Preparing for Uncertainty and Self Reliance

[SuburbanFarmer]

The great wheat harvest has begun. I'm about 3 hours in, and halfway done.

I ended up buying a corn knife from Tractor Supply Co. no sickles there or at Ace. It's working really well, just kind of overwhelmed by all the weeds because I've been so busy.

Don't know if I'll get to a full bushel, but those sheaves are adding up fast.

Notes so far: I've found it's much more effective to grab the top of the stalk, and swipe at the bottom. This eliminates any weeds that aren't as tall as the wheat.
It's important to keep it all organized, for ease in bundling.

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[SuburbanFarmer]

Almost there. That's enough for today.

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I got some work out of the kids. Younger one helped pick weeds out of the wagon, older one tied the sheaves and helped pull wheat.

In areas without tall weeds, it was actually faster to just pull it out by hand, and use the corn knife to whack off the roots.

[heydaralon]

Almost there. That's enough for today. IMG_1820.JPG

I got some work out of the kids. Younger one helped pick weeds out of the wagon, older one tied the sheaves and helped pull wheat.

In areas without tall weeds, it was actually faster to just pull it out by hand, and use the corn knife to whack off the roots.

That's cool that you grew all that grain yourself! It was very selfless you to get it ready for the government to collect and store in the event of an emergency! You should leave it in bushels at the edge of your driveway for FEMA to pick up. Please keep in mind that your property still needs to be inspected to make sure you are not selfishly hoarding canned food for your family. There are not a lot of people preparing for the inevitable collapse of civilization, but thanks to hard workers like you, and the dedication of our government in securing and collectivizing food supplies, everyone will be able to eat. I'm counting on you GCF!

[SuburbanFarmer]

Almost there. That's enough for today. IMG_1820.JPG

I got some work out of the kids. Younger one helped pick weeds out of the wagon, older one tied the sheaves and helped pull wheat.

In areas without tall weeds, it was actually faster to just pull it out by hand, and use the corn knife to whack off the roots.

That's cool that you grew all that grain yourself! It was very selfless you to get it ready for the government to collect and store in the event of an emergency! You should leave it in bushels at the edge of your driveway for FEMA to pick up. Please keep in mind that your property still needs to be inspected to make sure you are not selfishly hoarding canned food for your family. There are not a lot of people preparing for the inevitable collapse of civilization, but thanks to hard workers like you, and the dedication of our government in securing and collectivizing food supplies, everyone will be able to eat. I'm counting on you GCF!

[heydaralon]

Almost there. That's enough for today. IMG_1820.JPG

I got some work out of the kids. Younger one helped pick weeds out of the wagon, older one tied the sheaves and helped pull wheat.

In areas without tall weeds, it was actually faster to just pull it out by hand, and use the corn knife to whack off the roots.

That's cool that you grew all that grain yourself! It was very selfless you to get it ready for the government to collect and store in the event of an emergency! You should leave it in bushels at the edge of your driveway for FEMA to pick up. Please keep in mind that your property still needs to be inspected to make sure you are not selfishly hoarding canned food for your family. There are not a lot of people preparing for the inevitable collapse of civilization, but thanks to hard workers like you, and the dedication of our government in securing and collectivizing food supplies, everyone will be able to eat. I'm counting on you GCF!

All jokes aside you have a nice yard and neighborhood. Out of curiosity, what do your neighbors think of your wheat harvesting project?

[heydaralon]

CatFace:

If you are looking for high calorie yields that are healthy, you should look into planting sweet potatoes. They are easy to grow, and can be prepared in a myriad of ways. I learned about this from that primitive survival yt channel. The only hitch is that they might not be suitable for Ohio climate. I don't know much about planting crops, especially not in that area of the country. Right now I am doing my own gardening. I am growing herbs mainly. Rosemary, thyme, parsely, cilantro, and some jalapeno peppers. I planted a couple of banana peppers today as well. Last month I started growing some papaya trees which spread everywhere, and some pineapple plants. I really like spicy and tropical plants. I'm gonna try to grow a mango tree too.

[SuburbanFarmer]

That's cool that you grew all that grain yourself! It was very selfless you to get it ready for the government to collect and store in the event of an emergency! You should leave it in bushels at the edge of your driveway for FEMA to pick up. Please keep in mind that your property still needs to be inspected to make sure you are not selfishly hoarding canned food for your family. There are not a lot of people preparing for the inevitable collapse of civilization, but thanks to hard workers like you, and the dedication of our government in securing and collectivizing food supplies, everyone will be able to eat. I'm counting on you GCF!

All jokes aside you have a nice yard and neighborhood. Out of curiosity, what do your neighbors think of your wheat harvesting project?

They're pretty impressed, actually. I always make sure to offer to set aside a few sq yds for them to plant, if they want to. One of the neighbors likes coming by all the time and giving me advice, or nagging me to weed/water more. He's a great guy.

[heydaralon]

Also dude, have you thought about getting some chickens for your yard farm? I have not read through this entire thread, so I don't know if this idea has been floated around or what, but chickens are an excellent investment. I used to raise a few bantam chickens at a time, and they would produce eggs which was awesome. Chicken shit is pretty putrid but you could use it to fertilize your garden as well. You would need to get a chicken coop, and secure a small area in your yard for them, but you might like the experience. As gay as this sounds, it is pretty cool buying chicks from a feed store and watching them grow. I also had mallard ducks. If you decide to get chickens, make sure you secure that coop well because predators will be scoping out those hens.

[SuburbanFarmer]

CatFace:

If you are looking for high calorie yields that are healthy, you should look into planting sweet potatoes. They are easy to grow, and can be prepared in a myriad of ways. I learned about this from that primitive survival yt channel. The only hitch is that they might not be suitable for Ohio climate. I don't know much about planting crops, especially not in that area of the country. Right now I am doing my own gardening. I am growing herbs mainly. Rosemary, thyme, parsely, cilantro, and some jalapeno peppers. I planted a couple of banana peppers today as well. Last month I started growing some papaya trees which spread everywhere, and some pineapple plants. I really like spicy and tropical plants. I'm gonna try to grow a mango tree too.

Sounds like you're way down south - florida? If that's the case, you can't go wrong with banana trees. Just plant one, and you'll have a grove within a few years. No seeding needed, they just sprout new trees from the roots. Just find a small one and dig it up. The roots go almost straight down, so you don't need a lot of dirt.

Peppers should do really well down there, and so will tomatoes, I think. Of course, there's always the citrus tree options too.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Also dude, have you thought about getting some chickens for your yard farm? I have not read through this entire thread, so I don't know if this idea has been floated around or what, but chickens are an excellent investment. I used to raise a few bantam chickens at a time, and they would produce eggs which was awesome. Chicken shit is pretty putrid but you could use it to fertilize your garden as well. You would need to get a chicken coop, and secure a small area in your yard for them, but you might like the experience. As gay as this sounds, it is pretty cool buying chicks from a feed store and watching them grow. I also had mallard ducks. If you decide to get chickens, make sure you secure that coop well because predators will be scoping out those hens.

I would love to have them, but the town laws don't allow it. No birds or livestock, until I get my place out in the sticks.