Looks Cozy...Doesn't it?
Don't be Fooled....by Pictures
This represents lots of hard work! LOTS AND LOTS! So, let's talk about what I believe are the things you need. You are going to have to be honest about yourself before you quit your city job and take on Farming or Homesteading.
1. Are you a bit on the lazy side? Love to have that down time to just sit and do nothing? Do you love your days off and like to go on Vacations? Well... that is all about to change. There are no days off...unless you have someone who can tend to your chickens, goats, gardens etc. AND...there is no lazy, there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done! or Repaired or rethought through because it didn't work the way you thought it would. THIS IS YOUR JOB NOW! and they are longer hours than you are used to.
2. Do you hate being out in the heat or the cold? Well tough...because animals don't really care how you feel, they want to be fed and watered and tended to. I live in a place that doesn't have much snow...except this year. We got dumped on. The temporary hot house I built to keep the citrus from dying collapsed under the snow. The water in the chicken coop was solid ice and of course the hose was frozen and once thawed realized it was also split. All of the winter Broccoli, Kale, cabbage etc. was buried. After about 3 1/2 hours of getting snow off the "green house" and rebuilding it enough to at least not have huge spaces letting the cold in, dealing with frozen waterers, and feeding the chickens collecting eggs and then removing snow from the garden vegetables and putting up Agribon fabric and hoops to hold it up, I was frozen!! And this was my "off" season.
3. How about smells? Are you bothered by nasty smells? This is not the place for you then. I am always astounded by the smell of the chicken coop after it rains. We use a deep mulch method which is pretty much not smelly...unless things get wet. Then I am stunned to find that I need to add more bedding and deal with the droppings in the run better. How about poop on eggs that you collect? Will that bother you? Flies? not just outside but they find their way inside easy enough. And good grief don't leave your car windows open while home!
4. How strong are you? Slamming T-posts in the ground...unrolling Field fencing while trying to get it all tightly attached to the T-posts among so many other things that test your strength and endurance and patience.
All of that and $ is scarce. Even if you can find people to buy all your eggs and produce you will find it mostly goes right back into the farm in repairs or feed or what have you.
This year has been particularly troublesome as I have been diagnosed with a lung disease and have spent around 6 weeks coughing and short of breath until they found some medication that actually made me feel normal again...well as normal as I have been in awhile. So, back outside and YIKES!! The weeds did not care that I couldn't deal with them for awhile. So, little by little I will deal with the weeds...and the worms trying to eat my tomatoes...and the over grown squashes and cucumbers that will go to the chickens and I need to remind myself for the reason I took this all on. Because I trust myself to produce healthy eggs by having healthy and happy chickens. That the fruits and veggies I produce don't have a bit of chemicals on them or in them. That our health is worth the work, the smells and braving the weather to take care of it all and there is something absolutely cozy about fresh baked bread or tea with Honey from your bees and pulling a jar of Tomatoes or pickles off the shelf that you grew and canned. So, I guess I will just plug along and try to catch up with all the work and maybe take a break from planting a winter garden....maybe.
