Thank you. There is always that balance between wanting to help other people who have interest in a subject but not wanting to talk too hard and long about a good thing. The last thing I would wish for is to have every one who watches this video move to Hawaii. Sure would get crowded fast. The isolation, the open wild country with no freeways connecting it to anywhere else is why I live here! It is very peaceful if you don't mind the roosters! I always make a living everywhere I have ever been. The key is creating my own economy that is then embedded into the local economy rather than looking to the surrounding economy to support me. Look inward to what is contained in your heart and it will eventually pay your way no matter where you live.
Great ideas and information, much appreciated. Having spent the last few years raising produce for sale at farmers markets, what you're saying is so very true about the community effort.
Thank you Bill ,enjoyed the video , has a lot a practical advice.... still dreaming of getting a little piece of paradise to do what you have done on a smaller footprint.
Thank you. I wasn't sure if I should depart from the usual short videos about gardening or guitar and do a full length talk. Looks like it works. Mahalo, Bill
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Depends on where you are. I'm in Pacific Beach if you know where that is. Small beach town. No real hardships here. Just a bunch of weird rules and regs. They open the ocean up Tomorrow. Haha. Think about that, opening the ocean. Can't wait get to the island
I am curious if I had $50-$80k total budget should I spend that buying land or only spend 2/3rds of my total budget so I can have some money to build? I am spending time in Hana Maui in a few weeks and I just felt very accepted in the area when I went a few months ago. Anyway I been thinking about moving and Maui/BL is on my list. I do plan to stay a few months first to see if it is really right for me though. Your channel has helped me gain new perspectives on many things! Thank you 🙏🏽🤙🏽🙏🏽
I guess it depends on how you want to live. As a young man I did the starving homesteader thing on a tiny budget. These days I love comfort and convenience no more trips to the out house at -40. We just spent over $80,000 on the electric car and the home solar system. The house cost about $170,000 and the land it is sitting on cost $140,000. Just running county water to the house cost $8000. I would say your funds would be near impossible on Maui. Here on the Big Island you can find bare properties for under $20,000 but they would be in less than desirable locations. Real estate is all about location. I ended up spend double what I had planned by the time I finally found the right spot.
When we bought 2acres here in Ireland Bill, we were looking for the mortgage free place - that land could be worked I said. We were and still are at most beginners. Years into this project now and we've done our 10k hours and it's showing. We could never do pineapples, but comfrey, blackcurrant, Ashwaganda, Lavenders, it's been good for business online. We tried lettuce, but slugs and snails are a curse here, plus the market is not there. Rural Ireland is at best 10years behind, so one shop under one roof is paramount. We're doing cut flowers this year instead of traditional market gardening - soil is laomy (hit the friggin jackpot by mistake soil wise), but work has to be done. I live with the dream of self-sustaining, but a you rightly point out, and we learned the hard way, is.........it can't be done. You need to share and be with others.
Yes sir, this isn't my first goat roping at the county fair. I went back to the land in the Upper Midwest during the 70's & 80's. Some things are just better off purchased with cash while others are better grown on the sight. At this point I produce what is relatively easy to grow here and buy the rest. The abundance on the farm makes plenty enough cash flow to pay for what isn't grown here. Best plan I've come up with for self sufficiency. Money is a lot easier to raise than some crops. Aloha, Bill
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I started out seeing what I could grow. Just this year I am thinking more about plants to sell and just growing what I enjoy for personal use (rather than looking to grow everything). There are some crops I only eat what I grow and buy other food when I can't grow it (tomatoes and kale) Farming food isn't my calling but I do enjoy propagation. Still adding up those 10k hrs but I''ve made a dent, on year 7 and starting to look in the right direction for me. Your advice to do what is in your heart is hard to keep in mind but very wise imo. I sold a few moringa trees this year and was surprised by the interest. My only wish is I had planted more! Focusing in on a few key/unusual plants seems the way for me. Apparently moringa is hard to propogate but I've had good success. Am certainly not the only grower in the area though.
@@oneperson2person Moringa is relatively simple to grow. Is your local weather the problem? There is a fair interest in the plant here and on occasion I sell a few trees but due to the ease of culture most folks already have the plants. There are many classes of growers when it comes to marketing plants. Some only visit my nursery when they hear I have something rare. To others, everything is rare! Some only want food plants, others seek herbs or ornamental plants. Some want one of each others need 400 of one thing. Custom growing is some of the best work. One person who orders 800 strawberry plants beats the heck out of selling one plant each to 800 people.
Not sure what you mean. Most commercial grade home garden and professional model chippers and shredders are available here. They can also be shipped. I had my DR chipper shipped here. My Champion chipper was left behind by a remote worker, he bought it at Home Depot. I only chip wood here. Everything else is laid whole to the earth as stick mulch. I chip the wood to use around fruit trees and to spawn mushrooms in.
So glad to stumble on your videos. Looking to retire on BI on couple acres from oahu to live off the land with crops like taro, banana, coconut and ulu. What area would you recommend for that sir?
Coconut and Ulu lock you in. They do not produce well in upper elevations here. For these two crops I would not consider a purchase over 500 foot elevation. Coconuts are best where the salt air sprays on their leaves. I have to supply trace minerals away from the sea to compensate.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I guess I can forgo ulu and coconut and rather settle for an area with soft and healthy soil. Taro would be main staple to include chickens and lamb. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time and informative posts.
@@faasootauloavasai5544 Taro is generally planted in swampy valleys like the Waipio. There are high land types that will grow in regular gardens though. I have a low acid type that i like quite a bit. It grows well in my regular soil here and needs little care other than planting.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 yes, growing taro in that manner is how hawaiians grow taro but it is also grown by samoans, tongans, Fijians and other pacific islanders in soft preferably moist soil... and there are better tasting ways to eat taro than poi lol 😆
using low impact methods in NC! "pest control" is a challenge (saw a black widow just this evening) but I often get so much I never even planted (came up on it's own) I'm sure Hawaii would be a dream to grow in.
I've seen no poisonous spiders here. We had plenty of Black Widows in California and Tennessee when I lived in those places. My mother really hurt my feelings when I was 3 years old in Paris Tennessee. I found a beautiful Black Widow spider in a tin can with an egg mass. I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world and took it to my mom. She promptly screamed, grabbed the can, ran outside, drenched it in gas and barbecued my prize. I never really caught her panic because I spent the rest of my life protecting spiders, including widows. For some folks Hawaii is a dream. I took it seriously as a place to live so here I am! It's just like any other place in the USA with much better weather.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I imagine there's less way out there (pest issues) My strategy is mostly to avoid but I do take extra care to make sure other people are mindful of what's out there so they don't get hurt. I've been fortunate to mostly only get the occasional ant bite/mild spider bite so far. Appreciate all the info you give, going to enjoy seeing more of your vids.
@@oneperson2person I've only had one spider bite in my entire life and the spider that bit me was in a dream after I foolishly ejected it from my garden. Spiders are frightened by people. They don't trust us in general. Here is the story. ua-cam.com/video/Dtj8KCTSqjs/v-deo.html
I consider the local shopping to be excellent. Hilo is the second largest city in Hawaii and is only 15 miles down the main road from my house. The only place in Hawaii that shops better is Honolulu on Oahu. Of course Hilo is a place where people live and work and the general economy is blue collar so we do not have a Nordstrom here or anything even comparable. Sears, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Safeway etc, etc are all in good supply just like on the mainland. Hilo does have an excellent locally owned system of stores that deal everything from farm supply and greenhouses to plumbing, lumber and tires. It takes a while to learn where to find what here but almost anything a person needs can be found. I admit to making 33% of my purchases using Amazon Prime though. I can do it from the desk. Gas is generally around $3 a gallon here so driving around looking for stuff can get expensive. Half a mile down the road I have a Post Office, a gas station with the second cheapest gas in HI, and a bakery. 3 miles away I have a 7/11, a burger joint, a solar store and a general store that sells everything from boots to bullets, BBQ chickens to bathroom cleaner, pig traps to chicken feed and fishing poles to AK47's.
The word job implies income. To find a job here it is important to be here. Locating a good job in agriculture here requires networking. If you do not care about making income at this then try using wwoof.net/ They are a volunteer farm organization.
Hi Bill, Just Sub'd because of your info you've parted here! Thanks for the details! I've sent you a private message as I'm planning on Homesteading / Farming on the Big Island before the end of the year and would like to touch base when I get there. Mahalo!
Yes, heed Bill's advice about food sustainability in Hawaii, because there were times when the food shipment didn't come in to Hawaii, because labor strike or price dispute, if you got land mass on your property, grow something, anything. When that incident happens, the rice product on the grocery shelves would be the first to go, because I assumed that most residents in Hawaii are eating rice as a stable food. And like Bill said, if you having difficulty growing your Idaho variety, you will be eating a lot of rice. Luckily for me, rice is not my stable food...noodle is. And I am a vegetable eating person, I can eat leaves if there was no food to eat.
Hawaii is not a climate for roses. I know one lady who get by at 3000 feet with them but they take fungicide and solar lights to prevent the Chinese Rose Beetle. Hibiscus, flowering ginger and Heliconia are some of the best Hawaii flowers. I eat anything that is slow enough to catch, soft enough to chew and generally not considered toxic. My diet has been a constant evolutionary event through life. Rather than exclusion I have learned to include new foods like seaweed, raw fish, Ulu and Kalo. My house and car run on the sun but I run on grass fed cheese burgers. Growing and eating the local foods is a great plan for sustainability. Hawaii is blessed to have millions of wild chickens that require no permit to harvest and have no regulations. They'd be gone in a few weeks if the boats stopped coming.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Bill, I totally get what you are saying. My friend in Arkansas has 10,000 chickens to produce eggs for chicken famers. I am about to retire in Hawaii, looking for a land now for me to go homesteading. I am sure could use more of your information, so I will be following your videos for a while. I definitely going to raise chickens in Hawaii, because I am tired of eating non-organic food. I am looking for a land on Hawaii Island and I am looking for cheap land, because my homesteading is for retirement, not business, but yes, I plan to leave the workforce for good, and maybe I will take up raising chickens and sell the eggs. Thank you Bill, you and other people who are already living the homestead lifestyle in Hawaii do a great job with information about farm life in Hawaii for some us who have not experienced island lifestyle.
@@user-vp1ko5pf1b Cheap land is cheap land. The cheap stuff usually has big problems like inaccessibility, no soil on solid rock and you can find yourself with a meth lab next door. I would stick to mid price range and up. You only spend the money once but you might live on the land for the rest of your life.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Great advice Bill and thank you. Cheap land to me is $5,000 per less than a quarter acre. I am aware that I will be getting lava rock ground which I plan to buy some local soil to start my garden. I am at an age when I don't eat much and barely spending money anymore, because I am not much of a spending consumer these days, and yes one of the reasons I want to go homesteading because big agriculture and food factories are downgrading our food quality that I am not willing to pay for it with my money anymore. I am mentally prepared for Island life. I lived a prosperous life. Now I just want to live a quiet life. I am also aware of petty theft and drug use problems in Hawaii. I am sure some of them live out there on cheap Hawaii Island land.
@@user-vp1ko5pf1b All 50 states have crime and drugs, Hawaii is no exception. I guess the reason it seems to be an issue for folks is because of the illusion Hawaii is paradise. Cockroaches, rats and drug addicts exist in paradise as well as Chicago. My suggestion to anyone thinking about buying property here is put price at the far end of a parameters list. On this Island low price is usually big trouble. Location and access to services plus a decent public road would be far more important than price. My place cost me double what I wanted to pay. Sometimes i wish I had paid even more now that it is all paid off. Aloha
It's called ripping, grading and cindering. Most people do this to their lots if the live on lava. I live on soil so I do not bother with all that work but many do. If you plan to by lava land i suggest to farm coffee, macnuts or fruit trees. They are commonly grown on lava here. Kona coffee is grown almost entirely on lava. Most vegetable production here takes place on the areas with soil or it is done hydroponically or aquaponically in hoop houses. House plants, nursery stock and orchids are usually grown on lava too.
@@johnmazza9432 Tomatoes are mostly indifferent to soil types. As long as soil holds moisture and nutrients tomatoes will grow. Lava soil doesn't really exist except on the oldest lands in humid areas. Lava is rock not soil and it takes ages to create soil through weather and plants. Most soil existing in Hawaii is caused by volcanic ash, not lava. there is a considerable amount of ash soil on this Island. The districts of Kohala and Hamakua have most of it but North Hilo, Kau and Puna also have soil. Tomato culture here has little to do with soil type. There are some field grown tomatoes on the dry side but most tomato crops on the wet side are grown in hoop houses and often hydroponically. There are a cluster of air born diseases here that make tomato culture a real pain in the butt. There are also fruit flies that love to lay eggs in the large fruited types. I only grow the pear and cherry types here and the best crops are under plastic to keep the leaves dry. Because tomato culture is difficult you can make good money on the crop here but be ready to do things you never considered to make that happen. Pineapples, vanilla, sweet corn, and avocados are a lot easier and have excellent prices.
I may have mentioned that I am a landscaper here in NJ. We have a big problem with deer eating shrubs and contributing to the spread of lyme disease. Therefore I have customers with pets who want an organic approach to killing ticks that spread the lyme disease. I have found a company that sells cedar oil quite inexpensively. It's call cedarcide. I was just wondering if you had ever tried using cedar oil on any of your crops or to drench the soil around the crops ? Or have you tried other natural methods of controlling insects and fungus such as diatomaceous earth ? I also know of tree care companies that spray a home brew fungicide on trees for leaf fungus' .
which part of Island is your property located Bill? I am looking for an acre and love to be able to do what you do. I am not sure where I should focus on?
I live in Puna half way between Volcano and Hilo right off Hwy 11. This particular area has some ancient Mauna kea ash deposits instead of the usual hard rock and lava like most of the district.
Certainly you could catch wild chickens. I find wild chickens to be unmanageable though as domestic fowl. Far better off to throw the wild ones in a soup pot and raise tame chickens from chicks to laying age. They will follow you around like dogs rather than escaping to the tree tops.
The One Straw Revolution was a book written by Masanobu Fukuoka. The book is available on Amazon as well as audio books. I did find this video about him on youtube. I have never watched it so give it a shot. ua-cam.com/video/rj7nrOjhMtk/v-deo.html
Man, I kinda got depressed about that last part haha! I bought 3 acres in Fern Forest and I'm sure I will be one of those guys having to terraform my land. But like you said, it's better to have that then nothing.
Not trying to bum anyone out. I've been part of the "Back to the Land" movement since the 60's and seen it take various shapes. Over that time I have bought and sold several pieces of property. We are experiencing a current back to the land thing. I posted this in the hope of helping others avoid some of the mistakes I made earlier in life. The last purchase has been the best one yet and I learned a lot from it. This is the most unusual place to buy real estate in the USA. Most of what I knew about land doesn't apply here.
I tend to run when anyone tells me I "Should" do something. I tell people what I do all the time, I never tell them what they should do. What do you figure the guy has to say that i can use?
@@GreenGardenGuy1 He kept hearing crfg members say, "I am getting apples from, fill in the blank", they are just small. Tom planted 33 or 35 apple in Irvine on the test plot the state owns. Turns out all produced apples except Honey Crisp and one from NY. I planted Black Arkansas and Granny Smith and have a Pink Pearl and Anna in pots. I ordered some seeds from you last night.
Wow, I'm so glad to hear that you think a small farmer could stand a chance in Hawaii. Bill, the concern I have is that I hear all kinds of stories about how people in Hawaii are all on drugs and will steal the windows right out of your house if you leave for one week. Can I move there and build a home on a small farm and expect to live in relative safety ? Or do I need a few pitbull dogs and a shotgun ?
I have only visited Oahu and Maui for a short period some years ago so I don't pretend to understand the islands or the people. That is why I ask. Your answer confirms what is common to all states, that there are good and bad everywhere, but mostly good. Thank you.
Yes, and I suppose that people are always looking for some reason to confirm their negative mindset that insists paradise isn't paradise. It's Hawaii, not the Garden of Eden.
@@johnmazza9432 Yes you have it. I like to say paradise is a state of mind but Hawaii is a state of the union. Better weather than most states, awesome environment but just another state with similar issues.
@@johnmazza9432 such a perfect response. Your only a product of the mental paradigm you believe you live in. People are flocking to Hawaii in record numbers post pandemic for slow living and renewed awareness of zero waste/ sustainability. Hawaii people are the most caring and loving neighborly people, very different from the states.
I have two one acre lots. Both are zoned for agriculture. I have almost finished planting out the first acre. Recently we started to do work on the second. Give me a few more years and we should be fence line to fence line here. The beauty of this property is every square inch is usable. It would grow turnips from corner post to corner post.
Thanks for another video :) I'm curious if you might do a video or just reply here, about the issue of mainlander people moving to Hawaii, especially as it impacts native Hawaiins and the loss of their lands/ways of life. I've been researching more about the Hawaii Sovereignty movement and some of these questions come up for myself as a white mainlander considering moving to the island, and how to do so in a respectful way that honors the ingenious culture.
For some reason I never got this message. I guess the best answer I can come up with is you don't have to hold the same beliefs as local Hawaiian but it is best to respect them. Hawaii has the native culture but it also has culture from many other places mostly Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Europe and the Mainland. It is a mixed plate at best. Because of this tolerance is typical. Intolerance is the exception. Aloha, Bill
And yes, I think if we have even just a family garden, we should get into a habit of bartering and trading among your neighbors, because the things you grow in your garden probably going to be more than what you eat in a week's time. At least, it will worth your while for working the land.
I give away things all the time but my primary purpose for growing excess is to sell it. Money is the universal solvent that works in almost all situations other than love. I do some trading but usually come out on the raw end of the deal. Sometimes I really want what others have but often I really don't need it. I just take the stuff to be polite. Cash is far more useful.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Back in the 1990s in Florida when tropical fruit and vegetable seedlings are hard to find, you need to get to know a few farmers to get or buy them to get your own farming going.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 There is no one better than a long time farmer or gardener like you to buy the source from. People who have been in the farming long enough tend to always have seeds lying around somewhere, or who got big plants that can share some few tree limps for someone to start their own farming. And often the farmer would share some farming lessons with you as you try to get your farm going.
Since you asked I guess I forgot to mention Avocados. There is a tree directly to my right. Hawaii has dozens of different avocados many of them top quality. The pigs have spread the trees across much of the Island. Seedling avocado exist in fair quantities in most districts.
Great videos! You mentioned Jim Tarring as your builder...Is this JetBuildersHawaii.com? I'm looking for a good, reliable contractor that will actually show up on my house building... Mahalo!
Hawaii real estate is a sellers market currently. There is usually no such thing as a "deal" here. Any land worth having has someone looking at it with a fist full of dollars. Decent land is competitive here, anything worth having is gone in days. The price of a parcel here indicates it's value. Cheap land is junk land. Expensive land is usually the best you can find. Most land sits around the middle range and is average as far as hazards and usefulness. In Hawaii, my suggestion is always start at the mid point in price range. Avoid the lower end. Hawaii has land that is near earthly paradise. It also has some of the worst land on earth. The difference is easy to see by price range. Cheap=Junk. Dial up the MLS through Zillow or Hilo Brokers and put in the parameters of the property you seek. This will give you an idea of price and area. You said you were looking for farm land. Most land in Puna is hard rock and not much good for farming. There is some soil in Puna, our parcel has 16 feet of soil but that is rare here. People do farm on hard lava here but only with limited crops. Lava lands are good for aquaculture, greenhouse production of foliage, orchids or food crops. Coffee and some fruit tree crops are okay on prepared lava. Row crops like most farming are not doable. Whatever you parameters and price range I would expect you will need to double the price to find what you seek. At least that was what happened to us. We found plenty of property in my price range but none that fit the parameters. I had to double the investment. Good luck, Aloha
I suppose if you like to live in Missouri that's okay. I have no interest in living there. Perhaps it could clarify the statement if had said the cheapest land in the USA with a year round tropical climate, excellent weather, beautiful landscapes, great culture and cheaper than California real estate. I lived in California for over 25 years before moving here. I tend to evaluate things from the perspective. By selling a home in the California Bay Area and relocating to Hawaii we managed to clear all of our debts so yes, Hawaii has lower priced land than California. $10,000 per acre is junk land in Hawaii. Our place cost far more than that and it was still cheap compared to comparable sights on the west coast.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I mean, it makes sense when farms are 1-5 acres. No judgment intended. The numbers are just kind of mind boggling to me. I grew up on a 40 acre chunk of land in northeast Missouri, not big enough to even call a farm here, like you said in the video. I'm used to lots of space. I know you've lived in the Midwest too, so I won't ramble about the 12 hour drives, etc. Just a totally different perspective. Btw, I'm impressed that you look at comments on videos this old. I was pleasantly surprised to see you'd replied.
@@Jackyboi887 I try to answer all comments. When I lived in Wisconsin I had 240 acres and I paid between $100 and $300 per acre. The $300 stuff had a 1/4 mile of frontage on the Chippewa river. As you head to the west coast though land gets much more expensive and in my opinion it is worth every penny. California land is much more useful than Midwest land. It supports a much wider variety of crops and has much longer growing seasons. Hawaii is cheaper than California but highly useful agriculturally. There is no off time here, growing goes on endlessly. There is enough rain to grow most crops and the list of possible crops is enormous. Costs more than Missouri but Puna district is cheaper than the entire west coast.
I find it curious how any gift of aina from Akua and Pele is "pathetic stuff." For over 2k years Kanaka Maoli have celebrated and honored every ounce of land and water blessed to us, the aboriginal people of Hawaii aina, including pahoehoe and a'a. "Pathetic?" Not at all. It is a makana.
I can not make the connection between raw milk and food self sufficiency. Pasteurized or not milk represents the same product with similar economic effect. Most people believe raw milk to be dangerous so legalizing would not increase milk sales. Only people who believe they gain some benefit would consume it. Dairy is very much going away here due to the huge manure problem. Dairy farms close due to water pollution faster than they open here.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I'd encourage you to look at raw dairy organizations to find out more. :-) Also, it is possible to raise dairy without polluting, ala Joel Salatin. The reason raw dairy would help food independence is that folks could process and sell their own milk. Refrigeration and testing is far cheaper than pasteurization, and believe it or not statistically safer. Especially when Meadow Gold owns the only large pasteurization plant on the Islands, and will not pasteurize your milk for you.. you have to sell it to them, in which case they will only pay base price, not value add for better cows, organically raised, etc. In other words, you could create new markets for artisan dairy (cheeses, yogurts, etc) at small scale, using top quality milk, locally produced. This hits all the buttons.
@@timothyblazer1749 Well.... great stuff but i don't really drink milk at all and I'm only fond of cows when they are on a bun. I worked with dairy cows and dairy goats as a young man. This experience is why I got in to horticulture. Got a broken rib from a bull when got tossed into a stone wall and had two toes broken when dairy cows stepped on my feet. I prefer orange juice as a beverage. It mixes better with vodka.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 ah. :-) well, cheese and yogurt are important sources of nutrition for many people so, although it wouldn't benefit you directly, what it could do is increase demand for botanical additives, which are locally sourced. Especially things like goji, berries and other fruits, but also things like locally sourced vanilla, cacao, and other high value cash crops. It's similar to how high quality oak and cherry wood are much higher priced due to the whiskey market.
@@timothyblazer1749 There are folks here managing small goat dairy that seem to get by. The larger Dairy Cow operations are always in danger of closing because of the water pollution they create. Hawaiian water pollution regulations are strict. I like cheese, I lived in Wisconsin for 15 years. My sons are still living there. I have them ship me a box of the stuff every year. It has a specific flavor I enjoy. California cheese doesn't have the same grass. The goat cheese here tastes like goat cheese
Thanks for the video.... how about talk about the weed you grow so you can get stone! Hhahahaah! Had to take a break from growing weed myself but love your channel with the food though.
Cannabis doesn't need any help from me. It has been a burning fire in our culture for over 50 years without my promotion. I tend to focus on things that are lesser known to the general population.
I am not real happy about the advertising but the idea that the ad could destroy these videos is completely over stated. My videos stand for them selves whether youtube places ads poorly or not. Rewind and listen again if you missed something.
This guy seriously knows his stuff. Such an interesting informative video. Thank you, sir! 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
So much essential info! Your knowledge is a blessing!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Glad it was helpful! Aloha
Thanks for the informative videos Bill. I don't plan on moving, but still interesting to hear how folks make a living there.
Thank you. There is always that balance between wanting to help other people who have interest in a subject but not wanting to talk too hard and long about a good thing. The last thing I would wish for is to have every one who watches this video move to Hawaii. Sure would get crowded fast. The isolation, the open wild country with no freeways connecting it to anywhere else is why I live here! It is very peaceful if you don't mind the roosters!
I always make a living everywhere I have ever been. The key is creating my own economy that is then embedded into the local economy rather than looking to the surrounding economy to support me. Look inward to what is contained in your heart and it will eventually pay your way no matter where you live.
Bill that was a awesome breakdown about the lifestyle of Hilo and the small farmers of the island
I was having one of those inspired moments. Thank you
appreciate the insightful knowledge.
Thank you for dropping in and leaving feed back. Bill
i hear you im living in Puerto Rico and we have to be sustainable in order to survive any climate disaster as we did in Hurricane Maria . Mahalo!!
Islands are particularly susceptible to shortages during hard times. Being less of a consumer and more of a producer helps. Aloha
Great ideas and information, much appreciated. Having spent the last few years raising produce for sale at farmers markets, what you're saying is so very true about the community effort.
None of us are alone here even if we feel that way at times.
This guy is so awesome. Love your videos!
Aloha
Great video. Everything true and on point. Mahalo Nui Loa!
Thank you. Stay tuned, more to come.
Lots of mana'o, mahalo nui - from Keauhou.
Aloha from Puna
Thank you Bill ,enjoyed the video , has a lot a practical advice.... still dreaming of getting a little piece of paradise to do what you have done on a smaller footprint.
Dreams + plans x actions = Reality Aloha
GreenGardenGuy1 you are so cool... thanks 🙏
I'm loving these videos! There're very informative! :)
Thank you. I wasn't sure if I should depart from the usual short videos about gardening or guitar and do a full length talk. Looks like it works. Mahalo, Bill
Great video and great information.
Thank you.
So glad I found you. Great info. I'm stuck in C.A. but I got 3 acers in Puna; Howdy neighbor. Can't wait to get over there and get things goin.
I was in California for 25 years before landing here. Both CA & HI are pretty good spots to be. CA must be a mess with the virus thing though.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Depends on where you are. I'm in Pacific Beach if you know where that is. Small beach town. No real hardships here. Just a bunch of weird rules and regs. They open the ocean up Tomorrow. Haha. Think about that, opening the ocean. Can't wait get to the island
@@thecatguy4301 Here it's swim or fish at the shore yes, sit on beach no.
I am curious if I had $50-$80k total budget should I spend that buying land or only spend 2/3rds of my total budget so I can have some money to build?
I am spending time in Hana Maui in a few weeks and I just felt very accepted in the area when I went a few months ago.
Anyway I been thinking about moving and Maui/BL is on my list. I do plan to stay a few months first to see if it is really right for me though.
Your channel has helped me gain new perspectives on many things!
Thank you 🙏🏽🤙🏽🙏🏽
I guess it depends on how you want to live. As a young man I did the starving homesteader thing on a tiny budget. These days I love comfort and convenience no more trips to the out house at -40. We just spent over $80,000 on the electric car and the home solar system. The house cost about $170,000 and the land it is sitting on cost $140,000. Just running county water to the house cost $8000. I would say your funds would be near impossible on Maui. Here on the Big Island you can find bare properties for under $20,000 but they would be in less than desirable locations. Real estate is all about location. I ended up spend double what I had planned by the time I finally found the right spot.
Thanks Bill for the in depth answer
You're welcome.
When we bought 2acres here in Ireland Bill, we were looking for the mortgage free place - that land could be worked I said. We were and still are at most beginners. Years into this project now and we've done our 10k hours and it's showing. We could never do pineapples, but comfrey, blackcurrant, Ashwaganda, Lavenders, it's been good for business online. We tried lettuce, but slugs and snails are a curse here, plus the market is not there. Rural Ireland is at best 10years behind, so one shop under one roof is paramount.
We're doing cut flowers this year instead of traditional market gardening - soil is laomy (hit the friggin jackpot by mistake soil wise), but work has to be done. I live with the dream of self-sustaining, but a you rightly point out, and we learned the hard way, is.........it can't be done. You need to share and be with others.
Yes sir, this isn't my first goat roping at the county fair. I went back to the land in the Upper Midwest during the 70's & 80's. Some things are just better off purchased with cash while others are better grown on the sight. At this point I produce what is relatively easy to grow here and buy the rest. The abundance on the farm makes plenty enough cash flow to pay for what isn't grown here. Best plan I've come up with for self sufficiency. Money is a lot easier to raise than some crops. Aloha, Bill
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I started out seeing what I could grow. Just this year I am thinking more about plants to sell and just growing what I enjoy for personal use (rather than looking to grow everything). There are some crops I only eat what I grow and buy other food when I can't grow it (tomatoes and kale) Farming food isn't my calling but I do enjoy propagation. Still adding up those 10k hrs but I''ve made a dent, on year 7 and starting to look in the right direction for me. Your advice to do what is in your heart is hard to keep in mind but very wise imo. I sold a few moringa trees this year and was surprised by the interest. My only wish is I had planted more! Focusing in on a few key/unusual plants seems the way for me. Apparently moringa is hard to propogate but I've had good success. Am certainly not the only grower in the area though.
@@oneperson2person Moringa is relatively simple to grow. Is your local weather the problem? There is a fair interest in the plant here and on occasion I sell a few trees but due to the ease of culture most folks already have the plants. There are many classes of growers when it comes to marketing plants. Some only visit my nursery when they hear I have something rare. To others, everything is rare! Some only want food plants, others seek herbs or ornamental plants. Some want one of each others need 400 of one thing. Custom growing is some of the best work. One person who orders 800 strawberry plants beats the heck out of selling one plant each to 800 people.
Love your videos, great garden advice although it makes me homesick as we lived there for 5 years.
Thank you for watching. Glad you are enjoying the show. Bill
do you have compost shredders on island to spread the greenery into compost?
Not sure what you mean. Most commercial grade home garden and professional model chippers and shredders are available here. They can also be shipped. I had my DR chipper shipped here. My Champion chipper was left behind by a remote worker, he bought it at Home Depot. I only chip wood here. Everything else is laid whole to the earth as stick mulch. I chip the wood to use around fruit trees and to spawn mushrooms in.
Great reality check Bill. Hope it sinks in to a lot of people. Best wishes Bob.
Thanks Bob, glad you found it moving. I have had a while to think about these things.
So glad to stumble on your videos. Looking to retire on BI on couple acres from oahu to live off the land with crops like taro, banana, coconut and ulu. What area would you recommend for that sir?
Coconut and Ulu lock you in. They do not produce well in upper elevations here. For these two crops I would not consider a purchase over 500 foot elevation. Coconuts are best where the salt air sprays on their leaves. I have to supply trace minerals away from the sea to compensate.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I guess I can forgo ulu and coconut and rather settle for an area with soft and healthy soil. Taro would be main staple to include chickens and lamb. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time and informative posts.
@@faasootauloavasai5544 Taro is generally planted in swampy valleys like the Waipio. There are high land types that will grow in regular gardens though. I have a low acid type that i like quite a bit. It grows well in my regular soil here and needs little care other than planting.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 yes, growing taro in that manner is how hawaiians grow taro but it is also grown by samoans, tongans, Fijians and other pacific islanders in soft preferably moist soil... and there are better tasting ways to eat taro than poi lol 😆
@@faasootauloavasai5544 I grow taro in ordinary soil here. I am aware there are different types for different conditions.
On point, as per usual.
Thank you
Forgot, also looking for Poha Seeds and young plants...Very Pleased with your Program.
I usually do not collect or sell Poha seed but I do have several sizes of poha plants in the nursery.
using low impact methods in NC! "pest control" is a challenge (saw a black widow just this evening) but I often get so much I never even planted (came up on it's own) I'm sure Hawaii would be a dream to grow in.
I've seen no poisonous spiders here. We had plenty of Black Widows in California and Tennessee when I lived in those places. My mother really hurt my feelings when I was 3 years old in Paris Tennessee. I found a beautiful Black Widow spider in a tin can with an egg mass. I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world and took it to my mom. She promptly screamed, grabbed the can, ran outside, drenched it in gas and barbecued my prize. I never really caught her panic because I spent the rest of my life protecting spiders, including widows.
For some folks Hawaii is a dream. I took it seriously as a place to live so here I am! It's just like any other place in the USA with much better weather.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I imagine there's less way out there (pest issues) My strategy is mostly to avoid but I do take extra care to make sure other people are mindful of what's out there so they don't get hurt. I've been fortunate to mostly only get the occasional ant bite/mild spider bite so far. Appreciate all the info you give, going to enjoy seeing more of your vids.
@@oneperson2person I've only had one spider bite in my entire life and the spider that bit me was in a dream after I foolishly ejected it from my garden. Spiders are frightened by people. They don't trust us in general. Here is the story. ua-cam.com/video/Dtj8KCTSqjs/v-deo.html
I love tropical fruits and beef!🌈
They raise well here just don't let the cows into the fruit trees. They tried that on 1600 acres next door and only the cows survived!
Hi Bill what is the shopping like they're near you in Mountain View what kind of stores are there thank you for the information
I consider the local shopping to be excellent. Hilo is the second largest city in Hawaii and is only 15 miles down the main road from my house. The only place in Hawaii that shops better is Honolulu on Oahu. Of course Hilo is a place where people live and work and the general economy is blue collar so we do not have a Nordstrom here or anything even comparable. Sears, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Safeway etc, etc are all in good supply just like on the mainland. Hilo does have an excellent locally owned system of stores that deal everything from farm supply and greenhouses to plumbing, lumber and tires. It takes a while to learn where to find what here but almost anything a person needs can be found. I admit to making 33% of my purchases using Amazon Prime though. I can do it from the desk. Gas is generally around $3 a gallon here so driving around looking for stuff can get expensive. Half a mile down the road I have a Post Office, a gas station with the second cheapest gas in HI, and a bakery. 3 miles away I have a 7/11, a burger joint, a solar store and a general store that sells everything from boots to bullets, BBQ chickens to bathroom cleaner, pig traps to chicken feed and fishing poles to AK47's.
im a 21 year old Canadian looking for a farming job in Hawaii. what should I do?
The word job implies income. To find a job here it is important to be here. Locating a good job in agriculture here requires networking. If you do not care about making income at this then try using wwoof.net/
They are a volunteer farm organization.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 thank you :) !
@@sarahanna2410 Mahalo for watching
Hi Bill,
Just Sub'd because of your info you've parted here!
Thanks for the details!
I've sent you a private message as I'm planning on Homesteading / Farming
on the Big Island before the end of the year and would like to touch base
when I get there.
Mahalo!
I'm not sure what happened to the private email but I never recieved it. Try using my email address, greengardenservice@yahoo.com
Yes, heed Bill's advice about food sustainability in Hawaii, because there were times when the food shipment didn't come in to Hawaii, because labor strike or price dispute, if you got land mass on your property, grow something, anything. When that incident happens, the rice product on the grocery shelves would be the first to go, because I assumed that most residents in Hawaii are eating rice as a stable food. And like Bill said, if you having difficulty growing your Idaho variety, you will be eating a lot of rice. Luckily for me, rice is not my stable food...noodle is. And I am a vegetable eating person, I can eat leaves if there was no food to eat.
Hawaii is not a climate for roses. I know one lady who get by at 3000 feet with them but they take fungicide and solar lights to prevent the Chinese Rose Beetle. Hibiscus, flowering ginger and Heliconia are some of the best Hawaii flowers.
I eat anything that is slow enough to catch, soft enough to chew and generally not considered toxic. My diet has been a constant evolutionary event through life. Rather than exclusion I have learned to include new foods like seaweed, raw fish, Ulu and Kalo. My house and car run on the sun but I run on grass fed cheese burgers. Growing and eating the local foods is a great plan for sustainability. Hawaii is blessed to have millions of wild chickens that require no permit to harvest and have no regulations. They'd be gone in a few weeks if the boats stopped coming.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Bill, I totally get what you are saying. My friend in Arkansas has 10,000 chickens to produce eggs for chicken famers. I am about to retire in Hawaii, looking for a land now for me to go homesteading. I am sure could use more of your information, so I will be following your videos for a while. I definitely going to raise chickens in Hawaii, because I am tired of eating non-organic food. I am looking for a land on Hawaii Island and I am looking for cheap land, because my homesteading is for retirement, not business, but yes, I plan to leave the workforce for good, and maybe I will take up raising chickens and sell the eggs. Thank you Bill, you and other people who are already living the homestead lifestyle in Hawaii do a great job with information about farm life in Hawaii for some us who have not experienced island lifestyle.
@@user-vp1ko5pf1b Cheap land is cheap land. The cheap stuff usually has big problems like inaccessibility, no soil on solid rock and you can find yourself with a meth lab next door. I would stick to mid price range and up. You only spend the money once but you might live on the land for the rest of your life.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Great advice Bill and thank you. Cheap land to me is $5,000 per less than a quarter acre. I am aware that I will be getting lava rock ground which I plan to buy some local soil to start my garden. I am at an age when I don't eat much and barely spending money anymore, because I am not much of a spending consumer these days, and yes one of the reasons I want to go homesteading because big agriculture and food factories are downgrading our food quality that I am not willing to pay for it with my money anymore. I am mentally prepared for Island life. I lived a prosperous life. Now I just want to live a quiet life. I am also aware of petty theft and drug use problems in Hawaii. I am sure some of them live out there on cheap Hawaii Island land.
@@user-vp1ko5pf1b All 50 states have crime and drugs, Hawaii is no exception. I guess the reason it seems to be an issue for folks is because of the illusion Hawaii is paradise. Cockroaches, rats and drug addicts exist in paradise as well as Chicago. My suggestion to anyone thinking about buying property here is put price at the far end of a parameters list. On this Island low price is usually big trouble. Location and access to services plus a decent public road would be far more important than price. My place cost me double what I wanted to pay. Sometimes i wish I had paid even more now that it is all paid off. Aloha
Bill, is it possible to get a big excavator and break up the rocky soil and amend it so that you can farm it ?
It's called ripping, grading and cindering. Most people do this to their lots if the live on lava. I live on soil so I do not bother with all that work but many do. If you plan to by lava land i suggest to farm coffee, macnuts or fruit trees. They are commonly grown on lava here. Kona coffee is grown almost entirely on lava. Most vegetable production here takes place on the areas with soil or it is done hydroponically or aquaponically in hoop houses. House plants, nursery stock and orchids are usually grown on lava too.
I thought that tomatoes liked lava soil. I guess it's too hot for them.
@@johnmazza9432 Tomatoes are mostly indifferent to soil types. As long as soil holds moisture and nutrients tomatoes will grow. Lava soil doesn't really exist except on the oldest lands in humid areas. Lava is rock not soil and it takes ages to create soil through weather and plants. Most soil existing in Hawaii is caused by volcanic ash, not lava. there is a considerable amount of ash soil on this Island. The districts of Kohala and Hamakua have most of it but North Hilo, Kau and Puna also have soil. Tomato culture here has little to do with soil type. There are some field grown tomatoes on the dry side but most tomato crops on the wet side are grown in hoop houses and often hydroponically. There are a cluster of air born diseases here that make tomato culture a real pain in the butt. There are also fruit flies that love to lay eggs in the large fruited types. I only grow the pear and cherry types here and the best crops are under plastic to keep the leaves dry. Because tomato culture is difficult you can make good money on the crop here but be ready to do things you never considered to make that happen. Pineapples, vanilla, sweet corn, and avocados are a lot easier and have excellent prices.
I may have mentioned that I am a landscaper here in NJ. We have a big problem with deer eating shrubs and contributing to the spread of lyme disease. Therefore I have customers with pets who want an organic approach to killing ticks that spread the lyme disease. I have found a company that sells cedar oil quite inexpensively. It's call cedarcide. I was just wondering if you had ever tried using cedar oil on any of your crops or to drench the soil around the crops ? Or have you tried other natural methods of controlling insects and fungus such as diatomaceous earth ? I also know of tree care companies that spray a home brew fungicide on trees for leaf fungus' .
which part of Island is your property located Bill? I am looking for an acre and love to be able to do what you do. I am not sure where I should focus on?
I live in Puna half way between Volcano and Hilo right off Hwy 11. This particular area has some ancient Mauna kea ash deposits instead of the usual hard rock and lava like most of the district.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 thank you so much,Ill be is big Island next week hunting for a land. thank you again.
Hi Bill, is it possible to catch a few wild chicken and just raise them for eggs?
Certainly you could catch wild chickens. I find wild chickens to be unmanageable though as domestic fowl. Far better off to throw the wild ones in a soup pot and raise tame chickens from chicks to laying age. They will follow you around like dogs rather than escaping to the tree tops.
Can you do a video on the one straw revolution please? 😎 Mahalo n Aloha
The One Straw Revolution was a book written by Masanobu Fukuoka. The book is available on Amazon as well as audio books. I did find this video about him on youtube. I have never watched it so give it a shot. ua-cam.com/video/rj7nrOjhMtk/v-deo.html
Man, I kinda got depressed about that last part haha! I bought 3 acres in Fern Forest and I'm sure I will be one of those guys having to terraform my land. But like you said, it's better to have that then nothing.
Not trying to bum anyone out. I've been part of the "Back to the Land" movement since the 60's and seen it take various shapes. Over that time I have bought and sold several pieces of property. We are experiencing a current back to the land thing. I posted this in the hope of helping others avoid some of the mistakes I made earlier in life. The last purchase has been the best one yet and I learned a lot from it. This is the most unusual place to buy real estate in the USA. Most of what I knew about land doesn't apply here.
You should look at Tom Spellman's study of chill and apples.
I tend to run when anyone tells me I "Should" do something. I tell people what I do all the time, I never tell them what they should do. What do you figure the guy has to say that i can use?
@@GreenGardenGuy1 He kept hearing crfg members say, "I am getting apples from, fill in the blank", they are just small. Tom planted 33 or 35 apple in Irvine on the test plot the state owns. Turns out all produced apples except Honey Crisp and one from NY. I planted Black Arkansas and Granny Smith and have a Pink Pearl and Anna in pots. I ordered some seeds from you last night.
In November they will release the notes from the 4 year study and rate the apples.
My guess that Braeburn, Fuji, King will be in the top 5.
Irvine has under 100 chill hours.
Wow, I'm so glad to hear that you think a small farmer could stand a chance in Hawaii. Bill, the concern I have is that I hear all kinds of stories about how people in Hawaii are all on drugs and will steal the windows right out of your house if you leave for one week. Can I move there and build a home on a small farm and expect to live in relative safety ? Or do I need a few pitbull dogs and a shotgun ?
I have only visited Oahu and Maui for a short period some years ago so I don't pretend to understand the islands or the people. That is why I ask. Your answer confirms what is common to all states, that there are good and bad everywhere, but mostly good. Thank you.
Yes, and I suppose that people are always looking for some reason to confirm their negative mindset that insists paradise isn't paradise. It's Hawaii, not the Garden of Eden.
@@johnmazza9432 Yes you have it. I like to say paradise is a state of mind but Hawaii is a state of the union. Better weather than most states, awesome environment but just another state with similar issues.
@@johnmazza9432 such a perfect response. Your only a product of the mental paradigm you believe you live in. People are flocking to Hawaii in record numbers post pandemic for slow living and renewed awareness of zero waste/ sustainability. Hawaii people are the most caring and loving neighborly people, very different from the states.
Hey Bill, how large is your lot?
tortaboy I believe he said 2 acres in his garden tour video
I have two one acre lots. Both are zoned for agriculture. I have almost finished planting out the first acre. Recently we started to do work on the second. Give me a few more years and we should be fence line to fence line here. The beauty of this property is every square inch is usable. It would grow turnips from corner post to corner post.
That is correct. Currently only one of the acres is being intensively utilized. The other is in process of development.
GreenGardenGuy1 how much can an acre make $
Thanks for another video :) I'm curious if you might do a video or just reply here, about the issue of mainlander people moving to Hawaii, especially as it impacts native Hawaiins and the loss of their lands/ways of life. I've been researching more about the Hawaii Sovereignty movement and some of these questions come up for myself as a white mainlander considering moving to the island, and how to do so in a respectful way that honors the ingenious culture.
For some reason I never got this message. I guess the best answer I can come up with is you don't have to hold the same beliefs as local Hawaiian but it is best to respect them. Hawaii has the native culture but it also has culture from many other places mostly Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Europe and the Mainland. It is a mixed plate at best. Because of this tolerance is typical. Intolerance is the exception. Aloha, Bill
And yes, I think if we have even just a family garden, we should get into a habit of bartering and trading among your neighbors, because the things you grow in your garden probably going to be more than what you eat in a week's time. At least, it will worth your while for working the land.
I give away things all the time but my primary purpose for growing excess is to sell it. Money is the universal solvent that works in almost all situations other than love. I do some trading but usually come out on the raw end of the deal. Sometimes I really want what others have but often I really don't need it. I just take the stuff to be polite. Cash is far more useful.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Back in the 1990s in Florida when tropical fruit and vegetable seedlings are hard to find, you need to get to know a few farmers to get or buy them to get your own farming going.
@@user-vp1ko5pf1b I have more often been the source rather than the seeker. I do remember being a seeker years ago though.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 There is no one better than a long time farmer or gardener like you to buy the source from. People who have been in the farming long enough tend to always have seeds lying around somewhere, or who got big plants that can share some few tree limps for someone to start their own farming. And often the farmer would share some farming lessons with you as you try to get your farm going.
how about avacodos
Since you asked I guess I forgot to mention Avocados. There is a tree directly to my right. Hawaii has dozens of different avocados many of them top quality. The pigs have spread the trees across much of the Island. Seedling avocado exist in fair quantities in most districts.
Great videos! You mentioned Jim Tarring as your builder...Is this JetBuildersHawaii.com? I'm looking for a good, reliable contractor that will actually show up on my house building... Mahalo!
Sorry, I don't know why this didn't make it to my inbox but yes, Jim Tarring is the man that built our house. Aloha
I am looking for 3-20 acres for small farming.
If anybody knows of good deal, let me know. I will appreciate the help.
Hawaii real estate is a sellers market currently. There is usually no such thing as a "deal" here. Any land worth having has someone looking at it with a fist full of dollars. Decent land is competitive here, anything worth having is gone in days. The price of a parcel here indicates it's value. Cheap land is junk land. Expensive land is usually the best you can find. Most land sits around the middle range and is average as far as hazards and usefulness. In Hawaii, my suggestion is always start at the mid point in price range. Avoid the lower end. Hawaii has land that is near earthly paradise. It also has some of the worst land on earth. The difference is easy to see by price range. Cheap=Junk. Dial up the MLS through Zillow or Hilo Brokers and put in the parameters of the property you seek. This will give you an idea of price and area. You said you were looking for farm land. Most land in Puna is hard rock and not much good for farming. There is some soil in Puna, our parcel has 16 feet of soil but that is rare here. People do farm on hard lava here but only with limited crops. Lava lands are good for aquaculture, greenhouse production of foliage, orchids or food crops. Coffee and some fruit tree crops are okay on prepared lava. Row crops like most farming are not doable. Whatever you parameters and price range I would expect you will need to double the price to find what you seek. At least that was what happened to us. We found plenty of property in my price range but none that fit the parameters. I had to double the investment. Good luck, Aloha
$10,00/acre is cheap? The most expensive land in Missouri is half that.
I suppose if you like to live in Missouri that's okay. I have no interest in living there. Perhaps it could clarify the statement if had said the cheapest land in the USA with a year round tropical climate, excellent weather, beautiful landscapes, great culture and cheaper than California real estate. I lived in California for over 25 years before moving here. I tend to evaluate things from the perspective. By selling a home in the California Bay Area and relocating to Hawaii we managed to clear all of our debts so yes, Hawaii has lower priced land than California. $10,000 per acre is junk land in Hawaii. Our place cost far more than that and it was still cheap compared to comparable sights on the west coast.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I mean, it makes sense when farms are 1-5 acres. No judgment intended. The numbers are just kind of mind boggling to me. I grew up on a 40 acre chunk of land in northeast Missouri, not big enough to even call a farm here, like you said in the video. I'm used to lots of space. I know you've lived in the Midwest too, so I won't ramble about the 12 hour drives, etc. Just a totally different perspective. Btw, I'm impressed that you look at comments on videos this old. I was pleasantly surprised to see you'd replied.
@@Jackyboi887 I try to answer all comments. When I lived in Wisconsin I had 240 acres and I paid between $100 and $300 per acre. The $300 stuff had a 1/4 mile of frontage on the Chippewa river. As you head to the west coast though land gets much more expensive and in my opinion it is worth every penny. California land is much more useful than Midwest land. It supports a much wider variety of crops and has much longer growing seasons. Hawaii is cheaper than California but highly useful agriculturally. There is no off time here, growing goes on endlessly. There is enough rain to grow most crops and the list of possible crops is enormous. Costs more than Missouri but Puna district is cheaper than the entire west coast.
TheJackhuston that’s what I was thinking. Only the upper Midwest for me. I think it’s actually gone down some since corn isn’t $7 anymore.
@@christophergruenwald5054 There is a spot for everyone and every purpose.
I find it curious how any gift of aina from Akua and Pele is "pathetic stuff." For over 2k years Kanaka Maoli have celebrated and honored every ounce of land and water blessed to us, the aboriginal people of Hawaii aina, including pahoehoe and a'a. "Pathetic?" Not at all. It is a makana.
It has been a while since i posted this and I can not recall referring to anything as pathetic but thank you for the clarification.
Local food...except dairy. Hawaii needs to allow raw milk sales to overcome this!
I can not make the connection between raw milk and food self sufficiency. Pasteurized or not milk represents the same product with similar economic effect. Most people believe raw milk to be dangerous so legalizing would not increase milk sales. Only people who believe they gain some benefit would consume it. Dairy is very much going away here due to the huge manure problem. Dairy farms close due to water pollution faster than they open here.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 I'd encourage you to look at raw dairy organizations to find out more. :-) Also, it is possible to raise dairy without polluting, ala Joel Salatin.
The reason raw dairy would help food independence is that folks could process and sell their own milk. Refrigeration and testing is far cheaper than pasteurization, and believe it or not statistically safer. Especially when Meadow Gold owns the only large pasteurization plant on the Islands, and will not pasteurize your milk for you.. you have to sell it to them, in which case they will only pay base price, not value add for better cows, organically raised, etc.
In other words, you could create new markets for artisan dairy (cheeses, yogurts, etc) at small scale, using top quality milk, locally produced. This hits all the buttons.
@@timothyblazer1749 Well.... great stuff but i don't really drink milk at all and I'm only fond of cows when they are on a bun. I worked with dairy cows and dairy goats as a young man. This experience is why I got in to horticulture. Got a broken rib from a bull when got tossed into a stone wall and had two toes broken when dairy cows stepped on my feet. I prefer orange juice as a beverage. It mixes better with vodka.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 ah. :-) well, cheese and yogurt are important sources of nutrition for many people so, although it wouldn't benefit you directly, what it could do is increase demand for botanical additives, which are locally sourced. Especially things like goji, berries and other fruits, but also things like locally sourced vanilla, cacao, and other high value cash crops.
It's similar to how high quality oak and cherry wood are much higher priced due to the whiskey market.
@@timothyblazer1749 There are folks here managing small goat dairy that seem to get by. The larger Dairy Cow operations are always in danger of closing because of the water pollution they create. Hawaiian water pollution regulations are strict. I like cheese, I lived in Wisconsin for 15 years. My sons are still living there. I have them ship me a box of the stuff every year. It has a specific flavor I enjoy. California cheese doesn't have the same grass. The goat cheese here tastes like goat cheese
Thanks for the video.... how about talk about the weed you grow so you can get stone! Hhahahaah! Had to take a break from growing weed myself but love your channel with the food though.
Cannabis doesn't need any help from me. It has been a burning fire in our culture for over 50 years without my promotion. I tend to focus on things that are lesser known to the general population.
Wow. What a great video completely destroyed by advertising by the DSCC. Come on UA-cam. You can do better than this.
I am not real happy about the advertising but the idea that the ad could destroy these videos is completely over stated. My videos stand for them selves whether youtube places ads poorly or not. Rewind and listen again if you missed something.