Aroostook vs Wash Co. for self-sufficiency? (Caribou, Eastport: how much, homes, living)

[movintime]

Aroostook County vs Wash. County for rural & self-sufficiency? I say Aroostook; as more open, undeveloped land. Yet a friend claims Wash Co., as more fertile soil & better growing season, less bitter inland cold, & closer to the marshy wetlands of the ocean. Anyone add to this? Thx.

[massnative71]

Unless you are growing blueberries, Washington County does not have more fertile soil.

[woxyroxme]

My great uncles in Eastport had made a living out of tub trawling and wrinkling and my grandmother had a garden and grew mostly turnips, potatoes and peas.

[movintime]

THX BOTH. But I Iike WaCo OVER Aroostook DUE TO LONGER HARSH WINTERS in Aroos. NOT BUFFERED BY COASTAL TEMPS. It SEEMS GROWING EAST -- VS EXTREME NORTH -- WINS. But unsure here.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by movintime

THX BOTH. But I Iike WaCo OVER Aroostook DUE TO LONGER HARSH WINTERS in Aroos. NOT BUFFERED BY COASTAL TEMPS. It SEEMS GROWING EAST -- VS EXTREME NORTH -- WINS. But unsure here.

That it does. It is more prone to ice though, and the higher moisture level can make it feel colder than it is. Tough call really...

[movintime]

Originally Posted by massnative71

That it does. It is more prone to ice though, and the higher moisture level can make it feel colder than it is. Tough call really...

Haha, Mass, all caps, haha. I messed that up. LOL

But yes, too close but I think nearer any US coast gives better garden & livestock thriving chances. I say Wa Co still wins, & my SO is out of the jury as leaving it to I. Haha, bad call there but I can redeem me w/ the RIGHT call.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by movintime

Aroostook County vs Wash. County for rural & self-sufficiency? I say Aroostook; as more open, undeveloped land. Yet a friend claims Wash Co., as more fertile soil & better growing season, less bitter inland cold, & closer to the marshy wetlands of the ocean. Anyone add to this? Thx.

I am not sure how you would accurately quantify how much undeveloped land is in any county.
Aroostook County with 6,828 mi² has 55 organized towns and 109 unorganized townships.
Washington County with 3,258 sq mi has 40 organized towns and 35 unorganized townships.
Aroostook is over twice the size of Washington, with 3 times as many unorganized townships.



I seriously doubt that soil fertility is any different. If there is any testable difference you can easily make up for that difference with livestock manure.



I do not believe the growing season is any different. They are not far enough apart to really tell the difference in terms of growing season.




As to the winter 'bitterness', in farming we call that hardiness zone.
Aroostook has 3 distinct hardiness zones:
USDA Zone 3a [-40°F], USDA Zone 3b [-35°F], USDA Zone 4a [-30°F]

Washington has 5 distinct hardiness zones:
Zones 4a [-30F], 4b [-25F], 5a [-20F], 5b [-15F] and 6a [-10F]

If you mean to discuss 'bitterness' in terms of home heating-degree-days [instead of hardiness zones], you would be far better served by looking at 'net-zero' home design. A self-powered / self-heated home serves the greatest purpose in areas where conventional homes would otherwise require greater power and heat.

I think net-zero homes are great. A lot of off-grid homesteaders are building them. Unfortunately there is no commercial market nor desire for self-powered / self-heated homes in Maine. It is only among the DIY and off-grid homesteader community where consuming less fuel seems to be a concern.



Why would you 'want' access to salt brine tidal wetland? Some people do get things with ocean seaweed, but those swampy wetlands do not really produce anything useful for crop production.



btw, I built our homestead. We are on solar power. We produce a few crops and some livestock, we produce most of our food and I try to sell the excess.

[movintime]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I am not sure how you would accurately quantify how much undeveloped land is in any county.
Aroostook County with 6,828 mi² has 55 organized towns and 109 unorganized townships.
Washington County with 3,258 sq mi has 40 organized towns and 35 unorganized townships.
Aroostook is over twice the size of Washington, with 3 times as many unorganized townships.



I seriously doubt that soil fertility is any different. If there is any testable difference you can easily make up for that difference with livestock manure.



I do not believe the growing season is any different. They are not far enough apart to really tell the difference in terms of growing season.




As to the winter 'bitterness', in farming we call that hardiness zone.
Aroostook has 3 distinct hardiness zones:
USDA Zone 3a [-40°F], USDA Zone 3b [-35°F], USDA Zone 4a [-30°F]

Washington has 5 distinct hardiness zones:
Zones 4a [-30F], 4b [-25F], 5a [-20F], 5b [-15F] and 6a [-10F]

If you mean to discuss 'bitterness' in terms of home heating-degree-days [instead of hardiness zones], you would be far better served by looking at 'net-zero' home design. A self-powered / self-heated home serves the greatest purpose in areas where conventional homes would otherwise require greater power and heat.

I think net-zero homes are great. A lot of off-grid homesteaders are building them. Unfortunately there is no commercial market nor desire for self-powered / self-heated homes in Maine. It is only among the DIY and off-grid homesteader community where consuming less fuel seems to be a concern.



Why would you 'want' access to salt brine tidal wetland? Some people do get things with ocean seaweed, but those swampy wetlands do not really produce anything useful for crop production.



btw, I built our homestead. We are on solar power. We produce a few crops and some livestock, we produce most of our food and I try to sell the excess.

Sub, excellent summation & many here will benefit from your knowledge re this. Self-sufficiency is ONLY way to go nowadays.

[Submariner]

Movintime - I think I see where you are heading. I came to Maine 12 years ago, looking for the same. I meet a few people each year coming to Maine for the same thing.

Maine has a lot of undeveloped land in most of the state.

Hardiness zones do have some limits to farm operations, but those are only partial limitations.

I suggest that you focus on self-powered / self-heated home designs. So many Mainers expend resources again and again on the simple task of powering and heating their homes, which IMHO is foolish. Considering that the only reason to lock themselves into that box, is the assumption that you have surplus money to throw away every year.

If you do have some goal that requires salt brine tidal wetlands, great. There is a lot of it available for cheap.

Self-sufficiency [in terms of producing food, fuel, fiber] is certainly available. Making wealth is difficult. Fortunately in much of Maine you do not need very much wealth to thrive.

There are some great groups that network to help folks with these things in Maine.

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I am not sure how you would accurately quantify how much undeveloped land is in any county.
Aroostook County with 6,828 mi² has 55 organized towns and 109 unorganized townships.
Washington County with 3,258 sq mi has 40 organized towns and 35 unorganized townships.
Aroostook is over twice the size of Washington, with 3 times as many unorganized townships.

I seriously doubt that soil fertility is any different. If there is any testable difference you can easily make up for that difference with livestock manure.

Not to start a food fight, but I'm pretty sure that Aroostook County is called the Garden Spot of Maine for a reason. Caribou Loam is one of the most fertile soils in Maine. It's called Caribou Loam because it's predominately found in and around Caribou, but it is a soil type and could be found anywhere in the state. Loam is made from sand, silt, and clay, with varying amounts of rock mixed in. Linneus Loam has almost no rock. It's a dark soil and is found, you guessed it, around Linneus. How much sand, how much silt, and how much clay determine how well the water infiltrates or runs off the soil.

Here's a tool that will tell you the exact soil type all over the state. There is no comparison between Aroostook and Washington County. Because of glacial activity Aroostook has better soils for growing crops predominantly.

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal...te/?stateId=ME