User solderpunk posted about gardens and boats just the
other day[1]. At least, that seems like a quick way to
summarize it- you'll have to read it to really know.

One point that was made was that living on a boat is one
way to live "your way" without much interference from the
government. I'd never thought of that. A boat is considered,
I think, a vehicle, and unless it's used on inland waters,
there is no real licensing that I'm aware of. Don't quote
me on that.

That means, like solderpunk pointed out, that no one is
going to tell you how to do you plumbing or electical or
any of the things that you'd normally need a permit for.
No inspections, no building codes. I honestly had never
thought of it that way.

I think you could probably view living in a RV in a
somewhat similar way, except for the fact that RV's are
licensed for use on the road, and if you want to park
them on property there are generally regulations for that;
but even so, the people doing the licensing and even land-
use aren't going to worry about your plumbing and electrical
work in an RV, so there might be something to that.

Another point that was made was that "modern day individual
farming... does not have to be a life of unrelenting
physical labour and inadequate nutrition..." I think this
is something that we don't generally consider. Everyone,
even in urban settings, can grow "something."

Of course, the setting might severely restrict the whole
practice of farming. Solderpunk aluded to the fact that
farming in a place with less sun, like Finland, can be
difficult. When we moved away from Phoenix, I attempted
to make a garden using the same methods, but with
radically different results. Even so, I think if I had
put more effort into it, I could have gotten something
going.

As for greenhouses, in my current area wind was a huge
problem. The right design, maybe, but a proper greenhouse
can be quite expensive. Community shared areas are another
great option, as solderpunk pointed out.

I'm out of time, and this week is crazy, but I want to
revisit this more, and I hope to read more of people's
thoughts in gopherspace too.

[1] gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/solderpunk/phlog/hobby-farming.txt