Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   John Sheridan
   Member

   Just been making a list of possible things you can do with your property to make money when your off grid.

   I am thinking if you have like 50 acres with decent soil,water,sun you should be able to do something with it to make some money right !!!!!!

   So what do you do with your property to make some cash ?

   I have scanned the internets, but would like your opinions or first hand options you do to make some cash, not looking to make millions, just a couple thousand a year maybe a little more, a bit here and and a bit there, it all adds up.

   Thanks for any suggestions.

   Posted Wednesday 4 Mar 2015 @ 11:02:18 am from IP #
2. 

   lorri
   Member

   Hi john saw that they want people to grow more things for supplying restaurants so maybe some veggies ? Are you on Facebook at all?

   Posted Wednesday 4 Mar 2015 @ 12:35:10 pm from IP #
3. 

   scipe
   Member

   if the berry craze lasts longer than peeps adversity to sewerage, hepatitis, lead, cadmium, mercury, etc you could do a lot worse than have a good crop of these.
   (ref SPC Ardmona statement ABC radio am 5/3 c "no proper testing being done on imported food. labelling alone will not fix the problem. Oz food standards need to be met & ENFORCED, etc "
   Don't grow any blackberry types out near the bush, though. birds will carry seed and create a problem.
   See if there is a food swap / co-op anywhere near your block, barter system saves you handling filthy money

   Posted Wednesday 4 Mar 2015 @ 11:10:07 pm from IP #
4. 

   Greg
   Member

   Hey John. A neighbour of mine grows for the "upper end" restaurants. They grow purple carrots and other less common veg. Might be a goer if you can pick up some interested buyers.

   Posted Wednesday 4 Mar 2015 @ 11:42:56 pm from IP #
5. 

   John Sheridan
   Member

   Berries and less common veg, going on the list

   Lorri, no not on facebook, but will do when I get my place.

   Keep em coming.

   Was thinking of growing some scrubs,trees, hear some of them can get some big cash, just plant them let em grow havest, will have the land, might as well use it, better than puting the cash in the bank and getting 3.5% or less.

   Well will see what works.

   Posted Thursday 5 Mar 2015 @ 9:40:11 am from IP #
6. 

   scipe
   Member

   Yes. the colour purple is a good guide to good tucker. see if beetroot and
   plums suit your soil/climate/pests. this stuff is sort out by peeps forced
   to change from 'western' diets. forced, as in Dr. says 'do it or p/o
   you are wasting my time'.

   look at the more solid change diets (paleo e.g.) and ingredients peeps need
   to source from 'clean' growing.
   processed salt, sugar, fat (dairy) on the forget it list.
   clean cosmetics are a growth industry, sticky beak area around Esk Qld
   if you are up that way.

   Backhousia citradora - worth a try, shelter til well established,
   & more useful 'tropical' stuff growing well in sthn areas as
   planet heats up, while tropical areas always seem to have a new disease
   to fight.

   network with some wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms) and back packers
   doing the berry picking circuits - treasure trove of info, and they always
   have an idea about whats going on in growing. and you'll need heaps of 'em
   when you are a food growing guru

   Posted Friday 6 Mar 2015 @ 1:13:38 am from IP #
7. 

   amun-ra
   Member

   Try a few bee hives sell the product and pollinate your plants works for me

   Posted Friday 6 Mar 2015 @ 6:49:18 am from IP #
8. 

   Oilburner
   Member

   Clearly the first thing one would need to do is look at the location of the land.
   You can't just say I'll grow this or do that if the soil is not suitable, the rainfall and temps are all wrong. Obviously one needs to do their homework first.

   One would also need to know scales of production to get an ROI and other factors such as transport, market demand etc.

   If you had the right land, you could do OK from something like a micro Hydro BUT, You need the right location and features of the land like anything else and there are few areas that would be a possibility for.

   I would suggest working backwards. if you are looking at growing something, first establish there is a demand and a market for it before anything else. No use growing a heap of stuff and then finding everyone else is too and you can't shift it or will only get 1/20th of what you have invested in it back.

   Once you establish what you can sell, then go to your local dept of ag and see if it's feasible in your area. Then go see if you need to be in any co ops or organizations to be able to market it and what regulations apply.

   I know a guy that put in a few pongamia trees about 10 years ago and now has a few acres of them. He does very well out of them because there is a big demand for the things, they are prolific producers, require little water or maintenance other than harvesting. He has a ready made local and intrastate market and is able to transport the produce quickly and at low cost.

   Look at demand, suitability and ability in that order.

   Posted Friday 6 Mar 2015 @ 8:16:24 am from IP #
9. 

   John Sheridan
   Member

   I was thinking of growing some ginseng, bamboo but was wanting to do a bit of everything and see what sticks.

   Want to get some land in Tassie, so I think my options might be limited.

   That's what I was thinking plants some trees and just wait and havest some when they are ready, stagger them even so you can have some to harvest every year, not wanting to mkaing millions, just a few thousand or so every year, just let the trees do their thing grow

   Posted Friday 6 Mar 2015 @ 10:46:53 am from IP #
10. 

    lorri
    Member

    The reason I asked if you where on Facebook is there are a lot of groups on there, this is from them might give you some ideas,
    Huon Producers' Network
    15 hrs ·
    FROM ALEX TAYLOR…
    I’m seeing more and more people interested in supplying some part of their income from growing and selling vegetables. I have friends who are cutting their office jobs down to three days a week so they can work in their garden and sell veggies in their office-free time. Others are realising they can make some extra income from their land. For these people, it is all about balancing what pays with what fulfils their wider vision of the good life.
    My two day intensive workshop, Growing Vegetables for Fun and Profit, provides the tools and information you need to move from a small-scale veggie patch to an income-producing garden, or to set up your own market garden from scratch, or anything in between!
    We will be covering all aspects of growing and selling vegetables, from the first time your spade hits the dirt, right up to when you hand your produce to the buyer. A lot of the learning will take place in the garden and on the farm, and we will explore what types of crops and gardening styles suit you and your land.
    Snacks and lunches will be provided, using produce from the farm, so you will walk away replete with good food and good information!
    $200 per person, lunches provided
    Please feel free to pass on this information.
    Alex Taylor
    0411283140
    tassievalley1@gmail.com

    Posted Friday 6 Mar 2015 @ 1:38:14 pm from IP #
11. 

    John Sheridan
    Member

    Lorri I might look into it if I ever get to Tassie,sounds just what I need.

    My dad had a garden at my old home I grew up in, everything, pumpkins,beans,peas, potatoes, onions, oranges,lemons, etc, but was to young to appreciate it and or even care at the time.

    Now it's all gone, childcare center is on it now, well last time I saw

    I did love the garden though, would like that back.

    Thanks for the info.

    Posted Saturday 7 Mar 2015 @ 12:07:25 am from IP #
12. 

    onrbikes
    Member

    I've just ordered 3 of these and will set up 3 hives. Should pay for itself in the first season. Buy the boxes from a local supplier.
    http://www.honeyflow.com

    If you have excess power and have plenty of rainwater could make ice. I dare not think of all the regulations if you want to go above board on that though.

    Vegetables are the better option as opposed to fruit. Too many birds to compete with. Vegies have a better shelf life too.

    Posted Friday 13 Mar 2015 @ 9:07:19 am from IP #
13. 

    John Sheridan
    Member

    Probably give honey a go, it's not like you need to sell it right away, but not sure how much honey in jars you need to sell at maybe 4 bucks a jar to pay off 600 bucks and how long that would take, when you factoring IN THE COSTS.

    label,bottle,lid, labor,transport,fuel,etc.

    Never thought about selling ice, don;'t think much demand in tassie for ice

    Posted Friday 13 Mar 2015 @ 9:52:10 pm from IP #
14. 

    onrbikes
    Member

    My understanding is that a hive should produce 10-20kg per month of honey.
    The season should last about 5 months and labour is minimal.

    Fair enough you have to buy the jars or small buckets.
    1kg sells for about $7 local.

    Posted Saturday 14 Mar 2015 @ 8:46:05 am from IP #
15. 

    cava
    Member

    I am a registered beekeeper.

    Some seasons you can get up to 60 Kg/hive (which is very uncommon). Typically, depending on the flow available, circa 20 Kg/hive is more the norm where my hives are.

    Posted Sunday 15 Mar 2015 @ 1:18:13 pm from IP #
16. 

    John Sheridan
    Member

    Guess the profit in honey would not be much, maybe 1 to 3 bucks if your lucky per jar or bucket, when you factor in the costs.

    One or two hives it would not be really worth it, but I guess every bit helps.

    Posted Tuesday 17 Mar 2015 @ 1:49:50 pm from IP #
17. 

    Bushwalker
    Member

    Welcome to primary production.

    On a small property you need to have multiple irons in the fire. Beekeeping could be one of them. If you had 4 hives @ 20kg per year that would be 80kg of honey and $560 @ onrbikes price.

    The shot is to try several options over a few years until you find a few things that work for you and the property.

    Posted Tuesday 17 Mar 2015 @ 10:33:24 pm from IP #
18. 

    Johnnojack
    Member

    Or you could allow a bee keeper to park hives on your land. No work for you at all, maybe no money either but free honey for sure.

    Posted Tuesday 17 Mar 2015 @ 11:43:10 pm from IP #
19. 

    John Sheridan
    Member

    Got a big list of ideas, and don't mind the work,still young and STRONG

    Just wondering do you guys sell the honey to someone else in bulk so they bottle and stuff, or do you sell directly to customers.

    My thought was to sell it via farmers MArkets, though that's just a thought, but more work, labels, bottles,lids.

    Posted Wednesday 18 Mar 2015 @ 1:22:15 am from IP #
20. 

    darrynm
    Member

    You could grow trees for firewood?

    Or how about a micro grid / large solar PV array that you can sell the power to a local network?

    Posted Wednesday 18 Mar 2015 @ 4:03:00 am from IP #

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