Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Junk Land - Part One - How to Make it Work

The basic requirements for human needs are the same no matter where you live. You will need good access to your land, a good source of water, the ability to produce food for long term sustainability, some form of power, some form of shelter that is relatively permanent, have adequate safety and security for you and your family and a means to provide all of these different requirements.

The old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” still holds true to this day. Junk land by definition is simply land which has no real definitive value due to a lack of those things which may give it value and worth. It may lack easy and reliable access. It will usually have poor road access or sometimes even none. It may lack a proper source of water or have poor soil for crops or livestock. It may not even have the option for an on-the-grid source for power which will require an alternate source of power to be found. There are solutions to these problems that can make junk land a viable option for you.

Like a diamond in the rough which has no lasting value until it has been cut, shaped and polished, so too will living on junk land be rough until you have shaped and polished it to fit your individual needs and the needs of your family. This will require lots of time, a variety of skills, adequate resources and a huge amount of determination on your part that will involve not only you but your entire family. You will probably be giving up a great many “creature comforts” that you have been accustomed to and you may be reluctant to give these up or do without them. This is a personal choice that you alone will have to make.

If you lack the necessary determination, skills, or resources you may need to wait until the option of junk land is more viable. Patience in knowing when the right time to pursue junk land as the proper option is hard. The emotional desires of having your own little piece of paradise can sometimes cloud your judgment. Rational and well thought out reasoning will help you succeed in this type of endeavor. Not everyone will have the required abilities to turn junk land into a thing of beauty. While this may be a very big obstacle, it too can be overcome. Common sense must be your guide to prevent any irrational thoughts and actions from putting you in a worse condition than you may be in presently.

These problems are not new and have been overcome by many people, myself included. My own experiences have been both enlightening and educational. It has been a definite learning process. Hopefully, by examining the different aspects of developing your land, you will be able to make your dream for a self reliant and sustainable lifestyle become a reality.

This topic requires a great deal more thought and discussion to examine all the different possibilities and options for making junk land a viable option. It is a topic which needs to be looked at from both sides of the fence. While the grass is always greener on the other side, it still needs to be mowed!

“Junk Land - Part Two - Required Resources” will deal with some of the different skills and resources that will probably be necessary to make junk land a viable option for you.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

so true!

our junk land is a work in progress

scoutinlife said...

It takes time to rework land adding to the soil one are at a time. My place has some ruff clay soil one section is barren but others was the same two year later I'm winning the battle the grass is growing... Adding composote and horse manure and straw one section at a time. Reworking the land intill it becomes more productive to gardens and future livestock... great post River....

riverwalker said...

To: Pickdog

My place has been a work in progress for a greaty many years now and I'm still working at it.

Thanks.

RW

riverwalker said...

To: scoutinlife

I see you've already "been there and done that". The task of doing what is required is not one to be taken lightly. It can become a very big burden in a hurry.

Thanks my friend!

RW

HermitJim said...

As I'm getting ready to move, this is the thing I have to look forward to. You realloy can't know a place until you are living there and seeing it first hand daily.

Good post!

riverwalker said...

To: HermitJim

Things will come up that you would never think could cause problems. On the other hand, things you thought were going to be problems never happen. Thanks.

RW

Thomas Miller said...

I've been thinking about an acre or two in a remote, god-forsaken area, but haven't started inquiring yet. I want something really, really cheap.

But I'm wondering, do you suppose there's a run on junk land now? Wonder if any remote acreage is no longer considered "junk"?

riverwalker said...

To: RV Survivalist

There are still some real bargains out there. It's value and location would require a major effort to make it useful in a sustainable way.Lack of water and good access the two major drawbacks on most property. Thanks.

RW

Anonymous said...

Great article sir - and an important topic, especially to those who know their present location just won't cut it when or if Bad Times occur.

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous 7:51

Thanks. I will be doing a series of posts on this topic. It would need a book to cover it properly. The articles will be loosely based on my own expierences and hopefully it will help others avoid some of the problems I encountered while finding new problems of their own.

RW

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Ryan said...

It seems like junk land in and of its nature is undesirable in some way. The question is if it is undesirable in a way (lack of water, isolated, no utilities, etc) you are OK with. Also if you are informed and experienced enough to answer that question with a degree of accuracy.

Rachat de credit said...

Thanks a ton it has been a great support, now to make it work is definitely simple by using your information. Thanks

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