what do you think? 1.5 acres to feed a family of 4?

cindy-e · #1 08/09/12, 11:29 AM

http://pinterest.com/pin/227080006180827759/

Some of these measurements seem a bit tight to me. what do you think?

Sigh... I can never get pictures to work from my computer on this site. Ever.

emdeengee · #2 08/09/12, 11:42 AM

They seem a bit tight to me as well but then I think back to the small holdings that I have seen in Europe and they did as much or more in the same space. I think we are "supersized" in our view of land as well. And when I think back to how much we grew on our suburban property and my parents property that totalled an acre for both (no animals though) I think that with the right conditions and lots of organization and crop rotation you could do it. We split the growing. My parents grew all the fruit - apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermelon,canteloupe and grapes and we grew all the vegetables and herbs. Grain was a mediocre success.

Lizza · #3 08/09/12, 03:04 PM

My sister has around 2 acres and there is a lot that can be done with that amount of land.

The animal requirements are on the real low side though, 207 sq ft for 3 pigs, 65 sq ft for 13 chickens, and 100 sq ft for 2 Nubian goats, I honestly couldn't imagine keeping them in that close of quarters, not sure where they got those numbers? I am thinking it was someone that has never tried to keep chickens, goats, and pigs

That said you could keep those animals plus a huge garden and many fruit trees/bushes on my sisters 2 acres, easily.

suzyhomemaker09 · #4 08/09/12, 03:08 PM

I think a goat in the 10 x 10 , 100 sqf area is not reasonable

oth47 · #5 08/09/12, 03:13 PM

Interesting concept,but what are the critters going to eat?I'm not at all sure you can feed that many animals and humans too on that much land.

wvdexters · #6 08/09/12, 04:08 PM

My guess is it depends alot on the location and type of land. How long is the growing season? How fertile the ground? Rainfall? Hilly or Flat? It would not be near enough in my area. Not if you wanted animals too.

PNWKatie · #7 08/09/12, 04:21 PM

I wonder if they figured in vertical growing or high intensity square foot gardening. That would required a lot less sq ft and cut that number way down I would think. The number of sq ft for chicken in penned seems a bit small, but if you also free range them than I would think that would be plenty. Don't know enough about the other animals to make a statement one way or the other.

Pam6 · #8 08/09/12, 06:04 PM

I think with a LOT of hard work it would be doable. I have 1.65 acres and I grow enough beans, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes for my family of 8 for a year. As well as eggs and milk. I could cut WAY down on my chicken pen and my goat pen for more planting area. I have friends who have several goats (think 20) on a space smaller than 1/4th the size of my goat pen! It said on the diagram that the feed was brought in for the animals.

I am in the process of raising enough food for my meat rabbits.

The layout in the diagram is also more ideal for food growing than the layout of my property. 1/3rd of my property is front yard with have of that having my septic system on it. only 2/3rds of my is backyard.
I have a 100' by 10' section on the property line next to the septic that is all sunflowers and I could plant nearly that entire section with sunflowers for feeding the chickens and rabbits if I wanted to.

I am working on planting the front yard with an orchard. If I had it all planted the way I wanted I could grow enough fruit in just my front yard for my family for a year.

Green beans go gang busters here and I could grow a TON of those and trade with other people as well. I have considered putting some fencing down the one side of my property line and growing green beans on them.

If I were to cut down the HUGE willow tree that separates the front side yard (septic) and back side yard (goat pen), then cut the goat pen in half, still leaving the goats with plenty of room I could grow more than enough corn for my family of 8 for a year plus enough to at least supplement the animals.

I feel that IF I put enough work into it I could grow enough food on my 1.65 acres to feed my family for a year. Our diet might be REALLY boring but I think I could do it!
A friend has a green house with the standing pots in them and they grow a massive amount of food in it! I have enough room on my property for a green house like that as well. A green house would help A LOT!!

I think I could eat roasted chicken, home canned green beans, mashed potatoes, and cinnamon spiced warmed apples 3 times and week and not get bored with that though! YUM!

Danaus29 · #9 08/09/12, 06:29 PM

All the livestock areas seem way too small, way too small. And the corn section is misleading, in the teeny tiny little print it says the corn patch was not included in the total calculation.

Corn is a pretty poor use of land, unless you are growing it for sweet corn and cutting the stalks and feeding them to the critters as the corn is harvested.

rambler · #10 08/17/12, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindy-e

Self Reliance / Homesteading Quantified: How Much Land You Need To Go Off The Grid

Some of these measurements seem a bit tight to me. what do you think?

Sigh... I can never get pictures to work from my computer on this site. Ever.

That is the nuttiest thing I've seen in a while.

What good does .06 of an acre of corn do? less than 10 bushels of corn, what good is that for the livestock mentioned - a snack for a week, then what do you feed them?

Whare is the pasture for the critters? The yards are very small - perhaps efficient, but not really homesteadery....

--->Paul

Ann-NWIowa · #11 08/17/12, 12:50 PM

It would depend on the land's tilth, location, etc. Then factor in the weather. This year in Iowa you'd starve. Most years you'd be giving away veggies.

I think its John Seymour's books that have plans, layouts for various sized acreages and what can be produced. There is also an older book Five Acres and Independence by Kains that has good ideas.