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Dreams of Sheep and Smallholding Settlements
The deteriorating Dutch barn we’d, one day, like to replace with a working farmhouse.
At my very heart, I’m a farmer. It’s in my heritage; both my grandfather and great grandfather worked the land (it skipped my Dad; he decided to become a CofE vicar instead)! Towards the end of the 90s, when I was about to head off to university, my granddad fell ill and passed away. Unfortunately, the state of the buildings was such that they needed a lot of money spent to restore them – cash we didn’t have. It meant everything aside from 33 acres of farmland and a deteriorating old Dutch barn was sold. Had I been a few years older, and the buildings in a much better state, I still think I might’ve lifted the torch of our family heritage back then. I can’t complain and the new owner did a beautiful refurbishment job on the buildings and now lets them out as holiday cottages.
I’ve long had a dream to return to that farmland, apply for Planning Permission to take out that Dutch barn, replace it with a new home and manage the land. Since getting married, this desire’s deepened even more. My husband’s extremely keen on a self build, we have the land and the drive, so it seems that little is in our way. PP, though not easy to get, should be possible in this case seeing as the barn as a concrete footing and we want to build a means to farm the land again. We want to extend the wood, chop and manage the hedgerows, put up Premier Polytunnels for our flock of sheep, rescue a flock of battery hens. In addition, we want our house to have solar panels, green roof, grey water recovery system, reed bed sewage system and as many cost and environmentally saving things as possible. Unfortunately, whilst our dreams may run rife, money does not flow so freely. Thus, we’re currently looking to move away from the city life of London to a smaller periphery town. Buy a new house. Do it up. Make some money. Save like crazy. Fund future self-build and smallholding enterprise. That’s the plan, at least.
Being on the cusp of a new move has given me a lot of time to think, not just about getting my hands on a brand new garden, but also what level of smallholding we, as city or suburbia dwellers, can achieve. Postage stamp gardens don’t really lend themselves towards self sufficiency, but it can be done.
Keeping chickens is an ideal way to start off self-sufficiency
Chickens
Chicken-keeping is the obvious answer for many people wanting to indulge in a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Over the past few years, there’s certainly been a resurge of chicken-keeping popularity in the UK, and I know, on my street alone, I’m not alone in having a few hens. Hens fit into most gardens, and whilst there are the expensive coop brands like Omlet, you can find decent sized houses for less than £150. These will suit at least a couple of hens that’ll give fresh eggs and produce some wonderful manure.
Growing Your Own
Obviously, stepping towards farming, self-sufficiency or a smallholding, whatever you want to call it, involves growing your own. But, alas, once again gardens can be small, allotments hard to get your hands on and you might not have the space to lay out a vegetable plot. Luckily, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and you can always grow something, whatever plot (or even balcony) you’ve got. Utilise height by growing beans and peas up fences or along railings, and use growbags or old dustbins for tomatoes and potatoes. Even growing some herbs on your windowsill is better than constantly buying those stupid supermarket ‘live‘ plants that wilt and die within days (weeks if you’re lucky). If you have a pot, you can grow something. And, sometimes, starting out small is all you’ll need to stir the inner farmer.
Making Your Own
As much as growing your own and keeping hens helps the self sufficiency lifestyle, all in all it comes down to making your own. You need to be able to use the things you’re producing. You might be able to barter some bags of fruit for a haircut from your friendly barber, but I’m not sure you’ll be able to walk into a Hi-Fi store at Tottenham Court Road and convince them to swap you a stereo for some homegrown potatoes. Therefore, by making and using every bit of produce you create, you can save money for other things. Eggs (again, here’s why chickens are so useful) can be used for a ridiculous amount of things; breakfast, omelettes, cakes and baking, egg-fried rice – the list goes on. The shells can be crushed and put into the compost heap too. Preserves are your friend too; jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys can be made in vast quantities. Make a year’s supply in an intensive week and you’re set for the months ahead. Plus, homemade goodies make GREAT gifts too.
I’m not about to give up on my dream of a proper smallholding in deepest, darkest rural Suffolk, but I have to come to terms that its still many years away. However, I’m not going to let that stop me. And you shouldn’t either. It’s surprising how many foods can be made, or substituted for homegrown goodies. And, once you’ve starting growing and saving, it’s hard to stop!
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