Urban Homesteading

[JaneV2.0]

A working farm on 4000 square feet of land. Is this the wave of the future?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJAnBGHhjAc

[catherine]

I've seen this video and I love it!

If I were to have my own dream, my suburban back yard would be a demonstration site for what could be done, but I don't know if I'll live long enough. DH and I add to our garden every year, but we are careful not bite off more than we can chew.

But little by little our gardens are encroaching more and more on our lawn space. The video really is inspiration for the possibilities!!

[pinkytoe]

I have always wanted to do more with our 13000 sf lot. It seems so ridiculous to pay our high taxes and not utilize the land for something besides lawn and bushes.

[iris lilies]

A working farm on 4000 square feet of land. Is this the wave of the future?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJAnBGHhjAc

I am deeply skeptical about his use of clay pots as a leeching water system. Interesting concept, though.

[Tussiemussies]

I am deeply skeptical about his use of clay pots as a leeching water system. Interesting concept, though.


I also feel skeptical about the leeching clay pot system...don't think I would even give it a try...

[jp1]

Interesting to see them actually providing the vast majority of their own food this way. I love the concept, but the reality is that it's a very labor intensive task for income of $20,000 plus a year's worth of food for four people. Even if you figure $1,000/month saved on bought groceries $32,000/year income for four people working fulltime isn't much. Obviously, as they show, it can be done, but they must've previously had other income with which they paid off the house. It also surely helps that they live somewhere with a year round mild climate.

I've often thought that I'd like to get into growing my own food, but the time commitment and learning curve has always stopped me. I can use 1/2 hour per week of life energy at my job to pay for a week's box of CSA veggies which are undoubtedly far more consistent and far more varied than what I would be able to grow on my own. Growing my own would surely take way more than 1/2 hour per week of time. All that said, at some point my priorities will most likely shift away from working hard at my corporate job and saving money to spending more of my life energy on tasks that are less remunerative but more personally fulfilling. Developing gardening skills and applying them will likely be part of that shift.

[iris lilies]

Interesting to see them actually providing the vast majority of their own food this way. I love the concept, but the reality is that it's a very labor intensive task for income of $20,000 plus a year's worth of food for four people. Even if you figure $1,000/month saved on bought groceries $32,000/year income for four people working fulltime isn't much. Obviously, as they show, it can be done, but they must've previously had other income with which they paid off the house. It also surely helps that they live somewhere with a year round mild climate.

I've often thought that I'd like to get into growing my own food, but the time commitment and learning curve has always stopped me. I can use 1/2 hour per week of life energy at my job to pay for a week's box of CSA veggies which are undoubtedly far more consistent and far more varied than what I would be able to grow on my own. Growing my own would surely take way more than 1/2 hour per week of time. All that said, at some point my priorities will most likely shift away from working hard at my corporate job and saving money to spending more of my life energy on tasks that are less remunerative but more personally fulfilling. Developing gardening skills and applying them will likely be part of that shift.

It's tons of hard work, but they are making more than $20,000 selling to local restaurants. I'm sure their website pulls in some money.

But I doubt they are getting rich.

I like their set up, it's very visually attractive. It contrasts with the organic farms we visited recently (in Ferguson, MO! ) that was not pretty at all. Just not pretty. The Californians have carefully constructed eye-pleasing lattice fences, a house painted in carefully coordinating colors, cutesy pots of ornamentals, etc. Someone there has an eye for commercial viability.

[JaneV2.0]

It's tons of hard work, but they are making more than $20,000 selling to local restaurants. I'm sure their website pulls in some money.

But I doubt they are getting rich.

I like their set up, it's very visually attractive. It contrasts with the organic farms we visited recently (in Ferguson, MO! ) that was not pretty at all. Just not pretty. The Californians have carefully constructed eye-pleasing lattice fences, a house painted in carefully coordinating colors, cutesy pots of ornamentals, etc. Someone there has an eye for commercial viability.

As I'm the farthest thing from a gardener, that was my takeaway from this video--that their farmette was one of the prettiest I've seen. It's going to be hard to sustain once the kids leave, I'm afraid.

[Ultralight]

I saw this video a while back. I like the set-up but it is so ambitious and likely requires a lot of work. More power to them though!

[CathyA]

He's lucky that his kids want to work with him. I have a couple questions: What are their meals like? Do they eat the chickens and the goats? What does he add to the soil? Does he worry about all the city pollutants?
He's a very smart guy......being able to know how to make fuel out of grease, etc.
Do they use lights in their house? What kind of stove do they use? I'm assuming they keep their fridge and freezer run with the solar electricity.
How do they deal with weeds?
It must be a massive amount of work.

[ToomuchStuff]

First thought it brought to me was the old Good Neighbors show from the BBC.
On the clay pots, it certainly is going to depend on how they are made and sealed. A local friend has an old clay tile based "cistern" that a tree was planted over decades ago. It does water the tree, but being in a similar area, without digging it, his brick driveway and the tree up, I have no way of proving my suspicion that it is the old septic tank (which were commonly left in when sewers came around in 1940).
I would have liked to see any issues they had with local government over using the front yard for gardening (and maybe where the edible flowers are grown) as I have seen that issue before (think it was even brought up here) I would think part of the fencing and painting might have been connected with that (keeping locals happy).

[Gardnr]

It definitely is the full time work of 4 adults. I've wondered now/then if the 'kids' date? And would they leave Dad for a different life with a loved-one?