The Perfect Farm

[TreeFever]

I'm sure some of you can relate...for me the five chickens & little veggie garden I have is me pretending to be a farmer

I fancy myself in overalls living off the land but I'm stuck in suburban high school

:

So I wanna hear your dreams!!
What would your ideal farm contain?

Mine would be: A little organic farm, Four or five romney sheep, maybe a goat mixed in, some piggies, loads of chickens and maybe a few ducks in a nice lovely coop, bunnies, and some little dexter cows. Preferably a white farmhouse would be included, involving a huge porch with hot tub, on a hill, overlooking my domain. *sigh* I am practically drooling...

 

[hoosier]

Follow your dream.

 

[MissChessy]

Mine would be that farmhouse in that movie "Field of Dreams"! The wrap-around-porch is my dream. I would have a whole slew of chickens, nubian goats and jersey cows, a good yellow lab named Old Yeller and some cats. I would have a huge garden, I have one now, but it would be much bigger.

I guess I'll get that house when I'm in heaven.

 

[antiquebuff]

Yes, follow your dream, esp. the Dexter cows. I am trying to find some now.

 

[Dandelion007]

Quote:

Did you follow me home?

I'm trying to be a gardener. This year's garden will be better though! Last year, I did get the asparagus bed made. I'm building a couple of chicken tractors to place in the garden spot. I don't have sheep or goats but I'm going to borrow one of my parent's llamas just before it gives birth. (Llamas serve about the same purpose as a goat only they will guard as well. You should see them attack a dog. Teeth and legs fly!) Dad swears that they are much better adjusted if born on the land. Have to build a couple of cross fences first. Do wild pigs count? No bunnies but my girls want some. Got the ducks and chickens. Not a cow but do have a horse. White house on the hill overlooking the property with porches on the front and back. I also have a hot tub on the back porch.

Did you forget a small orchard and a bee hive in your dream or is that just mine? I planted the fruit trees last year. I'm also waiting for my maple trees to get big enough to tap. They are almost there. (Have to be at least 1 foot in diameter.) I want to get a bee hive in a few years.

Only problem is there's so much work on a farm but my dream is slowly coming together.

 

[alpinefarm]

My dream, when I was in high school in the suburbs of Denver, was to have a cabin, horses, and live off the land in the Colorado wilderness. My husband-to-be had the same dream, believe it or not! We met in the 70s when we were in our 20s...

And we and our teenage son moved onto our land in the wilds of the Colorado Rockies 5 years ago. We have been living on the land in a small house (small, as in 300 sq ft! with no electricity and a woodcook stove!) and are just now finishing our handbuilt (very beautiful) log cabin and hoping to move into it this spring...I truly almost can't believe it is happening! It is surreal.

Let your dreams be your "guide"--the rest is courage and focus and enjoying the work, finding patience and having fun in the step-by-step process. Our dream took us a long time to figure out how to do, and we wish we'd been brave enough to ignore what all our friends were doing in the 80s and 90s and just jump in and do what we knew we wanted/needed to, no matter what.

So, not that you are looking for advice! But I can so relate to your "treefever" and dreaming of overalls! Start now setting yourself in that direction. Collect books and information, find friends with similar goals, join plant and animal clubs, start an earmarked savings account that will be only used for buying land, find a mentor for your top interests/projects, go to farmers' markets, volunteer on localharvest farms, go to stock shows and woolfests...learn and talk and meet and...well, you get the idea.

Dreams *can* be made into reality, a little at a time. I look out from my window through aspens and over my greenhouse and watch my three mares, 4 rescue dogs, and 6 chickens enjoying life! Soon to be lots more chickens, as I'm starting a table eggs business this coming year--my New Years' project!

Maria
(and insanely funny husband of 27 years, and very handsome and intelligent 18 yo son, by the way...although he's not too crazy about horses, dreams about all the perks of city life...go figure...)

 

[Cats Critters]

Mine would have lots of Chickens, goats (nigerian dwarfs), ducks, cats, geese, guines (sp), alpacas, a few cows, horses, dogs, an orchard, gardens, and maybe some bees

 

[kstaven]

There is only one thing missing from the dreams here. That is a critter sitter available so one can get away now and then.

 

[Dandelion007]

I want one of those too!

 

[Jena]

Love all of your dreams, and would give just about anything for the house pictured it looks amazing.

here in the UK, I was watching someone last night who has chased their dream and was building an american house in Sussex, it was amazing. It arrived in a container in sections and was soooooo beautiful when it was up.

The space we see in your building when we are watching TV shows here are a dream for us.

I would love an old Welsh Longhouse, (farmhouse) with a small amount of land, chickens, a few donkeys, and maybe some small ponies, and a few goats. Possibly more animals, like the small cows you talk about, I am very interested in the heritage Breeds which in Wales all seem to be quite small anyway. ( Small country, small animals)

Plus a cottage garden. I would love to live in an area where you could ride to the village in a cart pulled by donkeys. lol.... I just want peace and quiet, apart from the animal noises. But still very roses round the door kind of place.

You are right, make your dreams your guide, and congrats to those who are reaching your goals, thank you for sharing and giving us hope that they can be achieved.

Jena.