I am a 24 year old attempting to live more eco-friendly. I first lived in Suffolk but now live in a small flat in a village in Switzerland. I have been living in the Berner Oberland canton since April 2012 (so just over a year!) since getting a job here. My boyfriend Michael and I have been trying to live as sustainably as we can by growing herbs and salad, recycling, composting and sourcing other food locally. He is a local grounds man and also has skills in carpentry so comes in handy for woodwork projects too!

My boyfriend Michael raking the allotment

We have loved living here but have felt a little frustrated at times that we cannot live off the land more productively. However, In February we had good news – this dear reader is what I will be divulging! We have been told that we can use a small area of land near our house for some chickens and to use as a small allotment! Yay!

The chickens and me

Since then we have been busy it seems! We have been checking locally for chickens to get in the Spring and have been planning how to upcycle old wood to make a coop for a few hens. Additionally, we have been learning about the differences between UK and Swiss sowing seasons. For example, we have had to put off planting anything outside as everything is still covered in snow! However, we have been busy inside preparing seedlings and airing some every so often on the balcony on a sunny day.

New seeds!

We have a great selection of seeds to try from courgettes to Lime flavoured tomatoes! This last weekend we have potted a few different types of seeds – Baby Leeks, Thyme, Rocket and edible flowers called Electric Daisies. What’s more we have some Romaine Lettuce and more Rocket already sprouting up in other containers on the bedroom windowsill. Additionally, we have just harvested a load of small red and white onions from the allotment outside – these are now drying inside on trays – to use later in soups and general cooking!

Our small onion harvest

We hope to try growing potatoes for the first time this year – I have started to chit a batch ready for the late spring time-fingers crossed!  We hope to be able to then use these veggies over the coming months to have a fresh supply of food-last summer using the fresh basil from the windowsill was great for home-made pesto and pasta sauces.

If you would like to take a look at my blog here’s the link: http://thegoodlifeinpractice.wordpress.com/about/

Also you can find me on Facebook: The Good Life In Practice and Twitter under the same name. Hope you have enjoyed reading,

Katy Runacres

Katy is a smallholder, cook and writer. She keeps Chickens, Bantams, Meat Rabbits and has a resident cat called Podge. She takes an interest in all aspects of homesteading and has written pieces for a number of magazines including Backwoods Home, Bushcraft, Country Smallholding, Home Farmer and Smallholder. Katy is a member of the Essex and Suffolk Poultry Club and has a Diploma in Countryside Management.