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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 08 2012 at 6:59am | IP Logged
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I love hearing from those of you who live in the country and grow your own food, keep chickens etc. But I am wondering how to do this in the suburbs - where most of our yard is the holy grails of soccer and baseball field!! In addition the soil is just awful for growing. And where we do not have a whole lot of space for indoor gardening.
Also - what are things you do to be more self-sufficient so that you are not as dependent on grocery stores?
We have a huge old sandbox - my boys have promised to get it up and running as a square foot garden for me for next Spring. We have also used wading pools for container gardening in the past - but not had much success as they were not deep enough.
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Kathryn
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We just moved from our small suburban lot and I had two 4 x 4 boxes and filled with really good soil and had quite a bit of success. We also did some container gardening but not alot b/c it's so hard to keep it wet when the heat arrives. Also we kind of just scattered herb seeds along one side of the foundation of the house and grew cilantro and basil and even some onions. We even grew cantaloupe and watermelon one year but WHOA! they do take a lot of space. We also had a blackberry bush along the back fence (didn't ever get many before the birds) and a 2 grapevines at the front next to garage. We even grew radishes amidst the flowers in front flower bed. You do have to get creative.
Now we've been in our "new" suburuban 1 acre lot for 2 weeks and I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the space to fill!!! 
Good luck!
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JodieLyn
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You can mix things into flowers beds, you can use containers.. yes keeping it watered is harder but you could get devices for watering automatically.
You can also reduce your day to day dependency by keeping a stocked pantry. That would mean that instead ofbuying stuff when you want to use it or when you run out you're buying ahead and can wait for sales or for stock to get in.. how much you keep of any item is up to the individual.. I'm nowhere cose to what I'd think of as the ideal which is a year's worth of basics put back and another year's worth that you're using so that over the course of the year you never have less than a year's worth and you may have up to 2 year's.
But it's a good way to extend your resouces.. finding items at a good price and stocking up means you're less at the whims of the market.. at least for a while.
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margarita
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| Posted: Sept 08 2012 at 7:24pm | IP Logged
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We are lucky to have a great - and over 100 years old! - farmers' market here, twice a week. I just went this morning.
I have friends down the street who now keep chickens. Actually, lots of people are starting to keep chickens all over the country, as zoning laws are changed!
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 08 2012 at 9:22pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the ideas.
Good timing too for emergency preparedness month - and in our normally quiet area where in last year we have had tornados, earthquake, hurricane and then June's derecho which had us out of power for 5 days in 100 degree heat.... And then today severe storms and tornados in our area - we just got our power back after 5 hours without it....
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Michaela
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| Posted: Sept 10 2012 at 1:34am | IP Logged
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KNOW YOUR CITY
We went blackberry picking several times in August. We got enough for several months. I kept a 2 gallon bucket in my car just in case I spotted a place. Made jam, cobblers, and froze the rest.  FREE berries just by finding places that are overgrown. That went so well that we then went blueberry picking. Our town has a 20 acre park set aside for free blueberry picking! We got a few gallons...again...jam and freezer.
BARTER!
Our backyard has two greengage plum trees that we end up freezing the plums. We traded some of our fresh plums for honey. (someone at my husband's job has bees) What a deal! Honey is $$$$ and my children don't really care for the plums, but love honey.
Now there is a small barter system at my husband's job! Someone will bring in homegrown or homemade items and whoever takes it brings back something as a thank you. That has been really NICE.
Can or freeze fresh veggies/fruits on sale. Get to know your produce workers. 29cent a lb for peaches makes me a wee bit happy! 59cents for pears, $1 for 10 lbs of bananas...I have no shame in buying a lot to freeze or can.
We bought containers with lids to buy bulk rice, beans, whole wheat bread flour, sugar, ect.
Our yard isn't huge, but it's a nice size that we have space for a swingset, set up a huge pool in the summers, space to run and play, and a corner set aside for me..
Yard size doesn't matter as much as what you do with it. Grow upwards if necessary. cucumbers, tomatoes, pole beans, peas take up a little space. Plant what your family will eat. No use growing bucket loads of squash or anything else if you aren't going to eat it. That space could be used for something you enjoy. We used an entire 4x8 (? need to measure) raised bed for loose leaf lettuce because we eat salad like rabbits.
Last week, we bought 4 chicks. We have had chickens before and it's not all fairy tales  , but I know what I'm getting into this time around. I also got a (used) greenhouse to extend our season after walking the neighborhood and seeing it being used as a storage shed. I told DH and he went to the home owner to ask if we could have it for a good price. Yep! 
The farmers market here doesn't have the great prices I always hear about ($2.99lb for green beans vs. $1.10lb at our commissary vs ?? 10cents a lb or less by growing in my backyard). Side of the road fruit stands are a blessing.
OK...I typed a book...
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
A lot of inspiration comes from a local woman's blog. It's about how she grows enough in suburbia (cans, shops wisely, hunts for bargains) This is the story on how I feed my family on....$100 a month
I've never really seen a picture of her entire bakyard, but I think my yard is 1/4 or 1/6 the size of her's, but we work with what we have. 
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margarita
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| Posted: Sept 10 2012 at 2:07pm | IP Logged
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I just remembered we have a woman in our local homeschooling community (I don't think I've actually ever met her though....) and she wrote a book called Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs. Here's a description of her book - which I have not read:
"Wendy Brown is a suburban homesteader growing roots (both literally and figuratively) in Southern Maine. Until 2005 her family was living the American Dream, complete with credit card debt, car payments and two mortgages. Concerns about the environment, Peak Oil, and the economy combined with a growing desire to live a more self-sufficient life caused her and her family to reevaluate their lives. The result has been a transition from a completely dependent, consumerist lifestyle to one of living debt-free in a comfortable, more energy efficient home in a desirable location with a bountiful garden."
She also has a blog so you can check out her writing style. I don't follow it, the one time I checked it out, it was too wordy for what I could handle that day. But a book might be nice, especially if it comes free through interlibrary loan!
We also have Soulemama in our local hs community and yes indeed I have met her plenty of times, but she ditched the 'burbs in favor of a farm, so there ya go!
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mommy4ever
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I am in the city. I'm just restarting gardening. My experience is that with the mature trees in the neighborhood, it leaches from the soil and nothing grows. Talking 30 yo spruce and pines. However, I have had really nice success.
Strawberries are awesome in planters. BUT, you need to water them frequently. In the fall, you need to dig some holes, place the planters in there. It prevents winter kill. Also, after they produce, let the suckers go wild, and keep popping them into a new planter of soil. I started with 2 planters and now have 6.
Tomatoes do fantastic in planters, and very well with self watering set ups. Tomatillos as well. Celery has done very well in a planter, but I didn't do self-watering, so I don't know. Zucchini, can do well in self watering, but the roots are more shallow, so it did fade in a deeper pot. My pumpkins are loving being in a planter. I was told it wouldn't work. Last year we only had 1 plant and 1 pumpkin but it was BEAUTIFUL. This year we have 2 plants of the little guys and I have 4 orange ready and 5 white ready and another 10 or so growing. This was a late transplant, I rescued them from uncertain death at home depot.
I have carrots and garlic in my tomato planters. They seem to be doing well.
I have have spearmint, which I will have to bury the planter as well to winter along with the chives. Not sure if sweetleaf is perennial though.
I had peas, spinach and lettuce in dish pans, until the hail turned it into coleslaw. I have an apple tree that produces very well.
I use the term planter very very loosely. Some are really planters that I've gleaned from freecycle. Others are pails. I got a hold of 20 4 gallon pails that held mayo this year. I did have to buy them, at $2. I made self watering planters with them.
I picked up 6 really big buckets, like 1/2 barrels that held molasses for cattle. This will be for my root plants. They actually look like planters, they are quite nice.
I need to set up trellises for next year though, i had tomato plants grow as tall as me and stringing them to the fence didn't work. LOL. So it's a little unkempt.
Tomatillo and tiny time tomatoes
Strawberries
Wild unkempt tomatoes..it's windy so they are leaning pretty good
celery
yellow zucchini
different variety of tomatoes
Pumpkins
I can't wait for next year so I can use the molasses barrels, I might even get another 10, I know I'll be on the look out for more of the mayo pails. I have lots of circumference to put containers. LOTS of room for that. What is nice, is once the plants are done, it's easy to clean up. Pull the plant. I do watch for diseased plants, but other than the squash plants getting a little mildew from water sitting on leaves, they have been healthy. I dump the soil in big garbage bins and put away the pails and planters. In the spring, I use a tarp, dump the soil, mix in some compost, and fill all my buckets again. This is my 2nd year, and it worked great. I do use a water based fertilizer for the containers.
Something I noticed. Pumpkins and zucchini don't need much soil, at all. Much less than the tomatoes. They need more space. Next year they will be in shallower planters with a trellis against the fence.
My dad has a much larger 'operation' for container gardening, including a hoop greenhouse. not sure he'll ever recoup the money for that, but at least he is active and enjoying his retirement.
As to other things. I can't keep chickens here, against the bylaws, so I suggest checking into that before investing in those. A person could likely do rabbits, but I have heard time using them for meat.*Sniff* I like bunnies. I guess dh could take up big game hunting, but he's not into shooting Bambi either. Our lakes are fished out due to over fishing.
BUT, there are things I can do to get some of the things I can't grow at home. I can do mending, and sewing in barter for fresh eggs, berries that I don't have. DH has done car repairs and bartered for 1/4 beef or other meat.
Back in the 30's it was all about bartering to make a go of anything. I think we need to learn a lesson from that period.
Sorry for the book length post.
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Michaela
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| Posted: Sept 11 2012 at 10:55am | IP Logged
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Marilyn, I love love the idea of Gutter Gardens.
ETA: I wouldn't attach them to my house, but maybe a fence or a place I don't mind putting nails into.
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Michaela
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Michaela
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| Posted: Sept 11 2012 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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Mini Farming: Self Sufficiency on 1/4 acre
DIY Projects for the Self-Sufficient Homeowner: 25 Ways to Build a Self-Relient Lifestyle
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Michaela
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 11 2012 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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mommy4ever wrote:
| I am in the city. I'm just restarting gardening. My experience is that with the mature trees in the neighborhood, it leaches from the soil and nothing grows. Talking 30 yo spruce and pines. However, I have had really nice success. |
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Could you elaborate on the leaching? I remember someone telling me that years ago but haven't found info about it. I do think that is a lot of my problem here.
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mommy4ever
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| Posted: Sept 11 2012 at 11:16am | IP Logged
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OHHHH.. I like the gutter ones too! I might need to try that. I like the stand idea, and combined with a watering system would be very cool. I like the bottom one with the punctured pipe and garden hose!
Wonder if you could make it self watering for times you're away...hmmm.
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mommy4ever
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| Posted: Sept 11 2012 at 11:20am | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
mommy4ever wrote:
| I am in the city. I'm just restarting gardening. My experience is that with the mature trees in the neighborhood, it leaches from the soil and nothing grows. Talking 30 yo spruce and pines. However, I have had really nice success. |
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Could you elaborate on the leaching? I remember someone telling me that years ago but haven't found info about it. I do think that is a lot of my problem here. |
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When you have mature trees, they have extensive nutritional needs, and elaborate root systems. As most of nature is, it is the survival of the fittest. These trees are robbing all the nutrients from the soil. With spruce and pine they leave the soil very acidic with their needles too. So the tender seedlings you plant, or the seeds, don't get what they need. I build raised gardens years ago, but it was only good for one year. The year after that, the soil wasn't very good, even with the compost added. Using containers, there are only drain holes, which are on the sides, so the trees aren't taking nutrients from my plants at all.
It's not a scientific explanation, but I had a horticulturist explain it to me, and that is what she said in 'layman' terms..lol
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 12 2012 at 7:29pm | IP Logged
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Wow - you ladies are awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas and resources. I am waiting for the weekend to sit and look at everything in details. So many great ideas.
I am so grateful to you for all the ideas.
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Michaela
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| Posted: Sept 14 2012 at 12:32pm | IP Logged
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Do you like cucumbers, Marilyn? I just picked 15 cucumbers off of 4 plants. (Procrastinated because I thought I ruined them with fish fertilizer, but they taste fine.)
You really don't need a huge space. 
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SallyT
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I agree, this is awesome. Those container-garden pictures may just have changed my life. We live in an older neighborhood in a small-town downtown area, and although our lot is a decent-ish size (about 1/3 of an acre), we have lots of mature trees and really rotten soil. Even without the trees leaching nutrients, it's all red clay, very inhospitable to lots of plants (weeds seem to like it just fine).
We have one real garden space: a wide strip along our driveway, on the south side of our house. It's the only place on our property that gets any sun to speak of, though I do have a reasonably successful (though messy) butterfly/wildflower garden in back. Year after year I've been amending the soil with compost and other nutrients; year after year our yield is really underwhelming. Now I'm thinking that the thing to do would be to put down weed cloth and mulch or pea gravel, and put a container garden in that spot . . . Hmm hmm hmm . . .
Thanks for the inspiration!
Sally
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MaryMary
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I think you'll enjoy this blog written by a homeschooling mama of many who out of necessity transformed her suburban yard and is now nearly self sufficient. A beautiful, inspiring place to visit!
The Prudent Homemaker
HTH!
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 17 2012 at 8:08pm | IP Logged
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MaryMary wrote:
I think you'll enjoy this blog written by a homeschooling mama of many who out of necessity transformed her suburban yard and is now nearly self sufficient. A beautiful, inspiring place to visit!
The Prudent Homemaker
HTH!
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Thank you for sharing this. It is inspiring me to try and become more self-sufficient - she is able do all of that with homeschooling and as the mama of many.
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margarita
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SallyT wrote:
We have one real garden space: a wide strip along our driveway, on the south side of our house. It's the only place on our property that gets any sun to speak of, though I do have a reasonably successful (though messy) butterfly/wildflower garden in back. |
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This is what we are looking at too. I have been saying to my husband since we moved here that we should just rip up the whole driveway and turn it into a garden, but he likes the driveway. So we have about 4' between the drive and the house, nice and long, very sunny. FULL OF LEAD. So.... if we do this, it will have to be containers.
I did get "Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs" via ILL and our whole family is reading it! It's very quick. Now I want to raise rabbits and quail. And do the container gardens. (It's depressing, though, having previously lived in places where things grow so nicely right in the ground.) She also talks about digging wells or building cisterns right under, or next to, your houses in the suburbs. I'm hoping she talks about making your own clothes soon!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Self-sufficiency in the suburbs?
