Introduction
If you've ever dreamed of having a hobby farm, or just want to grow some vegetables in your backyard but aren't sure what to do next, I'm here to help. There are lots of ways to start a hobby farm and make it work for you. Here are some tips we've learned along the way:
Find a good location.
Finding a good location is the first step to building a successful hobby farm. Here are some things to consider:
Find a location that is close to your home. It will be easier for you, your family and friends to visit often if it’s nearby.
Find a location that is close to infrastructure (like water, power and internet). You will want these things nearby so they can be easily accessed when needed.
Find a location with access to water (for irrigation) and power (for equipment like tractors). This might mean buying land with an existing well or generator on site, or even renting land in this way if you don't want the responsibility of maintaining those items yourself! Some other things that may affect this decision include whether dogs are allowed on the property or not; if there's already an existing fence around part or all of your property; if there's room for expansion down the road; etc! These factors might also help determine how much money should be spent building out infrastructure such as plumbing lines underground before moving forward with construction plans."
Decide what you want to farm.
Do you want to grow crops, raise livestock, or both?
If you’re raising livestock, how much space do you have available? (If the answer is “none” then this isn’t the right hobby for you.)
How much time can you commit to farming each week?
Figure out how to sell your crops or livestock.
You'll need to figure out how to sell your crops or livestock. There are a lot of options here. You can sell at local farmers markets, restaurants, and grocery stores. You can also sell directly to customers through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or farm stand/farmers market stand.
Consider whether you want to make a living off your farm, or just have it be a hobby.
Consider whether you want to make a living off your farm, or just have it be a hobby.
Hobby farming is a way to enjoy nature and food. You can get back to basics and learn how food grows, all while making some money selling your products at farmers markets or online.
Get help from a mentor or group, if you can.
If you don't have a mentor or group to help you, there are other options. You can find great information on the internet and in books. In fact, some of the best resources I've found were on YouTube because they were easy to access and watch at my own pace.
There are also plenty of free online courses and workshops that will give you lots of useful information as well!
Don't let the need to get big kill your love for farming.
As you begin your farming journey, don't let the need to get big kill your love for farming. It's easy to fall into that trap because of all the things we hear about today: the importance of reaching a certain scale or volume, having an exit strategy and so on. While these are important concepts, they can easily make things feel impersonal and soulless if we focus too much on them at the expense of enjoying what we do every day.
Your farm should be a reflection of who you are as a person—it has to be something that comes from within and not simply something you pursue out of obligation or desire for success. If you love it enough, regardless of how many people visit or products sell each year, then keep doing it!
Hobbies are supposed to be fun and so is farming!
Hobbies are supposed to be fun, so why not make your farming hobby as enjoyable as possible?
This doesn't mean that you can't have high expectations of yourself and your farm. It's just important to remember that it's not a race or competition—you don't need to be the biggest, best, or most successful hobby farmer out there. Just because someone else has something more than you doesn't mean you should feel bad about yourself and give up on your goals altogether!
The fact is that there's no way around hard work when it comes to running anything successfully—even if it's just a small part-time farm for funsies! But when we're talking about hobbies like this one here on our blog, it helps keep things in perspective if we try not too get too caught up in comparing ourselves with others but instead focus on what makes us happy and what gives us joy from doing whatever hobby we choose
Conclusion
I hope this post has given you the tools to think about your own farming hobby. It can be hard to take the first steps, but once you do there are plenty of resources out there to help!
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