Why do you work?

[Anonymous]

I really want to get bees, but don't really know much about the practical aspects.  That will be one of my first plans after I finish.  Are they hard to take care of?  What is the time commitment?

We only have six hives so far, but it yields over 300 lbs of honey a year.  It's seasonal work which is perfect for me as my busy season is winter. Once you get going with your hives it's not much time at all. Once I'm fully retired I'm going to expand five to ten fold. The smell is great too.

Nice.  300lbs?  That's incredible!  I had no idea they produced that much.  Do you have to move the hives in winter or can they stay outside?  I'm assuming it's colder wherever you are than it is in Vancouver.

Yes, Saskatchewan is slightly cooler than Vancouver. Make sure you got sealed honey around your top frames in late summer early winter and your good to go.

[reel]

Excellent.  Obviously I have a lot of research to do before I actually start anything.  You are the first person I've spoken to that actually has bees though.   Otherwise I've just read about it.



My eventual goal is to go off-grid and produce about 30% of my own food, with pretty much everything else self-sustaining.  The bees would mostly just be for fun, but the rest will pretty much be a full time job in itself.

[Anonymous]

Excellent.  Obviously I have a lot of research to do before I actually start anything.  You are the first person I've spoken to that actually has bees though.   Otherwise I've just read about it.



My eventual goal is to go off-grid and produce about 30% of my own food, with pretty much everything else self-sustaining.  The bees would mostly just be for fun, but the rest will pretty much be a full time job in itself.

I want to get off the grid too and sell any surplus electricity back to the province of Saskatchewan. I'm starting to read about it now. As well as produce 50% of my own food. I have planted Christmas trees the last two seasons too. I share farm machinery with neighboring farmers, but a semi self reliant life is the goal.



We have a lot of common goals. I got to go pick up the old lady now, but you can drop in and share any wisdom you have on self reliant living.

[Twenty Dollars]

I actually do not work. Sometimes I'm a tad bored.

[reel]

I'm still learning a lot, but I think the biggest challenge is the energy.  My plan is to buy land somewhere and build specifically for this purpose, as most construction is woefully inadequate in a number of respects.



A few thoughts:

Solar hot water using a vaccuum insulated heat exchanger - useful for Saskatchewan winters - This will go a long way towards reducing energy needs.  This can be retrofitted into existing construction, though it would be easier in new.



Super insulation and solar design - There are a bunch of houses built like this in Saskatchewan as a proof of concept that require no heating at all.  I think they were built in the 80's.  They are a bit extreme, but dramatic reductions in heating requirements are achievable with increased insulation and reduced air leakage.  A wood stove would be a useful backup with the possibility to double as a cook stove.  Doing this effectively is harder to retrofit, but it's a big gain and insulation isn't expensive.  Look up Passiv Haus concepts as well.  Lots of interesting ideas on insulation and solar heating.



DC grid - if you are going completely off-grid with a battery storage bank, a 12 or 24V DC grid is a better option than 120V AC with an inverter.  At least switching as many of your electrical demands as possible over will go a long way towards efficient energy use.



On the food side, I'm a big fan of organic gardening with mulching and composting, no chemical additives.  This is partially a health thing, but also, in my opinion, chemical fertilizers or other interventions don't really fit in with an off-grid concept.  I'm also guessing a sizeable and well insulated, solar heated greenhouse will be necessary.  I've been looking at a few below ground designs with various types of heat sinks to further stabilize temps(insulated concrete slabs, black water barrels, etc.)  I'm about to start a course to be a certified master organic gardener.



I've not quite figured out how to deal with the relative lack of sunlight in Vancouver as this is fairly essential for a number of ideas in energy and food growth, but then temperature extremes aren't as bad here either.

[keeper]

[Anonymous]

I

On the food side, I'm a big fan of organic gardening with mulching and composting, no chemical additives.  This is partially a health thing, but also, in my opinion, chemical fertilizers or other interventions don't really fit in with an off-grid concept.  I'm also guessing a sizeable and well insulated, solar heated greenhouse will be necessary.  I've been looking at a few below ground designs with various types of heat sinks to further stabilize temps(insulated concrete slabs, black water barrels, etc.)  I'm about to start a course to be a certified master organic gardener.

I like gardening and I buy organic elk, chickens, turkeys and wild boar from local farmers. However, I an not going to live a lifestyle for ideological reasons. I'm a city girl and always will be. I prefer the taste of home made and I buy or grow it when possible.

[Anonymous]

I

On the food side, I'm a big fan of organic gardening with mulching and composting, no chemical additives.  This is partially a health thing, but also, in my opinion, chemical fertilizers or other interventions don't really fit in with an off-grid concept.  I'm also guessing a sizeable and well insulated, solar heated greenhouse will be necessary.  I've been looking at a few below ground designs with various types of heat sinks to further stabilize temps(insulated concrete slabs, black water barrels, etc.)  I'm about to start a course to be a certified master organic gardener.

I like gardening and I buy organic elk, chickens, turkeys and wild boar from local farmers. However, I an not going to live a lifestyle for ideological reasons. I'm a city girl and always will be. I prefer the taste of home made and I buy or grow it when possible.

Free range is the way to go if you can afford it.