When I first started on this journey I consumed every single thing I could get my hands on. I wanted to know everything! Such a mistake.
You see, I have a very strong personality disorder called...I have no patience and I want the end result now. It's a real thing, look it up. Some of the symptoms include: jumping in head first, piling everything on at once, starting 15 projects at the same time, and we can't forget working 32 hours a day, 8 days a week to get it all accomplished.
The ADHD is just the cherry on top. It's fine. Everything is fine. Nothing to see here. You don't actually see the 12 fires burning all around me, it's just an optical illusion.
Don't follow in my footsteps. Don't do what I did. As excited as you are about starting this journey or adding in new aspects to your farm, don't repeat my mistakes. Take them all one at a time. I promise you will enjoy them much more and you will avoid a massive amount of stress! And labor. And cost.
Learn one thing at a time and get good at it. Find a mentor if you can. Make sure you have your infrastructure in place before you bring the animal home. Learn what medicines you might need to keep on hand for that animal and have those ready. Learn how you want to feed that animal. Does it require grain? Can it be grass fed only? What minerals will help it to be the healthiest and most productive for your operation? What type of living situation are you putting it in?
Adding in garden spaces? Don't...and I repeat don't jump in with trying to plant a 2 acre market plot before you are certain that your community will support the work you are doing, that you have the time to dedicate to that space, that you have the funds to make that space manageable and efficient, and most importantly that you actually enjoy gardening and will use the produce you are growing.
My last piece of advice is this: it's ok to change your mind. I suggest not investing a lot of finances into something until you know you actually enjoy it. But even if...it's still ok to change your mind. I am the queen of changing my mind and moving things. We have bootstrapped everything up to this point, so it hasn't been much more than labor and time invested. But I know this about myself, so until I have something exactly where I want it I won't pour money into it. I have to live with a space for awhile before I can say yes this is it. It's a running joke around our farm at this point. Everyone knows that the first few times are just rough drafts. We have even gotten into different animals along the way thinking maybe they would be a fit for us; and not all of them were. That's ok. I would much rather try and show myself that something isn't for me, than to wonder if I might like it. When it doesn't work, we simply sell or process and move on knowing that we don't want that chore.
This is your farm, your homestead, your piece of peace on earth...make it just that. Make it yours. Make it a space that you enjoy. Make it a space that you love to be in. Make it a space that brings you happiness and feels like home. Don't try to copy what you see someone else doing, those things work (or sometimes don't work) for their property. You have to learn what works for yours and your lifestyle.
And I absolutely cannot wait to share my new garden spaces with you!
Blessings,
Farmer Mandy
Eph. 3:20-21
"May the soil be fertile, the harvest be bountiful and the farmer never grow weary."
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