My Off-grid and need to be frugal diary

weenancyinAmerica

Which self-sufficiency books do you have that you like the best? Are there some good farming books out there also? 

AnimalTribe

DawnW thanks for that I never thought about the compost. I will try another brand and see if that helps. I think also, some of the failures have been due to me over-watering.

WeenancyinAmerica I'm not sure how useful the books I have will be for the USA, but my top 3 are:

!!!!!! & James Strawbridge Practical Self Sufficiency
Alan & Gail Bridgewater The Self-Sufficiency Handbook
John Seymour the New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency

For foraging I like the Hamlyn Guide to Edible and Medicinal Plants of Britain and Northern Europe (obviously only a USA edition would be useful to you)

I also like Amy Daczyn A Frugal Zealot (although not strictly self-sufficiency) I like the fact that it's bite-size pieces, and that there are a lot of hints and tips from readers.

There is so much on the internet though if you Google self-sufficiency, smallholding, frugal, prepping, home farm, or preserving there are bound to be useful things. Backwoods and homesteading get lots of useful Google results for the USA. 

Today has been an outside day, just tidying up really. I've started reading the old prepping threads on MSE for some inspiration and I've found a link to Age UK's life book. It's basically a guided list to important paperwork and contacts in case of emergency. It looks very useful so I will be filling that in with DH at some point. It's a free downloadable PDF.

I can't get the link to work but if you Google Age UK lifebook you should be able to find it (if it's of any interest to you).

DH found a broken fan belt from a tractor on his dog walk so he brought it home and has used it as edging on one of his projects. He was very pleased with himself. It is great though, to have someone who can see a bit of waste material and figure out a use for it.

DH and I are going out tonight for an Italian meal as part of DH's birthday celebrations and if I can't eat it all I will ask for a doggie bag - I'm not shy.

teapot2

Is it your own compost AT [so to speak] or bought maybe peat free?  I think the peat free stuff varies hugely and some is really heavy and like clay then I also had one with big lumps of wood chips.  I saw something on one of the gardening programmes a couple of years ago suggesting to add things like sand or perlite/vermiculite or grit to peat free depending on the plant's requirements.

Enjoy your meal tonight. also a fan of a doggie bag

weenancyinAmerica

Thank you. I have the Seymour book already. Will have to keep the other two in mind when I am looking around. A lot of British books show up here. My friend in Colorado has all three books you mentioned. 

rachmac3

I've bought so much awful compost in recent years. Most years I end up taking a risk on a bag, regretting it or worrying, and then giving in and getting one of my usual organic ones. About 4 years ago i had some contaminated with AP and that was enough to almost make me give up growing. I do make a bit of my own from kitchen scraps and poultry bedding but I usually spread that on the beds (it's not great) and buy it in for seed starting and for the tomatoes and cucumbers in my conservatory.

AnimalTribe

Well, a good time was had by all last night. DH and I had never been to that restaurant before, but what a find - it was great. Dinner tonight will be the remains of the doggie bagged pizza and I’ll make a salad.

Teapot2 for seeds I use bought compost. I used to get it from Homebase but I’m not sure what brand it was. Unfortunately, the only Homebase anywhere near me closed down, so I switched to a bag from B&M. It looks to be reasonable, and not in large clods. I do have a bag of sand left over from a building project so I could try that. For plants I part fill the container with wood chips (we have a lot since getting some trees cut down) then I use compost I’ve made to top the container up – this still seems to be working well.

Rachmac3 I know how you feel. I have such a short growing season because of late frosts, and windy conditions don’t help, so it’s really frustrating to have such a poor showing so far.

Teapot2 & Rachmac3 what brand of compost have you used that’s worked please.

WeenancyinAmerica between them the 3 books cover almost everything a smallholder needs to know and I’ve found them very useful. A lot of American books show up in the UK too, but mostly fiction. I also liked ‘The American Frugal Housewife’ by Lydia Maria Child. It’s from the 1800s but gives a fascinating insight into how things were done historically. It’s available as a free download from the Gutenberg library. If you haven’t heard of the library before it has books that are no longer in copyright, including such things as Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

My patio fruit trees have arrived and I’m looking forward to planting them tomorrow. I hope the weather is good. Unfortunately, that is the only good news today. When DH and I got home last night we found out that the cold water tap in the kitchen is working. DH has tried to fix it today, but so far, he’s had no luck. He is usually great at plumbing. We still have cold water in the utility room so we won’t miss out on our coffee, and the bathroom is unaffected. I’m sure things will get sorted eventually. That’s the thing about living remotely you have to sort out most things yourself.

rachmac3

I know how you feel about the short growing season. Whilst mine isn't always short it's always unpredictable, usually wet, often windy. I live on a hill in the valleys of Wales so rain (I usually have stream through my garden a few months of the year, not a real one, just from the rain coming down the hill) is a given and the wind speeds can be brutal if they come from certain directions. 
I have probably tried all of the compost brands every invented (slight exaggeration) but keep coming back to Melcourt Sylvagrow. I went for that after the AP poisoning because it was certified soil association organic. It can be expensive but I've got quite good at looking around for deals on it. I only usually need 1 bag a year so it's not too bad really. I like that it's been consistently good. One less thing to worry about.
I was given some tomato seedlings by a friend 4 weeks ago at about an inch in height, and the tomatoes I sowed 3 a few days later have now grown to double the size of those. I've repotted the gifted seedlings into my Sylvagrow compost to try to help them along. 
I'm glad your dinner was lovely, and even better that you get to enjoy it for a second night!

DawnW

Another vote for Melcourt Sylvagrow. Unfortunately I need several bags a year, as my garden is small and I have lots of pots to give extra growing space. I do make home made compost to eke it out though. I love home made compost - it is amazing how what many people would class as rubbish / landfill - garden waste, kitchen peelings etc and old cardboard turn into such a brilliant resource!

foxgloves

I completely agree, @DawnW. Our compost is fab & is nothing more than non-pernicious weeds/garden clearings, fruit & veg peelings, crushed eggshells & coffee grounds & plenty of waste cardboard such as loo roll tubes, etc. We don't buy any 'activator'-type products but just make sure we include comfrey every time I need to chop it down. Nettles good for this too.
F

rachmac3

Levingtons was the brand I tried this year before going back to Sylvagrow. It didn't seem too bad, but a lot of mycelium, like chunks of white, and then I found a plastic scrubbing brush with bright green bristles in the bag. I'm not growing my precious tomatoes and cucumbers in that! I have used it on the flowers in pots though.