Homesteading Wherever You Are » New Life On A Homestead If this post inspires you, please consider clicking the google +1 button above. Thanks so much for your support! The Dervaes Family’s Urban Homestead I think a lot of people have common misconceptions about what the term ‘homesteading’ means. Many assume that you have to live on a chunk of country land with several farm animals and a large garden to be considered a homesteader. But the Urban Homesteading movement is on the rise, giving a new meaning to the term ‘homesteading’ and new freedoms to city dwellers who thought they’d never have a chance to live more self-sufficiently where they are. Stelle Winter PDC: Snow, Rocket Stoves, Biochar, Guilds, Permaculture, Mexico, Etc, Et al…Snow Posted on | February 7, 2011 | 1 Comment We are here at Stelle, Illinois (the home of Midwest Permaculture) for our winter farming course. After only two days we are full already. Take a look at these pictures that are worth a thousand words (each). Comments
Permaculture (How to Design Systems for Sustainable, Community Living) – Bill Mollison « Only Ed Posted16 September 2011, by Staff, Sterling Insights, sterlinginsights.com Permaculture (permanent agriculture/culture) is the use of Ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, technology, & community development. The objective is to produce an efficient, low-maintenance, productive integration of plants, structures & people, to obtain on-site stability & food self-sufficiency in the smallest practical area.
Creating Sustainable Agriculture Without Government Subsidies I first met farmer, author, entrepreneur, thinker, and self-described “Christian-conservative-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic” Joel Salatin at his rural Virginia farm, Polyface, in 2009. We sat in rocking chairs in his home office and talked about everything from food and agriculture to law, regulations, and the Bill of Rights. I’ve seen Salatin several times since—in Washington, DC, and Little Rock, Arkansas and, most recently, back at his farm—and have even invoked his unsubsidized farming practices to argue that he and farmers like him should serve as the model for supporters of sustainable agriculture—meaning farming that eschews government subsidies while both minimizing environmental impacts and also turning a profit.
Survival Seeds Vault $99 2 Acre+ 1.5LB+ Seeds Non-Hybrid/GMO Seeds may become more valuable than GOLD in an economic collapse... **Notice** If using Internet Explorer and the "Add to Cart" button does not work, click inside the quantity field and push the "Enter" key on your keyboard. Why should you buy the Survival Seed Vault™ from Heirloom Organics Non-Hybrid Seeds? This seed pack is processed for long term storage according to the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) methods for maximum shelf life, increasing the shelf-life of our seeds by many years. Designing Your Ideal Homestead by Fred Wilson A homestead is neither a farm, nor a rural residence; therefore, it presents design challenges that are different from the others. A rural residence is basically nothing more than a suburban house plunked down on a larger lot, and any outdoor design will be largely concerned with landscaping, with appearances. A farm, on the other hand, is more like an industrial complex.
The Diverse Faces of Permaculture: 3 Awesome Films of Orlando Permaculturists (Video) Kinesis Films/Video screen capture From my friend Mike's chaotic urban permaculture allotment in England via a carefully planned campus-lawn-turned-forest-garden to the blossoming of a permaculture garden in the Jordanian desert, one of the things I love most about permaculture design is how there is no "permaculture standard". Every practitioner makes her or his own mark on the discipline. From the unique environmental factors of each specific location through cultural influences to the personal tastes and personality of the practitioner, each garden is the result of a myriad of different factors—all processed and applied through the lens of permaculture design principles and ethics. Take this set of videos from Kinesis Films for example about permaculture in Orlando, Florida.
Soil Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and a myriad of micro- and macro- organisms that can support plant life. It is a natural body that exists as part of the pedosphere and it performs four important functions: it is a medium for plant growth; it is a means of water storage, supply and purification; it is a modifier of the atmosphere; and it is a habitat for organisms that take part in decomposition and creation of a habitat for other organisms. Soil is considered the "skin of the earth" with interfaces between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.[1] Soil consists of a solid phase (minerals & organic matter) as well as a porous phase that holds gases and water.[2][3][4] Accordingly, soils are often treated as a three-state system.[5] Overview[edit] Soil is a major component of the Earth's ecosystem. Soils can effectively remove impurities, kill disease agents, and degrade contaminants.
Dutch ‘Repair Cafes’ keep stuff out of the trash by fixing it for free In the Netherlands, there are more than 30 “Repair Cafes” — groups that meet once or twice a month to repair (for free!) clothes and gizmos and tools that might otherwise be discarded. The New York Times visited the original Repair Cafe, which began two and a half years ago, and found that people want to keep their stuff — even cheap stuff, like H&M skirts. They just don’t know how to mend it themselves:
Make Your Own Gas! Alcohol Fuel Basics What if there were a fuel that was affordable, renewable, and produced right in your own community? If you’d lived 100 years ago, you would have known all about such a fuel. It was called alcohol, and it was a clean-burning fluid generally sold as lamp fuel. Only recently have we taken a renewed look at alcohol fuel — now more commonly known as ethanol — and its potential as a domestically sourced fuel for transportation. No Regrets: 10 Key Things To Consider Before Moving To The Country The country lifestyle is not for everyone. Every day I commute into my job in the city I hear at least one fellow commuter complaining about the ferry service. Or about logging on the local mountain. Or the weather.
Using What You’ve Got: Permaculture And Rain Barrels Photo: Annie Corrigan/WFIU These are two of Steven Janowiecki's six rain barrels. In total, he can collect 300 gallons of rain water at one time. I’m Only Happy When It Rains Steven Janowiecki has gardening in his blood. No Dig Gardening Via Scoop.it – Permaculture To teach people an easy way to build fertile soil to grow organic vegetables with free videos and written information describing the no dig gardening technique.Via www.no-dig-gardening.org Like this:
Bhutan Bets Organic Agriculture Is The Road To Happiness : The Salt hide captionA Bhutanese farmer puts her harvest of chilies on the roof of a shed to dry and protect it from wild boars, deer, and monkeys in 2006. James L. Stanfield/National Geographic/Getty Images A Bhutanese farmer puts her harvest of chilies on the roof of a shed to dry and protect it from wild boars, deer, and monkeys in 2006.