Newbie

[Snoop Puss]

Animals: dogs, cats and chickens. Don't eat the dogs or cats. Keep the chickens for eggs only. Will be trying rabbits next year if I can stop the dogs being able to get at them. The rabbits will be for meat.

Plants: typical veg, to be honest. We're relatively self-sufficient most years and only buy in courgettes and sun-dried toms in winter (I don't buy toms grown down south in those huge polytunnels as I don't like the taste after home-grown ones). I probably have more luck with Mediterranean veg than most in the UK. But not always, especially as the dogs eat the red peppers off the plants. No blight on potatoes or toms, which is a relief. And we can reliably grow melons too. Other than that, no real surprises. Maybe the sweetcorn: I buy Lark seeds, which are quite quick to produce. So with the high temps going on till later in the year than in the UK, I can start seeds off late June and still be sure of a crop. In fact some years, I could probably sow mid-July.

That said, where I am, temperatures drop very suddenly in autumn and our frosts usually start around mid-October and end (reliably) end of April. This year we had a very cold snap late on that killed all the blossom and young leaves on our fruit and nut trees. Killed the persimmon tree too, which is a shame.

In the past, I've bought most of my seeds from assorted suppliers in the UK. Will be trying a French supplier with a big range next year just to see. More expensive, but bigger packets of seeds and only one delivery charge. I'll also be getting my seed potatoes from them.

[Engineer354]

Aw that sounds class, I would love to get to that level of self sufficiency, how much ground are you on?
I looked into getting champagne rabbits for meat but decided not to in the end, plenty in the fields to eat.
would you let them roam free or cage?

[Snoop Puss]

Overall, we have about 12 acres. But nearly all of it is forest. The forestry agent is a good guy and very careful to make sure people protect their patches of forest. Some the land is given over to almond and olive trees. There's about an acre or so for veg and fruit trees and I'm going to have a go at haymaking next year on some of it. Irrigation water comes from a well (we've had virtually no rain for the last two years, so I'm praying we have a very wet spring, otherwise I won't be growing anything).

I don't have a polytunnel or greenhouse. I've lost a few to hail and wind already so have given up on the idea.

The rabbits will have a compound a bit like the chickens. So no roaming free, but no keeping them in the tiny cages they tend to use here. Rabbit feed is really cheap here, so between that and the veg plot waste and surplus, I reckon they'll work out at pennies. Neither of us is a hunter and I'd be reluctant to take wild rabbits or hares anyway, as there are so few (population kept down by foxes and abandoned hunters' dogs).

Both us have paying jobs, so it's quite hard work at times to keep things going. I water by hand and in summer it's a terrible chore. Next year, rain willing, I'll be setting up a drip irrigation system using a solar pump from the well.

I guess you don't need to water anything where you are! Or is that not the case?