greenhouse

GREENHOUSE


Every self respecting survivalist should own a copy of Mike Oehler’s “The $50 & Up underground House Book”. I even own two copies, or at least I did recently. Not because the second copy helped any more but because my library has grown past the manageable point and when I go look for a book sometimes I don’t find it and think I don’t have it and order another copy. “Alas, Babylon” is a good example. Everyone was getting erect nipples over “Earth Abides” which I am not in the least fond of ( and unfortunately own two copies of- but one was from trash picking ) and whenever the discussion turns to that overly hyped novel someone always brings up Alas, Babylon and I got to thinking I should read it again and so I almost ordered it until I went through my tote of apocalypse paperbacks and found it. I think I got it for under a buck at the used book store. It’s not that I own a whole lot of duplicates, just that occasionally it happens due to lack of book shelves. And, even as I know this is a problem from time to time I still couldn’t tell you if I own two copies still or I gave one away of the underground house book. Anyway, I also own his other books. The Hippy Survival Guide To Y2K is not necessarily a must own. It is too date specific and you won’t miss much by not reading it ( it is enjoyable to read in itself but if money is tight it isn’t needed in your library ). There were a few highlights I can share with you. Wheat is your best investment after your own land that helps feed you. Not that any of this comes as a shock to you. But Mike has been doing this for forty years and this advice was from 1998.

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I’ve never said that owning twenty acres in wood and twenty in pasture and fields is a bad idea. I’ve said that being in debt for it is a horrendous idea right up there with sulfuric acid enemas and telling your wife she is fat walrus whose very sight rises your gorge. I’ve also tried to warn you that even though this debt free ownership is a great idea you still have made yourself a stationary target. And that even if you are food self-sufficient you still need grain stockpiles to insure against bad weather and crop failure. I’m not against farming, I am against burying your head in the sand when uncomfortable realities are brought up. If I thought we had forty years of near normality I would say, hey, let’s all get into debt and own our own lifeboats based on permaculture. If you have friends and family to help you protect it and not too close to a huge population this is an excellent strategy. But I don’t think we have as long as a mortgage. Even a fifteen year mortgage might be impossible if oil imports continue at present rates. Major disruptions of the economy would occur far before we got down to a mere 20% of our 2005 energy use ( remember, the last five years saw us lose 20% of our energy-15 more years of that… ).

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The last two to three years have been a blessing for those with eyes wide open. At the expense of the unprepared, those of us serious about survival have been given a very revealing glimpse of problems we hadn’t foreseen. For instance, at just a ten percent decline in revenues, local governments got desperate and doubled or tripled property tax ( all governments, all corporations, all banks, all are 100% dependent of continued growth for survival- welcome to the age of the approaching asteroid, dinosaurs ). This highlighted the problem of owning large amounts of land. Whereas before property tax forced you to hold a city job, now it could bankrupt you and ensure your investment lose. No, this isn’t a reason NOT to own land, just something else you must plan around. But I wonder if Mike, were he not so old, would be worried about owning so much land if he was just starting out. Another lesson was how quickly things start falling apart when oil is $150 a barrel. And yet, as I write this on Sunday, the talking heads ( I caved in and watched some morning news even though I hate the dog and pony show ) are pretty much telling us that it is business as usual in the middle east. Egypt’s military has suspended elections for six months and parliament is disbanded. It looks as if the demonstrators jumped from the frying pan into the fire. If the military subsidizes food, it might not matter. Otherwise, the regions unrest spreads and Saudi Arabia might be next in line ( of course, even if Egypt stabilizes other countries could still see unrest ). We might still get a chance to look fondly back on $150 oil.

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The last two years also underscored the speed that the unraveling could happen. Things can fall apart fast, and most likely still will. Owning land is great, owning a farm is better, and you might not get a chance to do that. Starting out with a wheat stash ( 1500 calories a day might be just a smidge above body self-cannibalization but it is far better than nothing ), getting junk land, this might not help you achieve your dream of being a farmer, but it might be all you get a chance to do. However, being a farmer or just a junk land owner, another valuable resource you will do well to own is Mike’s other book, “The Earth Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book”. At first I hesitated to buy this book, thinking it was a rehash of his first book slightly modified. In effect, slapping a sheet of glass on one of his underground houses. But I’m glad I bought it. Just the section on types of rigid board insulation and the one on types of windows and the effects of ultraviolet light on them pay for the $25 price tag. Yes, the book is a bit padded, too large of type and a lot of old info from the house book, but it is well worth the money. Yes, he blathers a bit about evil gophers and their infestation ( here’s a guy growing his own food for decades and still Mother Nature foils some of his plans- have that wheat stash! ). Yes, he’s gotten a bit senile comparing this book to his others. He’s starting to be a crippled old dude instead of a young pioneer. That is all minor. This is information well worth the ticket price. Mike has been in the forefront of new ways of frugally living sustainable and maximizing our freedom. He might be winding down but he isn’t out of the game yet ( unlike, say,Kurt Saxon ).

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A cheap permanent year round green house that takes no energy to run is a great idea. If you own any piece of dirt you can dig, this book is a must ( notice the wildly gyrating weather lately? ). And, no, I won’t be building mine immediately. It is far down the list on priorities. But then, I’m not pining to be a farmer. I live in herding country. If things hold together long enough I might surprise myself and my minions and actually start gardening. But you don’t have to be in a position of practicing an idea to realize its value ( I owned the underground house book ten plus years before I dug my underground pit ).

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My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
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