Tag Archives: Permaculture

What is it like to Homestead?

Kai: What is it like to homestead? Well, here’s the truth: Homesteading is admittedly not for the faint of heart – not to say that we aren’t in certain areas of this lifestyle, but I think it’s important to come clean about it. It can be a lot of work, requiring spur of the moment changes, working in the bad weather, learning basic survival skills and much more.

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A Permaculture Fish System

Kai: When I first started breeding goldfish, I knew I wanted to do it in the most permaculture fashion I possibly could. This led me to challenge myself – no filters, no chemicals, no prepackaged fish food. To overcome the commercial ways, I partition the ponds often, and use an ecosystem strategy to keep them clean. When I partition water, it is used to water the garden instead of just getting dumped. It might be odd to say, but I did treat some ill fish naturally, and as for food, I used a Japanese method used for koi – feed from the garden! Meaning fruits, veggies, eggs and garden pests! This all worked well, but there were two things that I could not wrap my head around in the beginning. The first, was when fish would leap out of the ponds and kill themselves. The other, is when I put fry in seemingly “safe” crystal clear water, which caused them to perish. These were conundrums that first year.

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Homesteading is more than you think

Kai: When one hears the term “homesteading”, they might think of farm animals and rows of crops. But it is much more than just growing food and raising livestock. Homesteading includes everything that comes with it. We’ve met some homesteaders that could be considered serious business men, but also talented craftsmen.

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How Water makes Permaculture Better

Kai: Water is an important feature in permaculture. Whether you are adding a pond, bird bath, rain barrel or other source to your yard, no matter how big or small, it enhances all aspects of the garden. Water attracts beneficial birds, insects, and reptiles, which eat many of the pests that would normally consume your garden.

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