LIVING SELF SUFFICIENTLY
Also see details of our one day workshop on "Self-sufficiency."

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Introduction:

As a population, we are dependent on "reticulated" electrical power, water, food, fuel, medicine, and most other essentials for comfort and survival.

We have all but lost the knowledge of how to live "self-sufficiently" without relying on this "system." We are so "hand fed," dependent and locked into this "system" that we are not able to appreciate just how vulnerable we are should it collapse.

We at Pindari started preparing to be more self-reliant 15 years ago. It is the lessons we have learnt and the information gained that we share with you, hopefully providing by example, information and inspiration for those wishing to do the same.

To be living in today's world and to be fully self-sufficient is very difficult if not impossible, so we have structured ourselves to be as self reliant as practicable. We also endeavour to produce an excess to barter with or sell.

We still have a need for petrol and diesel and many other items that makes life easier, and we use the current advances in technology such as computers and the Internet. We have in simple terms, maintained our current use of technologies while at the same time, endeavoured to detach and free ourselves from being reliant on "systems" that "feed" and controls us.

The choice we have made is very freeing and exciting in its concept and its living, but it is also hard work at times and challenging. We see ourselves materially going in one direction while the majority of the population heads in another. While others play, we work. While others increase their comfort materiality we are preparing Pindari for the times we foresee ahead when there will be a need to help many.

For us the decision to move towards self-sufficiency is absolutely correct. We are aware that the current state of this planet, environmentally, socially, financially and politically is on a knife edge. We see the security for our children and ourselves as being best achieved by having home grown foods, a good supply of clean water, electrical power from our own sources, medicinal herbs in our gardens and an understanding of how best to remain mentally and emotional steady in times of chaos and trauma.

We also understand that ahead we may need to share our resources with others less prepared should the "system" collapse. We believe that we can best contribute to ours and our community's well being by encouraging others to be more self-sufficient and passing on our knowledge and experiences so far gained.

What is shared below is potentially appropriate for Australian conditions and more so for Tasmania. In other parts of the world, social, economic and climatic conditions will dictate differing needs and values. In many less "developed" countries many people already live "self-sufficiently" and some of the information below will be of little value.

Below, are discussed several aspects of self-sufficiency, if intending to establish a self-sufficient residence or convert an established residence, the whole area of energy management from power generation, heat conservation, cooking, water pumping, alternative fuels and power generation backup facilities need to be planned for and carefully budgeted.

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Power generation

Discussion
With "in house" electrical powered appliances, there is a need for a completely different approach to energy planning and consumption. Attention needs to be placed on consuming less energy and on the use of renewable energy resources such as the use of wood fired stoves for cooking and heating water. Appliances such as the refrigerator, freezer, electrical stove, dish washer and clothes drier need to discarded or converted to a very energy efficient model. Water heating needs to be by solar or the burning of fuel.

This is a complex area for planning and budgeting but it is an essential area for consideration. It is important that the system you install is well balanced amongst the individual units within the system according to your needs. Seeking the advice of an experienced consultant is recommended.

It is very important to have a "standby" electrical generating facility so that you are not "left in the dark" if the electricity power supply fails. This way you will have power for a few lights and can have the use of power tools, keep the deep freeze cold and run the washing machine.

Three very good references in this area are the booklets:

"Remote Area Power Supply Systems" - produced by the Solar Energy Industries of Australia inc. "Remote Area Power Supplies," produced by the State Electrical Commission of Victoria and Energy Victoria.
"ReNew" magazine "Technology for a sustainable future" available from:
PO Box 2001, Lygon Street North. - Brunswick. East VIC 3057. Australia.
NB: With the passing of time other references may be more applicable

Further information on "at home" power generation is also available at:
www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk/web/industry.htm

Information on wind and solar power generation of electricity is available at:
http://www.noahs-ark-anchors.com/content/solar.htm

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At Pindari we run a 24 volts system with a bank of 1100 amp/hour deep cycle batteries. For power generation we have 6 X 64 watt and 8X80 watt solar panels, a Soma 1000 watt wind generator (view tower), and as a 'back up' we have a wood fired steam engine that can generate up to 900 watts per hour. 

In relatively windy weather and with sunny days we are able to generate sufficient electrical power to frugally run the house. We are still connected to the grid but In emergencies when there is no reticulated power we are able to go into a self-reliant mode and successfully run the house on the power available from our system.

We have a refrigerator and freezer that have been converted to use the more efficient 24 volts compressors. We cook and heat our water on a wood fired stove and have a gas cook top as a back up. Any excess hot water produced is efficiently pumped through the floor and we have a centralised open wood fire with an exposed flue for heating the house.

Lighting is either via 240 volts compact fluorescents lights or 24 volt dichroic halogen lamps.

We use rain water in the house, catching roof water that is stored in a 60,000 litre tank and we pump water from this into a 500 litre header tank in the roof of the house. This supplies all the water to the house via gravity pressure. We use a standard washing machine but are considering a more efficient model.

Most "in house" electrical power generating systems require deep cycle battery storage and an inverter to convert the 12 or 24 volt DC battery current to AC at the regular 240 volt power, or whatever voltage your country has as a standard.

Points to consider

A. Energy saving considerations:
1 - down-sizing, elimination or conversion of the refrigerator and freezer to a 12 or 24 volt DC compressor.
2 - replacing electric hot plates and oven with a wood stove or gas.
3 - replacing dish washers, clothes dryers and electric heaters with other means.
4 - minimising use of food processors, electric jug, iron, hair dryers, video, television, computers, stereo systems and vacuum cleaners.
5 - lighting with compact fluorescent, 12 or 24 volt DC dichroic halogen lights or the new LED lighting.
6 - using all electrical appliances minimally.

Note: 4 - 5 - 6 do not apply if you have an adequate solar/wind or water turbine system.

B. Sources of power generation:

-Solar - Low maintenance, long lasting, dependent on sunlight, lower winter output when needs may be higher.
-Wind - need a windy site, use a high tower for best efficiency, noisy, some maintenance required, subject to wind droughts.
-Hydro (water) - needs a constant flow of water with sufficient fall. Less expensive per watt produced to establish and is of low maintenance. It is the best alternate supply method.
-Generators

• diesel and petrol - noisy, costly to run, dependent on availability of fuel, some maintenance required, a useful backup power source for other systems.
• steam - high initial establishment costs, some maintenance and needs supervision, low fuel costs, uses renewable energy resource.

C. Other Information

- Electrical power is measured in "watts" which are obtained by multiplying the voltage (volts) of the system by the amperage (amps) output. eg a one 5 amp solar module @ 15 volts = 75 watts/hr
- It is important to have a backup generating facility in times of low power production so as to run the house and for recharging the batteries when they fall below 60% of storage capacity to avoid or reduce battery damage.
- When calculating power production and usage allow for a 25% efficiency loss.

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Water management

Planning water management is most important when intending to be "self-sufficient." If living in a town a rainwater tank for drinking water can be easily installed to collect the rain off the roof, thus providing the essential aspect of water self-sufficiency. Its important to consider putting a "first flush" device into your collection off your roof to reduce contaminants in the water collected.

If living in the country then water may be obtained from many sources including, rain water, river or creek, spring, bore, and dam or well.

It is important to establish the quality of water obtained for mineral content and balance, whether acid or alkaline and the presence and levels of herbicide, pesticide and other contaminants. The roof gutters need to be kept clean of leaves and animal/bird excrement.

The pumping of water is very energy consuming. The placing of a house below the water source can save considerable energy if gravity can be used to both move the water and pressurise the water within the house.

It is better to run an electrical water pump once daily to fill a header tank rather than intermittently as the pump uses considerable power each time it starts. Similarly with pipe sizing, use larger diameter piping to reduce friction and increase pumping efficiency. There are easy to understand charts obtainable from irrigation shops that list these efficiencies.

Water for gardening is a most important consideration for most areas in the world. At Pindari it is much less a matter of water quality and much more a matter of quantity and the energy required for it to be moved, thus in planning your garden position, consider the water supply availability.

The method by which the water is distributed over the garden, whether by dripping or sprinklers also requires careful planning. Advice from irrigation shops can again help here. Being able to water the vegetable garden and orchard is a major factor in the successful growing of your own food. Having a supply of water under pressure needs to be considered for fighting fire.

Pindari herb farm sits on top of a hill with a shoulder of land running across to another hill.

Garden water - we have two dams that collect water from small collecting basins on either side of the shoulder of land. The larger and higher dam has a smaller collection basin, and to compensate we have contoured both sides of the adjacent hill. A wet winter is required to fill this dam but it lies only 4 meters below our pumping shed and thus requires less energy for pumping. The other dam fills quickly but lies some 30 meters below the garden areas. We use the dam waters for watering the garden.

We have a 'secondary' 76,000 litre concrete holding tank on top of the hill from which we can gravity feed the small sprinklers and drip lines. We are able to also pump directly from either dam to this tank or directly to the gardens.

House water - we pump water once or twice a day to a converted 500 litre stainless milk vat placed high in the roof using a centrifugal pump. All taps in the house are then gravity fed. We also pump water from a bore that produces little but high quality water directly into the house header tank. All water-holding facilities are covered to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes and other insects.

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Usage

Individual house requirements are dependent on water availability. Some points to consider in regards to efficiency with the "in house" use of water are:

• the use of a low pressure delivery hence less potential for wastage.
• using dual flush toilets.
• brief showers using a low volume shower head.
• eliminating dripping taps.
• using the grey water from the kitchen sink and laundry for watering the garden.
• using common sense

Water Sources

• Rain water - the collection of rain water is dependent on the area of the collecting roofs and rainfall. It is usually of high quality with little contamination requiring regular cleaning of the roof guttering.
• Bore water - drilling a bore hole is expensive and is a hit or miss affair. If water is found and it is of a usable quality and of sufficient quantity, there are the costs of purchasing a suitable pump and the ongoing cost in energy (and dollars) of pumping the water for use. The water should be tested to check its suitability before use.
• Dam water - often requires pumping so positioning is important, requires maintenance as far as the over flow adequacy in times of flooding, is dependent on rain water and surface run off and loses much water by surface evaporation on hot windy days. For house useable water and a healthy life form within the dam, it requires a "clean" collecting basin in respect of fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides and no direct stock usage.
• Spring water - the mineral balance needs to be checked before long term human consumption, may need a collecting vessel and pumping, reliability needs to be checked if possible.
• river and creek water - quality needs to be checked regularly if being used within the house and monitoring of what is happening in the water catchment, usually requires pumping.
• well water - a shallow 4 meter deep well can be placed adjacent to a 'dry' creek bed and provide adequate water that is flowing underground and is a clean source of good water. Wells can be made using a 900 mm diameter concrete sections and placed in low lying areas.

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Food self-sufficiency

Discussion
The opportunity of being self-sufficient in food depends on many factors, not the least being the climatic zone, the type and availability of land, the number and dietary habits of the people.

The five basics food types are, vegetables, cereals, fruits, dairy and the protein sources including meats, eggs, poultry, fish, shellfish and nuts.

Vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and fish are usually the easiest to grow, graze and catch in a self sufficient setting. harvesting of cereals in western counties is dependent on agricultural machinery and whilst we at Pindari have grown some maize and amaranth, we have not grown sufficient for our needs for even one or two weeks.

It is thus advised that cereals be acquired and stored in a quantity sufficient for a chosen period of time. Wheat by far being the longest keeping and best value for price, nutrition and energy. 
(see storage.htm or www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk/web/storage.htm)

Growing food at Pindari

• Compost - we trailer in weekly approximately half a ton of stable waste consisting of old sawdust mixed with horse waste. We mix this with garden waste and allow it to compost over 6 to 12 months. Water is a key factor in efficient composting and can substantially shorten the composting time. Stable sawdust is relatively chemically clean with the only problem being when the horses are wormed at the stables. The worming chemicals in the horse waste results in it taking 3-4 months of composting before the composting worms will work on the matter. Stable straw can contain many weed seeds and needs to be well composted with high heat to kill the seeds.

• Application - the compost is placed on the garden at the end of the growing season and when required. We mulch the gardens heavily with half composted stable straw in late spring to conserve water over the summer period.

• Seaweed spray - we apply this onto the foliage of plants in spring and early summer. This is made by obtaining kelp from the seashore and soaking it in a plastic drum for 6-12 months. It is then filtered and diluted approximately 1 to 40 with water. 

• Minerals - the available mineral content of the soil is a critical aspect for a healthy garden and nutritious vegetables and fruits. We also use dolomite, gypsum and occasionally rock phosphate in our gardens and orchards. We have had a detailed soil analysis carried out by SWEP laboratories of Melbourne. They and other similar companies provide a detailed soil analysis based on organic concepts and provide much information on how to balance the mineral in the soil for the crops you intend growing.

• Pest management - we endeavour to manage pest naturally using natural insecticides and "bug juices." We see ourselves as beginners in this area with limited success at this point. For information on how to make these natural pest management preparations we suggest acquiring a locally written "natural" gardening book.

• Fencing - we have established a "floppy" fence system that is 1200 mm high of small mesh wire netting with 300 mm of floppy outward hanging mesh wire supported by a doubled over, vertically threaded, length of straining fence wire. This keeps the possums and wallaby out of the gardens. The bottom of the fence also has 300 mm of outward projecting mesh with rocks on it to keep the rabbits out. We also have a loving Jack-Russell Terrier dog who tells us if any of the above animals has managed to get in.
  For our situation at Pindari this is singularly the most important factor in successfully being able to grow our own food. Previously to building the fence we could not grow any vegetables or fruits. Occasionally when one of the gates is accidentally left open, we find that we have either a possum or rabbit in the garden and especially in spring and late summer they can destroy or set us back months with some of our crops.

• Seed collection - we grow mostly non-hybrid vegetables and collect our own seeds. We see this as a very important part of sustainability of self-sufficiency. We seed swap regularly with others growing vegetables similarly. With seed collection, care must be taken with the potential for cross-fertilisation and we have some painful experience with crop failures because of this.

• Crop rotation - we use crop rotation and companion planting and use our understanding of the "wants and needs" of the vegetable types in regards to the microclimate that they do best in when we plant. We have a small nursery area where we grow seedlings and use the kitchen conservatory in early spring for starting the seedlings for the spring planting. Pindari sits on a hill top and the gardens surround the house giving us a variety of microclimates in our gardens depending on their facing.

• Storage - most vegetables and fruits require a dry, cool, darkened room with some ventilation for best storage. We have yet to build an outside "cellar" but do use a pantry in the house and the zucchini and pumpkins are stored on trays under the eaves of the house where they receive the morning sun. The zucchinis keep for several months whilst the pumpkins keep for up to a year. Details on the purchasing and storing of foods is available at: 
  (storage.htm or www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk/web/storage.htm)

• Calendar - the most difficult months for food self-sufficiency at Pindari are for 2 months in mid spring when all our root crops have bolted and the spring vegetables have yet to mature. We then tend to eat more salads, legumes and stored cereals at this time.

• White meats - we run free range chickens and have tried ducks but they are very messy and foul the water. Geese are the same and turkeys are a tasty meat but they are difficult to breed and tend to wonder off. The chickens appear the easiest to keep but must be kept out of the garden and have a secure roosting area where they are safe from predatory animals. We eat the eggs and the meat and breed them by allowing brooding hens to sit and hatch their eggs. We keep a strain of bantam in our mostly Australorp hens as they make good mothers. We have found it necessary for the mother with chicks to be in a fully enclosed fenced area to keep out the predatory birds.
  We also have fish in both dams but rely more on fish caught in the local rivers.

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Herbal medicines

We have over 100 medicinal herbs within the garden and which we are actively expanding (see herb list). The range of herbs available in our gardens allows us the opportunity of treating our common disorders herbally and we are also able to help others. The growing, harvesting and usage of these herbs is well covered in the readily available herbal reference books.

We believe that being self-sufficient in herbal medicines is an important part of independence from the system and for helping others in the present and times ahead.

Spiritual "Self-sufficiency"

For those seeking spiritual truth and the "rules" and "needs" for personal spiritual enlightenment, the web page at: www.the-testament-of-truth.com or www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk
gives a clear, blunt understanding free of dogma and organised religion. It also importantly contains crucial information around the reasons for the planetary escalating mental and emotional trauma that is resulting in increasing violence and confrontation. It provides the means by which we each can fortify our minds against the "mental attack" from dark spirit realms enabling us individually to remain sane and loving in our acts.

It gives the spiritual reasons for our decision to not fund governmental controlling systems and why there is an increasing incidence of violence across the world such as wars, suicide and much, much more. See www.the-testament-of-truth.co.uk/web/sovereign.htm

You may be totally prepared materially for any planetary eventuality but if you are not able to remain rational and sane, loving and compassionate in the midst of it all, little will have been achieved and potentially your spiritual wellbeing lost through un-loving destructive acts.

Our contact is:

Ken and Giovi
Pindari Herb Farm
200 Norwich Drive Longford Tasmania 7301
Australia

Email ken@pindariherbfarm.com
Web page: www.pindariherbfarm.com

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