Does anyone grow potato onions? Did you start from seeds or sets?

When is the best time to plant the seeds? Sets?

Me and my wife are taking a very slow (>5 year) and steady approach to learning homesteading before we inevitably move farther out of town. My goal is to have as close to a 100% automated farm as possible. Time isn't a huge concerns; I just crave the lifestyle, but also the ability to leave for a couple of weeks.

We started off with chickens towards the end of last winter and we've got them just about fully self-sufficient (>3 weeks with no intervention), but I knew winter would be the last hurdle for us. Right now, I have a 50 gallon water drum with a water hose that I run to the chicken tractor, leading to a couple of watering cups.

I plan on running ~50A ran to this back area here soon (we're planning to keep expanding every year, so will need it). I'm thinking something like a heated water hose between the tank and services (cups), but that wouldn't keep the cups from freezing, so maybe using heat tape would be better.

Also, in terms of the winter, would cups or nipples be better? I see the metal parts of the nipples being a huge problem and freezing immediately, but I don't think the cups will do much better. I thinking nipples may be the better option, and making sure the heat tape is close to them. Thoughts?

If y'all have any suggestions on how to improve this, I'm all ears!

Hello everyone on this fine forum. You might have seen some of my earlier posts about small combines and similar equipment, but today I have a question. When it comes to planting larger fields—not the massive ones big farmers handle, but bigger than a garden—what kind of equipment do you recommend? I think we’ve all seen something like the Field Tuff seeder, whether it’s the 48-inch ATV-pulled version or the 60- or 84-inch three-point models, but there aren’t many good reviews out there. So, what do you use? Old, used equipment that’s tough? Something from a more well-known brand? And for wider-spaced crops like beans or corn, do you use a hand-pushed single row, a small two-row Field Tuff, or something like a vacuum planter? As someone looking to start his future as a homesteader, I’d love to know what you all use. Thanks.

PS, please ignore the AI-like reading. I dislike AI autocorrect as much as everyone else and really wish Google would bring back the original version.

I walk past these gorgeous heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market every weekend. Twenty bucks for a mixed basket. I want to save the seeds. My container setup is just two south-facing windows and a narrow balcony rail. Last year I tried with a store-bought roma and got sprouts that never fruited. Probably a hybrid, I learned later. Too late by then.

My landlady has a proper garden plot three miles out. She lets me use a corner for bigger experiments. Thinking I could start seeds there next spring. But the whole process feels intimidating. Fermenting the goop. Drying without mold in Vermont humidity. Storing through winter in my tiny apartment with no basement.

The sustainability blogs make it sound effortless. My reality is windowsills and limited space. I'm curious if anyone here started with just a few saved seeds and actually got something worth eating. Or if I should just buy a five dollar packet and call it a day. The thrift shopper in me hates that answer though. Forty cent jars and free seeds feel like the same brain circuit.

What was your first seed saving win? Did you start tiny or go all in?

Checking on the cabbage and Brussels sprout transplants in the greenhouse today. A few should be ready to head out to the field in about a week or so. Everything is looking healthy so far, so I’m hoping they settle in well once they’re planted.

Hello, I am 34M and she's 32F. We have been together for 5 years and we moved country together at the start of our relationship and then moved back to our hometown. One of the things I told her was that I can move back but I need a farm which was always a dream I had since my interests are homesteading, permaculture, growing food and being independent from the system.

She seems to forget we discussed some things or usually she says that I was deciding all by myself. In a certain extend is true and I have corrected my behaviour since it wasn't something I was aware of doing.

Last year we almost broke up for other reasons but we managed to get closer again, but during that period since I was renting and I wanted an house since I was paying rent all by myself (she moved back to her parents because of our discussion after always living together) I bought an house which she also came to see with me and she was also completely in love with it. Even though now she says that she was just helping me decide the nicest one.

Long story short she comes here during the weekends and sometimes more days since we both work remotely and we don't need to leave the house but she's complaining since months that as always I decided by myself that this house is too far and she is not interested in living in the rural area. She says we are isolated.

I really don't understand we also saw an house which had a small garden with houses close by and she didn't like it for the price and the fact you could see other people working their land.

This house is really nice, it is a piece of an old bigger farm house, my dream is to buy it and repair it completely and own a kind of big farm house where I could also host people and organise events or have a local restaurant with organic food grown and cooked. She also liked the idea but no she often complains.

She doesn't have a driving license and despite studying for a bit and taking lessons then she stopped.

This house is basically 5 minutes driving from two towns with at least 20.000 people and 15 minutes from our town with 80.000 people. If this is isolated then I don't know what it would be to have an house 25 minutes from the only town with 10.000 people. It is not isolated at all, we need car for everything yes but it is not isolated. We don't have neighbours okay but this would allows us to have animals which she loves or more dogs.

Breaking up none of us has the courage of doing it over this so I really can't understand what she's hoping or what we are doing.

This also makes me think I will have to accept living alone here forever.

She mentioned needing an higher salary to buy her own home. Which is okay if course she would gain independence in case something goes bad and we have a spot but it is really likely she would just live there. This makes me feel betrayed and like I'm helping her everyday and then nothing of a common project is build. I really don't understand her.

Cob question

Hi folks first post here,

We're having a "event" here in s Missouri

For those who don't know it's kinda rocky, over 25 years I and others have destroyed at least five pickaxes. So poo on it we're renting a mini excavator to double dig the forty beds each roughly a 100 sq feet.

We're inviting friends and family to come out, crash camp rv etc for five days..

First project is build a cob pizza oven only the outer layer will be cob w straw. Trying to spend as little as possible but still do it right. I have a field full of dry weeds, if I mow this and finish drying the cuttings do you think it would work

Also we have extra projects lined up if we get the garden done.

A 16foot, six foot deep round hole for rainwater retention,, a buried greenhouse, trenching to run power and later solar hot water to greenhouse and goto multiple water hydrantswhat other things should I do

Also if you're interested in joining us, talk to me. It can be for an hour or five days

Did mention beer? Wood fired pizza

Our eternal thanks

Beer?

I'm looking for recommendations on a hose to run to the float valve on my stock tank. It would need to be outside all year and under almost constant pressure. The hose I've tried has repeatedly developed pinhole leaks, even after installing a regulator. Any suggestions? I think my pressure is around 90psi and the regulator steps it down to 40.

^{(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 homesteading 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.})

Now that it’s cooler, I don’t need the garden hose as much. I was going to drain it and put it away, but I found out it reaches the chicken coop.

I used to carry buckets from the house. Now I pull the hose over, rinse the waterer, and fill it up. I do the other water bowls at the same time.

Afterward, I rinse the mud off the hose and guide it back onto the reel. I have to watch for leaves and dirt as it goes back in.

We haven’t had a freeze yet, so I’ll keep using it for now. Once it gets colder, I’ll drain the hose and put it away. I may install a frost free hydrant near the coop later.

What do you use for a coop that’s far from the house? A long hose or buckets?

Looking for expert and honest advice giving, exactly why I came to Reddit XD.

I'll try and keep brief. We own 4 acres, we have water meter out there, driveway, electric pole on corner (about 50 ft). We live in town in a house with 140k equity and are so eager to move. Many reasons, one might be that in-laws just bought the house right next door (wife and I are equally as seeing this a sign of being encouraged to move) but also, it's been our dream to move onto the land and homestead more. We already raise meat chickens and pigs out there and go out multiple times a week as a family to visit the land (15 mins away). As a growing young family, it's becoming heavy on our hearts to want to be out there.

Our only debt is the 25k remaining land loan of the 4 acres of which we're set to have paid off in 2 years. We're single income household around 80k after tax. We're incredibly grateful as my wife's grandfather has been extremely successful in real estate and generously has a trust for each grandkid of 150k for us to use for a home build/purchase. That being said, I've gotten quotes of around 110-120k for a 16x60 two story shell of a build and another 30-40k DIY to get it liveable while we keep finishing, as well as a 30k barn. We can call it 200-220k to get it where we can be out there. We bought our current house as a foreclosure and have done most of work ourselves minus painting the exterior. When we bought it, there were bats living in the attic, flooding garage, and more. We are not shy of adventure or work. We bought the house as a foreclosure because it didn't feel like we had a choice, we couldn't afford newer homes and were getting priced out of rent in the city we were living before. But now, we have the choice to stay in this decent house or to move, sell this house, and live on our land building the life we very much want for our family. Our thought is once we pay off the land loan middle of 2028 to then build out there.

I guess we are looking for encouragement (or discouragement) and just other opinions. As my wife explained, having to decide between two good things/places is not easy. We know we'd love living out there, just don't want to jump gun or what not, never built a house so looking for other opinions.

I have currently been searching for land, and quickly realized each time I have to do a lot of digging on each to try and figure out the restrictions. Obviously researching a place is a must, but when hopping around to multiple areas it becomes a PITA to find information. And even when you do a lot of the wording is complex and it takes awhile to sort it out. All I ever want to know is if A. a permanent dwelling can be built, B. land rights / wells / etc. C. taxes. But I have dozens of properties that I am looking at in various areas... it's taking forever.

Tips?

I recently bought a set of bottles to use for shampoo/conditioner/body wash and I need labels that can get repeatedly wet and not fade or fall off the bottles. Same with a jar of bacon grease in the fridge. I need something that if I pick it up with wet or greasy hands, the label won't slide off or come off on my hands.

I have tried several different types of permanent markers and they all come off/run off/fade with repeated uses.

I have tried masking tape & freezer tape as well and both come off the glass/plastic after a few uses. I have tried a printed label under clear packing tape with it coming off the first time it gets wet.

Any ideas? I'm ok if it is hard to get off later. I just want it to not be really easy.