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Hi! My name is Karen and married and we have a 6 year old daughter. I am a stay-at-home-mom. I just found this website about a month ago and just bought the Sept./Oct. 2000 issue yesterday and I am really enjoying it. I would like more info on homesteading. We live in a rural area in a housing development, but the houses are not close together which I like. I don't like houses that are that close. We live on one income which is very hard, and want to learn ways that we can save money. We can't raise livestock were we live, but would like other suggestions. My husband and i would like to learn worm farming we thought that would be good to start out with. We had started one this past summer but made a big mistake. He left the container of worms outside in a certain spot and that night we had a bad storm and the next day they all had drowned. I guess everyone learns from mistakes. Yes I really need help, but thought this way of life is interesting. Oh yes we live in Greensboro, NC. Actually we live right inside of the town of Oak Ridge, but have a greensboro address. Hope to meet many of you and learn more about you and to get advice. Thank You Karen S.

-- Karen Saunders (KSaun54653@aol.com), October 14, 2000

Answers

Hey Karen, welcome! I haven't been here long myself, but have been a reader of Countryside and a homesteader (in the city and the country) for many years. We can answer all your questions, whether we know anything or not! No, seriously, this is a great forum and a good bunch of folks. Again, welcome.

-- melina bush (goatgal1@juno.com), October 14, 2000.

Hi Karen, I wish you lived close to me, we could share crop gardens and I also have plenty of pasture for a few more animals. My neighbor and I share this way and there is room for more, always more work than one family can ever hope to do, like weeding! Shoveling barns! You might put a note on the board at the feed stores in your area suggesting this type of arrangement. Good luck. Maureen

-- Maureen Stevenson (maureen@mtaonline.net), October 14, 2000.

Hi Karen! This place is great and addicting.

On one of the old Forum questions, there was a whole thing on rabbits and worms. You could raise rabbits for meat (or pet sales) and have the worms live and breed in the wastes. The waste will then become excellent fertilizer (no smell if done right either) I can't remember what listing it was under. I looked under misc but couldn't find it. Someone else might remember.

Good luck

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), October 14, 2000.


Howdy! Have not been on this forum long myself. Like it very much though. We live just outside of Niagara Falls, NY on a suburban type homestead. The very first thing we did, moving here two years ago, was to build a huge compost area. Two of my non-homsteading neighbors gladly contribute. This was an excellant idea as it enabled me to make a raised bed garden without having to import(at $100 dollars a load) dirt. Second was to begin a basic plan of the layout of the backyard. We have added much in two years, but have not had to move anything. The plan helped me because I basically live in a swamp and have to be honest with myself about what I can or cannot do here. In the beginning, I would get razzed by friends who said it is "pretend" here in the burbs but as the forum friends pointed out to me not long ago, "homesteading is a state of mind" and can be practiced anywhere. Good luck and God bless you.

-- Edward G. Weaver (edzreal@postmaster.co.uk), October 14, 2000.

Howdy Karen and other new folk! Welcome!!! This is a great forum and yes indeed, it is addicting. But...it's SO nice to know that there are like minded people out there. You can find out just about anything! And....the archives are full of information, too...You can spend hours reading what has been posted before. I like to browse there on "quiet" days, although I don't think we have too many of them on this forum!!! Have fun!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 14, 2000.


Hi Karen, Since you are trying worm farming, maybe a greenhouse would go good on your property. It shouldn't be against the rules. There are lots of articles on raising herbs or plant cuttings or flowers from seeds. You could sell flowers and vegetable plants in the spring to all your neighbors and at the flea market. Vegetable plants are going up all the time, and here it's hard to find any bigger than 4 packs. Mums are a big seller here in Kentucky. They plant little cuttings in the spring, and by fall they are quite large and they sell them for 7-8 dollars a piece. People here grow acres of them, and you take your own pot and dig your own. Strawberry cuttings are so easy to get too. One patch and you are set, just take cuttings from the first patch to make a new one, and then cuttings from the second one for the third and so on. You really could do allot if you like gardening and such, and the worms would be great for your beds. I love to garden. Just keep your prices the lowest around and I think you could do great. And if you had your own garden you would save a lot off your own food bill.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), October 14, 2000.

Karen! Welcome to the forum. Post often, ask lots a questions and you might also share what you have knowledge of too. Somebody is just a waitin to hear what you can contribute eventho they may not post. Lots of lurkers out in netland. Be cool dudes and dudettes. Old hoot gibson, the Illinois Hillbilly! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@pcinetwork.com), October 14, 2000.

Hi Karen Glad to have you on this forum. I have been a countryside subscriber for about 14 yrs. I have had everything from 2 acres in Virginia to the small yard i have now. My dream is to have a homestead with all the animals and gardens. I live in Phoenix Az and land here is very expensive. Most of my garden is in raised beds, they work very well because my soil is so bad.I will be glad to help you in any way I can. If you need answers Ill try to look them up in back issues. Good luck. Roxanne

-- Roxanne Walden (hmstdlady@webtv.net), October 14, 2000.

Hi Karen, nice to meet you, and welcome to the forum. We have lots of friendly and knowledgeable people here, and always happy to have more. If you want to learn about "country" living, spend some time here, you'll have a ball. Don't be afraid to ask questions, that's how we learn! Cathy in NY

-- Cathy Horn (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), October 15, 2000.

Kare, Welcome to the forum.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.


Hi Karen, welcometo the forum! You said you couldn't have livestock there....could your raise rabbits! They are great over a worm bed because they provide natural "fertilizer" and the worms move around in the composted stuff. There have been several articles about that in the past.

ALso I want to commend you as a stay at home mom! YOU WILL NEVER EVER REGRET THAT!!!! I have always had a home office and that was wonderful while our kids were growing up! EVen now that they are all grown (the last, a 19 year old homeschooler moved into his "new" home--it bought it himself two weeks ago!) I'm still available if they have a crisis or need to talk!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.


Hi Karen, Welcome to the forum. Lots of great people here with answers to just about every question you might come up with.

We are also in NC. We have a couple of acres just south of Fayetteville. I'm a stay at home mom and homeschool our 5 year old son.

You can homestead to some extent wherever you are. Maybe you will become our resident worm farming expert!! I should think you could have a couple of rabbits (maybe even two chickens if they are in a pen). You could plant some of those fast growing Leyland Cyprus trees to screen your yard from nosey neighbors.

I think our situations are rather similar (though we are outside the city limits). Our rules say we "cannot raise livestock for comercial purposes". Since everything we raise is for our own consumption we figure we are within the rules. We have goats, rabbits, chickens and guineas. Been here 3 1/2 years and so far no problems. We asked the nextdoor neighbors if the roosters bothered them and they said "oh no,we love to hear them"! ( you don't need a rooster to get eggs btw.) We keep everything neat and tidy and the animals way back out of site in good strong pens. Someday we'll have a "real" farm out in the sticks, but for now this is the best we could find and still be close to Ft. Bragg.

Keep us updated on your endevours.

All best wishes, Pauline

-- Pauline (tworoosters_farm@altavista.com), October 15, 2000.


Well you shure have come to th right place! If you can't find your homesteading answers here, no use looking elsewhere!

-- Okie-Dokie (tjcamp6338@aol.com), October 15, 2000.

Howdy, Karen. I live just south of Fuquay Varina in NC. Hope you enjoy the forum as much as I have. Trust me, these guys know everything, and if they don't they'll be able to figure out something that'll work until someone comes up with the right answer. I've had more questions answered in a handful of months on this forum than in most of my adult years put together. Kinda like having your own personal family management support team right at your fingertips.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 16, 2000.

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