Thinking about the kind of self-sufficiency that I want............

[enjoy the ride]

A lot of idea have been percolating through my mind since I started reading on this site. I think I have figured out at least some of the guiding principle that I want to have.

Since I do not want to spend a lot of my time working with mechanical items nor do I have enough land or resources to do everything, I have decided that my "mission statement" is to be to minimized what I need to have come into my place and minimize what I allow to leave it.
For instance, I want some animals- can't think of living without them but I can't grow what I need to completely feed them. Therefore hay and grain must come in- but I can certainly compost the manure and use that totally on my place to enrich the paddocks and grow my own vegetables. I can do a lot of my own vet work and build my own animal shelters and put up my own fencing. I can grow things that can be used as supplimental feed to the animals. I am going to expand my use of drought tolerant shrub roses- they are beautiful and provide a surprising amount of greens for the goats and what remains can be composted. I will will grow mostly what fits into that catagory- little or no plants that are not edible by someone here.
Cardboard almost never leaves my place already- it's a weed barrier. So something in a useful type of cardboard is ok while something in a plastic container is not.
I have to have power as I can't produce my own but I can minimize that amount I use by a great deal. The animal sheds have not lights, I do not have a yard light and I will unplug anything not in use. An item using no power is more desirable than one needing power.
You can see the idea- when I go to look at something to buy or a plan for doing something, this will be the standard I use. Will this item allow me to use less or will it need maintenance and resources without producing an equivalent savings? I'd love a greenhouse but will not use it enough to justify spending $1000 to get one- but I will cobble one together out of what is already here.
Can an item serve more that one purpose, can it be used up so it doesn't end in a landfill, will it need constant replacement?
I hope I remember this idea everytime I shop and everytime I go to throw something out. Does it really further this goal?
As close as I can get to nothing in and nothing out.

 

[Homesteadmom]

We are in the same boat for growing hay & grains for our animals too. So we try to minimize what we have to bring in to help with those costs. And we use the manure here to help grow things better. I try not to get too many things in plastic but we have a recycle station(containers) not to far from us here(1/2 mile) that we take that stuff to. Thanks for the idea of cardboard for a weed barrier, never thought of it before, I will have to try it this yr in the garden. But we do pull the weeds to feed to our cattle & ram to supplement & it helps save on the amount of hay we use. We reuse everything we possible can & find new purposes for a lot of things too. We are looking at better ways to cut down our elec bill this yr too. Planting a bunch of fruit trees to help cut down on buying that & will be able to sell the excess eventually too. Our goal is to produce as much of our own food as possible for as low a cost as possible.
Great thread!

 

[Catalina]

Wow! Sounds good!

I thought you might like this idea on how to build a greenhouse out of (free) available materials - http://www.instructables.com/id/GREENHOUSE_FROM_OLD_WINDOWS/

I've learned soooo much from the Instructable website.

 

[sylvie]

Do you place the cardboard in your garden? In between the rows of vegetables?
I have a worm bin and they love pieces of cardboard so it would attract worms to the garden, too. Great idea.

 

[FarmerChick]

ETR
your thinking sounds like mine in a way.

I want more SS but can't do it. There are things I can't give up like elec. but I can't afford whole house solar.

So the next best option is "live light on this earth"

every time you shop this of that saying----live light on this earth!

That is my new motto. How light can I go and still function in my lifestyle. That is the most I can do.

I grow my own hay but I buy feed.

Just remember tread lightly, but don't do without....just do with what is needed....not wanted and we get thru this SS thing with flying colors!

 

[enjoy the ride]

I'm a cardboard maniac- I put layers of composted manure around trees, blueberries and plants then put a layer of cardboard and mulch over that- then the next year I pull back the mulch and repeat with compost and cardboard- every year the old cardboard has disappeared and the ground is better.
I also put a layer of cardboard where I want raised beds, put wire screening over that (to keep out gophers) and then set the raised bed on top and fill with compost and dirt. In my foolish youth I would double dig raised beds but I got over that.

I lay cardboard over plain grass or dirt and mulch over that for temporary walkways.

There can never be too much cardboard for me.

 

[Homesteadmom]

Thanks for the cardboard info ETR. I have to take apart 4 of my raised beds to put wire under them so I will do the cardboard too. Then I can have a grass & weed free bed!!! Think I will do the cardboard on top of the wire though as my raised beds are made from retaining wall blocks.

 

[sylvie]

I'm a cardboard maniac- I put layers of composted manure around trees, blueberries and plants then put a layer of cardboard and mulch over that- then the next year I pull back the mulch and repeat with compost and cardboard- every year the old cardboard has disappeared and the ground is better.
I also put a layer of cardboard where I want raised beds, put wire screening over that (to keep out gophers) and then set the raised bed on top and fill with compost and dirt. In my foolish youth I would double dig raised beds but I got over that.

I lay cardboard over plain grass or dirt and mulch over that for temporary walkways.

There can never be too much cardboard for me.

Thanks, I'll incorporate your cardboard method into my blueberries which are so prone to weeds and also the walk around my raised beds.

I've tried the double digging ala John Jeavons and it was more work than than the rewards it produced, at least for me. I added sand and compost to no end and still ended up with hard clay every time.

 

[me&thegals]

If/when you run out of cardboard, thick layers of newspaper work great, too.

 

[patandchickens]

Cardboard is the greatest. I put it underneath the manure, that way I can use slightly 'fresher' stuff and feel like I get better weed suppression. I should try some on top also, though. We go through lots and lots of cardboard here - everytime we go to the cheap grocery store we take our stuff home in the biggest boxes we can find, for the kids to play with and make houses and fire engines out of. They tend to graduate to the "for the garden" pile rather rapidly

I like your self-sufficiency goals, too, ETR

Pat