Quote: Katie Finlay

I think a lot of it you learn as you go. Talk to other people who do it. I wish I had the land for it! It would be so great!

I'm really excited about the garden.

We had some tomato plants in pots this year and had a good time eating the few we got.

That's so awesome! I grew my own chamomile over summer. But it never ended up strong enough (and I would use a lot of flowers). I'm thinking of trying strawberries next.

You should take photos!

 Quote: mara jessup

 Quote: katie finlay

That is the main problem. Not only is there no way to keep up with demand, there is demand all the time. Chickens don't naturally lay eggs year round, but you bet people want eggs all winter long.

Not really that hard if done right - My mom has hens laying really well right now! Chickens lay for about 10-12 months after they mature at 4-5 months old. Then they molt, which takes 4-6 weeks, then start in laying again, but maybe not quite as many as their first year. So by staggering when you hatch the chicks it's pretty easy to get eggs year round.

Backyard chickens have become very popular in the suburbs recently. I think it's pretty neat for the most part. It's great that people are becoming more aware of where their food come from and taking the initiative to be a bit more self sufficient when possible.

Yep, chickens just need an extended artificial light source during the winter ( a 40 watt bulb in your hen house burning for 4 hrs will do it ) to continue laying . They do shut down during molting as Mara pointed out.

My goal was to raise or catch at least 50% of my food needs when I moved to Idaho, so my plan goes as:

I raise chickens for eggs only, pretty much, I raise rabbits as my main meat source.
Between getting two or three deer per year and sharing an elk with a fellow hunter, I don't need to buy meat unless I want beef or chicken as a dietary change.
I live in the area that is consider the world's best fishing for Steelhead, so I have more fish than I know what to do with.
I have five active bee hives, acres full of fruit trees, and raised beds that I do my crops in.
So with the exception of my job in County Government, I'm pretty much a full time farmer ( small scale ).

I've been taking "Sustainable small farm and ranching" classes at University of Idaho and they've helped me increase my various garden crop yields, some by a significant amount.

All that being said, there is still no way that I can produce eggs at a cost that can match the supermarket prices - so the financial advantages of "economy of scale" that factory farms enjoy means that they'll be with us for a long time to come.
The best that we can aim for is to ensure humane treatment of the animals that become our food.

 Quote: michael_wise

The overall amount in general.

We have a 5 deer limit, but I don't have any idea what we would eat in a year.

Also, this will be my first year for a veggie garden. I don't know what size garden would be needed or anything like that.

In regard to the veggie garden, my advice would be to begin with something modest with which you can easily keep up. There IS a learning curve to everything and it is far better to learn on a manageable amount of anything rather than a too large amount. (Are you familiar with Square Foot Gardening?) Last year was my first "real" attempt at gardening anything other than tomatoes, and ventured into lettuces, spinach, cabbage (did not do well), carrots, green peppers, squash, and more varieties of tomatoes. This spring/summer, I plan on increasing the quantities of the items which I can freeze/store and give that a try.

There are many, many sites which provide info on food storage, quantities, etc... I'm happy to PM you a few I use if you would like.

ETA: Something tells me Will R. might have tons of good insight into this topic as well...

He was posting at the same time!

Will - what is your reason for not raising chickens for meat? I have not used ours for meat for human consumption yet, but have used harvested excess roos for the dogs.

One day, I'll have a garden. One day! But for now, CSA it is. And I've been getting an abundance of naval oranges. Delish.

Will, do you have honey? I would love to buy some raw honey from someone. I haven't looked around here. I know Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have it but I would like to know the true source of my honey.

eta. I found a honey supplier right near me!

Barbara,
My first year here was hectic with my various plantings, I didn't know if my knowledge base about gardening in Georgia and Florida would carry over to a different climate like Idaho.
So some of my crop yields ( like my sweet corn ) were pitiful....

Yes, Barbara! PM me anything you have that you think will help with storage, gardening, all of it! I know nothing and am starting from scratch.

The biggest thing from my lawn and garden forum was to start small, too.:smile:

Sorry, Katie if this is straying off topic.

If anybody has any info pertaining to beginning gardening all the way to storing what I grow, send me a PM. I appreciate it.:smile:

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

Will - what is your reason for not raising chickens for meat? I have not used ours for meat for human consumption yet, but have used harvested excess roos for the dogs.

Rabbits are a more efficent converter of feed to meat, and they're a little easier to protect from all the predators around here.
Plus, rabbits skin out fast, I don't have to scald and pluck them like a chicken......

No worries Michael. It went on to sustainable farming and such, so it did kind of stay on topic