How Big A Backyard Do You Need To Live Off The Land? How Big a Backyard do you need to live off of the land?
More and more people are turning away from grocery stores and utility companies in favor of their own back yard. The idea of becoming self-sufficient is an alluring one, but exactly how much land would you need? Assuming a family of four, here are the land requirements to sustain yourself for one year. Average U.S. Roof Size: 2,000 Sq ft 1 year of electricity requires 375 SQ FT According to the EIA the average home in the U.S. will consume 11,040 kWh of electricity in one year. 9,200 Calories for a family of four, per day requires 76,666 Sq Feet Maintaining a vegetarian diet of 2300 calories per person, per day requires .44 acres per person. If you eat meat, eggs, and/or dairy 1 Year of meat requires 207 Sq FT If you wish to add a little bacon to your self-sustained diet then starting off with 3 pigs can feed a family of four twice per week, for a year. 1 Year of dairy requires 100 SQ FT.
Science of Gardening: Art & Science in the Garden. The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. So the lives of at least the surviving hunter-gatherers aren't nasty and brutish, even though farmes have pushed them into some of the world's worst real estate.
But modern hunter-gatherer societies that have rubbed shoulders with farming societies for thousands of years don't tell us about conditions before the agricultural revolution. The progressivist view is really making a claim about the distant past: that the lives of primitive people improved when they switched from gathering to farming.
Monsanto is Putting Normal Seeds Out of Reach. 1.
The great seed monopoly 2. The Multiple Ways Monsanto is Putting Normal Seeds Out of Reach NOTE: Two pieces on the ruthless concentration of corporate power in the seed industry that's allowing Monsanto to drive up costs and aggressively undercut the rights of farmers. ------ 1. How to Grow an Herbal Tea Garden: 3 Methods. IPM for Fruit. Why Food Forests? Permaculture Courses, Information, Forums, News. Image source: Permaculture a Beginner’s Guide, by Graham Burnett We’re all familiar with the concept of forests — lush, abundant expanses of pristine wilderness, teeming with life, a richness of biodiversity and awe-inspiring to behold.
Trees and plants intertwined, filling every possible space, the very well-spring of life itself! Forests exist fine on their own. There’s no mowing, weeding, spraying, or digging required. No pesticides, fertilisers, herbicides or nasty chemicals. Now, imagine if everything in this lush, abundant, spectacular forest was edible! If you can imagine what this would look like, if you can picture this in your mind’s eye, then you’re not far from the mark of what a food forest is like in real life. By understanding how forests grow and sustain themselves without human intervention, we can learn from Nature, copy the systems and patterns to model our own forests — ones filled with trees and plants that produce food we can eat. Why Forests? It’s either this… Tomato leaf symptoms Diagnostic Key. Sprout a Couch.
Cool Copper Projects Warm metallic hues are easy to love but often pricey.
When you create the look... Easy Doily Bowl. The Medieval Garden Enclosed. Living Sculpture Website. Easy activities: Woven branch art Community projects: Living dome Videos:
Organic pesticides. Start with a little chopped garlic.
Add equal parts onion, hot pepper, horseradish and vinegar. Living. TreeHugger 7 CrossFit exercises you can do outside this spring These workouts will get you in shape while enjoying the warmer weather.
Hummingbird Favorites. ‘Husker Red’ penstemon, Zones 3 to 10 Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner Penstemon (Penstemon spp. and cvs.) is a superb, drought-tolerant hummingbird-attracting option.
It blooms from mid- to late summer and is naturally tailored to match the habits of the birds it depends on for pollination. Its upright, vibrant red-to-pink-to-lavender flower panicles provide easy, nectar-sipping access as they grow on plants 8 to 48 inches tall and 6 to 24 inches wide. Guide to Growing Vegetables. Some general considerations for growing vegetables: Sowing Tips When sowing seeds, a good general rule of thumb is to sow to a depth of approximately twice the thickness of the seed.
Some smaller seeds require light to germinate and should not be sown too deep; otherwise they may never germinate or break through the surface of the soil. Conversely, large seeds planted too shallow may not develop properly. Keep seeds well-moistened while awaiting germination and check regularly. Select a light-weight, well-drained medium for sowing to ensure good seed to soil contact. Growing Tips Most vegetables will produce better results if sown and grown in a soil-medium that is well-drained, rich in organic matter (fertile), and fairly lightweight. Most vegetables will prefer good quantities of natural, direct sunlight daily. Harvesting and Seed Saving Many vegetables will be harvested in the fall, especially if grown in lower hardiness zones.