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katrs5

Urban Homesteading

katrs5
18 years ago

I've devoured the path to freedom website and am very interested in urban homesteading. I'm wondering if there other resources for "homesteading in the city". While I'd love to move to some acreage in the country, my city lot is all I have to work with at this point and I'd like to make it work to my advantage.

Any tips? Anyone else doing this?

Comments (10)

  • sharon_sd
    18 years ago

    Try this one.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Path to Freedom

  • katrs5
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Yes, this is the only site I've found. Does anyone have any others?

  • FogLily
    18 years ago

    I too have read POF over and over. I will have to look to see what types of files/favourites have been saved (I share a computer with dh and 3 kids ... its an old computer).
    Things that we have done on our 100x80 lot is: edible landscaping: trees of apples, pears, apricots, medlar, plums, almonds, hawthorn, hazel, fig; shrubs of elderberry, raspberry, ollalie, huckles, salal, thimble berry, roses w/hips, ukraine highbush cranberry, so. side of house is a pomegrante, fuschias that produce fruit; groundcovers: strawberrys ever bearing and alpine, lingonberry (which has not done well): climbers of grapes (both native and table) and kiwis; other things that are out in their area of the garden are sunchokes and edible flowers plus the herb garden with the artichokes. We have several grow boxes with wire bottoms (we have an active gopher pop.) in the front and the back. We keep chickens for eggs and manure. I have adopted angora bunny/long hair bunnies over the past years that give wool and manure. The kids get a big kick out of maintaining the rain barrels. We are getting closer to serious about bees. We garden in containers on our driveway (so. side of house) in the summer months (mainly toms, basil and peppers that need some heat in our fog heavy neighborhood). While we are not self sufficent, we are trying to do more for our selves. We have studied Square foot gardening, permaculture, forest gardening, ethnobotony and more to try to intergrate a living system that will be healthy and helpful to our selves, our people neigbors and the wildlife in our neighborhood that is quickly loosing theyir habitat (in the last year we have gained a cinema, a Starbuck, a Dollar Store, a mini strip mall and now a high-density sub division all under 1/2 mi.). How I miss the cows that use to live there!!
    The local 4-H bug group gathers insects from our yard to study because we have such a variety and use no chemicals. The variety of birds we have that come to our yard grows yearly. We also have skinks (lizard creatures) and garter snakes.
    I know this is a long post but I really want to encourage people forward to do more and try more :)

  • FogLily
    18 years ago

    ok, I'm back and promise to try to be brief.

    Bagel Hole is www put a dot here bagelhole place a dot here org

    Gardening as an Anarchist Plot (I'll try linking)

    Worm Digest (I for got to mention our worms!) is a dot org

    NaturalHub is dot com

    Plants for a Future www place a dot here pfaf place a dot here org

    book: Forest Gardening, Culitivating an Edible Landscape by Robert Hart

    I'm not good at linking but I will try

    Here is a link that might be useful: Anarchist Plot

  • sharon_sd
    18 years ago

    How about this one?

    Here is a link that might be useful: City farms

  • katrs5
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks to all for the links.

    Foglily, what zone are you in? You've done so much on a little lot. I'm amazed at how many fruit trees you put in. Wowsers!!!

  • pjewles30305
    13 years ago

    I too am trying to learn how to urban homestead. I have a blog where I am documenting my experiences and has a good links to sites and blogs I follow that are also urban gardening. Last year our garden was 8'X8, plus a raspberry patch. This year we are doubling our garden and adding a strawberry patch. You can visit my blog at: http://theurbanhomestaed.blogspot.com

  • misskimmie
    13 years ago

    Congratulations on your decision. I am a 'suburban homesteader' I live in a village and have a 3/4 acre lot. I've always had a garden but a few years ago we decided to become more self sufficient. We work our garden more, We have a beehive (planning to add 3 more this year), I just bought 6 chicks so we we can have eggs (and meat). I can, freeze and dehydrate what I grow, buy in bulk, bake bread and make laundry soap. I'm thankful there are many others who do the same and share there journey and discoveries and failures on line.

    Good Luck and God bless you.

    Here is a link that might be useful: my blog- Little Homestead in the Village

  • ohioplowboy
    12 years ago

    You can check out spinfarming.com its about intense growing in a small space. I started raiseing chickens in town, it was nice to have fresh eggs. I could have always culled them if i couldnt get to the store because of weather. A good magazine is "Urbin Farmer". Check it out good stuff.I moved up and out of the city,I bought A five acer mini farm in amish country. We love it,and hope more can make the same kind of move if you want to. We are truely blessed.

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