Homesteading in the city?

[MariaAZ]

I love this forum; my dream is to some day move to a place with a bit more land and become more self-sufficient. However, like what I suspect is a good many fellow Homesteading Today members, I live in the suburbs of a big city and moving anywhere is several years in the future. So, rather than dream about what I will do "when I get my farm", what kinds of things can I do now?

For example; we have a fenced back yard, about 1200 sqft under grass, citrus and jujube trees. We can't turn it all into garden since we have dogs that use the space, plus our little patio area that we enjoy using. I'd like to start a small garden about 8'x12'. With such a small garden, would it be better to plant only one or two crops so I can grow enough to put up? If so, what would some good crops be?

On the other hand, I recently discovered that potbellied pigs are considered pets as long as they are under 100 lbs, and we can have a couple. I've read about raising them for meat, but I don't know if we have enough space, or if I could find someone to slaughter when the time comes (sorry, I'm too citified to do it myself, at least for now!) Too bad goats (even pygmies) are still considered livestock.

I have future plans to add a few rabbits and coturnix quail to our little suburban homestead.

What other kinds of things (outside of budgeting and spending less) can we city folks do?

[HilltopDaisy]

I homesteaded in the city for 5 years before I bought my little farm. I had a nice lot, and 4 dogs, so I understand the need to limit your garden space. I fenced a plot about 20' x 20' and it provided a lot of food. I didn't grow things that took up a lot of space, like corn and winter squash, instead concentrated on growing vegetables that produce really heavy, like green beans and roma tomatoes, and also the things I would eat fresh, like lettuce, summer squash, peas, etc. I grew some potatoes and onions and such, too. My point is that I could eat fresh, and can the beans and tomatoes. I'd buy corn, peaches, pears and apples from the big farm stand and can them.

Teach yourself how to bake bread, and make soap. Hang your clothes outside on a line to dry. Knit, crochet and sew, and learn to safely use power tools for if/when you will build your first critter house at your new place. I've heard of some folks keeping a few fancy banty hens for eggs, passed off as pet birds. If you don't already subscribe, I'd suggest reading Countryside magazine. Get yourself a copy of Carla Emery's book, too. Read, read, read!

I've made some wonderful friends through HT by sending PM's, which led to visits to see each other's homesteads. You can get a lot of ideas that way, by seeing how other folks do things, not to mention it spurs you to do more for yourself.

[hmsteader71]

Will your city allow you to have rabbits? Could you maybe have a buck and a doe? That way you could raise the babies for meat. If I were to to a garden the size you are talking about, I would probably do green beans and maybe some potatoes?
Here are some ideas for other things you can do: Bake your own bread, start cooking everything from scratch and try not to eat out unless it is a treat. You can make your own laundry soap, there are some recipes online or someone on here could probably give you one. Do you have a clothesline? If not, can you get one? I know that some places won't allow them. If not, hang one in your house or use a drying rack. Switch to the florescent light bulbs that will drastically help your light bill. Have a well-stocked pantry so that you don't run out of things when you need them.
I can't think of anything else right now. You might check out the thread on here for frugal tips. It is pretty good.

[moldy]

Check out the pathtofreedom.com website for some inspiration. Really amazing stuff, even if you consider they live in a moderate climate that allows gardening year-round. Landscape with edibles as well, even in the front yard.

[morrowsmowers]

Since your space is limited and also shared with the dogs, why not use earthboxes for the gardens? We have rasised beds but also have some things growing in earthboxes, they work well, and the dogs leave them alone. Find out what your city will allow in the terms of livestock. We used to live in Philly and I know of families that have chickens and a goat. We had a duck that once ran all through the neighborhood.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

[Beeman]

Everyone "dreams" of a farm but they don't need a farm to live simply. In most cases the farm creates more work and expense than necessary and causes more of an end to a simple life than a beginning. I would garden as much as possible. Growing it yourself isn't really necessary. I would concentrate on finding growers where I could buy in bulk and then put up what I needed. You can do the same with meat also if you eat meat. Find a grower and then you just buy the animal and have it slaughtered and cut the way you want so you can do what you want with it.

[DenverGirlie]

Websites:
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

http://www.urban-homesteading.com/


Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Simpli.../dp/1890132365

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Not-Lawns...875461-3558849

http://www.amazon.com/This-Organic-L...875461-3558849




We live in Denver. Garden in front and back as well as potted fruit. Compost, vermicomposting, water catchment. We dehydrate, freeze and can our harvest. No chickens, but we could have them if we wanted and paid $50 for a permit but we live in a rental house, so haven't progressed that far.

We could do a lot more, but do not as we simply don't have the time at the moment.

We do use our time to learn new skills. Canning was a first last year. Sewing, knitting and more cooking for scratch. We learn newe things all the time that will assist when we get to the land. This weekend we are going to a sustainable fair and will learn how to build a strawbale house.

Have fun!

[Wolf mom]

Your citrus trees are a great start. Here in the White Mtns, one orange at Walmart costs 87 cents! How about making marmelade?

You can grow lots of vegies there - Actually what you have is two growing seasons, just not in the middle of the summer.

All of the suggestions are good. Homesteading is not just owning a lot of land and large food animals.

Do what you feel comfortable with: gardening, sewing, quilting, canning, bread baking, being more frugal, etc.

Think about building a gardening shed in your yard?

Maricopa County Extention Service is a great resource for growing things in that climate.

Sometimes I think homesteading is a state of mind....

[Sonshe]

I had to move to the city after my husband died. What to do when you
're a transplanted "country gal?" Become inventive!

I have a very small lot. The back yard is on a 46% slope so I have terraced much of it. I try to grow as much as possible vertically which really saves a lot of room. I just recently had my ornamental shurbs torn out which were in front of my front porch and planted blueberries. My grapes are in grow boxes alongside steps going down my terraces. My garden plants grow on the terrace. I dug up the small space betwee the driveway and the sidewalk and planted an herb garden. Instead of ornamental shrubs, etc., I now have rhubarb, asparagus and stuff like that growing along the side of my house.

In the winter, I have a small hydroponics set-up and am trying a fish tank (aquaponics set-up) set-up to grow lettuce. The hydroponics set-up works really great. I'll see how the fish tank does this year as I just recently got it started.

Self-sufficiency works whether you're in a rural setting or a city setting. I'm careful with my gray water and use it as much as possible. I hang up my clothes in the basement in the winter and outside as much as possible in the summer. I let my grass get a wee bit longer than I like, then cut it, then rake the cut grass and use it as mulch. I ask my neighbors for their bagged leaves. I have a compost tumbler but really need another one.

[Maura]

You have fruit trees? I'm jealous.

When planning your crops, don't forget the front flower gardens. Increase the size of your flower beds and incorporate chives, garlic, and strawberries. Kale and other green leafy vegetables offer a lovely counterpoint to flowers. Don't forget lavender, wonderful as an edging. Along the back fence you can grow sunflowers. If you have cyclone fencing, you can grow pole beans and peas using the fence as support. You can also put up a nice split rail fence, perhaps as a boundary fence, and put roses and grapes in to drape over the fence (or whatever will grow in Phoenix).

[Cygnet]

Maria, this time of year, for gardens, you could plant spinach and other leafy vegetables, broccoli, beans, peas, beets, carrots, radishes, etc. For that small of a garden I'd do square foot method rather than rows. In the spring (say early March) plant a couple different varieties of tomatoes + marigolds with them and melons.

BTW, I'm south of Maricopa -- I'm getting rid of some older hens in the next few weeks. They're marans-x. Dunno if your code allows for hens, but they're good dual purpose birds.

[Deb862]

We currently live in the city on a 0.16-acre lot, most of which is taken up by the house. However, this past spring we put in a 4x16 ft. raised bed and we grew 6 tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, and lots of onions in it. We are planning on moving as soon as we find our place in the country but with times being what they are we decided we should at least have a plan on what we would do if TSHTF and we had to stay here instead. We have a dog as well.

We walked around our small place in the city and found we would have space to grow lots of things if we made use of as much as possible. We have plans for 2 berry patches (1 at the very back edge of the yard and the other along the side yard bordering neighbor) each about 8x20, would plant 2 dwarf apple trees, put in another 3-4 raised beds, experiment with growing potatoes in a deep contained area (not tires but something similar), and then have plans for an entire array of container edible plants and herbs that we could put in various places (including the driveway!) during the day. As we planned we were really amazed at all we could do with the little we have if we had to!

Of course, as others mentioned above you can then start making your own bread, experimenting with using less electricity, and other 'homestead' skills while in the city. Of course, city people will think you weird but so what!

[MariaAZ]

What great ideas! I'm showing this thread to DH, to give him ideas too. Luckily, he's all for simplifying things too, but I want to make sure we're on the same page.

Keep the good ideas coming!!!

[wyld thang]

HI Maria, I have some snowbird neighbors who live in Phoenix(unfortunately they have gotten too ill and old to come back to oregon, I miss them!), anyways, they have citrus trees in their backyard, an avacado tree(I think), and grow wonderful cantelope and melons(they would plant like in January and harvest before they came up here in June). Personally I would get into learning to grow what does well in your climate(like the fruit) and how the Indians grew stuff with the corn-beans-squash. I think peppers and tomatos would grow real well there too, right, with the heat(duh, right? ;0)

FOr me, part of homesteading is understanding the land--so going out and backpacking and learning how to live in the desert(understanding the plants and how to survive) would be something I would do. I have some friends that live on the outskirts of Phoenix that have chickens and rabbits. Chickens are cool! And the more attention you give them, the more personality they seem to develop. Our dogs get along with the chickens, just like anything else we had to train them it was not okay to munch them, but it wasn't hard(and one of our dogs is a herding dog). The cats figure out for themselves the chickens hurt ;0)

Support local farmers and meat growers, too!! Biggee!

DId you see that PBS show Texas Ranch House(something like that?) That had a lot of interesting tidbits about living in a hot climate(when they weren't fighting--stoopid!)

[Mid Tn Mama]

Great ideas here:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/artic...ies.aspx?id=12

Grow vertically as has been suggested. Do the rabbits and grow alfalfa instead of grass for them.

Google: edible landscaping.

You have a valuable commodity to trade with other growers: citrus! Trade those citrus fruits for chickens, goat milk, meat...

Look into year round gardening
Look into rainwater harvesting
Look into cooling your home with vines growing up the sides
Compost

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by MariaAZ

What great ideas! I'm showing this thread to DH, to give him ideas too. Luckily, he's all for simplifying things too, but I want to make sure we're on the same page.

Keep the good ideas coming!!!

Living where you are now can be much simpler and easier to control your life. Be very careful about your dream of land as it can complicate your life and become a major expense with little return. The dream quickly becomes a nightmare, sometimes hard to escape because nothing is ever finished and not many want your dream they want their own. Small steps and start with the small easy stuff first. invest your money in long lasting things that will help you towards your goal.

[MariaAZ]

Hmm, I never thought of trading citrus. Here in the Valley, it seems almost everyone has orange trees. However, I'm sure there have to be people who raise critters but not oranges and would be willing to trade.

Our dreams of owning more land is at this point pretty much nothing more than a dream as we can't really decide what we want. I'd like to have enough land to have a pig or two for meat, a few goats for milk, some poultry and a nice garden. Around here in Phoenix, this kind of property is waaaaay out of our budget, not to mention our seemingly constant state of drought.

[Ravenlost]

Here's my little backyard garden when I lived in Dallas/Ft. Worth suburbs:

1st year:



2nd year:



My husband will tell you I grew more squash (yellow and zuchinni...especially zuchinni) than we could eat! I also grew green beans, tomatoes, peppers, sage, onions and pumpkins in this tiny garden.

Even when I was living in a ground floor apartment in college I had a garden. The flower bed space in front of my apartment was planted in cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and squash.

When the kids and I lived in a townhouse in VA we had a tiny space in our back yard (2x4 ft) in which we grew tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.

LOL...now that I think about it, I've never let where I live stop me from having some type of garden!

You have plenty of space to grow enough to eat and to can. Remember to think UP. Beans, cucumbers, etc. can be grown on a trellis. Gives you more space on the ground to grow other things.

Conserve water and SAVE water. If you have a shower/tub combo, stopper the tub when you're taking a shower. That water can be used in the garden.

Think creatively.

[moldy]

Wow, Raven - those are beautiful shots. Any suggestions on how to develop a green thumb? I've been working on it, and I understand it in my head; I just don't have the feel for it yet. I guess it's like making bread - you can follow a recipe and it will turn out OK, but if you have a feel for the dough, it turns out so much better.

[Ravenlost]

Cow manure. That's what made my garden in TX grow!