It all started when I watched a video about a family in California who grew all of their own food on just 1/10th of an acre. Intrigued, I began studying everything I could find about urban homesteading and self-sufficiency on less than an acre of land.

Over the next few years my 1/3 acre backyard metamorphosized from a barren grassland to a thriving jungle of productive bushes, vines, and trees. Edible flowers were plopped in every available crevice to add beauty as well.

Then came the animals. The chickens came first, but they were quickly followed by rabbits, ducks, and even quail. Unfortunately, that’s when things took a downhill turn.

I wanted to grow old tending the flowers and animals in my care, surrounded by life and all the beauty of nature, but there just wasn’t enough room on our little plot to support my big dreams.

In June of 2020, I found a ten acre parcel of land with a run down doublewide on it and started laying down plans for the construction of what I’ve christened Willowbark Farm.

I’ll be documenting all of the ups and downs along the way and uploading them to YouTube so that others seeking to create a self-sustaining lifestyle can see what worked and what didn’t work for me. I’ll also include all of the money saving hacks I’ve learned to help others who want to try homesteading or permaculture farming but who are on a very limited budget – like me!