Jim's Homesteading for utter fucks (from experience)

[Durp]

Alright, It's about time I kick this bad boy off. Like the title states I'm going to show you how I plan, set up, and hopefully not die on my god forsaken piece of desert. This is a learning process for all of us

I am going to start with a disclaimer. Farming is hard fucking work, especially if you have limited water. If you are insane enough to try and pull this off (like me) first get some completely necessary life skills. You will be your own doctor, grocery store, machinist, laborer, mechanic, architect, and security, plus many many other roles I am well too lazy to list. If you can not build things, weld, metal work, wood work, drive heavy equipment, repair said mangled equipment with what ever bullshit scraps laying around, learn how. Go work on a farm, a real one not some padded yuppy hobby farm shit. If those are the type of farmers that teach you, you will most likely die. This is not a game and is a huge gamble. I refuse to be held responsible for anyone's misdeeds. If you like getting hammered everyday, make sure you have some sort of income so you can get food and booze, or you too will die. You will be required to be up well before sunrise, and most likely will start going to bed around 9-10pm. It just comes with the lifestyle. The goats don't milk them selves.

Whoo..... done with the nasty stuff, now lets have some fun!!!

I will give you a bit of background to help demonstrate I'm not just some asshole fuming from a gaped hole. I grew up building, fixing, and farming my whole life. I never spent a night in a city until I started bummin around. Where I am from, pre Monsanto take over, was a little ag town in Ohio that was all small family farms. My biggest teacher was 90 when I was 14. This man saw everything and is a lot like you and I. He felt trapped in the system and was wrapped up by the great depression. Him and his wife worked 9 jobs between the two of them to save up and put a down payment on their land. They knew nothing of farm life, as they were both just skid kids with a dream. Anyone stubborn enough can be a farmer, it just takes practice and unshakable determination. If you are a quitter, whiner, wimp, or a moron this is not the lifestyle for you. Again with that whole death thing... farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. I am the only kid I know from my area that still has all his fingers, toes, arms, and legs. I have now been pretty much a full time rubber tramp for 4 years. I highly recommend buying a POS rig to tramp around in and learn how to fix, because it will break. If you can not handle this, farming is not for you.

If you have some sort of income (SSI ect) and just want to scum around in the desert, check out this book.
http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/

My break is over, I will get on to the meat and potatoes when I return to the keys!

 

[watson]

Straight and to the point. I like.

 

[Durp]

Ok. You! Yes you up front screaming and cursing me for challenging your metal. You have the right attitude. You must believe you are unconquerable. Oi! Now this is your new anthem till you get some scratch:


You need money. Its a cold hard fact and we are all broke ass fools. I'm not telling you how to get the cash, just do it.
This is the MOST important part of our journey. The commitment. In all reality you can rely on no one. This is something you must do yourself, for yourself. Tell yourself you are going to do it, then do it. Don't just talk shit, make a move. This guide is all about cold hard CA$H! Fuck the banks and the forced debtor system. You know that 40oz you just ganked? Leave that shit sealed and sell it to a fucking minor for $5. Remember:
Hustle every day, Hustle every way.
This was the hardest step for me. I love 40oz'ers, cigs and other shit. STOP IT ALL (most the time, you still gotta live tho) You need the money for land, then you can get wasted all you want on your very own piece of dirt.

The desert is a VERY cheap place..... FOR A REASON! Figure out how to get to an area you are interested in, and make sure you can scare up some water. Even if you have to haul it, you must have water around. Also, make sure you have a right of access. Check the zoning and all that shit out. What you basically want to do is follow the old west rail lines that are out of service, and find nearly abandoned towns. You need people around (and a beer store) so make sure you aren't a 4 hr hike off of the nearest rd. Ya dig?

Be nice to everyone. That hippy you have the urge to ransack too? Yup, especially him. He will probably have food and pot, aswell as an assult rifle to hunt your ass down if you start theivein, it is not an option in no mans land. YOU WILL GET SHOT FOR STEALING in far out cheap places. Its a fact and it hurts, trust me I learned for all of us.

In the mean time, you should have a way to get there ( I recommend a truck and trailer, you will need a truck and trailers are the fucking best, and hella cheap if you are handy, even free)
Make sure your vehicle is strong and reliable. You do not want to fuck yourself and be stuck out there, run out of water, and the nearest help is 30 miles away.

Gather food grade buckets, these are really important. We will use 200 of these to grow food, and the rest to store food. 2.5 gal is the best size for my growing method.

Gather water storage containers. The PNW is the best place to scavage IMHO. Tons of rich fuckers just giving great shit away. I got PAID to take my truck. He thought it was majorly fucked. I took the money, signed the title, pulled the air cleaner off, pulled out the mouse nest and she fired right up
I have also scored 3 200 gal water totes for FREEZ so far.

Ok, ok, back to getting the land. There are several ways, but the best is to go out there, find a tax auction and get 20+ acres for less then $6k cash. That is just plain achievable. I got mine from smile4uinc.com because they finance 3 months same as cash, plus she did all the leg work.

***** A note about mineral rights

This is a big deal if you are spending more than $7k in my opinion. But, these days imminent domain has been proven to strip anyone from anything. Do some resarch and figure out who owns the rights, and if they will sell them. A lot of places in NV, for instance, have no mineral rights, but also have no minerals or oil. Just some food for thought.

I have to go, but chomp on this for now. This is just a basic outline so far.

 

[Durp]

All of you to be homesteaders out there still scouring your topo maps trying to find the perfect diggs? Right on. Today I want to talk about homestead preperation, but on a more physical, mental and emotional level. Like the multiple posts above suggests, the road will be long and tough. I just hope to inspire atleast one person to get out of there over consumpitive lifestyle and start taking more responsibility for our impact on nature. I don't know about you, but I feel like an outsider any time I am a part of society. I have a hard time dealing with all the extra stress of just interacting with other humans. I enjoy my solitude. Before you run off and buy a sand lot, make sure you are comfortable with being alone for very long periods of time. Don't get me wrong this is not something a "normal" person would do.

Still interested? Oh so you are crazy too? Cool welcome to the club I do have legitimate mental issues I constanly have to battle. I always feel like a pariah. My family is all refugees, so the outcast life is all I know. I feel that I am always misunderstood, even in the "scene" because I choose not to wear studs and spikes, and don't care for patches. I usally catch the most shit from people who have never really had to struggle, suffer, or work hard at just staying alive. The "posers" if you will that come from upper middle class families, are ignorant little bitches with no respect, have everything handed to them their whole lives and will eventually just become yuppies. These are the folks that get my goat. It is these folks and their parents who are constantly outpricing me no matter where I live, and push me back into being homeless because rent just fucking doubled and now I can't afford food. It is because of the wild fire of gentrification I am doing what I plan to do in the waste lands of America. I can not take not having a home any more, I can't take working my hands to a blistering bleeding mess just to get knocked down the social ladder because rent spiked again. So I am busting out. Hell, the only reason I can afford to do this is because I am houseless! If was renting I would not have nearly enough funds to do this. Even now I am rebuilding and scavanging everything that will come along the journey.

Life on the road is fantastic, but you are still dependent on the grid for almost everything, and I need to have goats back in my life. Just make sure you are stable enough to not end yourself if you get too lonely, because we all love you and you are great

Homesteading is extremely physical. I recomend putting yourself on a daily training regement to get your body performing at peak levels. Throw some weights around, run, bike. The desert enviroment will test even the hardiest of souls, and those who fail to prepare have prepared to fail. Also, a routine will help you remain more diciplined, and make it easier to achive your goals.

One of the most important steps is to find your inner strength, recognize it, and transform it into power to buck what ever or who ever is opressing you. Freedom is a personal choice and it isn't always easy to have or achieve. my defulault emotion is anger and rage from years of environmental conditioning. I have quite recently relized my own inner strength. I have been through a lot of crazy shit as I'm sure most of you have been, yet I'm still breathing. I have discovered how to transform my rage and anger into a powerful firery passion which drives me. Remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body.
Have a good one and I will add more when I can.
Caio,
Jim

 

[milkhauler]

This is crazy! Last year I spoke Char about land in Elko county, near Montello. I was on the fence about this crazy desert homestead idea. Man, I've been in ur shoes, and I think this post just tipped me in that way. I'm on my feet now, but I'm sick of watching my checks get smaller. Fuck dieing in a retirement home, I'm gonna die under the stars.
Char is good people. She answered the phone on a Sunday morning. She was kind enough to listen to me ramble on about this crazy idea I had. Guess there are other like minded people. [emoji1]

Btw, I got the kindle version of the book. I'll dive into it once I reload out of Montana.

 

[milkhauler]

The company I drive for will sell me a 6000 gallon water tanker that was involved in a wreck for cheap. I'll have water, solar panels, batts, and hauled in top soil.

I just need the balls to do this! T

 

[Supposed Mocha]

Ay thanks for the link, and gotta say you motivated also me.
This Char character seems like a good person to go through and get some land for steading. Keep going on and get your dream though, I get how the feeling of being a pariah and having issues is. Been in and out of the system due to my mental illness I've dealt with my entire life and its wearing and tearing but can't say it hasn't prepared me for bullshit. I never feel like I fit in anywhere and always somehow run into people that cause problems for never understanding at all.

Kinda tempted to grab some land outside Montello myself, especially with those prices. I wonder if the small town is total assholeville though. Most I've ran across are not fun to deal with.

 

[Durp]

@Supposed Mocha The folks were nice to me. I don't really have your typical "punk" image tho... I guess I look more like a dirty beatnic. I felt home when I was there, but I can't say how the community would react to anyone else. Also, I'm a farm boy, so I was scoping out work on the farms and getting to know the old folks. There were some fucks in the bar, but there are always fucks in any bar. I got the vibe if you keep to your self all is good, and that trouble makers would be dealt with harshly and quickly. I have never had real trouble in small towns and rural areas. I feel whole and sane in such environments. Cities I can hardly handle, especially obnoxious yuppies. Respect will carry you a along way, if you give it you shall receive it.

@milkhauler Do it up!!! Would love to have a neighbor of sorts to help each other. Ya, know it takes a village.

 

[Durp]

Alright, I haven't added to this in a few days so here is another addition! Today, I'm going to get into my plans. The next post should hopefully be more of a technical article detailing my growing system, but that will have to wait until I have more time. I have been crazy busy rebuilding a baja bug I got for dirt cheap to be my wheels when I get down there. My truck is almost god damned useless down there, other than for a couple of roads. I want to enjoy the vast nothingness and be able to drive up to the mountains and get into town without any issues. I guess this is more of a list of things I feel will be of extreme usefulness when I get down there, so I want to bring them along.

First step. Get a truck and trailer. If you are baller enough to homestead you should have no problem spending less than $1.5k for both of these items combined and fixing them up to your liking. This step is almost complete. I rebuilt my trailer, all it needs is a functioning oven and stove fan, and new storage batteries

Water storage- Get as much of this as you can. I have a tank built into my trailer and have 3 200 gallon tanks to supplement for when I hit the ground running. When I get there I plan on building 3 above ground cisterns from rammed earth, coating the inside with cement and then sealing with in ground swimming pool sealant.

Solar- I want at least 2800 watts of RMS solar power at full power. I have a lead on some used panels in good shape for $.33 a watt, but I'm not going to blow up my source until I have a chance or funds to pick them up. I plan to have the array run to a 12v batt to act as a buffer, than go into a string ac inverter to run into my rig. My rig has an inverter/ 12v charger with an auto switch. What this means is that when the sun is out my rig and stuff will run off the panels while charging my house batts, but when the sun goes down and the voltage drops it will switch over to my small night time battery bank. This will save a lot of costs that go along with solar by decreasing the size of the bank I need. The power is in the panels. I also have a small generator I built from a push mower and an ac delco alternator just in case. like this:

http://theepicenter.com/tow082099.html

Tractor\ backhoe is the key to my plans. I will get into this later on, I still need to find one, and they are fucking expensive so if some wants to kick one down hell ya

Various tools
lots of buckets- I will have shitty soil at first so I am going with passive hydroponics at first until I have enough organic material to create good compost. I will hopefully get a how to about this. I like Masterblend 4-18-38. This shit is amazing. Here is a great video explaining nutrients.


I know, I know, I hope to go full permaculture at some point, but that will take time, survival is key.
If you are interested in a great fool proof passive hydroponic system google hempy buckets
http://asoothingseed.com/hempy-bucket-tutorial/
1 year supply of food just in case. Don't like starving and I will need my strength for much shoveling.

But wait! Where is all this awsome food action going to happen? A walapini! This is why I need some machine, among other things.

And most importantly......

Some true grit and guts. This is something you earn through life.

That's mainly it. Just get goin.

Hopefully this attachment freakin uploads this time..

 

[Durp]

Howdy guys and gals! Happy Friday! Those of you with lives are out having fun tonight, but the rest of ya, I just wanted to share a couple o things with ya.
First, this song really helps me become grounded when my ego over inflates, and I just like it:


And onto the real reason of this post..... haha
If you are even remotely considering doing something like this:
A) you are awesome and crazy
B) get this book.
This is by far the best book about growing food in such an environment I can find. If there is a better one please turn me onto it. I have probably read about 10 books on the subject so far, most of them utterly useless, but this one book has about everything you need to know about what and how to grow food in arid environments!

Joy to you and yours',
Jim

 

[Supposed Mocha]

@Supposed Mocha The folks were nice to me. I don't really have your typical "punk" image tho... I guess I look more like a dirty beatnic. I felt home when I was there, but I can't say how the community would react to anyone else. Also, I'm a farm boy, so I was scoping out work on the farms and getting to know the old folks. There were some fucks in the bar, but there are always fucks in any bar. I got the vibe if you keep to your self all is good, and that trouble makers would be dealt with harshly and quickly. I have never had real trouble in small towns and rural areas. I feel whole and sane in such environments. Cities I can hardly handle, especially obnoxious yuppies. Respect will carry you a along way, if you give it you shall receive it.

@milkhauler Do it up!!! Would love to have a neighbor of sorts to help each other. Ya, know it takes a village.

Well that's great to know! Admittedly I'm a lil bit weird looking and tend to be called a hippy but hey its not much of an insult in my opinion. So long as its a place that people can mind themselves it sounds like a lovely place to be, I have such shit luck with a lot of places and so I can be a little anxious and apprehensive. I'll have to check it out when I'm there in Nevada.

Also keep it up, still really cool stuff!

 

[Durp]

Here are some good digger ideas!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...twIwAA&usg=AFQjCNG7qfaicnWJW35c1JLPL39XgbXlaw

 

[Durp]

Unfortunately this project is being put on hold until I can:
a) finish computer nerd classes to work over the web.
b) can afford a well
c) get tired of living on a boat.

Its all still bought an paid for but I still have too much exploring to do before holing my self in.