The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand | Terra Preta: Biochar And The MEGO Effect.
Good article at TheOilDrum on using charcoal for soilrestoration. The bits about discoveries of ancient beds of this stuff in the Amazon are fascinating.
David Blume at www.permaculture.com reported achieving yields of “8 times what the USDA claims are possible per square foot” in this response to a writer questioning the ability of permaculture to replace industrial ag.
Wondering if you’ve got enough land to feed your family?
On the subsistence agriculture level, we permies regularly have designed productions systems around [...]
Today I am definitely in a better space. So, after that last post, how about some happy stuff!
Our family has been having a great time these last few days. I was out walking with the kids and found a patch of mint. My daughters were very excited.
OK. The 5 year old [...]
Wonder what life could look like when we’ve got one fourth the oil to use (projected level in 2030, see quote below) that we have today. Matt over at http://lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ found this one. Closer to that than what we’ve got now I’d guess.
Matt Simmons, founder of Houston-based Simmons and Company Inter-national, criticised the [...]
I found this in Rural Architecture, by Lewis Falley Allen. Copyright 1852
I have this feeling that what we don’t remember from our past, we’re going to have to reinvent sometime soon. Let’s see what we can rediscover while we still can!
HOW TO LAY OUT A KITCHEN GARDEN.
The kitchen garden yields more necessaries and [...]
Matt Savinar at Life After The Oil Crash found this one:
http://chla.library.cornell.edu/
The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) is a core electronic collection of agricultural texts published between the early nineteenth century and the middle to late twentieth century. Full-text materials cover agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, animal science, crops and their protection, food science,forestry, human [...]
The Simple Dollar - Nourishment on a Desperate Income
No money and need to eat? This guy has a bunch of ways to keep body and soul together.
From the self sufficient family point of view, I like the mindset. Look at a problem in a lot of different ways to find a bunch [...]
(Found this over at
http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/backpackfever.htm courtesy Urban Survival)
*BACKPACK SURVIVAL*
By: DUNCAN LONG
1989
This file may be downloaded and distribuded as BACKPACK FEVER or BACKPACK SURVIVAL
Copyright (C) Duncan Long 1989. All rights reserved.
There’s a lot of confusion about what survival means. To some, it’s getting through the aftermath of an airplane wreck in a desolate area. It can mean [...]
Our Village
How about some self sufficiency hints from a small village in Russia? Interesting article with some tips worth keeping in mind. I especially like the part about saunas. Great way to stay clean and conserve water and energy.
A few years after the Soviet Union collapsed, I spent some time living in [...]
Self sufficient ‘ish’, the urban guide to almost self sufficiency. Selfsufficientish.com all certified organic.
Here’s a great site if you don’t have a few acres or more to work.
From the front page:
Not all of us have the means the space or are perhaps unwilling to give it all up and suffer the highs and lows of [...]
The MicroFarm Journal
If you’re looking for Self Sufficiency, without the wandering oddball stuff on SelfSufficientFamily, go to The Microfarm Journal. Nice site. Very sharp guy running it.
And he’s not prone to posting oddball esoteric stuff in the middle of a bunch of how to articles.
Possum Living - How to Live Well Without a Job and (almost) No Money
A great book from the late ’70s. Somebody pointed to it off TheOilDrum.
The section about dealing with your own legal matters isn’t something you find many people willing to consider these days. Like the rest of the book, the author [...]
Ever wonder how people grew gardens before oil and natural gas? Most of our food these days depends on both of those. For fertilizer and transportation system.
The average home gardener with pesticides, fertilizers and other chemical inputs, is dependant on oil and gas. Don’t forget the seeds. Most of them won’t [...]
Bad Behavior has blocked 64 access attempts in the last 7 days.