Journey to self sufficiency part 1

I'm passionate about self sufficiency and sustainability and being a good steward of the land. My little urban homestead is a work in progress, self sufficiency is a journey and it is certainly not completed in one day!

This list is for my urban homestead. I have a somewhat different view for the little farm where the sheep, goats, horses and other chickens are. More on that in a different post!

The yard September 2009

Early 2010 after a big rain. I had just had some landscaping done and the manure worked into the ground with a tiller. Probably end May?

2010 late May. Still having landscaping issues.

2010 July. The weeds grew prolifically in the new manure enriched soil! 

My square foot garden in 2011. Chicken coop in background

Garden beds changed in 2012 to save space and produce more.

Lawn with micro-clover in (nitrogen fixing) and garden in background, 2012.

The lawn looks bigger than it is. The yard was landscaped in 2009, and again in 2010 and 2011 to fix drainage issues. I also imported several truckloads of rotted manure and spread it in the yard... with a shovel and a rake. :) The ground was bare during landscaping, and this lawn was seeded April 2012, and the picture is early August 2012. Amazing transformation.

A book that inspired me greatly, I still read from it regularly. 

John Seymour wrote about rotational grazing and environmental factors long before others.

The first edition of this book was published in 1976. 

Things I do already:

• I'm working on creating a permaculture yard with indigenous plant species.
• A large raised bed vegetable garden with closely spaced plants( think square inch!) and poly culture plantings: planting basil in the shade of tomatoes or radishes with carrots.
• The chicken coop is in the fruit orchard. The girls provide me with eggs and manure for the garden. They get rotated to fresh grass and get spoils from the garden.
• I recycle everything I can.
• I compost everything I can.

Things I would like to do:

• When my current washing machine quits, I will replace it with an energy free model.
• When my current dryer quits, I will not buy another one. A clothesline will do.
• If my kitchen appliances quit, I will replace them with energy free models where possible - hand crank blender, etc.
• I would like a wood stove for saving on energy bill - in fact I would like a Rocket Stove, which is more fuel efficient than a woodstove. But that might void fire insurance on my house....

Waste:

• Recycle everything possible.
• Compost everything possible
• Re-purpose where possible: re-use egg cartons, re-use tin cans for starting seeds, buy wisely. Buy in bulk to minimize waste and packaging.

Water:

• I plan to convert my toilet to a composting toilet and use the septic tank for grey water catchment only. That water can be used in the garden. I have a dirt basement so it should be fairly easy. Envirolet Composting has an extensive list of different styles, but I will have to save up some money for that as they are fairly pricey. 
• Have a rain barrel to catch runoff from the eaves. Maybe even one for next to the chicken coop!
• One side of my house eaves drain into the well in the front yard. 

Energy:

• Improve home insulation and ensure doors and windows seal. Use passive heating/cooling by opening curtains on sunny winter morning, closing them to block out heat in summer.
• I would like to install solar panels and a solar water heater. But good solar panels are still pricey. The provincial government in Ontario has some great programs for solar and wind, but here in Saskatchewan I will have to wait and see what programs they offer in the future.
• Use space heaters to just warm the rooms you use most, when you use them.
• When my current washing machine quits, I will replace it with an energy free model.
• When my current dryer quits, I will not buy another one. A clothesline will do.
• If my kitchen appliances quit, I will replace them with energy free models where possible - hand crank blender, etc.
• I would like a wood stove for saving on energy bill - in fact I would like a Rocket Stove, which is more fuel efficient than a woodstove. But that might void fire insurance on my house....

Environment:

• As many native plant species as possible.
• Nesting for native bird life.
• Shelter and food for beneficial insects and birds