[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/diy/ - Do It Yourself

View post   
File: 100 KB, 600x632, hey arnold dbz.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
236006 No.236006 [Reply] [Original]

Sup guys, in a few years I'm going to have a house built on a few acres of land. 2-5 acres. Not too terribly much, but anyways I was looking for ways to be self-sufficient while still working a day job.

What I mean is I'd like to grow my own feed and raise livestock. On a small scale, enough to feed myself and maybe a few other people. Not enough to sell for profit or anything. I'd also like be energy self-sufficient. Anyone know about solar and wind power for homes? Thanks!

>> No.236689

So you guys seriously have nothing to say about this? Damn..

>> No.236691

Well, this is a pretty informal forum and that's a pretty in-depth project you're talking about.

Your best bet would be to research forums dedicated to off-the-grid living. These people dedicate themselves entirely to producing their own food, power, clothes, etc. All you have to do is pick and choose the facets you want, and you'll have to figure out how you can incorporate those into your life.

I know how you feel, though. I'd love to buy a few wooded acres, have a kwonset hut built as a temporary home while I build my own cabin. Then use the hut as workspace and garage.

>> No.236692

Check out this gardening thread in /ck/,

>>>/ck/3658489

Also, passive solar like solar water heaters will be better than active solar like PV cells. Wind is really good even on the small scale. The best things are to think about how you use and waste energy. Like turning off lights and unplugging seldom used electronics to reduce phantom power. Once you get your mental state adjusted to conserving energy while retaining your level of comfort, you'll be ready to try solar and wind because then it will actually make a great difference for you.

One then you can try to do right now is make small scale solar and wind projects. Like try to make enough hot water to take a single shower or make a solar box oven to cook a little food. Try making enough solar/wind electric to charge a single AA battery. From these, you'll learn a ton of hands on info you can't get by reading about it.

>> No.236695

I've been seriously considering micro farming. Sprout farms (you can still get a lot of food with out tilling a field), and believe it or not worm farms for food. There are a few earth worm types that are huge. Soft tubes of meat, dehydrate and powdered up call it "textured animal protein". Both can be operated in the space of a king sized bed.
Small scale fish farming, and algae tanks for a neutral (bland ie: multi-functional) super food. Window sill herb farms. Lots of herbs for the bland food bases algae + TAP (textured animal protein).

>> No.236735

>>236695
I wish I had a taste for things like that, but I dislike sprouts. I think I'd rather farm mushrooms for culinary purposes than worms. I have shiitake mushrooms spawn inoculated in logs that border one of my blackberry patches. I'm hoping for a good crop from them within a year.

>> No.236755

>>236735
I could feed you both and you would love it. As long as you didn't watch the prep work. lol

>> No.236790

>>236691
Yeah my plan is to buy a used trailer and live in that on my land while I'm having my house built. I'd like to have a few chickens, some guard dogs, and then maybe some goats as opposed to cows for dairy. And they also will keep my lawn up for me. Then I'd have a sustenance garden, and use the forest for recreation and maybe one day build a SHTF bunker. But I'm not very construction savy and I have no idea were to start on self-sufficient power.

>> No.236794

>>236755
Not me. You'd most likely be using thing I can't eat. Which is why I grow most of my own food.

>> No.236859

>>236794
Lot's of allergies?

>> No.237109

bump

>> No.237235

guise bump

>> No.237243

It depends on what you are going for i mean if your going "green" it's extrememly difficult to live with the same ammeneties you have now. Solar panels are ok for power but are extremely toxic to environment to produce and with current technology really only have a life of about 10 years. You need to be prepared to spend about 20k just in solar power. Wind is also extremely inefficient especially if you are living in a wooded area, i.e. not much wind. Wood heat is the easiest to maintain and cheapest to get going but also the most work. If you happen to have a large body of water nearby that you have control of hydrothermal heating is also extremely efficient but requires a forced air system of some sort such as a furnace.

As far as raising livestock it is better at first to just work out a deal with a local farmer to just buy what you need from him and work out your plans in the long run. Farming is not a hobby or a weekend gig, it is not what you see on T.V.

>> No.237246

We do this in Devon, England..
only way it really worked here for years was to sell livestock. But that meant my parents working two full time jobs (one being farm) and me and my brother giving up our childhoods.

but now we have solar, water spring, good soil, vegetable plot (weather permitting)
It is very expensive becoming 'self sufficient' cus you have to buy your way out of the game... by the time you do, your kit will be outdated and you'll want new stuff.
better to rent town houses out and live in a caravan.. save loads of money then go for the farm when you can go 'kaboom' and renovate like a mother fucker.

>> No.237247

>>237243

I better tell my neighbor, who's panels were installed in 1985, that they are expired and not longer produce power for him. 10 year life, jesus dude are you high? Solar panels don't wear out or expire or go bad, they last for fucking ever. Sure, they lose some efficiency over time but what doesn't? And its not like they lose 50% or some high ass number, its like 10-20%. Panels aren't the only way to go with solar either, you can build solar reflectors or concentrators that heat a medium (water is a common one) to generate steam and power a turbine. Solar/Stirling engines are also practical now too for medium sized installations. Cost of course is your major hurtle. Shit ain't cheap.

>> No.237250

I suggest growing tomatoes, squash, watermelon, lettuce, carrots, and for livestock, i definetly suggest chicken for eggs, and depending on size for farm space, cows or pigs. Now for the food and animals, it depends on where u live.

>> No.237311

>>237246
>>237250
Thanks for the info. And you really think I couldn't run a small scale farm with a full time job? My friend has chickens and a horse working full time.

>> No.237315

>>237247
Solar thermal would still be a hell of a lot cheaper than photovoltaic, and expanding is much cheaper. Stirling engines are badass, seebeck thermoelectric generators are really small and light.