Who would have thought you could find this self-sufficient beauty 15 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles? If you want to grow your own food and make sure that everything you put on the table is 100% healthy and free of any chemicals, take the example of this next L.A. based family.
Over 6,000 pounds of food per year, on 1/10 acre (3,900 sq.ft. / ~ 66′ x 66′) located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. The Dervaes family grows over 400 species of plants, Up to 6,000 pounds of harvest annually, 900 chicken and 1,000 duck eggs, 25 lbs of honey, plus seasonal fruits throughout the year. 99% of everything they consume in a year comes from their own household.
All their products are chemical free and green and their sustainable way of life is a great example to follow by everyone who wants to control what they are eating. Growing your own food also means saving a lot of money and the Dervaes managed to earn over $20000 last year.
As you can see in the video, they utilize every single square inch of their garden. The 6,000 pound harvest on such a small footprint is only made possible using techniques such as companion planting, square inch gardening, intensive growing methods, polyculture/intercropping and vertical gardening.
They also have chickens (eggs/manure), ducks (eggs/manure), dwarf rabbits (manure), dwarf/pygmy goats (milk/manure) as well as bees (honey/wax) and an aquaponics system where they have Talapia fish.
Take a look at the video above to find out more about this healthy family and tips on how to follow in their footsteps. You can follow their progress at The Urban Homestead.
