Get Your Pitchfork On!: The Real Dirt on Country Living

345 Pages·2012·9 MB·English

by  Kristy Athens

Gardening/Self-Suficiency $19.95
Get Your Pitcfork On!
The Real Dirt on Country Living Get Your Pitcfork On!
The Real Dirt on Country Living
AFTER PURCHASING FARM LAND IN OREGON'S BEAUTIFUL
Columbia Gorge, office workers Kristy Athens and hubby Michael
were surprised to learn that the realities of farming were particularly
challenging and unexpected. By Kristy Athens
Get Your Pitchfork On! provides the hard-learned nuts-and-bolts of
rural living from city folk who were initially out of their depth.
Practical and often hilarious, Get Your Pitchfork On! reads like a p. 48
twenty-first century Egg and I.
p. 79
“This is the go-to book for anyone looking for hands-on guidance on p. 100
how to handle the daily demands of self-sufficiency with knowledge
and grace.”
— Kim Barnes, author of In the Wilderness:
Coming of Age in Unknown Country
"Kristy Athens spent years making mistakes and learning lessons so
you don't have to. Now her trove of stories and knowledge are
compiled in this handy volume that you can take with you as far off
the grid as you want to get."
— Frank Bures
p. 150
"As a city transplant starting my own new piece of paradise,
I wish I had read Get Your Pitchfork On! before purchasing open
land. Kristy Athens peels away the romance and pushes the p. 151
practicalities to the forefront."
— Corinna Borden, author of I Dreamt of Sausage
process self-reliance series, vol. 7
www.processmediainc.com p. 208
www.getyourpitchforkon.com "Smart, funny and necessary guide
for any country dweller or dreamer."
Design by Gregg Einhorn —Mark Wunderlich, author of Voluntary Servitude
Job: Get Your Pitchfork On! TRIM SIZE: 6 x 9 inches
Client: Process BLEED SIZE: 13-1/16 × 9-5/16 inches PMS 376C
Designer: Gregg Einhorn DOTTED LINES DENOTE FOLDS
Corners to be ROUNDED
The Real Dirt on
Get Your Pitcfork On! Country Living Kristy Athens
p. 108
p. 130
Get Your
Pitcfork On!
Get Your
Pitcfork On!
Te Real Dirt on Cuntry Living
by Kristy Athens
process self-reliance series
Get Your Pitcfork On! Te Real Dirt on Cuntry Living
© 2012 by Kristy Athens
All rights reserved.
Get Your Pitcfork On!
is the seventh volume of the Process Self-Reliance Series
Process Media
1240 W Sims Way #124
Port Townsend WA 98368
processmediainc.com
getyourpitchforkon.com
Design by Gregg Einhorn
ISBN-10: 1934170348
ISBN-13: 978-1934170342
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cntents
Acknowledgments 17
Introduction 19
SECTION ONE: Land 23
Chapter 1: Buying 26
Realtor Versus FSBO 27
Topography 28
Potential Hazards 29
Water Features 29
Pond 30
Channel Water 32
Driveway 32
Microclimates 32
View 32
Government and Municipal Considerations 33
Vehicle Licensing and Insurance 33
Taxes 33
Zoning 34
Covenants 34
Environmental Health 35
Conservation Easement 36
Mineral and Timber Rights 36
Airspace 37
Vegetation Control 37
Property Lines 37
Proximity 37
Neighbors 38
Utilities 39
Bare Land 39
Domestic and Irrigation/Livestock Water 40
Surface Water 41
Well Water 42
Septic System 44
Services 45
Chapter 2: Maintenance 48
Woodlot and Yard 48
Planting Trees 48
Fire Abatement 49
Falling 50
Burn Pile 52
Road Kill 54
Noxious Plants 54
Invasive Species 54
Native Species 56
Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac 56
Tractors and Other Tools 56
Tractor 56
Tractor Implements 59
Repairs 60
Chainsaw 60
Other Yard Power Tools 61
Pickup (Rig) 62
Storing Fuel 62
Gasoline 63
Diesel 63
Biodiesel 63
Gasoline-Oil Mixture 64
Propane 64
Liquid Propane Gas 64
Traditional Hand Tools 64
Fencing 65
Fence Materials 67
Posts 68
Gates 69
Tools 69
Corners 70
Odd Terrain 70
Attire 71
Boots 71
Clothes 72
Gloves 72
Hat 73
SECTION TWO: Buildings, Inside and Out 77
Chapter 3: Maintenance 79
Roof and Gutter 79
Septic System 81
Critter-Proofng 81
Sump Pump 82
Wood Heat 82
Acquiring 83
Splitting 84
Storage 86
Kindling 87
Lighting 87
Wood Type 88
Chimney 89
Sap 90
Chapter 4: Other Utilities and Services 91
Other Heat Sources 91
Electricity 92
Communications 92
Postal Service 93
Package Delivery 94
Newspaper Delivery 94
Locator Landmark 94
Chapter 5: Winter and Storm Preparedness 96
Critical Systems 96
Generator 97
Getting Out 98
Chapter 6: Sustainable Power 99
Solar Hot Water 100
Solar Electricity 100
Water and Wind Turbines 101
Passive Solar Heat 102
Geothermal Energy 102
Chapter 7: Alternative Building Materials 103
Adobe 103
Straw Bale 103
Cob 104
Rammed Earth 104
Chapter 8: Other “Green” Ideas 106
Composting Toilet 106
Gray Water System 106
Rainwater Catchment 108
Insulation 109
Clothesline 109
Chapter 9: Outbuildings 111
SECTION THREE: Animals 117
Chapter 10: Pets 119
Cat 120
Dog 120
Protective Dog 121
Wandering Dog 121
Country Dog Fun 122
Skunk 122
Porcupine 123
Fights 123
Carcasses 124
Ticks 124
Chapter 11: Livestock 126
General Maintenance 127
Fencing 127
Personality 128
Training 128
Handling/Safety 129
Feeding 130
Vaccinations and Parasites 132
Manure Management 132
Males 133
Gender Names 134
Specifc Species 135
Birds 165
Chicken 135
In Hot Weather 137
In Cold Weather 137
Housing 137
Rooster 138
Duck 139
Goose 140
Guinea Fowl 140
Turkey 141
Camelids 141
Alpaca 141
Llama 142
Bovines 143
Bison 143
Cattle 143
Equines 145
Donkey 146
Horse 146
Shelter and Maintenance 147
Training 148
Mule 149
Pony and Miniature Horse 149
Honeybee 150
Goat 151
Pig 152
Rabbit 152
Sheep 153