Going off the grid, our family story.

[coolchange]

You radiused the top rail? Htf did you do that? Whats the material?

 

[wash11]

You radiused the top rail? Htf did you do that? Whats the material?

Seemed like a cool idea when we designed it! Execution was a different story. Torches+pressure+time = smooth radius top rail. Did I mention how much work the fence has been? Some of it is the same schedule 80 pipe we used throughout but the majority of the radius is schedule 40. Way easier to work with.

It's cool that you guys can pick up and appreciate some of what went into making Amy's garden bitchin. :thumbsup

 

[buck35]

Seemed like a cool idea when we designed it! Execution was a different story. Torches+pressure+time = smooth radius top rail. Did I mention how much work the fence has been? Some of it is the same schedule 80 pipe we used throughout but the majority of the radius is schedule 40. Way easier to work with.

It's cool that you guys can pick up and appreciate some of what went into making Amy's garden bitchin. :thumbsup

You're in my realm of work and I can certainly see how much work that was.
the project turned out fantastic, so kudos to you and the crew! Nice work!::thumbsup

 

[Bobby V]

Seemed like a cool idea when we designed it! Execution was a different story. Torches+pressure+time = smooth radius top rail. Did I mention how much work the fence has been? Some of it is the same schedule 80 pipe we used throughout but the majority of the radius is schedule 40. Way easier to work with.

It's cool that you guys can pick up and appreciate some of what went into making Amy's garden bitchin. :thumbsup

We have to bend pipe for jobs every once in a while in our parking lot. But I wouldn't do it next to a nice pick up truck. :eek I rather use 90* or 45*.

 

[TPC]

[video=youtube;Jq7XeDvPnwg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq7XeDvPnwg[/video]

 

[BasilHayden]

Updates Needed!

 

[Dirtbag]

Updates Needed!

Haha Basil...i been thinking about this thread for weeks....i agree!

 

[Havasu Home]

Updates Needed!

:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[wash11]

Sorry for the delay on updates- it's been a crazy summer!

For those of you seeing this thread for the first time I apologize that so many pictures are missing in the beginning of the story. We had been hosting the photos on Photobucket and they now want to charge $400 per year to host in a way that I can share them on a web page. I'll do my best to try and fix the photos by uploading to RDP directly but not sure if and when I can find the time.

All things till now had led up to growing grasses and organic grains to feed to our own poultry and livestock as well as a big garden to feed ourselves. Roads, fencing, water lines, composting, bee keeping, online courses, videos, permaculture certifications- all done with this end goal.

Prepping fields for row crops, pasture grasses or grains requires a different set of tools that we did not have. We will go into next season with more implements as we up our game but for 2017 we did a lot of this by hand. Rock picking, compost spreading and seeding were all done manually. We did add a old Ford 8N tractor to the line-up. It belonged to Amy's dad and with him passing this year we thought it would be some good therapy to have it down here doing work. It puts a smile on Mom's face knowing the ol' girl is back in action.

Coming to its new home from Montana.

Breaking up clay and cleaning up rocks to get ready to till the compost in.

Tilling the compost in to give a base for the grass seed to start in.

Re-raking rocks after tilling. This was such a tedious process but necessary for even growth and management. Think "bodywork" before a paint job. Anything bitchin always happens in the prep stage.

50lb bag of expensive but certified organic poultry specific seed since we'll be running our layers and meat birds through here.

7 days from first water.

 

[wash11]

Now that the grass was going it was time to get the garden in as quick as possible. We were already a few weeks behind optimal planting schedule so we put in some looooong days to get ahead of it.

We hauled about 20 yards of river sand from the wash below us to mix with our compost for the garden. It adds the minerals veggies need and lets your soil drain better.

We experimented with wicking bed style planting to utilize our clay better. Basically, you dig trenches to plant in and
the clay holds the moisture in so you water less. As the soil dries it pulls what it needs from down low.

We re-used the raised beds from Havasu as well.

Here's me painstakingly prepping the rows for sweet potatoes.

Here's me realizing that tight rows in heavy clay is a terrible idea.

 

[wash11]

Once beds were in we started seeding everything and slowly things started taking shape.

Corn

Green beans/dry beans for winter

Radish and tomatoes in the background.

The list of what we grew is staggering. So are the amounts. I could spend the evening posting pics of the garden and all the things we rotated out during the season.

 

[wash11]

Amy finally has her dream garden.

 

[wash11]

Pics of our daily view.

 

[JB in so cal]

Simply....Wow!

 

[Danger Dave]

Simply....Wow!

X2

 

[wash11]

Amy really upped her game on gardening this year. From seed saving, growing and harvesting organic potato slips to learning more drying, canning and preservation and so much more!

She pressed our cooking oil for the winter from the sunflowers we grew.

Here she is with potato slips she grew.

Time consuming work but our sweet potato harvest was well worth it.

Corn blanched and frozen for winter.

Canning our tomatoes for the winter.

Getting creative on root cellar options (skirted area on the 5th wheel works bitchin for this).

Grew and put away enough dry beans for soups and chilis for two people this winter.

 

[charlyox]

Thanks for the update Joel and Amy. Things are looking great.

 

[wash11]

Once the monsoon rains came in the garden was literally bursting with veggies. 40lbs per day on average. We had plenty for ourselves and then some. As I've talked about in other posts we have started a farm business to help support this life of ours. Our meat and egg customers in Havasu bought up every vegetable we would bring to town this summer. Farmers market prices right to your door! Hard to beat!

I don't want this thread to turn into a sales gig so please like our facebook page under Fort Rock Farms for regular updates. I do plan on redesigning our website this winter to be able to update offerings weekly but that's a couple months off still.
http://fortrockfarms.com/

Here's what the daily grocery store looked like.

 

[wash11]

Getting back to our first try at quality pasture grasses. All the work paid off. The buckwheat was the first to bloom and we had thousands of our bees on it everyday. This seasons honey harvest is dark and rich like only buckwheat can produce. A little bit of heaven in a jar.

The Japanese Millet came in strong. Here's Amy enjoying a whiskey on a nice day.

Our layers loving it. Feed costs dropped by 40% once they had this wonderful salad bar full of bugs and good greens.

We didn't graze or manage it as we wanted to see how it would do on its own. Between the 5 and 6' height we were satisfied. Never lost a layer due to hawks all summer. They had lots of cover. The first time we lost a bull calf for 20 minutes we knew it was time to cut.

 

[wash11]

The diversity of this mix is genius. For almost 6 months there was something new blooming as something else would die off a bit. The bees required absolutely nothing all summer- it was all right here in this little pasture and the garden.

 

[HALLETT BOY]

Amazing !

 

[RodnJen]

Solid work for all the right reasons!

 

[wash11]

Knowing what your animals are eating is the same as knowing what you eat. We planted enough organic wheat to feed unprocessed to our laying hens with a little left over if Amy wanted to try grinding it for flour. Another big drop in feed costs and big smiles knowing we can grow our own high quality feed getting back to the self sufficient life ideas.

 

[underpressure]

Such an amazing story!

 

[wash11]

Pastured poultry. If you like chicken- there's nothing better. Not only is it healthy and delicious, it's a decent life for a bird that would otherwise spend its life in a cramped factory farm standing in a mountain of its own crap breathing fecal particulate 24/7 requiring antibiotics and medicated feed.
We used leftover water line to build a 8'x8' enclosure with an open bottom to be able to move them to fresh grass every day. Sun, shade, exercise and fresh greens and the ability to protect against airborne predators.
The real plus is using them to manage the pasture while giving a concentrated shot of nitrogen. The grass growth behind them is staggering.

We order from a commercial hatchery (un-vaccinated of course). Start by brooding them indoors for a few weeks while building the enclosure.

The finished product on pasture.

Amy and I move them every 24 hours. Just long enough to munch down the grasses we planted for them and leave enough manure to super charge the grass growth. The layers graze about 3 days behind the pen as the fly larvae are just turning into something worth eating. Good protein, fly control and we don't have to use pesticides.

These two pictures show 11 days of growth with zero synthetic fertilizers. 1st pic is right after a move. 2nd is 11 days later.

Another view of the growth as we move them. This is just a couple days before we butcher. A perfect example of using nature as a template to minimize cost and inputs while producing a superior product. That and you're not being an asshole to the animal or the environment. Who can't get behind that?

 

[wash11]

Butcher day. Amy and I did 25 and had them on ice by lunch. Amazing what you can learn to do watching youtube videos. FYI, these are for personal consumption. The ones we raise for customers have to be processed in a inspected facility. (Didn't want the food police getting excited)

 

[fmo24]

As there have stated WOW ! With vision and super hard work you two have created something phenomenal

 

[wash11]

Today is the first time in months I've gone through pictures. Pretty neat to live in a place that looks like a pre-installed Windows screen saver.

 

[BasilHayden]

So amazing, thanks for the updates.

 

[wash11]

By July 1st the garden was in full swing and we held back a 1/4 of one of our grass fed steers and 1/2 of a pig for ourselves. The layers were producing the best eggs we'd ever seen with the new pasture grasses and our neighbor was keeping us stocked with raw milk, cheese and butter. The local fish ponds were stuffed with catfish and bass too. Without realizing it, we just stopped going to the grocery store at some point. Sure, we still had to buy toilet paper and paper towels etc but as far as food went- we had everything we needed. Between the gardens, animals and daily chores we were on the go from sun up to sun down burning a ton of calories.
We had never felt better. No dieting (we eat A LOT!!) and no gym memberships- we pulled the scale out of the storage box. I had dropped below 200 for the first time since my 20's.
I was 260lbs the day we decided to change our lives for the better. It's taken almost 5 years of slow and steady progress to drop 61lbs without crash dieting while putting on some useful muscle. Real food and real work. I've got muscles in places I never did when I hit the gym in my younger years.

Amy was 136lbs at her heaviest. She's always had a cute figure, even then. But this life is like the Fountain of Youth for her! She is now a very muscular 107lbs and holding.
Here's some info that might get me in trouble when she reads this thread: Amy is 2 months away from her 50th birthday. Talk about aging well........

 

[Sleek-Jet]

There's a reason why most farmers aren't much thicker than a fence post!

This is a great thread, congrats to you both for going after this dream.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Just awesome. Very happy to see some more posts to update us all.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

So here's a question, I know you have steered towards the commercial side with the chickens and beef, but if a family wanted to subsist and not much else, what would it take? Or asked another way; knowing what you know now compared to what you thought it would be, does it take 40 or 50 acres to pull it off, or can you get buy with less?

 

[jet496]

You guys are good! I'm from Iowa & my wife grew up on a farm in Colorado. Most people could not do everything you're doing.

Keep it up & keep posting.

 

[wash11]

So here's a question, I know you have steered towards the commercial side with the chickens and beef, but if a family wanted to subsist and not much else, what would it take? Or asked another way; knowing what you know now compared to what you thought it would be, does it take 40 or 50 acres to pull it off, or can you get buy with less?

This is one of the better questions I've been asked.

I wish the answer was simple- I'll do my best.

If land were in short supply I could feed Amy and I plus a couple kids on 2 acres if the water supply was good. That's raising/growing enough to trade for raw dairy products and beef since I wouldn't be able to do it myself on that 2 acres in a way that made sense financially.

Families have been making this work for hundreds of years on way less than what we have.

 

[Mandelon]

You still buy toilet paper? What about those corn cobs? LOL

I think it is amazing how much you two get done, and how great it would be to be self sufficient like this. Just awesome.

The irony is not lost on me though... how when this way of life was the norm, some folks couldn't wait to move to the city and get away from it. Now you have many people reading this, and dreaming of moving away from the city and getting back to country life.

I built an outdoor brick oven. We entertain and everyone is so thrilled to be able to cook outside and eat hot pizza or roasts or bread from the outdoor oven. 120 years ago, being able to cook indoors was the thrill.

Thanks again for sharing your story.

 

[Cole Trickle]

amazing...The passion the two of you have for this new life really shows.

 

[Andy01]

Great thread and pics! We have enjoyed everything but the vegetables, but that we will enjoy next summer!! I can't believe how big some of the vegetables are compared to the same ones in the grocery store.

 

[Tank]

Is it just me or does this thread make everyone feel very inept at the prospect of the economy crumbling, or zombie apocalypse coming or some end of times shit happens. I can't do any of this stuff!!

 

[Mandelon]

My wife and I have a pretty good garden, but we mostly feed the birds, the raccoons and the rats.

 

[Dirtbag]

you guys and your story should be a tv show....simply amazing....and you sir are one hell of a story teller....i cant wait for the next update

 

[rivergames]

I can't get over how bad ass this is and how much it makes me want to move the 'F' out of the City!

 

[wsuwrhr]

Is it just me or does this thread make everyone feel very inept at the prospect of the economy crumbling, or zombie apocalypse coming or some end of times shit happens. I can't do any of this stuff!!

You better have some use to you.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Is it just me or does this thread make everyone feel very inept at the prospect of the economy crumbling, or zombie apocalypse coming or some end of times shit happens. I can't do any of this stuff!!

It makes me wish I could start something like this now, instead of after the zombie apocalypse or end of times shit. It'll be hard to punch 300 foot water wells with just a jack handle.

 

[wsuwrhr]

It makes me wish I could start something like this now, instead of after the zombie apocalypse or end of times shit. It'll be hard to punch 300 foot water wells with just a jack handle.

The people who dig wells will still be around afterwards. They need to eat too.

 

[SBMech]

Is it just me or does this thread make everyone feel very inept at the prospect of the economy crumbling, or zombie apocalypse coming or some end of times shit happens. I can't do any of this stuff!!

Bah you can shoot, a few mule deer and wild pigs and you could trade for what you are not able to grow...barter has been around since the dawn of time..

 

[Sleek-Jet]

The people who dig wells will still be around afterwards. They need to eat too.

Fun story though, to get this back on track.

My great-uncles had thousands of acres of ranch land in eastern Colorado in their names. They paid very little for all of it. Instead, they punched water wells during the depression and took land and mineral rights in trade for the work. We finally sold off the last 1500 acres a couple years ago. Not a huge plot of land (or a large sum of money) in that part of the world, but a good ROI overall.

 

[RiverDave]

Is it just me or does this thread make everyone feel very inept at the prospect of the economy crumbling, or zombie apocalypse coming or some end of times shit happens. I can't do any of this stuff!!

Actually yes.. lol! I keep thinking if shitgoes sidewys hopefully we are good enough on the totum pole to head that way and pull our own weight around the property.

Seriously though at some point I would like to go up and check out their operation and start learning some of what it takes. I can’t think of anything more educational and fun for the kids!

 

[wash11]

Actually yes.. lol! I keep thinking if shitgoes sidewys hopefully we are good enough on the totum pole to head that way and pull our own weight around the property.

Seriously though at some point I would like to go up and check out their operation and start learning some of what it takes. I can’t think of anything more educational and fun for the kids!

You know you're welcome anytime Johnson family!

We hosted about 15 "Farm Tours" this summer. It was a mix of customers and people just interested in what we were doing, Homeschool families and college students from Northern Arizona University. It was a HUGE commitment of time but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The enthusiasm others bring with kind of recharges you. I put all the kids to work with age appropriate activities so its a hands on deal.

 

[wash11]

I don't want you guys getting the impression that this life is all work and no play. Yeah, we put some hours in but we try to balance it out with enough fun to keep from burning out. Labor Day weekend we had everyone bring RV's up to stay a few days. Great food, company, fun and drinks. The "check liver" light comes on quite a bit faster these days so it was nice to get back to healthy living but still love weekends like this.