My garden is my favorite part of living off the grid! It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it. I’m going to show you my garden and tell you all about it!
Living off the grid means that you produce your own power and live a self-sufficient lifestyle. It can be a challenge, but it’s also very rewarding. One of the best ways to enjoy living off the grid is by growing your own food.
First, please be aware that I am powering my garden (water pump, light, and aircon) using solar panels. So, some of the fancy utilities that you guys expect might not appear in the article. But as our goal, reducing environmental affection by producing our own food is more important than fancying up the space.
So, let’s enjoy it!
Overview of the Garden
First, let’s have a look at our garden using Google Maps. I took it recently and you know what? It looks exactly the same as the current stage of the garden.
What We Have?
As we mentioned, our goal is to survive with any food that we can produce in our off-grid garden.
So, we have a lot of different kinds of vegetables and fruits.
Mustard green is one of the vegetables that we plant currently. It’s a bit spicy but very healthy! Other than that, we also have green amaranth. All of these veggies are again, super healthy.
We also have tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers. We love making salads with all of these vegetables.
Of course, it is a big mistake if the list does not mention the fruits! We have mangoes, bananas, avocados, coconuts, and custard apple.
Besides the goal provide enough veggies and fruits, meat is also a major criterion for any family life. The garden has a small homestead with some pigs and ducks. They provide us with meat (just a little) and eggs.
And, yup, we have our solar panels. They provide us with power for all of our needs. We only have five solar panels (400 wattages each). But we are planning to add more in the future if we see the need.
Not relevant to food but emotional instead, the garden is also a great place for us to relax and enjoy the outdoors. With some different kinds of flowers and plants, our family moments are awesome since then.
What We’re Doing
In the garden, we are constantly working to improve our soil. We add compost and other organic matter to the soil to make it richer. This helps us grow healthier plants and produce more food.
We are also constantly planting new seeds and young plants. This ensures that we have a continuous supply.
How Did We Plan for This Veggies Garden?
In 2020, we decided to start living off the grid. It was a big decision, but we were ready for it. We didn’t have a house and that make our decision went easier at that time because there is nothing to say goodbye to.
One of the first things we did was to start planning our garden. We wanted to be sure that we would have enough food to survive. So, we started by planning what we would grow. We decided on a mix of vegetables and fruits. We also decided to add some pigs and ducks for meat and eggs.
Once we had our plan, we started to build the off-grid house. We do not need to worry about land because my parent-in-law owns a big piece of land in the countryside. So, we can use that for our farm.
After we built the house, we started to work on the garden. Because the land is nearby the sea so we had to add a lot of soil to make the land higher. The first thing we planted was some trees to provide shade and windbreaks. Then, we started planting our veggies.
In the first days, we planted some lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. We also planted some fruit trees. And, of course, we planted some flowers. The garden has come a long way since then!
Now, the garden is full of different kinds of vegetables and fruits. We have everything we need to survive off the grid. And, it’s all thanks to our careful planning.
How Long Did It Take for Us to Build Up This Garden?
It took us almost two years to get to this point. We started out with just a few plants and slowly added more over time.
We also had to build all of the infrastructures from scratch. This included things like the raised beds, the fencing, and the solar panels.
It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it. We’re now able to enjoy fresh, healthy food that we’ve grown ourselves. We’re also able to save money on our grocery bills.
How Much We Had Spent on the Garden?
Well, the garden is being built month by month and step by step. The majority of the cost falls under power generation and the cost to make the land higher.
Seeds and some young trees also cost but it will be anywhere under $100 for the whole space so it should not be a case.
Then, how much did we invest in the power generator?
It costs us around $2,200 for the solar system (with batteries). I bought it from a local seller in 2020 with seven years of warranty.
Talking about the cost to make the land higher, it was a big amount of money. Lucky us we do not need to pay that cost ourselves alone. Because the land is still under my parent-in-law, so we only “give” them as much as we can in order to “help” them cover the cost. Again, lucky us!
Finally, what are the other costs? As I mentioned, I set up the fence, water pump, and water system from scratch. Then, the costs of course will include those things.
- Fence: 400m long recycled fence – Around $150
- Used water pump: $30 (1.2 hp) – No cost for the well because my parent-in-law has one.
- Water system: $50 for the water grid (mix of used and new pipes)
In total, our survival garden costs anywhere between $2,530 to $3000 and another small amount to “make the land higher”.
What Are Some of the Challenges of Living Off-Grid?
Of course, there are some challenges that come with living off-grid. And for sure, that will be a long list. Hence, I capture it in another article and will be sharing with all of you soon.
Thanks! Don’t forget to read our life update.