Congratulations, you have just found the real person hiding under the old username travailleur2007.

Crazy about surfing, completely addicted to the TE, in 2017 I left this circle.
Life opened my eyes and I made the following decision: I will no longer work to earn money, I will make money work for me.

Warning: This is something very difficult and tedious with more downs than ups. Then, one day, I find my balance, my methodology, self-confidence and everything starts to go better but I remain vigilant because NOTHING is ever acquired.

Total food autonomy seems to me to be a myth, that does not mean that we should not make an effort to get as close to it as possible.

Some rules learned from experience:

1-The chicken coop
It must be easy to disassemble for cleaning: avoid wood, it is a horror to treat in case of infestation of red mites.
No need to count one nest box per hen, they go there in turn.
Beware of overpopulation in an enclosed space.
Ventilation is essential to avoid humidity.
Plastic chicken coops are perfect

2- How many
The number of chickens will not depend on your needs but on the space you can offer them.
We count 5 square meters of grassy space per hen.
Do not neglect the fact that in winter the chickens are nothing more than mouths to feed because they no longer lay and they do not find what they need in nature. You will have to either reduce the livestock or provide grains, fodder cabbages and kitchen scraps


3-A garden to feed the chickens
-Lettuce that has gone to seed is not lost on everyone!
-Corn/sunflower: When distributing, shell the corn but give them the whole sunflower heads, they will manage.
-Swiss chard/spinach/sorrel: The advantage is that it grows back on its own, we are quickly invaded if we let it go to seed, so greenery at will.
-Butternut squash: Cut it in half and make sure that it cannot turn over by putting a weight on it, the chickens will even enjoy the seeds which are rich in vitamin E and deworming!
-Melon/watermelons
-Fodder beet: Beets can be stored for 4 to 5 months (harvested in October-November, they will last you all winter). Hang them in the chicken coop or cut in half and they will help themselves!
-Cucumber/zucchini
-Also plant some small fruits that they will peck at will: strawberries, raspberries, mulberries.

-4 The advantages
Their litter will serve as mulch to protect the garden soil from the sun's aggression.
Their droppings will serve as fertilizer.
Let them wander around the vegetable garden in winter and before the first plantings, they will feast on pests.
They are pleasant companions, with their little habits. Some let themselves be approached and petted, others are completely wild. Like humans, each has its own character.
Eggs obviously. Once you have tasted them, be careful not to fall into the black hole of chicken math (more chickens, more gardens, other animals ...)
A little tip for meat: do not give your chickens a name and try to stay as distant as possible from them.

Plant a tree to reap its benefits for decades. A tree only becomes productive after several years. Therefore, this was the first thing I took care of.
I simply imposed a few rules on myself:
- The size of the mature tree must be at least the same distance from the house to avoid disasters.
- Do not plant trees from the same family side by side to prevent the spread of disease.
- Favor "useful" species: fruits, nitrogen absorbers, medicinal plants.
- Plant species in pairs to promote pollination.

Learn how to propagate plants, buy two and have plenty.
Strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants are the easiest.

Save space, take advantage of the different shrub layers to create fruit hedges.

Spring is approaching, the growing and gardening season begins.

Where there are no winter vegetables, start to work the soil lightly to aerate it, remove weeds and start the first sowings.
Here we are supposed to be between USDA zone 8a (-12.2 to -9.4°C) so everything that is "fragile" is sown under cover with a wintering cloth + plastic protection.
The style of tunnel that I use is described in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr-kbPjGYlo
Open ground: Garlic- Onion- Shallots- Peas- Snow peas
Under cover: Salads- Spinach- Carrots- Cabbages of all kinds
Potatoes from the previous year are placed in the sun to germinate them and be able to plant them in less than a month.

The greenhouse is already full of seedlings, and others are germinating.
The season has started well despite the very cold morning temperatures (no more frost, but only 2 to 5 degrees Celsius, requiring protection).

Remember to plan ahead if you need to save seeds. Avoid cross-pollination, either by growing only one variety or by respecting the minimum spacing (impossible in my garden).