Backyard farming is tough – but you already knew that. There is any number of events, circumstances, on-the-ground-realities, or things unforeseen that can make creating your dream backyard farm harder than you had imagined. The oft cited time and money are at the top of the list, but there are several other factors that make backyard farming difficult.
So what are those other obstacles to backyard farming, and why do we need to recognize them? Tenet #5 of the RTT Manifesto states that we will identify those obstacles to backyard farming. This is a very simple concept, but more difficult in practice. Sometimes the obstacles are obvious (tangible things), and sometimes they are not (feelings or expectations). The best way I have found to identify my own obstacles to developing my backyard farm is through methodical reflection, requiring rigorous honesty.
Let me give you an example (a true example, by the way). I often find myself stuck on a project because I am expecting my husband to help me with it. Somewhere in the back of my mind is a little recorded voice message that says certain activities need the accompaniment of a male member of the household, and that I should hold-off until he is ready to assist me. Where this little voice comes from I can only guess, but is so soft-spoken and so familiar that I sometimes forget to question it. When I finally do here the little voice I start to chant a mantra in my head over-and-over. The mantra says “If you want it done so badly do it yourself. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you.” This usually results in me completing the task, without relying Ben’s assistance, which means the task is completed more quickly than it otherwise would have been.
There are so many other obstacles to backyard farming that I thought I would list a few here, excluding the obvious two – time and money. I am sure I have left some out, so please leave your comments below and let’s get a comprehensive list going.
- Lack of knowledge or skills
- Physical limitations
- Unappreciative neighbors
- City/HOA laws
- No support from other household members
- No resources (this is different than money, but yes money can secure resources)
- Limited space for backyard farm
- Competing responsibilities (similar to no time, but based more on the choices we make)
- Fear of failure/ridicule
- Feeling overwhelmed
We address how to develop strategies to deal with backyard farming problems with RTT Tenet #10, but for right here, right now our job is to identify those problems that keep us from creating the backyard farm of our dreams. Why just identify the problems? Why wait to take action on them? There are two reasons we wait: 1) to allow time for solutions to present themselves, which they often do, and 2) because clear identification of a problem results in the problem being partially solved. “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” ~ John Dewey
Feature photo provided by StarrGazr
What have you found to be your biggest obstacles to creating your backyard farm? We’d love to hear from you so please share your backyard farming challenges. I would guess they are not unique to just you. 
Hello,
I was wondering if with all this unseasonably warm weather you had thought about planting some of the more cold hardy crops (carrots/spinach) much earlier than normal? (I’m in Denver)
Jennifer
Hey Jennifer! Yes, I am planning to start early this year – probably in the next two weeks. I am assuming the same time table as last year (early start, early hot). If the weather is too cold and I lose starts then I will just plant more. No big deal as far as I am concerned – I start enough seed each year that I can afford to lose a few here and there.
I was planning on using May 15th as my estimated last frost date (based on average taken from CSU). What date are you using and what is ‘normal’ date for you guys?
Thanks!
Jen
We usually use the end of May as our last frost date to be certain, but last year it was more like the end of April. I start seeds indoors usually in February, and plant them out about 6 – 9 weeks later. But this year as soon as I get my beds reset I will transplant out into the garden – most likely early to mid-March. Last year I waited too long and my cool crops bolted or got wiped out by flea beetles. I would say anywhere from 2- 4 weeks early is how I am going to play it this year. If we get a late frost so be it – I will plant more.
I’m new to gardening so I keep going back and forth on when to plant out since I have no experience to draw on! But I also know that nobody can help me as much as gaining the experience of working my own yard can. Also, I need to get a fence up around my main garden area to keep the dogs out… but before that I have to build the chicken coop and run!
Very busy….
Holy smokes you have a lot going on! Yeah, dogs in gardens are bad, as are chickens in garden (you have never seen an animal dig the way a chicken will!). Don’t worry about the timing for your garden. Plant what you can when you can and let the Colorado weather decided if it is going to be a good year or not. ;->
Thank you very much for your encouragement! I have a tendency to be anxious about scheduling and your advice comes right as I am trying to plan a spring stay-cation to get a lot done for the homestead. I’ll just a pick a week that makes some sort of sense but also plan to relax a bit.
When we had a super huge project to pull of we called a bunch of our friends over to help. We had everything organized and ready to go when folks arrived, we had a buffet breakfast and coffee, and we had defined roles/tasks we needed completed. Around 20 folks were there, and we got everything done in four hours. It would have taken us a week with just the two of us. Just something to consider if you could use some extra help.
Many hands make light work. ~ Ancient Chinese Proverb