4) How to Create a Fairy Tail Homestead Cottage Garden with Provident Living.

A light hearted Guide by Sindy from Blue Garden Cottage.

Hey there, fabulous folks of the internet!  This quirky council house homesteader is here to sprinkle some cheer and hopefully micro-homesteading wisdom of sorts into your day. Today, we're diving into the delightful world of romance and fairy tale cottage gardening.

Picture this: you're in your cozy little cottage garden (council house or other), surrounded by chirping birds and the sweet scent of freshly picked herbs. You've got your gardening gloves on the table next to your cup of fresh herb tea, a twinkle in your eye, and a determination to conquer the world one radish at a time. That, my friends, is the essence of micro-homesteading; and that’s exactly what a suburban homestead in the UK is...micro.

Micro-homesteading makes it possible for most of us who dream of a country life but are in the suburbs with a home/work/family life and budget that to a degree prohibits the reality of living in the country and running a smallholding, to at least have a version of it.

Not that living on and running a real smallholding is anything romantic nor is it idyllic most of the time. It’s blood, sweat and tears, literally. It’s Long days, short nights, muddy, noisy, costly, and stressful. I have friends who have a smallholding, have animals and grow some food, manage a little woodland and have a gorgeous cottage. 

They are literally always busy and I honestly imagine the only thing that keeps them going is their self-reliance and pure love of nature, land, fur family and views. Oh, and the few times they get to sit and enjoy the fruits of their labours. Those views truly make it worth the effort...especially for visitors like me.

I get to visit my friends, adore their wonderful home and land which looks like it belongs in Country Living magazine and come home inspired and grateful.

I used to dream about the country life on a smallholding. I still do to a degree but have come to really love my suburban home and garden. Hubby and I have worked to make it our little homestead in the city suburbs. It's been a part of our self-reliance and self-sufficiency journey.

Our secret garden of Eden

Just a little reminder...Self-reliance is all about developing and using the skills, knowledge, and gumption to take care of yourself no matter what curveballs life throws your way. It's like being your own superhero, armed with a trusty toolbox of practical know-how and a can-do attitude that could move mountains (or maybe just the compost pile).

Self-sufficiency is the cool cousin of self-reliance who's always got a pantry full of homemade preserves and a knack for turning old rags into cozy rugs. Self-sufficiency is about being able to provide for yourself, home and family without constantly relying on outside sources as far as possible and having sufficient provisions for your needs.

It doesn’t always mean living off grid or miles from anywhere and it certainly doesn’t mean disconnecting from society and community. In fact, living off grid in the middle of nowhere and trying to produce all your own resources REQUIRES good community support and integration!

It CAN include modern technology and making things easier. We live in the 21^st century! We can still have Wi-Fi because let's face it; a homesteader's got to check Pinterest for cute veggie and pantry pics every now and then!

Both self-reliance and self-sufficiency are two parts of the bigger topic...Provident living. I delve a bit more into that on my other blog, podcast and YouTube channel; Escaping the Dole with Sindy.

What I love about suburban homesteading (which DOESN'T have to be part of provident living) is that I can have a ‘country life’ right here where I am. I don’t have to have a fortune in money. I’ll list some of the benefits of a suburban homestead, for me anyway:

·        It’s much smaller and therefore more manageable even for one person.
·       It’s easier to keep home and garden connected (and manageable).
·       You CAN have a job AND homestead and still get to enjoy time with family.
·       It costs less.
·       It’s easier to make productive AND beautiful (check with your landlord for permission).
·      You CAN still have chickens if your landlord, property deeds or local authority allow it (in the UK,        having a cockerel in build up areas is NOT permitted and neither are other types of livestock).
·       You are closer to amenities and community (that includes shops...I am NOT making my own                loo roll and I can’t grow ALL I use in this small space anyway).
·       I can still be connected to nature and seasonal changes.

·      I can even get to sit down at a garden table and chairs, take off my garden gloves and sip a herbal tea, enjoying the fruits of my labour and the satisfaction and joy of all the above...because by the time I get done, there’s still daylight, in the summer.

I can keep going but this is a blog, not a book! Speaking of 'book', I have my book; Escaping the Dole to Blue Garden Cottage available at many online bookstores and a few actual ones. Just type the title into google or your favourite browser and loads pop up. I tried to get just one link to this article but it didn't go to where I wanted. You can follow the journey on my YouTube channel as mentioned above.

I love that I can sit here typing and look out the window at my cottage/forest garden teaming with birds at the feeders. I love that I can just pop out the door and forage from my garden (front or back), a little at a time for a meal in just minutes.

I love that because it is small, I get to experiment with different types of planting vertically and that goes a long way to creating an atmosphere of a fairy tale garden with plants everywhere! I love that people can pass the front garden and be inspired to create a natural space for themselves. I love that children passing get excited and want to explore.

So grab your gardening gloves, pour yourself a cup of herbal tea, and let's embark on this wild and wonderful adventure that is suburban, even council house/micro-homesteading together! Sprinkle in some romance, passion, fun, quirky items and spaces, don't be too tidy and stir in natural elements and your homestead becomes a fairy tail cottage garden homestead while you're at it. 

Until next time, keep on growing and glowing, my fellow provident living enthusiasts! And remember, a little dirt under your nails just means you're one step closer to paradise.

Yours in laughter and leafy greens,

Sindy from Blue Garden Cottage.