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. The Dervaes grows their own food and everything they consume in a year comes from their own household. The family owns a property of 1/10 acres where they grow over 400 species of plants, their own vegetables, poultry and they even have their own beehive. 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. Take a look at the following video to find out more about this healthy family and tips on how to follow in their footsteps.
Where’s the video?
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I see this everywhere but no “how to” information following it! I would love to know how!
OK. This is cool and all, but we’re talking $20,000 split among 4 people for a year’s pay. That’s only $5,000 a year per person. Now, granted they’re saving money from Food Costs, Electricity Costs, and Fuel Costs, but $5,000 is still low.
As for the $12 per month Electricity Cost – that’s a little bit insane, if not unbelievable. I don’t know the cost of California’s electricity, but my Electricity minimum payment to be connected to the grid is $18 per month. My entire house is using nothing less than CFL and LED Light-bulbs. The electric bill is still $112 per month. The average household’s A/C Unit uses approximately 4,500 Watts (per hour). Each of those Solar Panels looked to be 180 Watts each, and it looks like there was 9 Solar Panels on the roof – on top of that, but they’re aimed in only one direction; meaning, they’ll get 6 hours of maximum power generation per day of sunlight. What does all this mean? That answer was total bull. He’d have to NOT ever run his A/C Unit, never turn on the lights, never turn on the computer, and basically not live in the city.
I think he said $12/month. Regardless, it’s still an impressive effort!
I can’t see the video. So, it’s tough to comment on what was said but, if they’re producing enough power to provide a surplus, it could simply be that what the power company is buying back from them is offsetting some of the connection fee, taxes, etc.
$12 a month seems fine for what they are doing. They said they have no microwave or other electric knickknacks (she is using a hand cranked blender), and the lights for their dinner table were oil lamps, so not even LED lighting (though maybe for emergency backup?). So literally all they are running is a refrigerator, a computer, a water pump, and the A/C (if it’s not passively cooled). The oven looked like it was gas, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the water heater was too.
I have lived in inland Southern California all my life and never needed or used air conditioning in my house.
Dear Mr. Anthonyk747, I live in Southern California about a 1 hour drive from this little city farm and have bee there often, about once a month for years. these people do not lie and are not full of “bull’.
My electric bill runs around 12. dollars a month during the winter and in summer about 25. dollars a month. I do not have solar power, only Edison Power Company. I use air conditioning on days I need it , or I can use my swamp cooler. However , I seldom need to use anything since it’s cool enough without.
That is also the case where this farm is located….it’s quite cool there so constant air condition is not necessary.
The farm has many activities that generate money that isn’t talked about in this short clip…I believe the quoted 20,000. dollars a year is for the grown produce only….this doesn’t include the restaurant, classes, hand crafted items sold….tours and more.
If you do not live in this area, and you have not been to the farm, perhaps you would want to research it more before calling it ‘total bull’.
I think they are living off grid and have solar panels which would make power bill reaal low.
WOW.. A TRUTH SEEKER[] AND THE SUN WHERE I LIVE IS TOOO INTENSE[] I CAN NOT GROW TOMATOES OR CUCUMBERS…LAST YEAR . and the bees are gone…..
Where’s the video?
This is what we did and taught in the Peace Corps. The manual is a book called “How to grow more vegetables” by John Jeavons. It’s famous and in the 8th edition now.
Couldn’t watch video? ???
It says they saved that much. Not that they earned that much selling produce.
Should keep stuff like this quiet don’t you know the authorities and officials city shut people down for this stuff! They are targeting everyone that wants to be self sufficient! WATCH!
They’ve been doing this for years. They have been on every local tv show, they’re fine.
They are targeting everyone that wants to be self sufficient!
It says they saved that much. Not that they earned that much selling produce.
I grew up near here. You do not need ac as it never gets that hot nor do you need a heater. The climate is very temperate. They use oil lamps so you are correct they do not turn lights on. The stove is gas. It is doable in SoCal, but not many locations. The sun also shines most days. With solar what you do t use goes back into the grid, your letter can actually run backwards, then when you need electric in the evening the meter runs forward. This explains why he has such a low electric bill.
Sustainable.. except when you factor in the water supply their using up, because they live in the middle of a desert!
still pretty cool though
Eric, the farm is not in the middle of a desert …lol it’s very near the coast with ocean misty humid air.
Not quite near the ocean misty air. It’s too far to get coastal benefits. Pasadena is north of LA city proper, but still considered to be part of LA. It is relatively dry here, not like Phoenix, but dryer than say the Mid Atlantic or Southeast. So, not the desert and also not the ocean.
In this part of California most people don’t have AC at all. The temps don’t get high enough to justify anything more than a little window unit for the hottest days.
hi I’m really wanting to start growing my own food and rid myself of processed foods but am real green with anblack thumb to the process. Tried a few things in a tub last year with minimals success. A diagram of your layout with what you grow, what time of year etc would be awesome and I’m sure more than myself would be grateful.. Think I messed up last year by using all miracle grow dirt with no ground soil, but am ready to try again… Your garden is beautiful as well as a wonderful resource… Thanks for any help you can provide me and my black thumb.. Trying to impress my Granny who will be 102 in 3 weeks and she still has three bathtubs full of veggies at all times! Wish I could post a pic of her giant cabbages!
Los Angeles just recently allowed growing vegetables in the strip between the street and sidewalk. So, far from banning this practice, they are encouraging it.
Nice story, too bad the facts are all BS.
Clearly….you are clueless. Try doing more than skimming the headline and first line. Research and you may learn something useful.
You are mistaken, the facts are correct. You can visit their website and see how they break everything down.
they probably don’t have as much time for much computer/electronic use, TV use, etc., because of all the time it takes to tend a garden! Naturally their electric use will be lower!
Cara, go spend time with you grandmother. She know things about gardening that she can teach. At 102 she won’t be around as a resource for too much longer. And gardening in something that you have to do by trial and error. I’m 56. I’ve been gardening since I started to help my mother in the garden when I was 5. She was even raised on a farm. My gardens feed me some of my food. I’m pretty good at it but there are still some things that I just can’t get to grow well for me
If your zoning allows chickens, get yourself a couple of them…pretty constant supply of eggs!
Lostgriz – I’ve been on their web site a couple of years ago and they were doing this then….its not BS -they are well known not just for this but for getting the rights to the name urban homestead and tying it up for themselves. Go figure. None of this is new…people are doing this stuff around the world and paying minimal power, saving water etc etc etc I’m in NZ and this is not new stuff here…
They have been doing this for decades, not just years. I have shared dinner at their table when I lived in SoCal, and I moved East 8 years ago.
I also never used AC in SoCal. Did have a swamp cooler for when the temps hit the 110, but I was farther inland and had a mountain range between me and the ocean. Pasadena weather is considered pleasant 98% of the time.
No they said earned, not saved.
I would love that but how do you deal with squirrels, groundhogs and coons? They ruin my garden every year and there is no way to stop them!
In an urban area those creatures should not be a problem. I have the same problem here in the country.
Thailand has a rich agricultural area ….. try when visiting Thailand too.
I live near Phoenix, have a 4400 Sq foot home, 11.75 kw system…I pay the maintenance fee of $23 each month. Once a year I get a credit that’s enough to pay the maintenance fee for 3 months. We run our AC nonstop in the summer.
if they are close to a city they should have their produce checked for chemicals. Pollution drifts for miles.
We currently using a generator a battery charger and only 2 6v golf cart batteries, are running our home electric, including furnace for about $2.00 worth of gasoline a day. As weather gets warmer, this will drop back to about $1.50 every two days. The exhaust will soon be run through a heat exchanger to heat wintertime hot water. Currently outside temps are in single numbers, so we need more watts for furnace then we will as season gets warmer. Just a thought. Going to add about 1000 watts of solar to system as we finish our new house this coming summer.
We will be running a propane refrigerator. Blenders work fine on batteries, as intermittent use. We do not have nor want TV. Lights in our new home will strictly be lEDs. Hot water summer will be solar. Winter wood fired Cookstove with water coil. Use composting toilet, and a super modern high tech design gray water septic system . Grey water will be used in year round greenhouse. So no water other then vapour being released into environment of property. Our design is something I’ve been working on and researching since about 1968. It is time now to make it work.
concerning the power bill- I think they said they live off the grid an use solar panels.
Okay but my bill is only $60 something dollars and I use electricity a lot. I can see theirs being $12
If they are totally of grids they have no power bill. Lol they aren’t connected to the power company.
Just stfu idiot
Lots and lots of ads all over the place but no video and n o information on how to grow vegetables. Just another come-on bit of spam BS.
BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE SOME PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE
ANYTHING
Where is the video I’m on the next page
Join Square Foot Gardening on FB. And find the book to get a step by step guide to creating your raised beds and growing. Add a bed every year to make it affordable.