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greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hi, from Central Florida. I don't know of any other homesteaders around here; if there are, please let me know. We have five acres, have lived here 14 years, but it was only seven years ago that I found out I was a "homesteader". I was so excited to have a name to call myself! I am new to the internet, and therefore new to the Forum, but I have found a lot of info I can use already. I am interested in more to do with fishfarming. We live in the "swamp", which is dry right now but usually has standing water 2 to 4 months out of the year. Of our five acres as much as 4 1/2 can be under water, like it was during El Nino. I would have to do fishfarming in tanks, because there is no guarantee if we will have water in an in-ground pond, and then we may have too much, and all of our fish will swim downstream!I read the article about raising fish in barrels, and wonder if plastic drums will work as well as metal drums. We have two Jersey cows, dairy goats, chickens, pigs, calves, rabbits, blue tick coon hounds. We homeschool our six children, our oldest will graduate in 2001 and our youngest is in first grade. I have a large organic garden, and I am expanding it, building up the low spots and making more raised beds, so hopefully the rainy season will not drown it. I want to make it into a business eventually, where I deliver bags of fresh produce, whatever is in season, to pre-arranged customers. Anyone have any ideas on this? Thanks to everyone and especially Countryside Magazine which I have enjoyed for seven years.

-- Lela Picking (Stllwtrs55@aol.com), July 10, 2000

Answers

Glad to meet you Lela. I am also in Central Florida, but on the West Coast. You may email me direct if you'd like.

-- Grits in Fl (rebelfarm@yahoo.com), July 15, 2000.

I am checking to see if this will post. I tried to post a response on another thread earlier and it would not accept it..something about the file being full, or my post was too long!? Am checking to see if this will work, sorry.

-- wjl7@GRACEACRES (wjl7@hotmail.com), July 16, 2000.

I guess it is working, will try again on that thread. Thanks-Wendy

-- Wendy@GraceAcres (wjl7@hotmail.com), July 16, 2000.

Hi Lela, sorry I missed your post originally. Welcome aboard.

About fish farming, try http://www.aquanic.org/

About your produce, I've seen articles in various magazines, they call it by some fancy name-maybe Community Supported Agriculture? If someone knows what the name is, I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it at your library and on the internet. It is an interesting way to market produce when it works. Even things that aren't specifically about this type of marketing, but deal with other ways of marketing produce would help by giving you some ideas of yields and packing. I hope you are sucessful with it. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 16, 2000.


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