The Next Step

So you've read the books, joined the forums, found a piece of land and agreed a price or rental, signed the paperwork and now you're a smallholder - well not exactly but it's a good start!

If the land you've taken on hasn't been worked for any length of time then you are going to have to put in the time to make it productive. Garden tools can be very helpful but if your land resembles an overgrown weed patch then pigs can come in very handy. Not only will they root up the weeds and clear the land they will fertilize as they go and at the end you have happy, healthy pigs fattened up for slaughter.

Pigs do take some looking after but are generally easy going and friendly, they love company so should not be kept on their own and are very intelligent. They can also be very entertaining and love a good scratch or belly rub once they're used to you.

This book could help you decide which breed would be best for you and how to care for your new, all natural friends while they in turn take care of your weed garden!

However if you're not ready to start getting animals then have a word with a local farmer, he may have the time to come and plow your land and even though he may charge you for it the time it takes is nothing compared to how long and labour intensive it will be if you try to do it on your own.

Why Smallholding?

Is it a primal urge to fend for ourselves or a whim? Smallholders come from many different backgrounds and areas and each person will have their own set of reasons for becoming a smallholder. Do you want a fulfilling hobby that gives something back or are you more interested in a complete lifestyle of naturally grown vegetables and fruit plus animals that you've reared and cared for therefore know how they've been treat and kept?

For us it's a culmination of all of the above. We wanted to be more aware of where our food came from and how it was produced, we enjoy gardening and are not afraid of hard work. The one thing we didn't have at the time was the land to do it on, hence the move to Bulgaria. Here we can be mortgage free and live cheaper, although it's not without problems, I must admit that life here suits us.

Reading Material

Whilst the internet is a great place to look for reading materials I find it doesn't come close to actually having a book in your hand, something you can read over again and refer to when needed.Running Your Own SmallholdingSMALLHOLDINGS FOR ALL

There are some very helpful forums and internet sites offering good advice http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net is one I particularly like and the people seem very friendly too.

I'd really like to get hold of some smallholding books and here are just a few I'd start with.

Your Ideal Plot

When you think about how you'd like your little piece of growing heaven what does it look like? I'd envisaged lots of things before we moved to Bulgaria but in reality things are not quite the same. There are a few things I'd have liked to have done differently and learning as you go along isn't always the best way. Still, we're here and doing it and enjoying most things.

There's no way to exclude the fact that setting up a smallholding takes time, energy and money and it doesn't end there. If you take on land that hasn't been worked for any length of time then everything will seem harder at first, but can be very satisfying when you look back and realise what you have achieved. Taking produce from your garden straight to your table is a fantastic feeling and sure does taste better after all the time and love you've poured into it!

Is Smallholding Right For You?

Lots of people are interested in having a smallholding but very few realise how hard work it can be. How do you support yourself financially and spend quality time with animals or managing a productive garden? Smallholding rarely makes a living and most people would admit that their animals and gardens are more of a hobby.

Living off the land and being self sufficient is probably attainable to an extent but can be costly to set up. We try to be as self sufficient as we can but in reality know that we could never be totally self sufficient unless we won the lottery. But would winning the lottery make us happier? It would certainly ease things a little but I doubt we'd live that much differently than we do now!

Before jumping into smallholding it's worth doing research and planning what animals you could keep, what you could grow and making sure you have the time and energy to look after everything as it needs done. There are far too many eager people who take on too much only to have things go belly up, it's better to start small and if you cope well then think about expansion.

Maybe you could start out with an allotment from the local council, they're usually quite cheap to rent, most areas have them and you'll meet some fantastic people and gain lots of advice and knowledge.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog, a project I've started to try and let people know more about smallholding in Bulgaria and hopefully help others who are thinking about or starting out a new life abroad.

We have lived in Bulgaria for over 2 years now, and whilst it hasn't always been plain sailing I can in all honesty say it's been interesting and quite fun. We'd dabbled with growing some vegetables on an allotment in the UK but nothing to this extent so it's been a learning curve.

Read on to find out more about our life, animals and dreams for the future.