Hi!
I'm David Johnson
Hello and thank you for checking our website out. My name is David Johnson and I am the owner of By Hand. I grew up all over the United States. My Dad served in the Navy and with that came lots of moving. Getting to see this beautiful country growing up was an amazing adventure. My family on my mothers side where farmers. my Gram and Pop both grew up on farms and so did their parents and so on. In my blood is four generations of farmers that have worked with the earth.
My first experience with gardening came from my Pop. He taught me how to cultivate and care for plants. He knew exactly what they needed.
He would always grow the biggest and best watermelons. After finally settling down myself around 12 years ago in 2012 I began to establish and grow gardens. It has been amazing to learn so many wonderful gardening and farming practices. There is aguaponics, hydroponics, traditional rows, water, vertical and the list keeps going. This blog will be about my experiences and the things I have learned as I have traveled and worked. I hope that you all will enjoy.
Self Sustaining Life
I guess it all began in a subtle fashion little by little our vision growing dimmer as we age in our era of dependence . Self sustainability is the ultimate goal . What exactly does that mean in today’s society. The definition of self sustainability as many see it today is being able to keep up with the bills. Having a fully stocked fridge. Having a good paying job that allows you to afford a comfortable life.
These are all good things, but I am looking for a different definition. In the not so distant past self sustainability meant so much more then keeping up with the Jones’s. It meant hard work plowing up dirt, planting seeds, tending animals, having the knowledge to repair and build, it meant being truly independent. This is the definition of true self sustainability. Over the last 150 years we have taken a complete shift towards dependence. Many of us without noticing have signed over our true independence for comfort.
We go to grocery stores and rely on them for our food. We have a vehicle that is reliant on fuel or energy often produced by others. We live in homes not built by us. We rely on contractors and handyman to fixed things. Of course I can can keep going on about how we have lost our independence. Lets talk about how to take back our independence. By hand has a mission and that mission is to help everyone win back their independence. This can be accomplished by providing you with the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to grow your own plants, raise and take care of animals such as goats, fish,and chicken. We will help you every step of the way to becoming more independent. So if your tired on relying on others.Let us help you become truly independent by live a self sustaining life.
Aquaponics
The idea of using fish in a growing system is not new . There are cultures that have practiced fish techniques for thousands of years. For example many Asian cultures still to this day use fish in rice fields. It was not until recently that true aquaponic systems where developed. In the mid 1970's the aquaponic systems as we know them today where under development. Unfortunately the idea really didn’t take off.
That is all to common in the agriculture world. It is hard to change the mind of farmers that have been doing the same thing every year day in and out. Look out for another blog all about why certain beneficial agriculture systems always get shot down. With that being said the main idea behind an aquaponic system is very simple. The fish provide nutrient rich water that is pump from the tank and filtered through the plant roots. The filtered water is then cycled back to the fish.
So what exactly is the benefit? The benefit is some of the best tasting produce you will ever have. The benefit is having a protein source you can harvest.So now you can sell exceptional produce and fresh fish initially doubling profit for a business. The benefit is helping you become more self reliant by providing for your family healthy produce and protein.
This can be accomplished on a huge scale or small. For example the system I am currently sketching up will have the capability to provide me with over 200 pounds of fish and grow lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. There is a huge advantage to learning how to setup an Aquaponic system. With By hand the solution is simple we provide everything you need in an easy to assemble package. This is a simple and fun way to begin your journey towards self sustainability.
