Homestead it or hit the road?

[boyfromdixie]

(04-13-2012 08:20 PM)SonofYAHWEH Wrote:  That was then this is now, and this is not the Alamo, this is America and whole different game. I'm not saying don't stay, just refer to above posts. We are in a lot different times, new regs and laws in place. I don't hate on anybody for trying to do what they feel is best for their family.

i wouldn't hold it against anyone if they had another country they could go to but since i have never been out of this country the thought never entered my mind. lol

[SonofYAHWEH]

There are a great number of people doing it, but I think if you can be self sustainable you will be fine.

[Cozmicksilver]

My2sense
Just be at least one hour out of a city. You can still commute for work but at least you will be out near some farms and some bush and weeds for wild crafting.

[silverexplosion]

With 300 million people in the US, most don't want a Police State, so we have the power to fight it. The elite are few, and the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government.

[Mark777]

(04-14-2012 06:05 PM)silverexplosion Wrote:  With 300 million people in the US, most don't want a Police State, so we have the power to fight it. The elite are few, and the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government.

"the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government."

I hope not.

However, we have ABSOLUTELY WICKED AND/OR DEMENTED people in congress, the Supreme Court, and currently in the White House who don't give a damn about anything except getting re-elected and having their wicked unconstitutional agenda shoved down our throats.

Now "they" may not even need many of the military to support their wicked agenda....just a few wicked generals and a few wicked military personel under them to fly armed drones over us plebeians.

I'm all for plans A and B but don't know a thing about working or developing land or farming or being self sustainable....I think it's too much to learn in so little time for me and many in my situation. My family hasn't farmed/worked land in two generations and the 3rd generation back did little of it. My grandparents were however, much better prepared for being self-sustainable than myself or my kids because they still had relatives working land and knew how to do things yet. That knowledge has been long forgotten in my family.

I'm learning about little things here and there but not at all about working or developing land....etc...

I have no problem working but would need a lot of hands on coaching/teaching for plans A or B to work for me or my family.

[boyfromdixie]

(04-14-2012 11:45 PM)Mark777 Wrote:  

(04-14-2012 06:05 PM)silverexplosion Wrote:  With 300 million people in the US, most don't want a Police State, so we have the power to fight it. The elite are few, and the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government.

"the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government."

I hope not.

However, we have ABSOLUTELY WICKED AND/OR DEMENTED people in congress, the Supreme Court, and currently in the White House who don't give a damn about anything except getting re-elected and having their wicked unconstitutional agenda shoved down our throats.

Now "they" may not even need many of the military to support their wicked agenda....just a few wicked generals and a few wicked military personel under them to fly armed drones over us plebeians.

I'm all for plans A and B but don't know a thing about working or developing land or farming or being self sustainable....I think it's too much to learn in so little time for me and many in my situation. My family hasn't farmed/worked land in two generations and the 3rd generation back did little of it. My grandparents were however, much better prepared for being self-sustainable than myself or my kids because they still had relatives working land and knew how to do things yet. That knowledge has been long forgotten in my family.

I'm learning about little things here and there but not at all about working or developing land....etc...

I have no problem working but would need a lot of hands on coaching/teaching for plans A or B to work for me or my family.

well every body can't be a farmer any way, you can be a hunter gatherer. lol

[harbl_the_cat]

The big problem in the western world is the dependency on the state.

Too many people believe in rights, not responsibilities.

The economic system has made slaves of the vast majority - and all that TPTB need to do to demand their complete and total obedience is disrupt the supply chain and starve the people into submission.

This is the big danger, especially living in the city. I live in a city of 1 million people. Most of our food is carted in on diesel powered flat beds.

3 days without food, a lot of people will start begging for a "saviour." When that happens, I want to be as far away in as remote a location as possible.

[Mark777]

(04-16-2012 12:23 PM)harbl_the_cat Wrote:  The big problem in the western world is the dependency on the state.

Too many people believe in rights, not responsibilities.

The economic system has made slaves of the vast majority - and all that TPTB need to do to demand their complete and total obedience is disrupt the supply chain and starve the people into submission.

This is the big danger, especially living in the city. I live in a city of 1 million people. Most of our food is carted in on diesel powered flat beds.

3 days without food, a lot of people will start begging for a "saviour." When that happens, I want to be as far away in as remote a location as possible.

So what steps have you already taken in case the SHTF since you currently live in a city of 1 million population?

If you haven't taken any steps yet to be as far from the big population, is anything definite in the mind for the near future?

Also, I wonder if you have some favorite internet sites I can look into regarding survival that you found particularly helpful regarding preparations and good advice on maybe buying land in the boonies to escape to in case the SHTF?

[Mark777]

(04-16-2012 12:16 PM)boyfromdixie Wrote:  

(04-14-2012 11:45 PM)Mark777 Wrote:  

(04-14-2012 06:05 PM)silverexplosion Wrote:  With 300 million people in the US, most don't want a Police State, so we have the power to fight it. The elite are few, and the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government.

"the militarys young men won't turn on their own family and friends for a Nazi style US government."

I hope not.

However, we have ABSOLUTELY WICKED AND/OR DEMENTED people in congress, the Supreme Court, and currently in the White House who don't give a damn about anything except getting re-elected and having their wicked unconstitutional agenda shoved down our throats.

Now "they" may not even need many of the military to support their wicked agenda....just a few wicked generals and a few wicked military personel under them to fly armed drones over us plebeians.

I'm all for plans A and B but don't know a thing about working or developing land or farming or being self sustainable....I think it's too much to learn in so little time for me and many in my situation. My family hasn't farmed/worked land in two generations and the 3rd generation back did little of it. My grandparents were however, much better prepared for being self-sustainable than myself or my kids because they still had relatives working land and knew how to do things yet. That knowledge has been long forgotten in my family.

I'm learning about little things here and there but not at all about working or developing land....etc...

I have no problem working but would need a lot of hands on coaching/teaching for plans A or B to work for me or my family.

well every body can't be a farmer any way, you can be a hunter gatherer. lol

I really like the hunter gatherer role better than the farmer role! I think I would even like the fisherman role better than both!

I just cannot see myself milking cows and tending a garden on a full time basis.

So if we ever band together as a community...I get first shot at the hunter gatherer or the fisherman role! Agreed?

[harbl_the_cat]

(04-16-2012 12:46 PM)Mark777 Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 12:23 PM)harbl_the_cat Wrote:  The big problem in the western world is the dependency on the state.

Too many people believe in rights, not responsibilities.

The economic system has made slaves of the vast majority - and all that TPTB need to do to demand their complete and total obedience is disrupt the supply chain and starve the people into submission.

This is the big danger, especially living in the city. I live in a city of 1 million people. Most of our food is carted in on diesel powered flat beds.

3 days without food, a lot of people will start begging for a "saviour." When that happens, I want to be as far away in as remote a location as possible.

So what steps have you already taken in case the SHTF since you currently live in a city of 1 million population?

If you haven't taken any steps yet to be as far from the big population, is anything definite in the mind for the near future?

Also, I wonder if you have some favorite internet sites I can look into regarding survival that you found particularly helpful regarding preparations and good advice on maybe buying land in the boonies to escape to in case the SHTF?

survivalblog.com is my staple survival read.

Living in a city, I'd say the most important thing is to keep your preps under wraps that said,

I will say I have about 6 months worth of long shelf life food and a small garden in my backyard and am learning (not with much success) to grow staples.

Water's going to be a tough one, but I procured some filters and should have close to a hundred gallons readily on hand with some identifiable potable streams within walking distance.

I have a location chosen to retreat to if things really go south. It won't be fun, but it will be better than being a refugee.

Oh, and I made sure many of the skills I learnt in the military didn't get rusty. Especially firearms expertise.

Personally, I think it's a bit naive in most places to expect being able to sustain yourself as either a hunter or gatherer. If the situation ever gets desperate enough, everyone and their dog will have the same idea. The hunters will basically eradicate the local fauna within 6 months and the gathers will soon be gathering the stuff off the people they murdered.

[kshymkiw]

(04-16-2012 02:43 PM)harbl_the_cat Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 12:46 PM)Mark777 Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 12:23 PM)harbl_the_cat Wrote:  The big problem in the western world is the dependency on the state.

Too many people believe in rights, not responsibilities.

The economic system has made slaves of the vast majority - and all that TPTB need to do to demand their complete and total obedience is disrupt the supply chain and starve the people into submission.

This is the big danger, especially living in the city. I live in a city of 1 million people. Most of our food is carted in on diesel powered flat beds.

3 days without food, a lot of people will start begging for a "saviour." When that happens, I want to be as far away in as remote a location as possible.

So what steps have you already taken in case the SHTF since you currently live in a city of 1 million population?

If you haven't taken any steps yet to be as far from the big population, is anything definite in the mind for the near future?

Also, I wonder if you have some favorite internet sites I can look into regarding survival that you found particularly helpful regarding preparations and good advice on maybe buying land in the boonies to escape to in case the SHTF?

survivalblog.com is my staple survival read.

Living in a city, I'd say the most important thing is to keep your preps under wraps that said,

I will say I have about 6 months worth of long shelf life food and a small garden in my backyard and am learning (not with much success) to grow staples.

Water's going to be a tough one, but I procured some filters and should have close to a hundred gallons readily on hand with some identifiable potable streams within walking distance.

I have a location chosen to retreat to if things really go south. It won't be fun, but it will be better than being a refugee.

Oh, and I made sure many of the skills I learnt in the military didn't get rusty. Especially firearms expertise.

Personally, I think it's a bit naive in most places to expect being able to sustain yourself as either a hunter or gatherer. If the situation ever gets desperate enough, everyone and their dog will have the same idea. The hunters will basically eradicate the local fauna within 6 months and the gathers will soon be gathering the stuff off the people they murdered.

I bolded the part I agree with you the most on. Hunters will panic, and shoot/kill every living thing in site.

[SonofYAHWEH]

Look into getting an aquaponics gardening system, they are easy to maintain and are the best way to farm, you can go large or small, but get the best of both worlds. that is true self sustaining in any situation, you do not have to worry about hunter gatherer types, you hunt and gather from your own system.

[Mark777]

"Personally, I think it's a bit naive in most places to expect being able to sustain yourself as either a hunter or gatherer. If the situation ever gets desperate enough, everyone and their dog will have the same idea. The hunters will basically eradicate the local fauna within 6 months and the gathers will soon be gathering the stuff off the people they murdered."

Yeah, I think hunting will be on everyone's mind....I was really just kidding about the hunter gatherer and fisherman thing. However, if one lives far enough away, I think hunting and fishing will still be a viable way to supplement one's food supply without too much interference from other hunters and fisherman.....think boonies or a very sparsely populated area or state such as Alaska.

[Mark777]

(04-16-2012 03:32 PM)SonofYAHWEH Wrote:  Look into getting an aquaponics gardening system, they are easy to maintain and are the best way to farm, you can go large or small, but get the best of both worlds. that is true self sustaining in any situation, you do not have to worry about hunter gatherer types, you hunt and gather from your own system.

I've never heard of aquaponics gardening until you brought it up recently and again in this thread....I will have to look it up to see what you're talking about. I know it has something to do with water because of the "aqua" preface.

Hopefully you don't mean growing kelp/seaweed!

[kshymkiw]

(04-16-2012 03:32 PM)SonofYAHWEH Wrote:  Look into getting an aquaponics gardening system, they are easy to maintain and are the best way to farm, you can go large or small, but get the best of both worlds. that is true self sustaining in any situation, you do not have to worry about hunter gatherer types, you hunt and gather from your own system.

I do all of my gardening indoors, with very simple and easy setups.

Hydroponics is a very nice way to grow lots of food, indoors in a very small space.

[SonofYAHWEH]

Basically it is farming fish, and gardening at the same time. It is great and works wonders, you have a small pond on the bottom where you pump the water farm the pond to the garden, the water feeds the plants with nutrients from the fish waste, water gets filtered by plants roots and grow medium, then drains back into the pond, you harvest the plants, farm the fish and you have a complete Ecosystem. It is an amazing process and you can have a set up indoors and very small and get enough food out of it. Look it up it is a great way to garden and get food more than just plants and veggies!

[Mark777]

(04-16-2012 04:44 PM)kshymkiw Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 03:32 PM)SonofYAHWEH Wrote:  Look into getting an aquaponics gardening system, they are easy to maintain and are the best way to farm, you can go large or small, but get the best of both worlds. that is true self sustaining in any situation, you do not have to worry about hunter gatherer types, you hunt and gather from your own system.

I do all of my gardening indoors, with very simple and easy setups.

Hydroponics is a very nice way to grow lots of food, indoors in a very small space.

In reading an article on aquaponics that I just googled, some people have their system set up in an unfinished basement.

However, wouldn't the cost of electricity be kind of expensive running the pumps for the fish and lights needed for the plants--since obviously there will be no natural sunlight available to the plants?

I like the idea of doing this with trout since I like trout cooked on the grill in tinfoil with various herbs and seasonings. Yummy!

[kshymkiw]

(04-16-2012 05:02 PM)Mark777 Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 04:44 PM)kshymkiw Wrote:  

(04-16-2012 03:32 PM)SonofYAHWEH Wrote:  Look into getting an aquaponics gardening system, they are easy to maintain and are the best way to farm, you can go large or small, but get the best of both worlds. that is true self sustaining in any situation, you do not have to worry about hunter gatherer types, you hunt and gather from your own system.

I do all of my gardening indoors, with very simple and easy setups.

Hydroponics is a very nice way to grow lots of food, indoors in a very small space.

In reading an article on aquaponics that I just googled, some people have their system set up in an unfinished basement.

However, wouldn't the cost of electricity be kind of expensive running the pumps for the fish and lights needed for the plants--since obviously there will be no natural sunlight available to the plants?

I like the idea of doing this with trout since I like trout cooked on the grill in tinfoil with various herbs and seasonings. Yummy!

No. You can use Compact Fluorescent lights.

http://www.specialty-lights.com/960305.html Those are what I use. ~400Watts, which is less than your Home PC, plus I cycle my lights 18/6 for grow and 12/12 for flowering, in two seperate halves of a room:

GROW | FLOWER
|

Make sure the light from the Grow doesn't seep into the Flowering side, because the plants will become confused, and keep growing.

So 2 of those would eat up as much Wattage per hour, as your average Home PC (~10-20 dollars per month). Electric is marginal, if you do it right. If you decide to go High Pressure Sodium, that is a whole different story.

I have used Basements, rooms, etc... You just need to block out all foreign light. They also make tents you can set up indoors.

What you need:

Lights
Timers
Power Strips
Pumps
Substrate
Germinated Seeds
Water (Distilled)
Time
Black Vinyl, to block out foreign light.

It is much easier to grow indoors, than out. You don't have to go Hydroponics either.

I started with a simple shelf (4 Tier Plastic, from Walmart for 20 dollars.) Then I bought 4 of these ( http://www.specialty-lights.com/960320.html ) I then rigged up some small pulleys, so I could raise/lower the lights to be closer to the plants. You can also use Books/Boxes/etc.... Put some plastic down, so your floor doesn't get dirty, then just buy some small pots, I did about 8 pots per tier, so 32 total pots. Then just water them daily, and have your ligths on a timer. So for ~150 bucks, you can grow 32 plants.

For another ~150 bucks, you can make all of them flower.

If you want some more ideas, let me know. I can grow pretty much anything, and have grown pretty much everything.