I’m from a farming background & have raised a variety of animals through the years. We have a smaller acreage in a nice area, so the larger, stinkier livestock don’t work well for us. Our little goats & chickens have proven to be the most low maintenance and fun animals of all to raise for us. Sounds like you had a lousy tempered buck, which is a shame, however they do stink so bad that we prefer the minor hassle of having a friend’s one visit. Everyone’s property and needs are unique, this is what we found that works. 

Yes, Nigerian dwarf goats are naturally small, not bred down to dwarf, so they don’t have the issues with kidding that Pygmies have. I have a friend who brings the buck by to visit the girls (for a fee) when the time is right, that way I don’t have to feed & house Mr. Stinky. I do choose sweet tempered ones to breed to and keep, of course. Their size does make them vulnerable to predators, but so easy to manage by hand too. We live at the edge of a small town, with good fences (5’ woven wire with stout posts & crossbars) and have had no attacks since getting them about 8 years ago. If you choose to milk them, it’s delicious, high butterfat with no “goaty” flavor. Have tricked a number of sample tasters with it. But they do have tiny teats to milk! And of course the babies are beyond adorable, jumping happily into your lap to snuggle if allowed, and I haven’t had to bottle feed any of them yet, the mamas have managed as long as it’s no more than triplets. 

Barb, your livestock observations are spot on! Too many have an unrealistic and romanticized view of the self sufficient Homestead. Yes, it can be done, but it takes a heck of a lot of ongoing work and very specialized, regional knowledge, plus ideal location and community. The good old days were not so great.  On a more positive note, after many years of various livestock, our Nigerian dwarf dairy goats are the loveliest, healthy, low maintenance, and easy livestock I have ever owned. Plus, they’re wonderful, interactive and gentle pets. Highly recommend for a hobby farm, little kids, realistic homestead experience, but yes, you still need to study…and get them from a well regarded farm family, socialized from birth or they never really tame down. Disposal of excess garden prunings and produce has never been so easy, they love it all!

That’s an excellent example of temporary use! I have disposables for when the well acts up or we go tent camping too, but wouldn’t use long term. Unscented wipes are an awesome prep for both scenarios as well. 

That’s awesome July! Digging potatoes a bit at a time is great, it transforms what would be a tiring chore into a treasure hunt.😄 You must not have pocket gophers there, those little b*****ds love to chomp the lower half of the tuber on each one, especially on sweet potatoes. Really ruins the fun of digging when you haul up a great specimen with its bottom gone…

Fair point Eric! But Florida and many other humid climates aren’t as likely to have drought/water scarcity problems, right? And I did clarify using caution regarding odors, for example the laundry needs of an office worker would be different from a construction or health worker. My suggestion could be expanded to include towels, bedding, etc., but a humid climate would shorten use times before washing, as moisture favors bacteria & odors. The main point is, if you’re in a water scarce area (which I am), evaluate the actual necessity of some everyday hygiene uses. 

On item 7 using disposable dishes, etc., increases waste and surely water is used in their manufacture? Our family has turned to the habit of just reusing cups & dishes that are only lightly soiled (with non-spoiling foods or drinks such as sandwiches, chips, cookies, teas, black coffee…) you’d be surprised at how much it reduces dishwashing without harming health. Obviously we only reuse our own, not another family member’s.  Also, many items of clothing (not underwear or socks!) can go a bit longer than expected without washing. Just be aware some people have a more sensitive nose than others, so be cautious of your limits in determining that threshold. 🤭

Certainly a possibility, Forager. The ones we ate together were deep in a ditch before weather had heated up in the spring. My husband wouldn’t touch them due to that story, until a couple days later & we showed no ill effects. I never partook of the parking lot produce & (shame on me) teased BIL about his daring choices after he recovered. 

Neat idea, but funny story for you. Brother in law happily picks some beautiful curly dock he finds flourishing in/near a grocery store parking lot. Takes it home, cooks up a healthy portion. Rest of story, we get a call, “Brother, I’m so darn sick, going from both ends…” Sorry, TMI, but, you just can’t be sure sometimes if something has just got a nice dose of Roundup but hasn’t wilted yet, or who know what else it’s been dosed with or grown in. Be cautious & use common sense. Might be fine to pick or…maybe not. Before you ask, he did identify it correctly, I picked & ate some with him on another occasion, delicious & no ill effects.

In our case Eric, the slab foundation, while being nice & stable temperature & minor earth movement wise, puts us only about 6” above the level of our yard & pasture in a larger area that’s mostly pancake flat with a slight rise here & there. So, any floods here over 6” will come right in, and 3-4” feels really close. Raised foundations have their own flood issues: while the flood generally has to be higher before it enters the house living space, the movement of water under your house could move or destabilize the load bearing piers which could create larger issues that are even harder to repair. Our house would get really gross, but probably not move/shift as there’s nowhere any significant current would come from. Previous floods in the area show it just creeps up, then slowly subsides. We’re in a country area, so drainage consists of our neighbors having ditches, with typical variability on how well they keep them cleaned out. 😉

Thanks pnwsarah & AT! I’m not far from you, and for about 10 years did carry flood insurance because although we live on a slight rise, we’ve seen flooding just a mile south of us & have a slab house also. At the time it was only in the $400 range for a year of flood insurance. We eventually let it lapse after close observation of water events, but you got me thinking & doing more research! Last year’s “atmospheric river” dumped some 5 inches in 24 hours, but we fared fine here at about 35’ elevation. I did stock a box of 100 sandbags just in case…very cheap insurance indeed although filling them when urgently needed may be a problem. I think you can also get a water fillable tube that functions the same, but have doubts about its efficacy. 

Thanks M E for your relevant comments about us few knowledgeable, experienced, & diligent Realtors! (We do exist, in spite of the sadly many bad apples.)  As you mentioned, do your homework & find one that works for their clients’ interest instead of their own (it’s in our code of ethics, tho many ignore that part.) Zillow reviews are vetted so are a reliable source to judge that too, if you don’t have a personal referral. Also, as a buyer, you can change agents as long as you haven’t signed a buyer agreement. Once you find a good advocate, listen & actually take their advice. They have comprehensive knowledge of their area and its challenges as well as benefits. Just so you know, we can fire clients too, and that’s a reason I’ve done so.

Soil is great, water is all on drip under heavy chipped tree mulch. Muscadines look fun! Grapes do wonderfully well all around here, and are quite trouble free for me. My favorite vine that I bought as a sprouting bare root from the bargain bit at Lowes (Black Monukka, $1.50–felt sorry for it & admired its vigor) started ripening already a couple weeks ago & keeps its fruit good for months, just mellowing with time. If the squirrels & birds leave any alone the grapes actually dry in place into raisins. At the moment I have only a couple vines, but they give more than we can eat & I have even tried making a bit of wine with the extra. We have excellent variety & quantity of fruit growing here year around, so the blackberries being a pain are really not a big deal.

Yep, the very ones, Indian names, right? I’m resigned to eating them mostly with half succulent berry, half charred fiber. They’ve been in for years, same every year. The wild ones here get toasted on the top too, then the sheltered sides are usually ok if they haven’t received full sun. The funny thing is, the heat tolerant Caroline (I think that’s the name) raspberries produce reliably & for months with little trouble and a bit of shade, but the blackberries are always a pain. I’ve considered pulling them out in favor of something else, but haven’t hit on anything I’d rather try yet. 

Sounds like a good plan! Kudos to you for using your land productively without lawn. 😄 I hope your neighbors appreciate your industry.  I’ve considered shade cloth, as my blackberries without fail get fried as they ripen, but mostly I just plant an over story wire grape trellis with grapes or a recent new addition, kiwis, to provide some shade to berries or whatever other more heat sensitive crop is underneath. It’s true that to the uninitiated my garden can appear to be an ungovernable mess aside from walkways. Used to drive my tidy husband nuts, until he noticed that my messy delicious garden got all the attention from visitors while his ever tidy lawns were walked over with little comment. There is managed order, but it isn’t always obvious. 

Excellent tips, thanks! All that tracking gives me the creeps, but sometimes it’s overwhelming to figure out how to limit it. Your bullet points are great!

Things just keep changing don’t they! Interesting data point, night temps; our local climate cools down into upper 50’s most summer nights due to a delta nearby generating winds, so there’s a solid difference point between our hotter climates. Perhaps that allows plants some recovery time that you guys miss out on. So much variability to track!

Fun suggestion about Swimply! Hadn’t heard about that. Maybe a retirement income stream, but it could be a bad thing for op-sec, right? Always a downside…

Hmm, interesting. I wonder if the double whammy of heat + your high humidity  is the culprit then? I suppose it stays hot at night too? It’s been a few years since I planted corn, largely because of its Murphy’s Law tendency for it to all get ripe at once when I’m swamped with work or on vacation. It always did well, plenty of wind & I planted in blocks to maximize pollination. I’m frequently amused to see gardens planted with a useless single row of corn. I guess my only other suggestion might be as already mentioned in your post & the comments, testing alternate varieties. I have observed that a large mix of varieties allows one or two to especially prosper depending upon variables in climate on different years. Same principal that if only one zucchini is planted, you get none, but if you plant 2 or 3 you’re drowning in them. Downside of course is saving seed from a mixed planting becomes a roll of the dice genetically. We once had cucs & cantaloupe cross pollinate, and both tasted weird! Best of luck in your gardening & thanks for generously sharing both success and challenges so we can all learn together!