by SaraSue, Survival Blog:
We are coming up on the second-year mark of developing this small five-acre farm. I share my experiences in hopes it will help others. I’ve had some great successes and some disappointing failures. I am in the process of reviewing my own work to see where I can change processes for more success in year three. I’ve learned so much I can’t even write it all down. I’ve worked too hard, of course. I’ve spent too much money, guaranteed. I’ve often had to do things over, trying to save money, only to spend two to three times what I could have originally spent to do it right the first time. But, not in all cases. I have had to learn the hard way on many things, even though I do research a lot before I start on something. It’s just that you don’t know what you don’t know, and even if you read about it, or listen to someone tell you about it, you don’t always “get it” until you try it. I’ve had to hire help, and that was expected. Finding the right help has been a challenge. All in all, I’m ready for year 3 come what may.
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THE FAILURES
The biggest failure was to not have a well inspection prior to purchase. Water is life on a homestead. And that wasn’t entirely my fault. The water issues were not disclosed and even when I had requested a well inspection, I was put off. Only later to find out that the homeowner called the well company and told them “not to worry” about it – he had it handled. Yes, it was fraud. I’ve written often about the lack of and poor quality of the water. Those problems have been solved, but at great expense. The new well produces more than I’ll ever need, and only due to prayer and the grace of God does that well produce more than any well in this area. My other failures pale in comparison.
The garden failed the first year with the exception of growing potatoes and a few squash. Mostly due to lack of water, a very dry Spring, and my falling ill at the same time. I’m having the very same problems this year – time to rethink my entire garden strategy. I have located neighboring farmers who grow amazing produce though!
Predators killed off half my Cornish Cross meat bird flock and I ended up taking the remaining birds to a local processor which negated any cost savings in growing my own. Cornish Cross birds “stink” to high heavens and who flies in the heavens? Hawks and turkey vultures. Those chickens didn’t stand a chance. The failure was not having them secured properly.
I bought animals before I was ready for them, namely goats and meat rabbits. I ended up giving them all away. I didn’t build proper housing for the rabbits, and I knew nothing about goats. Goats, by the way, are “browsers” not “grazers”. They will eat every bush, and the tree leaves they can reach, before they will ever “mow the lawn”.
Finding the right people to help with various projects was a huge challenge, and I ended up having to hire other people to fix the mistakes. I have met a lot of people now, and have discovered who to trust and who not to trust. I mostly have my “farm help” figured out, but it remains a challenge.
There were numerous weather related issues, that I don’t consider failures, but definitely unexpected change of plans. The roof leaked the first year and needed to be replaced. The house was infested with bugs due to breaks in the siding, which all had to be replaced. The appliances all had to be replaced due to bad water and faulty electrical. The home issues were mostly related to poor materials used in construction and lack of maintenance. Are these my failures? Yes. I would say never lean on a home inspection, or your realtor – do your own poking around, test every outlet, peer in every corner, etc. All that to say, if you are dreaming of that homestead on acreage, your budget needs to be a lot more than you think it should be.
Then, there were the “Do Overs” that cost time and money. Some examples are:
- The chicken coop(s): I bought a chicken coop from Tractor Supply. It wasn’t cheap. It was heavy. I realized I needed more room for chickens and bought two more of the same type of coops because I couldn’t find anyone to build a hen house. The coops didn’t last a year. Made in China. I finally was able to get help in building a large hen house that should last for a very long time. But, if I had done that first, I wouldn’t have wasted money on the pre-made coops. I spent 3x what I should. The young man who built the hen house did a good job on the basic structure, but didn’t follow my instructions – long story. I finally realized that I need to hire professionals from here on out for anything carpentry related rather than “give the neighbor work”. His heart was in the right place.
- I have hired many young men looking for work in my area and been disappointed at either lack of skills or just plain lack of energy to do a job and do it right. One young man spent all day cleaning out the barn, only he didn’t really clean it out, became exhausted, said he would come back another day to finish and never did. Now, mind you, “cleaning out the barn” was only about forking out the manured hay, which I’ve done many times by myself, and laying out fresh bedding. Such a simple task. I was only trying to save my own body from continuous sore muscles. And then there were the young men who would install irrigation lines for me. I now have the vestiges of trenching and no irrigation lines. There’s the crooked milking stanchion, the drooping fence around the garden, the misaligned gates leading into the property, etc.
- Oh yes, and the house siding guys who took their sweet time showing up when they wanted to, leaving my home bare to the elements for 2 months. They did finally finish and it does look good. But, they charged way more than first agreed. I paid them and in my mind I thought, “I will never give you a good reference.” Am I too demanding? Or just supremely gaslit being the newcomer to the community? Trust me, when you’re the newcomer, you get taken advantage of, and especially if they think you have money.
There are many more examples too numerous to list. I am finally “connected” in the community and accepted. I finally have good help. The major problems have been solved. It’s been a tough 2 years, but I lived to tell the story.
THE SUCCESSES
The first success, if you will, is not losing Faith that this is where I am supposed to be. The next success is not giving up and keeping my sense of humor. If you’re going to “homestead”, you’ve got to laugh, even if tears are streaming down your face. You learn so much about yourself. My good friend cautions me, often, to calm my inner racehorse. Well, I have a bad habit of working myself almost to death, and I end up sick. Since I don’t want to be a sick person, I have begrudgingly slowed down. As I’m about to go into Year 3, I have finally confessed to myself that running a farm alone is pert near impossible. So, do I give up on the Farm? Absolutely not. LOL. No. Not until God calls me home. What I am doing now, is letting some things go. How about that enormous garden? Why not scale it down to a manageable size? Why not a few raised beds and just my favorite vegetables? I’m really good at growing potatoes because they grow themselves! And a neighboring farm grows the most beautiful produce! Let’s see… what have I been really successful at? The garden hangs over my head like a Spector of failure, but I’m not going to let it define me.
