tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11626279.post113752531443058286..comments2024-01-19T09:04:03.601-08:00Comments on powering down: i feed menulinegvgvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007178148902846658noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11626279.post-49926995912553545672007-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:002007-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:00The reason for this e-mail is to tell you about Vi...The reason for this e-mail is to tell you about Victory Garden Books from the depression era and subsequent World War 2. We were trying to learn how to garden without going broke when my wife’s grandmother gave us a Victory Garden book from the 1940’s. She told us it would tell us everything we needed to know. We have been using it several years and there has been plenty of food to go around. We checked with the U.S. Copywrite Office and found that we could convert the book to PDF format and distribute it as an E-book. This way other homesteaders and gardeners could also see the value of growing their own food.<BR/><BR/>This is an actual WW2 book that we have here on the farm. It is basically, gardening for dummies. The book was commissioned by the government to help people learn how to produce and store their own food. It was either learn to grow food or starve. Rationing was the word of the day. They also realized that people did not have a lot of money to throw at this adventure. The problem with most gardening books today is that they want you to buy expensive equipment and chemicals to garden. If you throw $1,000 into your garden, to grow a couple of hundred dollars of veggies, you are in a losing proposition. So we decided to try out this book and see if it did in fact work. Bumper crop of veggies this year. Total invested in the garden…$30. We now have enough fresh organic veggies to feed a family of 5 for the year. <BR/><BR/>The beauty of this book is that it is designed for every size of garden. From a large plot to the person who lives in an apartment with just a balcony to grow things. Every plant we (as a people) grow is one less veggie or fruit that is imported. Plus the amount of fuel saved by not having to ship food across the country or around the world is good for the planet. This helps reduce our carbon footprint.<BR/><BR/>http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=74151<BR/><BR/>We would like to advertise this book on your site. The commission for you is $9.00 per sale. There is a link at the store for you to sign up as an affiliate. You will be sent the proper links so that you get paid your commission.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Bob Willman<BR/><BR/>Fox in the Henhouse Farm<BR/><BR/>Mayport, PAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11626279.post-1138912036213535652006-02-02T12:27:00.000-08:002006-02-02T12:27:00.000-08:00Thank you for the comments. I will have to includ...Thank you for the comments. I will have to include season extension methods in a future post. I'm using cold frames this winter and plan on trying to get a jump on this spring's growing season with them as well. I think the idea of tying information on greenhouse production with the advantages of passive solar home heating is excellent. The wheels are already turning.<BR/><BR/>The EcoSyn stuff looks interesting. I've read about similar setups in developing nations. One article on Cuba and their "special period" talked about neighborhood meat production with rabbit cages above chicken cages with guinea pigs running around eating up scraps. I read about Joel Salatin who raises pastured poultry in Virginia using similar systems to reduce/reuse waste and close linear systems into loops. I plan on adding rabbits to my urban homestead in the near future. I don't eat meat though and you can only do so much experimentation with rabbit production if you don't have an outlet for the new rabbits. Perhaps I could sell them as pets.nulinegvgvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05007178148902846658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11626279.post-1138434053473718822006-01-27T23:40:00.000-08:002006-01-27T23:40:00.000-08:00Great post!I'd have to add the use of cold frames ...Great post!<BR/><BR/>I'd have to add the use of cold frames or greenhouses could allow the starting of seedlings earlier for transplantation into the raised beds. This way you could squeeze an extra few weeks (or more)onto your growing season. Greenhouses need not be elaborate either. A simple lean-to set up along the south side of the house may be sufficient to allow all year cultivation. Designed with proper passive solar techniques, it might also help on the home heating costs.<BR/><BR/>One thing I have wanted to try (as soon as I can get the property for) is synergistic cultivation I read about. THis was thought up by a guy named Lion Kuntz and called EcoSyn. It takes advantages natural synergistic cycles in nature and needs no topsoil whatsoever. You start with an area of alfalfa (permenantly cultivated) and feed it to chickens and rabbits which in turn produce manure (and meat and eggs) which get vermi-composted with added cellulose matter while producing edible mushrooms. When the worms have finished working the matter you have a rich compost. If you wish, you can feed the leftover worms to the chickens as well as any fish if you do aquiculture on the side. The compost can then be used for raised bed cultivation. Presumably the uneaten or inedible portions of the harvest is also composted. Thats the best I can describe it.<BR/><BR/>Check it out for more info:<BR/>http://ecosyn.us/ecocity/Ecosyn/IBS_Math.html<BR/>and<BR/>http://ecosyn.us/ecocity/Ecosyn/Flowchart.html<BR/><BR/>Can't say if it works as advertised but it is well researched.unplannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13751279402310528565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11626279.post-1137596459136042892006-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:002006-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00Hi, Path to Freedom here.I (Anais) had sometime th...Hi, Path to Freedom here.<BR/><BR/>I (Anais) had sometime this morning to read a few blogs - yours being one.<BR/><BR/>Glad I did, great post btw. <BR/><BR/>I would love it if you would include this post in our portal directory at www.pathtofreedom.com/resources<BR/><BR/>Those who join the PTF community online resource center, for their contribution (links & articles) we are offering free seed packets (offer ends Jan 30) <BR/><BR/>FYI: 6,000lbs on 1/10 th acre. Our property is 1/5 but our growing space is 1/10.<BR/><BR/>Cheers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com