It’s a common dream to own property that will allow you to be self-sufficient. With enough land and a small collection of animals, you can feed yourself and your family with very few outside purchases. Vegetable gardens, chicken coops and perhaps a goat, pig, sheep or cow can mean never visiting a supermarket again.
You may already have your own vegetable, roof or kitchen garden and be yearning to go a step further. Whether you just want a bigger garden or you want to go all out and buy a farm, finding somewhere to be self-sufficient could be easier than you think. But what sort of property should you choose? It all depends on how self-sufficient you want to be, how much land you want and whether you want to make a profit.
Gardens and Allotments
Some people might only be looking to supplement their food with their homegrown fruit and vegetables. Gardens and allotments are usually big enough to have a few different varieties growing. They might even be big enough to keep chickens for eggs and meat. If you only want a garden big enough for some vegetable growing, estate agents in Long-eaton and other places an easily help you. If you want to find an allotment, they are usually run by local or parish councils, so you should contact them.
Smallholdings
A smallholding is a small farm. In the UK, a smallholding refers to a home and neighbouring piece of small land, usually under 50 acres. Smallholdings can help you to become self-sufficient if you wish to keep animals and grow fruit and vegetables. A smallholding would be more suitable if you wished to keep pigs, goats, sheep or a cow or two. They might also provide you with surplus produce, which you could then sell at a local farmers’ market. There are several estate agencies that specialise in smallholdings. It isn’t difficult to find a house with land attached.
Farms
People looking to not only be self-sufficient but also profit from their endeavours could choose to run a farm. Running a farm involves dedicating your life to the care and maintenance of the land, crops and animals. If you choose to buy a farm, you will be running a business, not just buying a home. Of course, if you had enough money, you could pay other people to do all the hard work. Owning a farm is in a whole different league to tending to a vegetable garden or even looking after a smallholdings. It certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted. Also, keep in mind that, depending on the size of the farm, your efforts may not be all that environmentally friendly.
Becoming self-sufficient requires big lifestyle changes. You will usually have to change the way you eat and the way you shop. You might even quit your job to grow vegetables and look after animals full-time. Think carefully about how far you want to go and what it will entail.
