I Want To Be More Self-sufficient

By John McLachlan

In my post Ten Romantic Reasons For Living Out Beyond the eighth reason I gave was that I wanted be more self-sufficient.

It is our plan to have a garden and few fruit trees to at least do some “looking after ourselves” even if it’s more fun than serious.

It’s not that many years ago when the vast majority of the population lived on farms or at the very least, had gardens in and around their homes. Though this is coming back to some urban areas, it’s still in its early days and it’s just not that feasible.

Where we will be living, it’s very desirable to have a small garden. Provided we have enough water, the climate is very suitable for growing vegetables as well as possibilities for fruit trees. In fact, Hornby Island was once home to many acres of orchards before BC’s Okanagan region got irrigation.

The self-sufficiency issue goes beyond just food. It stretches into being able to live modestly and be without debt. Building a house and living on the island will allow this much sooner than it would by staying in the city.

I’m not an alarmist who wants to build a compound and barricade myself in with two years of supplies, but I do feel it doesn’t hurt to be more self-sufficient in the world we live in. I’m able to achieve this just a little more living out beyond.