Homesteading 1/2 acre

I’m in the process of purchasing a small house on 2000 m2 (½ acre) in Bulgaria to get set up gradually over the next few years with a view to moving there permanently. I currently live in the UK and am hoping the Covid situation resolves enough that I can spend a couple of weeks there two or three times a year. Eventually my goal is to grow at least 50% of my own food, and possibly have some hens and bees.

There are a few obvious challenges there - the extremes of climate being one. Summers are hot, though it's not been common to get temps much over 32C (90F). Historically the area gets about 20" of rain a year, and at least an inch a month over summer. But I suspect with global warming those summers will get hotter and drier, and it seems autumns and winters are getting wetter. Local people are dependent on well water and fairly shallow bores to irrigate their orchards and vegetable gardens, but big farms are sucking the aquifers dry. Many shallow wells are now only seasonal, or completely dry. Unless there's one hidden somewhere in the undergrowth, my house doesn't have a well, anyway.

Winters- the region my house is in about 30 miles inland from the Black Sea, so that moderates the winter temps. They may go down to -15C (above 0 F), and it's not unusual to have a week where the temps never go above freezing. Maps show it as zone 7b. There’s some snow, but no prolonged deep snow cover. Seems autumn is the time for heavier rains. Other issues are possible high winds in winter.

Getting the roof repaired and rainwater collection in place will be my first priority, as water is so essential!

The house itself is "interesting". It's about 65m2 (just under 700 square feet), mudbrick on stone foundations. The walls are solid, but the roof is a crazy patchwork of half-circle terracotta tiles, flat cement roof tiles, sheet metal, and corrugated fibro, basically in terrible condition! It's T shaped with hipped roofs, but also has a couple of shed roofed additions, the bigger one the full width of the back of the house. No guttering. I am hoping to change it to a metal roof because it's lighter weight and will be cleaner for water collection, but the rafters underneath are very bowed so I'm not sure how easy it will be to do. They use green oak for house timbers, and so there's quite a bit of warping in the wood as it dries. Plus, I've done shed roofs and gable roofs in corrugated iron in Australia, but hip roofs with all those angles to cut - scary! Finding local people who can do it in metal won't be easy as it's not a traditional house roofing material.

Because the roof shape is so odd, I will probably need a few smaller tanks around the house rather than one big one. Or maybe just run the water from smaller roof sections to sunken garden beds away from the house. The back of the house should be able to catch a fair amount of water as there's the largest continuous roof surface there. There's also a gable-roofed shed with a corrugated fibro roof that could catch some water for garden and clothes washing use. The separate toilet roof will catch water for handwashing. Greywater will be recycled back into the garden.

I haven't calculated what my water requirements will be there. I won't be using a flush toilet, and I will be trying to minimise the need for extra water in the garden by small scale water harvesting earthworks. Here in the UK our household averages about 200L a day, but that's for two of us with a flush toilet which I would guess accounts for at least half our water usage, and a water-hungry garden that needs extra water in summer. The shack will usually have just a single occupant. Town water will be available, but in many areas there have been prolonged issues with no or severely reduced municipal water supply, so I want to plan to be self-sufficient for basic water needs if possible.

In the garden, there are some established fruit and nut trees and grapevines surviving without supplemental water - apricot, plum, and black walnut I recognise. It’s a bit of a jungle apart from directly around the house and I’m not sure what else is in there! From photos, the natural grasses growing there are green in autumn, freeze in winter, green up again in spring, and dry up brown in summer.

Any advice on things I need to be aware of setting up rainwater harvesting systems? I want rainwater tanks, but I’m not sure of design features for preventing freezes in cold climates where the tanks can’t be drained for winter.

Any suggestions for food or medicinal plants suitable for the climate - zone 7b, 20” rainfall a year, hot summers?

Anything you’ve learned on your journey you feel I need to pay special attention to?

Are there any images available?
Because its relatively small, it may be possible to get somebody to come from England to help with the roof in exchange for board and airfare?

it could work both ways. I have done that before.

Roof gables can always be strengthened, with more timber or even steel plates or steel screwed tension bars to hold them in place.
If its holding terracotta and cement tiles it should hold corrugated iron. Even if new battens are fitting with packing any new roof would be straight forward.
What materials are available locally;
- roofing
- spouting
- tanks
- roof screws
- roof insulation etc.
What area is it in I can research or ask friends there about their local knowledge.

Here is an interesting post about building materials availability in Bulgaria.
Its a forum for Expats.
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=64893

Here is another site to help people in that country
http://www.mybulgaria.info
And a company that may be able to help you.
http://www.sevsem.com/
And a company that sells metal roofing
Building material supplier

Anything you’ve learned on your journey you feel I need to pay special attention to?

Jane, this sounds like a very exciting adventure! Congratulations on taking this leap into the great unknown. The best thing I ever did here (7b, 730 ft2 mud building, and many other similarities), was to find a local (born and raised) master craftsman who specializes in traditional building. A goldmine of local building stories, field trips, little known techniques, and restorer of hidden landmark buildings, my teacher helped me deeply appreciate the long line of vernacular builder/homesteaders in my area. People like this know where the bodies are buried, what works and what fizzles. Look for the old timers, the quiet ones who are repairing houses like yours because they love them. They know the best of the old and the new approaches. They are immensely practical. Word of mouth is the only way to find these rare masters. Then share your learnings with us!

I have loads of photos. It's in Dobrich region, near General Toshevo on the north-east.

Amy, I truly hope I can find someone like that! What an amazing blessing it would be!

A nice relatively flat site

Jane, that is a really nice house.  Sounds like a very promising property.

Any suggestions for food or medicinal plants suitable for the climate - zone 7b, 20” rainfall a year, hot summers?

If I were doing a project like this, I would first look at perennial food.  What are some local perennials that do well there? What do local nurseries sell?

From photos, the natural grasses growing there are green in autumn, freeze in winter, green up again in spring, and dry up brown in summer.

I am not familiar with what grasses grow there though this sounds a lot like ryegrass.

Beautiful place Jane!
Very historical area half way between the 43rd and 44th parallel north, ~750 ft above sea level:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Toshevo
In addition to Anne's ideal suggestion about talking to local nursery experts, you are sure to get growies guidance from permies around the globe who live at this latitude and elevation who receive 20 inches of rainfall.

John C Daley wrote:A nice relatively flat site

Yes, it should help!

Anne Miller wrote:If I were doing a project like this, I would first look at perennial food.  What are some local perennials that do well there? What do local nurseries sell?
I am not familiar with what grasses grow there though this sounds a lot like ryegrass.

Thanks, Anne. My aim is to get perennial food plants growing as soon as I can, though they'll need to be ones than survive with minimal care once planted.
I'm not familiar with many of the local wild plants, either. It will be an adventure learning about them. There's a rich tradition of herbal medicine there, so I want to find out as much about that as I can.

Amy Gardener wrote:
In addition to Anne's ideal suggestion about talking to local nursery experts, you are sure to get growies guidance from permies around the globe who live at this latitude and elevation who receive 20 inches of rainfall.

Thanks, Amy. It's quirky and cute, and will be sure to be full of challenges! The history of the area is fascinating.
I'm hoping that others in similar climate zones will chime in with their favourite plants. There is at least one permaculture nursery in Bulgaria, in an area with a somewhat different climate, that has a good range of plants and seeds. But I will start with what grows well locally.

How is progress going?

Dobre Den Jane,

Though to give you some learned advice with having unattended property, especially when owned by foreigners, in Bulgaria. I lived in Bulgaria for years conducting business and consulting. I also spent about 3 months with Roma gypsies in the Rhodope Mountains to better know what they actually are about. As a freelance consultant I was all about Bulgaria and even though my Slovic language is now to be desired, I would take Bulgars about their own country.

Roman, how it works is this, if they know a out of the way house is vacant, they Will come as ghost and strip the house, even ripping the wiring from the walls and windows from their openings. It is easy to do when ya know how homes are built according to Bulgarian standard. I conducted a commercial project in Smolyan for a British chap and an Arab national, as well as, other properties in different parts of the country. The best was a mud and straw house restore near Veliko Tarnovo that was done to be a hostel. It is also one of the oldest type of building construction in that area, still standing. I think it dates back to Roman times not unlike homes in Nesebar.

Anyways, excuse me for getting side-tracked, if you plant food, it may not be animals you have to concern about robbing you for subsistence. Even though Bulgaria is part of NATO and the E.U., when I was there, many foreigners bought property as a vacation spot or to build up as you state with plans to reside there. Many would return from their home country to find their property and hard work dismantled. Get to know your neighbors Real well and be better than kind to them. Many neighbors try to steer clear of Roma given their ties with higher ups in Bulgarian criminality. If ya hire Roma to do odd work, steer clear with sharing too much personal details and first check wit the local municipality if that person has been vetted by them. Many Roma are trying to break free of the stigma that corrupt society has placed upon them, so do not take it as all Roma are of criminality. I do not share this to worry, scare or bring forth undo concern, just I know Bulgaria, Albania, Ukrainia, Romania, Turkey and Macedonia almost as good as Tennessee.

If ya ever need assistance with sifting through corruption, reach out to me. I can see what can be done. No, I am not soliciting, only helping fellow humans who actually seek to undo the harm done to our living vessel.

Mikhael

Hello again Jane. You might really enjoy this helpful book from The University of Arizona Press called, Adobe - Build It Yourself, by Paul Graham McHenry Jr. (ISBN 10: 0816503702 or  ISBN 13: 9780816503704). First printing was 1973 and the third printing, 1992. Some of the sections may not apply, but overall, I found it to be an extremely valuable resource. It is available new or used and is reasonably priced. The book examines the restoration of several historic buildings that relate to your project with instructive diagrams and photos. Landscaping is also a chapter. Enjoy this amazing experience.