03-14-2008, 04:34 AM
I don't see fuel prices coming down at all and considering how much oil is used to make electricity in our state the electric rates aren't likely to come down either. Helco is a subsidiary of Heco and our island is about the only one with considerable alternative electrical generation isn't it? We are off the grid anyway, though, so their rates don't affect us much. Being off the grid, we use very little power - clothes line instead of a dryer, propane "on-demand" water heater, efficient refrigerator, CFL lights and looking to switch to LED lights as soon as they are viable, etc.
We planted a vegetable garden last October and a half dozen fruit trees last month. All the seeds for the garden are open pollinated and we are saving seed for the next planting. Another garden is being tilled and that will probably go for corn, squash and beans. Maybe some sweet potatoes, too. Sweet potatoes underground, squash along the ground and the beans climbing the corn. Then once that garden is planted there will be another garden area to get the guinea grass out of and till that up for yet another garden. Possibly melons or grain? Is it possible to grow grain here? We are basically turning the whole back yard into food production.
We also built a pig trap which not only keeps them out of the garden but provides sausages as well. There are a half dozen hens in the back yard who eat bugs out of the garden and turn them into eggs. Trying to get the bees out of their footlocker and into a proper bee box so we can steal their honey. Guess we could go buy a fishing pole.....
We planted a vegetable garden last October and a half dozen fruit trees last month. All the seeds for the garden are open pollinated and we are saving seed for the next planting. Another garden is being tilled and that will probably go for corn, squash and beans. Maybe some sweet potatoes, too. Sweet potatoes underground, squash along the ground and the beans climbing the corn. Then once that garden is planted there will be another garden area to get the guinea grass out of and till that up for yet another garden. Possibly melons or grain? Is it possible to grow grain here? We are basically turning the whole back yard into food production.
We also built a pig trap which not only keeps them out of the garden but provides sausages as well. There are a half dozen hens in the back yard who eat bugs out of the garden and turn them into eggs. Trying to get the bees out of their footlocker and into a proper bee box so we can steal their honey. Guess we could go buy a fishing pole.....
Kurt Wilson