is $100!

This is my first attempt at a garden. Was very successful until the gophers moved in! You can see the yucca trees in the left side of the pic








Recent pic (couple weeks old. Have since mowed/weed eated.) and yes I grow in pots too!








Garden if you can!


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The saving grace for producing all that food is the animals. Without the animals you would go broke buying fertilizer for that compact farm. It takes a lot of nutrients to grow crops under the intensity of small acreage. It takes a lot of sunshine and warm temps too. In the southwestern US they are getting ready for their first harvest and we ar just now puting starts in the ground. It will be 50 to 90 days before we start to harvest at all here.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

PaulS said:


> The saving grace for producing all that food is the animals. Without the animals you would go broke buying fertilizer for that compact farm. It takes a lot of nutrients to grow crops under the intensity of small acreage. It takes a lot of sunshine and warm temps too. In the southwestern US they are getting ready for their first harvest and we ar just now puting starts in the ground. It will be 50 to 90 days before we start to harvest at all here.


So true. The goat poo can go directly on beds, or it can be composted along with the chicken poo which is so high in nitrogen that a little goes a long way in making compost. Besides having the animals to provide nitrogen for the garden, the garden can supply a lot of food for the animals. That is the complete circle of sustainability. If you have to buy animal feed, you are not really sustainable. This has been my bug-a-boo for years. Chickens, guinea hens, guinea pigs, and goats would be the most easily sustainable small animals, in my opinion. A piglet could be raised on excess spring goat milk and summer garden waste and then butchered in fall. Rabbits MUST have a source of Vitamin E in their diets which can be difficult. Wild rabbits eat such a variety of plants and seeds that they get what they need, but just feeding legumes to domestic rabbits can be disasterous. Tilapia could be sustainable with homemade feed. Crickets are the MOST easily sustainable, and can then be used in the feed formulas for chickens and tilapia. It is a very worthwhile goal to create a totally sustainable food supply that includes both garden and small livestock.


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## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

Slippy said:


> Sorry it took me so long to get back to you with a link, I was out doing some Parkour. But you might want to check out these threads below on the link that I provided. You should find some on gardening. If not, you can always start a thread yourself. Good luck!
> 
> Garden, Canning, Long Term Food Storage


Parkour!! I believe you're an awesome person! 
And thanks for sharing the thread! Will look around..


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## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

kevincali said:


> Absolutely gardening is a great prepping hobby! When I first got my place there had been only a couple fruit trees. Mostly inedible yuccas. Being the cheap and broke arse I always am, I decided to "clear the property, and replace everything inedible with edibles.
> 
> Why? Because why store food, that'll eventually run out. Have to replace it somehow. Especially AFTER SHTF when stores are not open, or a fresh orange is $25 or a loaf of bread is $100!
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing your story and photos. It's very promising. And you're right about having your own grown food when SHTF.
Gardening is my starting hobby now. Next should be hunting and trapping.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I container grow in 5gal buckets. I haven't seen bell peppers for under $.99 each in stores in two years. And a mix of tomatoes is a staple for any home. With the draught out in California you can expect things normally grown out there to be expensive this year. And don't get me started on what I think of things grown with GMO seeds. Buckets need atleast a 1/2" drain hole drilled in the bottom incase of heavy rain. Plants love rain water so nice to have a rain catch & storage system.

Bell peppers can be cut up & frozen or pressure canned. And tomatoes for making sauces & pressure can them also. I do like me some beefsteak tomato slices on a sandwich.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

BTW, I use plastic coffee containers to start seeds. I drill a hole in the lid then turn upside down cutting the bottom off. So the containers are used upside down. When time to transplant into buckets I remove the lid from the bottom & push the plant & potting soil up threw the top.

Buckets get placed along the fence line & field fence makes it easy to support stalks.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> BTW, I use plastic coffee containers to start seeds. I drill a hole in the lid then turn upside down cutting the bottom off. So the containers are used upside down. When time to transplant into buckets I remove the lid from the bottom & push the plant & potting soil up threw the top.
> 
> Buckets get placed along the fence line & field fence makes it easy to support stalks.


I like this idea. I am going to try it with some of the heirloom seeds I got from the local seed bank. Thanks for the tip.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

After using the coffee containers if you put them where the sun doesn't get to them they will last atleast two years. I get large creamer containers from my neighbor & they also work.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Another advantage of the coffee containers is I can move them around easily so they get more or less sun as needed.


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## ARDon (Feb 27, 2015)

Great read!


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I think I had mentioned this in a previous thread. I have two spray bottles for pest control. One is Dawn & water & the other is hydrogen peroxide & water.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Sounds like a great garden plan. Thanks. Fixing to put some of these good ideas to work.


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