Podcast #232 – What Does It Take To Be a Subsistence Farmer?


More of our friends are asking themselves and us these days whether it might make sense for them to take on the kind of life we’ve designed for ourselves. We’re generally reluctant to give a yes or no answer, but we can lay out some of the things you need to be happy with this kind of life.


This week’s program spells out soup-to-nuts what building blocks we think most people would need to construct a happy life in subsistence farming. We answer questions like these:

  • How much land do you need? Does it need to be paid for?
  • Do you need to have grown food before?
  • Do you need a partner? What kind of relationship do you need?
  • Do you need people skills? Computer skills?

And we finish with a surprise or two: things we didn’t know we would need when we started. We also talk about how our approach to money has changed.

As usual, I learn something new this week, that Amanda initially hated the term “subsistence farmer.” That one caught me by surprise.

Listen – 23:38

Most of our work is pleasant, and we can usually see the results right away. But a surprising amount of it is on our hands and knees, like connecting this spaghetti hose to the drip irrigation header for raised beds #9-16.

Most of our work is pleasant, and we can usually see the results right away. But a surprising amount of it is on our hands and knees, like connecting this spaghetti hose to the drip irrigation header for raised beds #9-16.

The Longleaf Breeze Perennial Farm Calendar

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