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Self-sufficient living – how to attain self-sufficiency by living off the land.

Self-sufficient living means different things to different people and self-sufficiency can seem a challenging dream to attain in the UK but this site is for dreamers and realists as John Seymour would say!

So let’s get straight to it.

How much land do I need to be self-sufficient?

To be self-sufficient in vegetables year round a family of 4 requires 1,000 sq.m. of decent ground.

Self-sufficiency in fruit is a bit more difficult to specify due to the size, age and nature of fruit trees. A reasonable expectation for a family of 4 would be 3 apple trees (1 cooker, 2 eaters) 1 pear (but may need 2 for pollination if no near neighbours) 1 plum, 1 ‘other’ e.g. nectarine or walnut (again may need 2 for pollination) and 250 sq.m. for soft fruit bushes & plants.

Living self-sufficient in meat requires more land to grow fodder crops. A single acre can yield plenty of meat if you are willing and able to buy in feed and carefully rotate everyone & everything. Having 5 acres of decent land allows for more truly self-sufficient living including the growing of fodder & hay.

So in the UK can one truly become self-sufficient in everything?

For small holdings the realistic situation is this: The cost of the house & land, be it rented or mortgaged, cannot be covered through basic self-sufficient living and selling excess produce. Land prices are simply too high- but don’t despair – where there’s a will there’s a way…

You can either have a job (hopefully part time) or develop an enterprise on (or off) the small holding to cover house & land along with other capital costs such as machinery. However, it should be reasonable to expect a small holding of 4 – 5 acres or more to produce sufficient saleable produce to cover its own running & a families simple living expenses. Less than 4 acres should still break even when the alternative cost of family food is considered.

Anything from growing a simple tomato plant on your window sill to full blown growing & grinding your own flour is a step toward self-sufficient living. This site will help you to develop your own level and style of self-sufficiency living and particularly focuses on how to do so without much money!

We’re all about self-sufficient living on a shoestring (or should that be boot string?) and making sure we enjoy the ride!