Today we found ourselves reminiscing about our little farm back in Ohio as we settled in for the night at Tumble Farms.
We were invited to park our camper in the center of Nick and Maureen’s 10-acre farm for the night, on our travels through Gainesville, Florida.
Little did we know, after arriving there, we would be thrown back in time to when we started our little 3 acre farm back in 2010.
You see, this ambitious couple started their journey to own this property just a short 3 years ago.
And since then, with a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, cuts, bruises and more, their dream of owning a self-sustaining farm, is becoming a reality.
However, everyone knows, that being a ‘backyard farmer’ won’t support the basic needs to cover life expenses. And this is especially true in Florida.
Although, Nick and Maureen have found a way to make it work.
Property Sharing at Tumble Farm
The turning point for this couple is when they began to share their property with others.
And yes, I mean literally share their property, buildings, and structures with other tenants.
They are the current host to three, owner-occupied tiny homes that sit on the perimeter of their property. The homes are self-contained and the owners are active participants on the farm.
Although they earn a monthly income from each of these tenants, they also host nightly, weekly or monthly guests in three other separate units.
The first is the vintage Scamp, 5th wheel camper where Nick and Maureen lived while purchasing the property. It sits at the front entrance of Tumble Farms, shaded beautifully by an oak tree.
The Tofu House
And then there is the old pole barn that they termed ‘The Tofu House”. This space holds 3 beds and 1 bath and can accommodate a family of 6. The rustic, welcoming space is perfect for those that want to get away to a country atmosphere, yet still be close to the big city of Gainesville.
The Garden Cottage
And if you are looking for a peaceful, rustic getaway for 2 then you must stay at the Garden Cottage. Once a garden shed at Tumble Farms, the space is now converted into a 1 bedroom, 1 bath cottage.
Attached to the back of the cottage is a compostable toilet and shower room that includes state of the art bathroom equipment, including a large rainfall shower head.
The space even includes an outdoor, porch seating area with string lights for lighting at night.
But don’t think that it is too rustic. The garden cottage also has air conditioning and a heating unit to deal with the swings in temperature that are common in Florida.
And each of the guests are welcome to walk around Tumble Farms and enjoy the goats, hens, horses, donkey, cows, pigs, and whatever else you might find on the farm!
Just like when we started out building our dream back in Ohio, Nick and Maureen have found a way to make it work for them! And after speaking with them, they have a lot of wonderful projects and additions planned for their Tumble Farms in the future!
And we can’t wait to stay in touch and see where this journey takes them.
Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary
CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:
- Day 164 of 365
- States : 21/50
- National Parks / Monuments : 20
- Stayed In : Lake Butler, Florida
- Miles Driven : 144.7
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 17,630.9
- Total Gallons Used : 1268.4
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
- Hiking Miles : 1.2
- Hiking Miles To Date : 372.6
On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States
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