Having a farm allows you to taste the great satisfaction of running to the cellar instead of the supermarket to find what you need to prepare dinner. If you have decided to try the process of using the land and available resources to create a self-sufficient environment, or one that comes as close to this idea as possible, you need to know that this lifestyle encompasses numerous tasks to complete in order to survive, ranging from building to growing food, passing through the administration of energy. Some people start living this way for the sake of savings or to focus on leading a healthy existence in the place where they live. Success takes effort, patience, and determination, but the rewards are well worth it.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part 1: Maintain the House and Ground
Step 1. Make a plan
Before you try your hand and heart with the idea of living self-reliant, take a step back and realistically assess the situation. What are your long-term goals? Are you simply hoping to live more sustainably by growing your own food and finding your place in the community? Or do you want to become completely self-sufficient, truly cultivating everything you will consume and living entirely isolated from society? Whether you want to buy a 26-acre plot of land or just make your suburban home more eco-friendly, you'll need to set goals and take the time to come up with a plan. By following these steps, you will be able to learn the basics of this lifestyle, but you will also need to customize the house and grounds and make them fit your purposes.
It is really helpful to talk to someone (or several people) who has already started this lifestyle. He will be able to offer you suggestions
Step 2. Consider alternative energy sources
Part of this lifestyle lies in the concept of living differently from how contemporary society does it. In particular, renewable energy methods are important when planning this kind of existence. Consider making solar panels or investing in wind turbines or various systems to generate hydroelectricity. You could also collect wood from your property to burn it in the winter for warmth.
You can also consider using alternative fuel sources, such as biomass, ethanol and biodiesel
Step 3. Prepare the house and ground for the winter
If you intend to live self-sufficient, you will need to prepare the property for winter so that it is comfortable enough during this season. This is especially important if you live in a cold climate. If you don't properly arrange your home but plan to heat it, you'll be wasting a lot of energy trying to keep it warm.
Step 4. Make an organic fertilizer
A big part of this lifestyle is building a vegetable garden, which will allow you to reap many benefits (including feeding your family). If you raise animals, particularly cows (this will be discussed in the second section of the article), then you will have plenty of fertilizer to help you do this. However, there are other ways to produce it, for example by making a compost pile and mulching with leaves and grass.
Step 5. Get a dog
Every good farm should have one, especially if the property is located in the heart of the countryside. Dogs are great guards, both for your family and for your livestock. They also ensure wonderful company when you take care of the daily farm chores.
Method 2 of 3: Part 2: Grow Your Own Food
Step 1. Plant in the garden
With just the financial investment of a few seeds, you can have a harvest that will be much less than the cost of buying equivalent goods in a shop. Fresh agricultural produce not only provides you with better nutrition, but also grows on your land, which means you have more control over the contaminants that end up on the food you eat. Any surplus can be sold, exchanged or given away.
- Before starting to grow, decide which fruits and vegetables you will want to harvest at different times of the year, so you will always have food.
- Plant herbs so you can harvest them fresh whenever you need them. Once they grow, you can dry them, so you can use them all year round.
- Understand crop rotation. If you decide to grow agricultural products in large quantities, you will need to be familiar with this practice.
Step 2. Build a chicken coop
Hens are among the easiest farm animals to raise. However, instead of letting them wander randomly, you'll need to build a chicken coop to give them a place to stay. The best chicken coops have space for the hens to move around in, and they also have nesting areas to lay their eggs. You may also want to consider breeding ducks or geese.
You could also build a rabbit hutch. Rabbits are relatively easy animals to manage. Many people who choose this lifestyle believe that rabbit manure and chicken manure work very well in combination, as the former is 'cold' while the latter is 'hot'
Step 3. Consider raising a cow
Of course, you can only do this if you have the space to properly house this animal. Generally the minimum amount of land you should have to raise a cow is one acre. The benefits deriving from this acquisition are infinite. Your family will benefit from consuming fresh, fully organic dairy products, and other animals will be healthier thanks to the milk by-products, such as whey, they will consume. Finally, your garden will be happy thanks to the huge amount of fertilizer produced by the cow.
If you have the skill and soil to do this, raise both dairy and slaughter cows
Step 4. Raise other farm animals
Goats and pigs are ideal for this purpose. Goats are especially useful because you can supplement the dairy products you get from the cow with the milk you get. Pigs are an excellent source of food and their meat can also be sold. They can also be used to help you plow the land and produce fertilizer.
Step 5. Start breeding bees
This activity is another excellent way to become self-reliant. Eat the honey you make, make beeswax products, sell what you make, or ferment honey to make mead, but these are just a few ideas.
Step 6. Prepare the preserves with fresh agricultural products
Almost any fresh fruit and vegetable can end up in a jar (although some are better than others in this regard). If your garden has a surplus of fruit and vegetables, prepare several preserves and set them aside for a poor growing season. If you are planning to can many goods, it would be wise to invest in a pressure cooker, as it can make the process much easier and more efficient.
You should also consider learning how to make pickles. Like preserves, pickled foods can be very useful in the winter when fresh produce is in short supply
Step 7. Make your own dairy products
If you have a cow or a goat, you will need to learn how to turn milk into dairy products, which can be consumed by the whole family (or sold at farmer's markets). Make butter, cheese, yogurt or ice cream and taste the fresh milk from your cows.
Method 3 of 3: Part 3: Developing Farm Management Skills
Step 1. Learn to use the tools contained in the toolbox
By building and maintaining your property, you will undoubtedly find yourself facing many problems that can only be solved by opening the toolbox. Learn how to use hammers, screwdrivers and saws without problems, and what the different tools are for.
You should also buy a good knife and tear-off sheath to attach it to your belt. On such a property, you never know when you might need it, whether it is used to cut a rope or to gently cut the wool of a sheep that has become entangled in a bramble
Step 2. Learn to sew your clothes
Part of being self-reliant is not needing anything from anyone. At the very least, you'll need to learn how to sew patches, mend socks, and fix torn sections. If you can create your own pieces of clothing, you will be even more autonomous.
Step 3. You could raise animals for wool
In particular, blades and sheep are excellent to have on this property, since their wool can be converted into items to trade or sell.
Step 4. Make your own soap and other products
Items such as soap and candles can be easily created at home, all it takes is a little practice. Learning how to make the basic goods for a home will help you make the transition from being a consumer to being a manufacturer.
You can also sell or trade homemade products. Become a craftsman known for his skills in your community
Step 5. Reuse as many items as you can
Creating a cycle with your resources that allows you to reuse stocks or use objects created with your own hands without having to go to the supermarket to do the shopping makes your property more independent, so it will be easier to live and this choice of yours will be a success. You can use the eggs laid by your chickens. You can replenish seeds from plants you already have in the garden and collect and recycle rainwater.
Advice
- Talk to people who are already familiar with this lifestyle before starting. They will likely be able to offer you many helpful tips.
- Read this article as a guide to help you get started, but tailor these tips to your plan and purpose.
