| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| cecelia |
Posted - Apr 27 2004 : 10:48:50 AM
Hi Farmgirls,
I was wondering if anyone else out there, other than me, have had to put their dream of a farm life on hold for one reason or another?
I'd like to correspond via this forum, with you, regarding "farming"
in areas other than a rural area. Right now I have about 1 acre in the suburbs, and due to zoning regulations, can't even keep chickens,
although I have a large variety of wildlife - deer, rabbits, skunks, woodchucks, etc. so it seems like a rural area.
I do a lot of gardening, crafts, etc. to maintain an environmentally
sound lifestyle, we use a woodstove to supplement our heating system
also, so I get to chop firewood, etc. Some of you have written about
home-based businesses, but again there are zoning regs to be aware of.
I have had some success previously as a licensed outdoor guide, but in
my current situation and geographic area, it's not economically feasible. I often teach adult ed courses in the evenings - things such as use of herbs, organic gardening, etc.
Hope this topic is interesting to someone.
ce's farm |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| PinkParisPixie |
Posted - Aug 01 2005 : 11:48:32 AM
well my folks finally got a chance to do the farming thing-- but me, I am a college student and I have to make-do with my indoor herb garden in the city.
www.magiccoffeekitten.blogspot.com |
| huckleberry |
Posted - Mar 17 2005 : 02:56:53 AM
my mother lives on a 'suburban farm' although it is outside of a pretty small town in montana anyway. she has just 1 acre and we have had chickens, ducks, a goose, three dogs, two cats, guinea pigs, rabbits and some orphaned pigeons. she has a little barn, about 10feet by 8feet with glass doors on the south side and most of the animals live there together. One of the new dogs though likes to harrass the pigs and chickens so he can only go in there with supervision. everyone else gets along. all in all we have about 35 animals in there. we use kids' swimming pools for our ducks and for several years they and the chickens lived in a strawbale 'cave' because we couldn't do anything else. we just rebuilt it every fall and it had a little door. we have had many kinds of chickens, i think the bantees are great for small places and they are friendly and cute. we didn't have a fence for 8 years, but when we got some big red chickens they liked to go about 4 houses down and wander... finally that neighbor complained, but our close neighbors all reall liked our ducks and chickens and even got some of their own. (which came over and joined ours, of course) someday i hope my parents put in a greywater system with a final pond for the ducks, but i think they would rather move to a place that already has water! we often are caught driving around town with a few dogs and ducks in the back of the car because my mom likes to take them to ponds and rivers to swim.
can you have rabbits? if you are interested you could get some furry kinds for making yarn and set up a nice home for them and get some fertilizer... i'd love to have a place to grow willows, etc. for basketry and wood work and they can fit into a small landscape. i am now researching 'babydoll sheep' which are really small and have a cashmere like coat. you might be able to get away with something if you check your regulations carefully? people in my town (in town itself) have chickens because of some oversight in the zoning such as the number or the size...
i suppose if you don't have animals then you get to see more of the wild ones so you can keep encouraging that with plantings, huh? i also have a friend who gardens only half an acre (organically) and makes enough money to support her small family and we have a short growning season. i definitely think the 'very small farm' is worth pursuing, especially as more and more people move to suburbia... |
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