The Way to Self Sufficiency

By Michael G. Nash www.SelfSufficiencyClub.com

Copyright 2010 www.SelfSufficiencyClub.com All rights reserved.

Introduction

In todays world there is a paradox: the more were depending on technology, the more we feel trapped in it. Nobody saw this coming fifty years ago when we were all dreaming of flying saucers and teleportation. We thought that technology is here to help but, more often than not, it makes us feel dependant and, thus, miserable. Add to this the fact that corporations are using it at maximum to maximize their profits and what do you get? An increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Before the industrial age, a household was pretty much self sustainable. One would cultivate his own vegetables, have animals such as cows or horses and plenty of land which to cultivate. When the industrial age came, more and more people started working in factories and thus, depended on their paychecks. They couldnt stay at home to make their own food so they had to use money to buy it. This organizational structure evolved up until today when we have an intricate structure of corporations, medium sized companies and self employed people. All of them are in the rat race for cash flow. We need a solution. We need to feel less dependent on other and more on ourselves. But how?

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Self sufficiency
Self sufficiency is all about going back to the basics. Its about growing your own fruits, vegetables and animals, making home cooked meals with organic food, generating your own energy and even disconnecting your house from the sewage system. It can be all of that or only a part. You dont have to go extreme on this. There are many factors to consider and jumping right into something new without knowing much on the topic can have dramatic consequences. But you CAN take baby steps in this direction. Move slowly but surely towards independence. Eat healthier, do physical work which in turn it will help you mentally or put up a solar panel to reduce energy costs. Whatever you choose to do is up to you. Im only giving you the information. Just take the first step.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Confucius

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The first step to self sufficiency: Food

Of course, the prerequisite is to have a house with a garden. You need space to cultivate at least some vegetables. There are a few foods that are very easy to grow at home so they would make a great start for you as a beginner. Among them, we have Carrots. Plant them in rows 1 foot apart (30 centimeters). They dont do very well in acid. You can begin harvesting them 60-90 days after you planted them, when they are about the size of a finger, usually in late spring (when the ground is dry). Along with carrots you can plant radishes, which we discuss below. Radishes. The word radish is Saxon in origin (rudo) where it meant blood (given the red color of this plan). Radishes have the advantage that they can grow almost anywhere, on most soils and that they reach maturity very quickly. Only sow the larger seeds, 6 inches deep (15 centimeters). Pick them up after 6 weeks. If you have containers, they can be grown there as well among other crops.

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Garlic. Garlic is very healthy and is even used as treatment against high cholesterol levels or colds. In order to use it, you need a place with plenty of sun and enough moisture. Garlic is best planted during the fall or early winter. If youre not growing it outside and prefer to do it in a container or a pot, you can do it anywhere from fall through mid spring. Plant each clove 4 inches (10 cm) deep, 4 inches apart from each other. Make sure the clove points upward. If you have any, cover the area with some hay. Garlic should be harvested when the leaves start to brown. This happens usually in August. Its VERY important to harvest your garlic at exactly the right time. Dont do it sooner because the cloves will be too small. Dont do it later either the bulb will be most likely split. After you harvest the garlic, you should let it hang in a dry place. Dryness is important in order to not let it grow again. Potatoes. Potatoes come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. They grow well in well drained soil with a pH of 5.5 6.5. Dont plant potatoes bought from the local supermarket as they will not grow. Instead, get seed potatoes from a garden center or from gardener friends. Plant them 3 inches deep (8 centimeters). When the plant has grown enough (around 8 inches tall) you should hill them up by bringing soil dug with a hoe from the trench under the leaves. Repeat this after a few weeks. Cabbage. This is one of the easiest crops to grow and it can be sown all year through. It needs soil with a pH of 6.5 7.0. Choose a sunny spot (preferably one where you had peas or beans grown a year

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before). Make sure you give your cabbage plenty of water in dry periods. Spinach. Spinach (lat. Spinacia oleracea) is jam-packed with vitamins A, C, potassium and iron so make sure you grow it and eat it! There are summer varieties (sow them around mid March until may) as well as winter varieties (sow them in August or September). Sow the spinach seeds 1 inch deep (2.5 centimeters) and 12 inches apart (30 cm). Tomatoes. You like them too? Great! To grow them make sure your soil has a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 and that you have plenty of sunlight. Plant them 12-18 inches apart.

Depending on where you live, you may or may not afford to have some animals around the house.

If you want to start small, try some chickens. They dont take up a lot of pace (like cows or horses) and are easy to feed. Plus, they can be a constant source of amusement for your children. Chickens can be housed in coops that you can move around to allow for better fertilization of the land. This is up to you. The most important thing you can do for your birds is, obviously, to feed them. Water should be good, clean water. Hens need more water than roosters but all should be provided with enough. Make sure you feed them well with whole grains, such as pure corn and grass. Corn should be the basis of their meals but feed them green veggies from time to time and do it REGULARLY.

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If youre tired of chicks, how about some ducks? Ducks are more pretentions because they require water, lots of water. They love water and keeping them away from it (except for the first few weeks when theyre little ducklings) is not such a good idea. Also, keep in mind that flowing water is better than swimming water. If you really have the space, the time and the energy, you can move to bigger things: cows. Here you have several things to consider, which are important. First of all, cows need grass, so make sure you have a pasture nearby. Depending on how much land you have, you should decide how many cows you want to raise The second problem is what you will feed them during winter. Typically you need hay. You can either buy it or you can have your own (but for this you need even more land plus extra time for it). I cant make the decision on what to grow for you, these were just a few examples. Its up to you to manage yourself as good as possible.

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The Second Step to Self Sufficiency: Energy

The way vegetables or animals are grown and transformed into organic food has been described in the previous chapter. As you could see, the processes involved have been the same for thousands of years. However, when it comes to energy production, things are getting futuristic! In short, were talking about solar panels and wind turbines. Solar energy is EXTREMELY abundant so it makes perfect sense to capture it and then to use it. One of the best and newest ways to do it is to buy or make your own solar panel. With the right tools you can make a solar panel for a few hundreds of dollars that can power up a few light bulbs and a TV. If youre willing to invest more, you can run your entire house on solar energy. However, there are other ways to trap solar energy, such as solar stills (using direct sunlight for distilling water), solar driers (for fruits, vegetables and grains) and even solar heated walls (which accumulate heat during the day and release it during the night).

If you dont have enough sunlight in your region, maybe you have enough wind? Wind turbines are good only if you live in an area where the wind speeds are high. Theyre generally not noisy so you dont have to worry about that.

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Just like in the case of solar panels, you can make your own wind turbine: you need a few things, such as a generator, blades, a mounting, a tower, batteries where the electric energy will be stored and an electric control system. There is of course the way more convenient alternative of buying your own wind turbine. In this case keep in mind that you will have to spend thousands of dollars on it so plan carefully. If you want a smaller one, that produces 500-1000 kW/year, expect to spend at least $1000 and if you want over 2000 kW/year you will pay at least $5000. These wind turbines dont require a lot of space. If you have enough room for a tree in your back yard, you will have enough for a wind turbine that generates green energy.

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In Conclusion
So there you have it: the starting point to self sufficiency. You may not want to do all at once (start cultivating all the plants, get all the animals and build solar panels at the same time) but definitely have some starting points. Now I know theres a lot to discuss about each topic and I wanted to make this e-book short, to the point, so you get a perspective about what this whole thing is all about. If you want to know more, A LOT MORE, about self sufficiency please visit my website at:

www. SelfSufficiencyClub.com

Stay green, Michael G. Nash

Copyright 2010 www.SelfSufficiencyClub.com All rights reserved.