I have a bit of a dilemma. For a very long time I have wanted to live in a small house or bungalow with a huge garden which I would use as a vegetable garden and mini orchard.. One is up for sale not too far from where we live but the garden is 170 feet long. My heart would love to go and take a look but my head is warning me not to. After the fiasco with my hip replacement I realise that I am not getting any younger (61) and wonder whether that much garden would just be too much as if we do indeed move and it isn't necessarily going to happen it will be our last move. If I am being honest it isn't Tony's dream but he would be more than happy to move if it was something I really wanted to do. I'm mulling over the pro's and cons
Don’t move smaller if you may have grandchildren in the future.We did and then had to upsize!!!You are way too young to think you can’t take on a bigger garden.Gardening is good for the mind and the body.
ReplyDeleteAlexander and Beckah are absolutely adamant that they don't want children ever. I know forever is a long time and they might change their minds but if we move it is for us and no other reason.
DeleteI had the same issues, I wanted a bigger garden when we moved 11 years ago, hubby did not, and because I knew the bigger garden would be unwanted work for him, we choose this house with a small garden. My fun has been to get as much as I can growing here.
ReplyDeleteI would love a tiny house and wouldn't even mind a garden the size of my current one. Unfortunately tiny houses seem to have teenie tiny gardens and I would hate that
DeleteWould the entire garden need to be cultivated? Are there options to arrange much of it to be low maintenance? You could decide what is manageable and design/plant the rest as a wildflower meadow...
ReplyDeleteI think Wildflower meadows are stunning for about six weeks but the rest of the time they are a tangled mess.To be honest I want to grow as much fruit and veg as I possibly can..
DeleteDo you have enough room to grow what you want or need to grow where you are now? If so, stay.
ReplyDeleteWe moved across the U.S. when I was 57 and my husband was 61, and now 18 years have passed. It is amazing how you change as you age. Now we are so grateful for a tiny lawn but wondering how to manage the house ( 3 stories and over 3,700 sq.ft.). The next move must be our last.
I think the house we are in is just too big for the two of us. It seems mad to be heating two empty bedrooms but it gets very cold if we turn the radiators off in those rooms.
Delete(If I am repeating it's because I lost my comment). There are so many farms and farm stands around here that I decided to not grow veggies. I feel it is very expensive to move. Our realtor's fee, lawyers fee, movers cost and closing costs totaled over several tens of thousands of dollars. We did move into a larger home as our kids and grandkids' visits require a lot of space. Andrea
DeleteThe cost of moving is high here but I treat the veg growing as a hobby and like all hobbies it does cost money. At least this is a hobby that isn't filling my house with junk as we eat the end result.
DeleteI know you have had itchy feet for a while now as you were checking out properties in Wales. I commented that I had the uncontrollable urge to buy another sewing machine. (I know, no comparison lol). Anyway, I gave into my urge and have bought a lemon! I have spent money on a cable for it and new belts and need to purchase spool spindles for it. BUT! I can't get the darned thing to turn. I have it stripped down as much as I can and have drowned it in kerosene and oil as per the videos I have watched. Not to mention the time spent on it. Just pointing out that sometimes when we give into our urges.....it backfires!
ReplyDeleteTony and I go through patches of wanderlust but rarely at the same time. I would really like a smaller house but don't want a new build as the gardens are miniscule. Tony is coming up to retirement and if we do decide to move we need to do it while we are fit enough to make it our own.
DeleteI think you have to do what's right for you, once everything has been considered. I completely get your point about heating and cleaning a large house. Plus even when you have grandchildren you only see them every now and again. Now mine are older they are busy doing their own thing. I can understand the worry of a big garden and the ability to keep up with the maintenance but it is a great way of staying fit. There are lots of growing techniques that can increase the yield of a small garden dramatically. So you can downsize and have a smaller garden to.
ReplyDeleteI think my trouble is that I always fancied having a small holding. I need to change my mindset. Unfortunately the larger gardens tend to be either millionaire mansions or rougher estates.
DeleteFirst time commenter (I think!). What's the situation with allotments near you? Not as convenient but at least you wouldn't have to move if it got too much for you! If not an option, you could change the balance from majority of garden as veg and soft fruit beds to dwarf apples, pears and plums - much less work! This year we have had our best crops since we retired 12 years ago as we haven't been away on holiday so often and were able to look after seedlings etc much more efficiently. Wishing you well in the future! Vicki in East Yorkshire
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment Vicki. I shared an allotment with a friend for several years until I moved here nearly twenty years ago. There aren't any allotments within walking distance and in truth would prefer to open my back door and stroll around my garden.
DeleteFollow your heart, Cherie. You're not much older than I am and your hip makes you bionic. You can always sell if it doesn't work out and you've got a gem of a husband who'll support you. You only live once! xxx
ReplyDeleteI encourage you to go look at it. I think small homes with large gardens are wonderful. You can always make it a backyard orchard. That's what I did. It sounds wonderful from your description.
ReplyDeleteThe smaller home seems a logical choice and if this other home has a small orchard and vegetable garden already established, it would seem some of the work is done. You could also switch out the vegetable garden to be raised beds, making the job a lot easier. (granted a bit of work to get to that point, but not impossible) And when the day comes that all of the gardening becomes too much to handle, it can be changed over to lawn with just a few fruit trees and a couple of raised beds to keep your gardening urges satisfied and easier to maintain. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteI loved my house and garden but common sense and arthritis told me to move while I still could. I now have a lovely manageable warm flat, where the gardens get done for me and the windows get cleaned too. Luckily my kitchen window overlooks a small wood. No regrets at all. More time for knitting and crocheting. Age doesn't count really but mobility does.
ReplyDeleteI agree - Follow your heart. I'd go take a look. Life is too short to wonder about what-ifs.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have the same dilemma as me at times. We keep saying we want a flat garden, a bigger shed for DH & I'd love to have a studio again, but this was supposed to be our final move & we never know what to do. I saw a great house & garden that we'd have loved, but lucky it was just out of our price range. Like you, though ten years your senior, age tends to be another factor stopping us thinking about it. Take care, stay safe & huggles. I must pop you an email.....
ReplyDeleteI can only judge by when we had our allotments. When we hit the 60's we started to find the things that had been easy to start getting harder. There's no getting away from age and my thoughts are that you should stick where you are. You have a beautiful home and a good size garden. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBriony
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