growing 90% of your own food support group

I can see the value there. I go through $6 in 100% pure grape juice per week.
Spending $100 to eventually save $312 per year is a no-brainer.

How strong are your winds and from what direction? Make an alley on the outside of your fence-double fence-on the sides the wind comes from, and esplanier fruit or nut trees on the outside fence. Make your alley wide enough that you can easily walk down it and get to each tree as it grows.

I think all print businesses use soy inks now, but you might want to check-including color inks. If it's not soy based inks, dont use them.

Yeah, I suspect the posts at the top of the hill will last 30 years, and the ones at the bottom of the hill will need replacing every 10-15.

You're between a rock and a hard place. All you can do is ask him for a budget he won't complain about, and pray carefully about how to spend it.

Quicker but less satisfying in the long run, you could do a willow coppice there. Some places grow willow for fuel, but it has a low energy density compared to other woods. Others coppice for willow withes for weaving and living structures.

I love this post... since we bought our house/property a few months ago we have made some raised beds. We are up to 13 chickens... although I'm sure some are roosters, so they will wind up in the freezer. We are building a second barn for a couple of dairy goats. We will be building a shelter and installing fencing for a few pigs for us and a friends family. Right now we buy our raw milk from another dairy farm on our road and meat from another farm about 30 minutes away...

The goal is to be more self sufficient. I don't know what percentage we will achieve.

I have started a variety of tomatoes, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, squash, watermelons, pumpkins, radish, lettuces,carrots, and a variety of herbs...

I also planted baby pecan, peach, cherry trees, and one grape vine so far... plus we have a lot of raspberry bushes in the back of our property.

I love canning and baking and I've been making all our bread.

My son uses a ton of ketchup, so I'm going to try to make and can our own from our tomatoes this summer. I will can jam and whatever I can from the garden.

This is our first year, so I hope to increase every coming year...

We are in Northwest Connecticut. Zone 6.

ChicChic, sounds like you are well on your way. Just work your garden this year and while doing so, start planning next years garden. Add more chickens, meat birds and more layers. Sell excess eggs, can more veggies, etc, etc.

I will, thanks!

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well produceing my own food has become just part of the routine here . after getting canning and the beef cow pork chickens, massive gardens and dairy goat established and more fruit trees growing . the trick is to just keep adding more of the things you like to the homestead honey bees ' sourgum kane , . I will admit to spending cash at the feed store and on junk food .but I really would not have to leave the farm for months if I didn't need fuel for the tractor( and a junk food habit) .I always try to grow to much that way if something goes wrong I may still have enough, if they go well I can sell or give away extras .remember canning and freezeing are a big part of not only gardening but animal husbandry as well

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Arnie, Will you please show us a more complete picture of that goat milker?
And, Why not have two of them going?

I am pretty sure that is a fruit jar hand milker. This image isn't mine.. it's from the web.

yes that is a fruit jar milker they work with a hand powered vacume pump ; just look at "milkers" on ebay and lots will pop up some even have battery powered pumps . and also yes I could use two or even add a T and another teat cup( which is actually a big syrindge without the plundger ). but the way i'm doing it works fine I get to spend a few more mins. quiet time with the goat .I did adapt my oranganal milker up from a quart jar to a half gallon to not have to switch jars mid milking .
I hand milked a gentile giant brown swiss cow for years ,and with plenty of pasture and hay here; this was a great system raiseing her angus cross calf every year filled the freezer and a pig grew really well on the extra milk as well . But I lost her to old age it seems last spring . the shock of the prices "BROKE TO HAND MILK " dairy cows are bringing along with me not really needing that much milk led me to try a dairy goat even though I do have to keep her in the barn with my old fenceing .I find that she doesn't eat that much . and I still have a angus cow to raise a calf for beef on pasture . though I am still in the market for a milk cow and will likely raise a dairy heifer calf because with so much grass and hay this is my least expencive with less labor option for milk . till then the goat is fitting in well and the milker along with the wooden stand saves my back

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I got to thinking that Ruth Stout simply put a straw bale on top of her root veggies while they were still in the ground. Not sure how cold her area got though....

I hear ya! It's not always easy to figure out where it's all coming from. One thing that has worked for me is to start with the vegetable garden and add one long term investment (orchard) item each year. That way you can baby it the first year and get it off to a good start. By far, a vegetable garden gives you the quickest return on your investment. We save so much money each year by growing it ourselves and the bonus is that I know where it came from and how it was grown. If you have the room, potatoes (or sweet potatoes if you are in a hot climate) are a great crop that can keep you well fed through the winter. Stagger your plantings to get a longer fresh harvest and learn how to can if you don't already. Be careful when taking on animals as well. Economically they do not always pay for themselves depending on how much food you need to buy for them.

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I have a modest veggie garden going this year. We will see what happens with it. I do hope to set up a full orchard. Been doing my research on what grows here. So far I've bought the grapes and got strawberry and raspberry starts for free from other people. So that's 3 long term projects for us. I'm babying the grapes the most. I have big dreams for them! I'm sure when my husband is eating all our fresh food he'll appreciate the expense a bit more! I'm really quite anxious to get my tree orchard in though. Fresh apples and such are such a dream! We will just see if my grape protection works. If it does then we might be able to plant some trees that survive.

Oh, I forgot the biggest change we made this year to increase our food production. Hubby normally does not take much interest in the farm, but I've occasionally bought farm fresh eggs which he likes, so he asked me if we could get chickens. They are in our brooder now.

a root cellar is a great addition to a homestead we built ours by digging into a steeper hillside and burying three sides but potatoes will keep from 1 harvest to the next and canned goods kept from freezing . along with many other things apples cabbage .it was a good investment

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I have super flat land. lol I'd have to build a hill first! I would love to build a root cellar though. It's just be a rather big undertaking for us.