[RUSTYME]

After losing a years veg crop to stray cows , i am now beginning to start again . Lots of the usual digging and mamure spreading etc , ready for the spring ,but with the added thorn of not knowing how i will get by until next years veg start to crop . But get by i will , somehow !
 Circumstances beyond my control , added to my stepping off the system , mean that now is as good a time as any to step back in time almost ,  build the house and start the new way my life will follow . I will need at least one more horse , a heavy cob/shire type . But that can come later unless i pick one up for free . I have most of what i need ,apart from food ! !   Next year will be the hard one , grow all my own food plus that for the horses i already have , and then for the new stock i will be getting next year ,2 cows , chickens ,5 or so sheep and maybe a pig or 3.

[little blue]

glad its "coming together" for you Russ

[deepinthewoods]

its a brave thing your doing russ, and something i admire. i collect all my local veg shops waste, sort through it and split into stuff i can use, stuff for chickens and stuff for compost. nothing better than a free dinner. and im sure you could grow loads of salads inside over the winter, if only to get by. if you need seeds pm me ive got loads spare. good luck, and stay warm first!

[robert waddell]

you could get yourself 2 pigs and feed the veg for compost to the pigs they in turn will manure your ground and give you lots of pork better veg next year

[deepinthewoods]

i cant have pigs ive been blessed with too much laurel.
ive always wanted pigs.

[RUSTYME]

Cheers mate , only one shop in the village , and they only sell rotting veg to begin with ! I have no vehicle so can't get anywhere to collect waste veg , so if i don't grow it , i don't eat it ! ( the cows eat it even if i do ! ) lol .
 At the moment i live 3 miles from my land , in a static caravan , full of crap , me , and 3 dogs . So no room to grow cress , don't have a poly tunnel so no winter veg . A poly tunnel wouldn't fit in with my hatred of plastic or my pathetic  green/ save the world ethos , so like i say , no winter veg , apart from stuff cows don't eat ! Talk about making life hard for yourself !
 I have a load of spuds that the cows missed , so i won't starve , hopefully!  I may shout in the spring  if you still have the spare seeds though mate , my home saved , old variety , seeds got knicked along with some tools and a mountain of scrap !  I do still have a load of seeds though , so will have to see how things go .
 The tools getting nicked was hard as some had taken years to collect , the scrap was just a pain , but the seeds were 3 years work .
 Still , never say die eh? ( unless i catch the twats ! )

[lachlanandmarcus]

Rusty I have quite a lot of heritage seeds bought this year that I only used a bit of. PM me with where to send them and I will send you a selection? (if you would like)  

[Cobra]

You have my admiration and respect. Your half way there, as soon as you commit your self  with a will to achieve, half the work is done; its now all down to doing and I am sure you will do just fine. 

[Sylvia]

For Heaven's sake though, don't starve or endure misery for the sake of a p.m.

[northfifeduckling]

if you pm me your address I can post you some heritage seeds of kale and tomato. Just shout. Or when it gets really hard in the winter we can maybe send you a food parcel ?

[colliewoman]

where (ish) are you in the country?
i have no transport save my delicious pink bicycle but i have so much veg on a shared plot i could swap you for some dropping of the system advice. i'm in somerset

[deepinthewoods]

 

see, theres ALWAYS hope!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RUSTYME]

Cheers cw , i am in wales , so get peddling , loads of hills ! .   
  I won't starve s , i will always get by somehow , it sounds much worse in print than it is in reality .  I have been living this way for 10 years or so now . It just so happens that every now and then shtf at the wrong time , but that happens to everyone not just me .
 The thing with stepping off the system is that it is far easier to step back on , if need be , than it is to step off in the first place.
  But i am not completely off yet ,   still some way to go in some ways .
 Off for walkies to the land now !

Cheers russ

[Cavendish]

Hi RUSTYME, I am really intrigued by what you are trying to achieve and currently do, can you please tell me more about it???...

[Roxy]

You are doing exactly what I would like to do ....if I find the right place to do it, that is. We too, live in a caravan at present.

I do not have the mod cons most people have/expect nowadays, never had them, so do not miss them.  And its never bothered me in the slightest.

We are hopfully moving soon, and have been looking at a few off grid properties, amongst other places.  The further away from civilisation, the better for me

Keep us posted on how you are doing - I find it really interesting  what you are tryng to do, and hope you succeed.