# live for free and garden in rural western new england



## plagueship (Jun 1, 2011)

i'm a little hesitant to post this, since i feel like my constraints on this might be sort of narrow, but i think this could potentially be a really good opportunity for someone (or a couple people) on here, and could possibly be beneficial to myself and the other residents on the property as well. so here goes...

i live on a 5ac piece of property in northwestern mass (legit, this is NOT squatting). there is a house, two barns, two cats and a garden. my long-term goal is for this property to approach the limits of its possible self-sustenance. to that end, there are a lot of projects that will need to be taken care of over some time span. there is work to be done with the garden; on one of the barns which needs to be cleaned and organized, and has a lot of potential including for use as a possible space for shows/parties and loft apartment; the other barn which is sort of falling down; and various other projects related to maintenance, cultivation and improvement on the property.

the location is a really beautiful rural community which my family has been part of for over four generations. it is surrounded by woods, hills and several rivers which are good for hiking, swimming etc. food stamps are really easy to get in mass and busking in amherst and northampton is a possible source of livelihood - actually if you play music at all that is a big plus since several of us do. also if you like contra dancing, there are contra dances sometimes within walking distance!

i would be happy to extend an invitation to anyone interested in spending some time and effort on projects to come and stay here for a while. if you are interested please contact me to express something of your interests and intentions. andthusaplagueship at gmail dot com.


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## Puckett (Jun 1, 2011)

you should def put pics up. sounds cool


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## plagueship (Jun 1, 2011)

i can do that tomorrow. i also wanted to add a few more things.

there is a bus stop about 5 minutes walk away in front of the only store in town (which sells food, beer etc) it is about 1 hr bike ride to amherst and probably half that to the nearest town of any size (ie more than one store, maybe like 20 stores)...

also i almost want to apologize that i am picky and vague about searching for someone, but i really have to be picky because the land belongs to my family, and i have to be vague because i don't need anyone telling me what i want to hear, you know? but like i said, i think possibly it could be very good... short-term arrangements are also very possible.


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## thapoet (Jun 1, 2011)

would love to know what the country looks like around it, and would a single father and my daughter fit in there? (yes, have custody with papers...)


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## plagueship (Jun 1, 2011)

i have nothing in principle against the idea, but i think that could be kind of difficult, to be honest. i hadn't given any thought to such young individuals being here and i wasn't really expecting to fulfill such a vital role of stability in anyone's life; i was thinking more of flexible, semi-rootless travelers that i wouldn't have to feel so worried and responsible for... you know? i wouldn't want anyone to necessarily count on this from the outset as being a long-term thing, especially someone in a potentially vulnerable position.

anyway that's my honest off-the-cuff answer which is i think it could be a bit difficult, if you're in the area sometime, we could certainly talk about it...

as i said i will take some pictures of our property tomorrow. i am looking for pictures on google right now. there's not such a good selection but it's a pretty normal small rural town in the pioneer valley area with a lot of small farms and woods.


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## plagueship (Jun 1, 2011)

not the best pics but you get some idea. as far as i can tell, these are all from our town.

sorry about the sizes, i am not sure how to shrink them in bbcode...







rolling into the nearby trainyard!


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## Murf (Jun 2, 2011)

That accually sounds extreamly do-able , and i accually know people from up that way so it works very nice , plus I was thinkin of going all the way to WI so that is a hell of a lot more doable. My main concerns are the harsh winters up that way , but thats not that big of a concern.
just a few questions.

1-Veiws on hunting/fishing
2-how far from hampton college are you , again people i know live up there
3-Opposed to compost?
4-Is this YOUR property or do you live with someone who owns it
5-Any accessable tools to work on the land? [Shovles , hoes , hammer , nails etc.]

I was thinking maybe in like a month , if I would be be welcome up to see what needs to be done and get to work?


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## plagueship (Jun 2, 2011)

1-Veiws on hunting/fishing

you can fish or hunt wherever you damn like as long as it isn't against the law or you aren't going to get caught. i don't know the laws about these things though so you'd have to check it out but i think that sounds cool. i would like to start fishing myself this summer but first i gotta find the gear, but i think there's some around here somewhere...

2-how far from hampton college are you , again people i know live up there

we're about a 15 minute drive from amherst which is where hampshire college (which i assume you're talking about) is located

3-Opposed to compost?

not at all, i'm going to go get one of those rotatin drum things soon hopefully so we can start doing it! compost makes great fertilizer, everyone who grows anything should compost their kitchen scraps if you can!

4-Is this YOUR property or do you live with someone who owns it

the property belongs, outright, to close relatives and as long as it does i am going to be living here. i have a good relationship with my family, but this is also one of the reasons i need to be really picky...

5-Any accessable tools to work on the land? [Shovles , hoes , hammer , nails etc.]

yes, we have lots and lots of tools and if we don't have something then probably one of our relatives nearby has it.


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## Murf (Jun 4, 2011)

killer. Well im gonna have to hit up my buddys at amhurst , but im totally gonna be up there before the end of the summer if thats cool? Ill keep you posted on what im doing cause right now im chillin at concrete city , but its kinda a drag ya know? I take it you are from the area so i feel obligated to ask just to try and break bread . Have you ever heard of a band called Dahcy Boike , Murf and the maggots , or Brenton Handy?

Looking forward to making your aquiaintence.


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## plagueship (Jun 10, 2011)

yes i am from the are, and no i dont know any of those bands...


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## Margarita (Jun 18, 2011)

This sounds really awesome. If I had the time I would be down, but I'm back at school now and will be here until I go to Russia basically. Best of luck with your endeavors! You've got some beautiful land and it will be great to have a self-sufficient farm on it.  Keep us updated on progress eh?


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## plagueship (Jun 21, 2011)

thanks margarita.

i updated our workaway.info page with some more information about how things are going here and what we are thinking about doing.

http://www.workaway.info/5193465264de-en.html


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## fr33rang3r (Sep 30, 2011)

gorgeous pics ... is one of the two barns shown the one you think is dilapidated? you should come visit Tennessee ... i'll show you some real dilapidation 

seriously though, sounds like a great project and i wish you the best.

and its *good* to be picky. people need to know what's up and what's expected when they all live together.

also 5acres is _plenty_ of land to support you. i imagine you've got eliot coleman's gardening books? he's from way up that NE part of the US and has great tips on growing year round w/o electricity.


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## Earth (Sep 30, 2011)

WAY COOL !!
New England still Rules.... Ok??

Been in CT's smallest city for over twenty years now.
Ain't even thinking about moving anytime soon.
Too much to see and do each and every day..........

Thanks for posting the pictures, your place is beautiful.

Respect....


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## wildboy860 (Jan 3, 2012)

i think id be down to come by and help out for a while maybe sometime this spring or fall. north hampton and amherst are good areas too...


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## bradbradidea (Apr 9, 2012)

aye! still looking for help? this is a very similar situation to what i wanna do in couple years on a relative of mines land so i get what ya mean with havin to be kind of picky but im an exprencined gardener and grew up around animals and shit like that. im only lookin for short term stay but hit me up if youre still looking for some good help


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## plagueship (Jan 11, 2013)

hey sorry to anyone who messaged me about this last year and it didn't work out, i actually have been living across the river for the past year but the house is mine now and for the next few years at least. i'm holding down the fort solo at the moment, but my partner will be around soon; anyone interested in spending some time here this spring/summer, please get in touch. it's a really nice place with a lot of possibilities; realizing them will depend on who is here and when. ideally i guess i'd like it to be sort of commune-y eventually, more in a creative and practical way than politically though. for now the main project will be the garden, dealing with the barns is another. i also have a pretty decent if cheap collection of musical instruments and tattooing stuff at this point, just sayin. ok word.


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