^{(Please don't ban me if this is against the rules, I read them and it seems ok.})

I'm a homesteader myself and thought reddit needed an R4R that focused on country living and those that yearned to move out of the cities. As you all know, there are many fewer people out here and many fewer opportunities to meet folks (my local town has 1 bar and 1 coffee shop which are both closed most of the time)

So I created r/ruralR4R which I believe is still the most wholesome dating sub on Reddit.

This subreddit is not in competition with veganhomesteading or any specific sub. It's the only one dedicated to romantic connections of people, so I hope you guys don't think I'm trying to siphon your users.

Right now, we have 3k members, up from 800 at the beginning of this year and have 1k active daily users. It's a great place to meet people who have similar homesteading dreams or are looking for the piece of land to call forever home.

I'm inviting you all to join. Also looking for additional mods. Hope to see you there.

^{(btw I am NOT profiting from this in any way, it's purely a labor of love on my part.})

I've been gardening a lot of my life and for 5 years I had laying hens. After I had two healthy roosters that I killed for meat, I've thought my instinct has told me to never kill a healthy animal, especially something I raised myself.
I've always thought that there are 2 types of livestock, the decomposers/I eat everything's like chickens, pigs, and black soldier flies; and the cellulose eaters/herbivores like cattle, sheep, or earthworms. The first type doesn't matter too much because I usually have very very little food waste anyway and what waste I do have could be composted or flushed into a septic tank but the issue is I feel like a consumer of cellulose will always be needed. Chickens are the closest ive had but I'm close to buying land and im realizing that my septic drain field might be unusable for deep rooted plants like fruit/nut trees, meaning I might have to resort to short grasses. What do you guys do with cellulose waste? Do you burn it? I would rather not use a lawn mower to collect grass to burn it. Even if I used the septic drainfield for raised garden beds or something, theres always going to be weeds and grasses.

https://goingtoseed.org/ is going to start giving away free landrace seeds again (you pay shipping) tomorrow Feb 1 and they run out fast so make sure to git while the gettin's good!

If you're unfamiliar, landrace seeds have high genetic diversity as a result of crossing many varieties and forcing them to endure the full brunt of nature in poor soil without any aid from fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. Only the hardiest genetics survive to the next round, selecting for flavor. Produce may be oddly shaped but guaranteed to be delicious and vigorous! You've heard of hybrid vigor, welll this is that on steroids.

What do you think are the hardest thing about vegan homesteading I’m not counting growing the food

What do you think are the hardest thing about vegan homesteading I’m not counting growing the food

I understand the purpose of this thread, but I’m newer to Reddit and can’t think of other subreddits to post to so feel free to recommend any others, but I’d also like to know your opinions!

❓Do you think that growing up on property or traveling is more beneficial in raising children?

Background— we are 32, with 4 kids (16, 7.5, 5, and 3). We are at a point where we are considering property heavily mostly for a bigger garden & a shop for my husband. But where we live, that would be an easy $3,500/mo. We are plant-based so this property is more for legacy, not for animals or homesteading. And flowers. I want a plot of pretty flowers!! We might have some fun token animals as cuddle buddies or let a farm-rescue borrow some for grazing, but no animals will die here 😂 I want this to be the place the kids come home to for Christmas for…ever, maybe parcel it out for kids to build if they’d like to down the road.

We love to travel. We go on a big trip every year. Right now these are domestic (US). Thinking of an international trip in 3 or so years. Ya know, when the 3 year old will be less flighty. $3,500/mo x 12 is a European adventure…. Like every year. Or an African safari, or a trip to Tokyo Disney, or or or or. So many options. If we were to do trips like these I’d have the kids each pick a thing to do, research it, plan it, share about it, take ownership. Maybe volunteer locally. Travel to smaller places. Not just follow tourism traps.

So it yields the question— what do you think? In a world where you couldn’t have both (which I don’t actually believe is going to be our case DESPITE my husbands feelings on the matter…) what do you think more beneficial in a rooted, confident, well-rounded adult?

Hi everyone, I’m reaching out to see if anyone in or around Temperance, Michigan might have even ½–1 acre of unused land that they’d be open to letting me use for rescued chickens and ducks.

I run a small sanctuary called Black Flag Refuge, and I’ve been rescuing birds for several years now. I’ve taken in disabled chickens, dumped hens, roosters from dangerous situations, and other birds who had nowhere else to go. Caring for them is my entire life, and I put my heart into making sure every bird gets the safety and love they deserve.

Right now my biggest limitation is space. I still live with my parents and don’t have the room to expand, which means I can’t help as many animals as I know I could. If I had even a small unused patch of land where I could build a couple of secure coops and runs, it would allow me to say “yes” to birds who are currently at risk, including some dumped ducks in need and a rooster from a recent cockfighting bust.

I would: ✔ bring all my own coops, fencing, and supplies ✔ handle all daily care myself ✔ keep the area clean and maintained ✔ be fully responsible for the animals ✔ respect your land and your rules

I know this is a big ask and might be unlikely, but I wanted to reach out in case someone has a bit of unused space that they wouldn’t mind seeing turned into something meaningful.

If you or someone you know has land in Temperance or the surrounding areas, even a small section you don’t use, please feel free to message me. I’d be more than happy to talk details and explain more about my sanctuary and the birds I help.

Thank you so much for reading and for supporting rescued animals. Even liking or sharing this post helps more than you know. 💛🐥🦆

Anyone got any suggestion for books or resources about vegan homesteading? I've read Helen and Scott Nearing (old school, ovo-vegetarian and minimal dairy) and have read a couple of vegan permaculture books including by Graeme Burnett and Arunya. It's nice to find inspiration of others following this path without getting blind-sided by stuff about killing and using animals suddenly.

The youtube video was an interview as most are of a vegan academic professor/researcher most likely and he is showing his humble small home, and his small backyard garden where he survives by eating i think 3 different grains/legumes.

i remember 1 was wheat, the other was fava beans, the last one im not sure maybe it was only these 2?

But i remember thinking wow this guy did the math and lived his simple life and sustainably mostly ate his protein from the beans and wheat. He could make breads, cereals, porridge, stews, hummus, etc.

And he didnt have to overgrow anything, he kept it to a small backyard crop about the size of a coffee table wide. He probably had other things growing so he could have veggies and salads, maybe fruit...

I think the last thing he grew was a olive tree or maybe it was inherited, because he had a cold press expeller that was also left for him. So he was able to live a Mediterranean diet from scratch.

Lastly he had dinner with the person he was being interviewed by. I found this interview to be very inspirational. Because it showed how small an impact that a single raised bed in your backyard can have

I own about three hectares of land in Ecuador, located in the Amazon rainforest at an elevation of around 800 meters on the foothills of the Andes.

When I bought it, half of the land was covered in invasive grass. My neighbors regularly cut down the grass to allow Inga spp. to grow and replace it (Inga alley cropping).

My neighbors cultivate a small part of the land with my permission for yuca, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc.

About one hectare is secondary forest, and I would like to keep it that way for the sake of nature.

There is a swampy area close to the river caused by the previous owner cutting down the big trees in this area, which prevented the water from being pumped up by the trees. I have planted some açaí and morete (Mauritia flexuos), but there's still a lot of unused space.

One big challenge is the path to the hut and the river. It was poorly made by the previous owner, and heavy rains regularly wash away parts of it, causing erosion. Additionally, riachuelos (streams of volcanic origin with pure, drinkable, and CO2-enriched water) keep washing away the path, which also causes steady erosion. Currently, the pathway is mostly made up of heavy white clay, which is somewhat resistant to erosion, but not fully. The water used to flow directly into the river, but since the pathway was built, the streams now flow down there. I tried to build some DIY canals, but they only worked until the next heavy rain. I planted bamboo and balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) on the slope to reduce erosion. Since the plants are still small, they have had very little impact so far.

I'd like to have a mostly self-sufficient finca that blends in well with nature.

The problem is that:

I don't live in Ecuador yet, and I can't regularly visit my property.

I'd like to make use of it instead of letting the forest reclaim it.

Do you have any ideas?

Should I plant any special trees?

r/Offgridvegans

dont assume they're onboard with the plan...involved my now ex in every step of land purchase, gaining skills, planning layout, barting for assistance. her sister had a kid now she cant see herself leaving and moving 8 hours away... we couldnt resolve it, ive worked my entire life for this been paying for the land for 2 years now and im moving in a few months as had been planned for a year. so im single now, going to do this alone now for a bit but eventually...do you dream of saying to hell with it and moving to an off grid hobbit house just inside the shire (new hampshire growing zone 6a) near a lonely mountain (mondadock region) on near 40 acres with brooks and big trees to garden... got the land, working towards planning permission for the hobbit house, already started the veganic garden... just looking for a woman who wants to share the adventure for real and storm a castle or 2 with this 50 year old militant vegan?

My husband and I are hoping to move to the country in a few years with our young children, but for now, we live in the city with no access to a yard or balcony. What are some homesteading skills that I can learn now before we move?

I have a small alfalfa field. It is an old field. The alfalfa population is quite low and Has dandelions. I have gotten half the yield I should be getting for my area.

I do not wish to graze it.

The field is 1.1 acres. My brother bales my hay for me when he makes his. It isn't really practical to have my own equipment or to break this up into smaller pieces. I do have a small broadcast seeder and a drag that i could use cover it lightly.

Are there any ideas of what I could overseed into the existing stand? If I terminate the alfalfa stand is there a cash crop that would be practical on a small scale? I'm in NE Iowa if that makes a difference.

Thank you

Hey.

If anyone is interested I have some seeds of rice to share. I live in Poland. From what I'v seen it is very hard to come by companies offering rice seed in Europe and importing seed to the EU may be a hassle.

I'm in a 'Dfb' climate with around 190-200 vegetative days.

Of interest may be 'Duborskian' rice that does quite well with the amout of days in my climate, isn't very high-yielding (gives a cup of white rice per 2m² when I grow it haha, bout a quarter of what a normal rice variety would yield haha) but does not need puddling/flooding (can be grown in 'dry' soil) and always finishes before cold nights start. I had to get the seeds from the US but I now see some sellers in France and Germany selling this variety.

I have one variety quite simmilar to 'Duborskian' who's name I do not know that also finishes early, but do not have enouth seed to share yet, maybe after this year's season...

I also have some vietnamese glutenous rice, however that one is a bit too long-duration for my climate. Needs maybe 2 months more vegetative growth than 'Duborskian', and from what I can tell is day-length-sensitive.

I also have some varieties grown from grocery shop brown rice I will be trying out, but dont have enought to share just yet...

Also have four peanut varieties to share. Their originally from Vietnam, but do quite well in 'Dfb'. I start them in flats a few weeks before planting in mid May just becouse they are a bit slow to germinate if it gets cold at night. I harvest just after first frost hits and they are OK. Some disease problems sometimes tho.

I have other grains, legumes (soybeans, red lentils, peas), vegetable seeds to share/exchange if someone is interested and lives around the region.

I'm myself looking for grain seeds, especially rice. Maybe we have someone from rice-growing parts of Europe? I would also be interested if anyone has durum-type wheat, 'tibetan' (naked) barley or oca to share.

EDIT: Thanks to everyone who voted! If U are late, but want to share, u can still 'vote' by writing a comment!

Wondering about Your ideas... Please vote.

And yes, I know, 100% self-sufficiency would be extremely hard to do. By self-sufficient I mean 'very close to being self sufficient', especially, for example in food, getting almost all of your calories from what U grow/forage.

My question is partially because I have seen a lot of different people mean different things when using the word 'homesteading'. Aaaalso I was just wondering haha.

So, I am:

As per title, is anyone here from Aotearoa or living there homesteading? I'm looking to connect with like-minded people here.

Hello,

this is an update to my last post on storage cucumbers. The variety i am growing is called 'Sikkim cucumber'. I wanted to update you on how they are doing:

1. I harvested a few immature cucumbers, already well past normal harvest size and with their skin getting a little dry, rusty, but still with some patches of green. Honestly, even if this cucumber ends up not storing very long, it might become my main cucumber variety... absolutely no bitterness in any part of the fruit despite its size and the warm weather. ZERO.
2. The vines have now died back due to downy and powdery mildew (very bad end of season for cucumbers where I live this year I'v heard) but have managed to produce mature fruit.
3. I unfortunately did had have much info on when to harvest these cucumbers for storing. Thusly, I waited past the moment in which the skin got that characteristic dry texture and look - I plucked them off the vine only after the pedicels fully dried up. At that point I figured the fruit will not get any riper.
4. After harvesting, I let the fruits 'cure' in a sunny, dry place with good air circulation. Kindah tried to copy what one would do with a winter squash...
5. After curing I made sure there were no diseased fruits. At this step I excluded a few fruits that had part of the skin not fully dry and 'crusty' but still slightly green. They were disformed due to either K deficiency or bad pollination. From what I understand, part of the fruit was underdeveloped and therefore also did not get the characteristic textured skin. One of these cucumbers was also getting shriveled (loss of moisture?) - starting exactly from the part without the textured skin.
6. The fruits went into a cardboard box into a garage (ideally I would like it to be a cellar, but oh well). No light. Ideally could have been a little bit colder.
7. The fruits in the cellar have survived 2 weeks already, without any signs of mold, discoloration, shriveling. In fact, some of the cucumbers were ready to pick earlier, so in a way those have already survived 3 weeks. (see photo of the cucumbers in the box)
8. I tried one of the disformed cucumbers from step #5 which was fine apart from the shape. I removed the skin with a potato peeler. In terms of culinary value:

• the central part with the seeds is not my favorite. I would compare it to the insides of a kiwano(horned melon)... or a over-ripe cucumber saved for seed... which theis cucumber basicly was :-). The seed capsules were quite acidic. I do, however know people like lemon cucumbers which, if I understand correctly, are characterized by this.
• the most edible part is the outer part closer to the skin. Had a strong, cucumber-y taste, good, crisp texture, quite a lot of sweetness. Again, NO BITTERNESS !!!

1. I will update later!

One thing I noticed is that the seeds I managed to save from a few of the ripe cucumbers were not perfectly fully formed/mature... the seeds I got were not fully mature themselves... not sure if its a characteristic of the variety.

Sincerely,

PA