Adrien Quenneville

I also want to add my name to those who say "taking charge"/NFP. I came to it as a skeptical male through my religious faith, but I have to say it worked very well for us.

We delayed pregnancy for the first two years successfully, then we conceived when we decided we wanted to start having kids. It allowed us to be in touch with reality, namely that my wife's fertility has a cycle that when respected, improves our relationship, made me in touch with her reality, teaches us self-restraint and brings us closer. We follow the rules to the T when we really don't want any kids, but relax a bit on the rules when the thought of a new child grows on us. It's nice because it's not an "all-or-nothing" method.

We're back to using the method for birth control, and will be back to using the knowledge we gain from it to maybe conceive again in the fall.

FWIW, I have 3 lady friends who conceived while on various IUD, pills, or male birth control. I also know of a couple who had a son 5 years after the man got snipped.

Hi everyone,

Stumbled upon this this morning

http://www.ribacompetitions.com/tristan/index.html

The archipelago of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the most remote island in the world, is holding a competition for designs to be submitted, to increase the sustainability of the settlement and for an increase in the standards of living for its inhabitants.

It appears that almost every aspect of the community is open for ideas and designs.

The only caveat that limits most individuals from submitting is that there must be an architect in the design team, and the need for a 5 Million GBP insurance later on in the project, if accepted.

This is a huge opportunity to either send to the "big guns" of permaculture, or to pool our resources!

Adrien

Sounds like the plant's growth cycle worked as it was supposed to do. Ginger leaves usually dry up after 8-10 months, so it's within the range - maybe a little shorter.

I'd just propagate using the same root cuttings technique you probably used for these initial plants. With any luck, this winter will be less brutal than last year's and you'll be able to get 1 extra month of growth in your greenhouse.

Try this link here

Also, Adrian Adrien Adrien

What John said.

Looking at Farmland LP, a lot of numbers and profit forecasts on their website are based on the growth of value of the land, not it's actual cashflow. This is the type of business that only thrives in market environments where the farmland constantly appreciates and the interest rates are low.

But their assets are secure, and any drop in farmland prices is going to be temporary, and minimal.

If the land they own is prime farmland, I can see decent cashflow if the land was bought for cheap (aka a distressed property) and a bit more than market value rents are imposed.

Adrien Lapointe wrote:I had seen the listing for the 23 acres but discarded it because it looked like it was way too close to the 401 (the busiest highway in Canada) and also really close to a really busy rail corridor where a lot of oil transits. On the other hand, now that I read the description (logging road access) it seems that the map location might not be exact. I will have to inquire since the price is so good.

and

There was another property on the other side of the island that we almost bought, but we waited too long and it got pulled off the market.

1st: Just drove past it yesterday afternoon. Could not for the life of me find the property on Con 4. No signage. Definitely contact the realtor. If the MLS map is correct, the property is liable to get gobbled up if the 401 expands to 6 lanes.

2nd: The other property on Wolfe: Ownership should be a matter of public record, since tax records should be out there. Do some research, and contact the owner anyways. I hear some good deals can be made that way...

A few things come to mind:

1) Why hasn't it been severed already, if common to be severed in the area? I can see a few reasons.

a)The owner is trying to get rid of it fast, trying to make a quick buck, or tried to, then realized that severing was probably going to be a bad idea. I'm sure RT would've suggested it to the owner, they're a big influential RE firm. This can be used to your advantage to offer a lower price. Also, your offer can be lowered as the time on the market increases, as always.

b)Limited severance capability. That landscape there has a steep slope facing the SE, if my memory of the area serves me right. [Probably] only the pastureland would be suitable for severance, and then if you did sever and start that eco-village, you'd have to use the most valuable area, or sever the less desirable plots, resulting in less money for the plots.


2) In order to make it work, you'd need to make $2,800 of profit per month to pay the mortgage (3.5%, 550k mortgage), plus a bit more for insurance, taxes, and your own personal time on the property developing and cultivating it. For the sake of a round number, $3,500 just for basic, and $5000 so you can pay yourself a bit. Can you see ways to make this kind of money?

Volunteer labour would probably be your best bet at first. Multiple streams of income definitely. Grazing, selective logging - the deadfall and elms could bring in a fair bit-, mushrooms. Rent out some plots in the forest for RVs/tent trailers. Outdoors meeting areas, fall wedding venues. Hunting leases in the fall - the marsh in the north half, as well as the pond, should help attract waterfowl. Tree seeds and seedlings. Graze organic or beyond organic pigs in the woods. At 200lbs dry weight, you'd need around 25-30/year to make a large dent in your payments, but maybe the land can't support it.

Can you afford to spend some of your leftover monthly income from your current job to maybe supplement the mortgage payments in lean years? Do you have the time for this enterprise? If you go all-in, can your significant other support both of you. Do you have the connections, if you have the time to do all of these things, to help you market and sell these products?

If you do get in this enterprise, I'm willing to help in any way I can, living 2 hours away and all. Look into vendor financing, or "rent-to-own". Look at how you can use your neighbours and your friend's farm to help. There's that big compost facility on Joyceville Rd opposite your property. Horse farm on the NE corner of the Joyceville/Middle Rds intersection. Heck, even the Husky gas station by the 401. Make a business plan. Look for government grants, a multitude of microloans from family and friends. Consider incorporating.

If this seems too much, and you can't find enough financial help to make it work, consider John's post with the property on Con 4. Just 5 clicks further away.

Ok, my brain is fried now, if I can think of anything else, I'll let you know.

AQ

Heh, yeah, only space for one. I moved out a year ago, I'm back in Eastern Ontario, right close to Montreal. If you're ever in the area, gimme a shout!

Hey Jeff, thanks for sharing. It is unfortunate that I missed that, would've been very interesting.

Also, thanks for enlightening me to kratergartens. I had never heard of them before, but seems like an excellent way to create those microclimates.

You still got your place xeriscaped?

Adrien, formerly from Thompson - the guy from the pool that one time .

Test the soil for pH and nutrients. It'll tell you what kind of plants you need.
Acquire cover crop seeds in advance, especially if you plan on adding earthworks.
Research cultivars of the plants you want that can thrive in zone 3. Check out the local nurseries and see what they have to offer.
Budget in advance, so you know the area you can [densely] plant, and the amount of plants you'll be able to buy this summer.
If you can, plant your support species this coming year (2014), and then your crop trees in 2015. You can plant both at the same time, but try not to plant crops, then support species.
Enlist the support and help from people around you, because planting a food forest is hard work!

Good luck!

Oh, for sure. Indeed, at that cost, adding earthworks would make it cost-prohibitive, and very hard to make a living out of the land, initially at least.

You could make a fair income from this stand of trees, however. For example, Home Depot in T.O sells 4"x 4"x 8' western red cedar pressure-treated posts for just under $21. Assuming 30 ac of cedars at a density of 1000 cedars per ac, and you harvest 1/10th of the cedars, aka 100 cedars per acre, you would make a minimum of $60k, if they only yielded 1 post/tree. Now, this is an unsustainable continuous harvest, but if you market properly you could theoretically harvest cedars sustainably, and have it pay for your house and mortgage. All while funding earthworks and clearing a bit of land for growing food and raising animals.

Possibilities!

As for the bubble, yeah, the market is segmenting. I hear of bidding wars still in certain areas of Toronto, but condos have already crashed 5%+ there, and country homes outside of commuting range are selling VERY slowly. Some stories of cottages around Haliburton selling for 25% under asking. CRAZY!

Have you seen this?

Ontario Woodlot Association Guide