Outpost

This section follows the ongoing development of my long term goal to build a life rooted in the countryside.
It documents a place that is slowly being renewed, where I learn to balance between my studies and the reality of living closer to the land.

Here I explore what it means to create independence in a world built on dependence, to find my own corner where life can unfold at a slower and more human pace, apart from the constant demands of modern society.

Old Campfire Place

Forest Campfire Place

Garden

Food Preparation & Preservation

Food Storage

Archery

Clearing out old buildings and trash

Old Campfire Place

My first campfire place was simple but I liked it a lot.

It was built on uneven terrain with ditches around it, which made it difficult to improve by hand.

Later a tree fell over the site, so I decided to move on and start a new one.

In total I only spent about forty euros on it, and it was still a good beginning.

Forest Campfire Place

This small corner of the forest is where I am building a campfire area using old and natural materials, gathered slowly and with care.

It is meant to become a quiet sanctuary where I can spend time alone, think, and reconnect with the rhythm of nature.

I began by laying a simple stone foundation and decided to leave it through the winter to see how the ground would react to frost.

Some of the stones shifted and a few fell, but it helped reveal how the soil behaves in the cold.

I have been collecting more materials from the surrounding area, taking advantage of what nature and time have already provided.

There is an abundance of usable wood, stone, and other natural elements that can be found for free.

When building the fireplace, I focused on making it practical and safe to use in any weather.

The structure is designed to reflect and retain heat efficiently, providing warmth even during colder evenings while staying safe to use in summer.

I started dismantling an old shelter that was once used for cattle, standing beside a weathered stone wall that still marks the edge of the field.

Most of the structure had given in to time, with rusted metal, rotting wood, and nails worn thin by decades of rain.

I gathered and brought in some firewood to keep near the campfire site.

Most of it comes from fallen branches and older dry wood found around the forest.

I brought in a few simple sitting stools to make the campfire area more comfortable.

Now the place feels more welcoming, somewhere to pause for a while and simply be.

While taking down the old animal shelter, I set aside the parts that were still in good condition.

Some of the wood and metal pieces can be repurposed for building a small reflector or general shelter near the campfire site.

I brought in an old metal cylinder that was once a sauna stove and later used to heat a potato storage room.

I am not sure what I will use it for yet, but I kept it nearby to see if it inspires an idea later.

Sometimes it is enough just to have something there to spark creativity.

Garden

The garden is a small piece of land where I am learning to grow food and take care of the soil using simple and natural methods.
I want it to become a place of calm work, where I can see change happen slowly through the seasons.
It is both practical and personal, a way to connect with the land while creating something living and meaningful.

Turning the ground for next year.

My first attempt to create a food garde, albeit with very minimal budget.

Not a complete failure.

Beginning to see some results, potatoes are doing well and there's some fresh salad.

The soil was not used for a while, so It was rich in nutrients and potatoes grew exceptionally.

Clearing out more space for next years garden.

Turning the ground before winter.

Planning on planting strawberries here next year.

Keeping potatoes in the warmth before planting, to speed things up a little bit.

More space, more work.

Watering the rows now by hose and not carrying water by hand.

Attempted to make a zero budget greenhouse from a frame I got for free, and some cold weather covering. It served its purpose, but too high maintenance. I need to build an actual greenhouse at some point.

Mechanically removing weeds using old Massey Ferguson 35 tractor and old potato planting tool.

Onions growing.

Everything is expanding quickly in size.

Tea harvesting.

Food for birds.

Tea

Beets, oions, carrots.

Parsnip.

More carrots.

Nore beets.

Salads.

Potatoes.

Swedes.

Cabbage.

Preparing the soil for planting.

Onions growing.

This year was disappointing, almost everything died due to abnormally hot weather and no rain that lasted almost a month. I had to water even perennials, but watering garden would have been waste of time.

Preparation of fruit bush and tree planting.

Strawberries, haskap, saskatoon and raspberrie.

Planted an apple tree that should produce fruit later in season.

Planted a small meadow around the apple tree.

Small strawberries.

Food Preparation & Preservation

Food Storage

For now, this is a simple short-term solution made with a minimal budget to keep food cool and protected.

It works well enough for the moment, but I hope to build better storage in the future.

My goal is to eventually have a place where I can also cure and store meat, making the whole setup more self-sufficient.

This use to be an old flour storage room.

The room had a window that had been blocked at some point.

Used some tiles and cement to fix the edges of this hole in the corned, so I can better block it later with insulation.

Used burned chalk and water mixture to pain the room white, It's naturally protective layer that keeps it clean from bacteria, mold etc.

Another angle, painted room.

Added two layers of insulation to it, to keep the storage from going too cold during harsh winters when it can reach up to -35 outside of it.

I also painted the floor to keep it clean, added some cement in the floor paint mixture that was also water and burned chalk.

Storing vegetables inside the storage room

Archery

Clearing out old buildings and trash

Many of the old buildings here have been left untouched for decades, and over time both nature and neglect have taken over.

Inside and around them, layers of trash have built up, some of it left behind long ago, even from generations past. There is also litter scattered in the surrounding forest that I am slowly removing.

I am clearing the space to make room for future projects and possible renovations, and to let the place breathe again.

Hate trash.

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