What would you do???

House faerie · #1 05/30/07, 09:28 AM

Hello! I am new... very new, new to homesteading, gardening you name it.
My husband and I are in the process of purchacing an old farm hose with seven acers. the land is mostly grass and grazing land, there are a few trees... black walnut, pine... very few for the amount of land.

I am curious, if you were me, what would you choose to do with this land?
What would you do first/ what would you not do.
Just getting ideas right now.
Also, can you recomend a few books? I have The Backyard Poultry Book and Squarefoot Gardening.

EasyDay · #2 05/30/07, 09:38 AM

What is your ultimate goal?
Do you need to make a living from your homestead, or is it just a hobby?
Do you plan to raise your own food... meat? veggies? fruit?
What are your interests, and how can your land best accomodate those interests?

More information, please.
The best place to start would probably be "why" you decided to homestead.

Some good books that talk about a variety of things are:

The Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery
Country Wisdom & Know-how, from the Editors of Storey Books

Looking through books like these may give you ideas about what you may want to try because they cover so many topics.

Whatever you end up focusing on, just remember that you CAN change your plan if it's not working. This is your own quest, so no matter what others recommend or advise against... whatever makes you feel fulfilled is what you should do.

We are here to help.

bill not in oh · #3 05/30/07, 09:49 AM

"Survey" your land to find the prime locations for any permanent plantings (fruit/nut trees, berries, grapes, etc) and set those aside for that purpose - plant 'em as soon as you can. Make a list of produce that you'd want to raise for personal use and for sale - calculate the garden area necessary to raise them - then till twice as much space as that will require and begin to amend the soil for it. Decide what livestock, if any, that you want to raise and plan buildings, equipment and fencing to accommodate them. Then it's all over but the sweating....

Wisconsin Ann · #4 05/30/07, 09:54 AM

Locate your nearest local feedmill. check out what crops and animals are being grown in the area. Meet the neighbors

Kind of depends on what you want to do with the land...are y ou going to live on it and grow your own food? Or is it a hobby farm? Will it be your only income?

If you have outbuildings, I'd suggest chickens as a first animal. Largish garden area, too. A bit late this year to do a lot with a garden, but tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans. Get things ready for next year, certainly. Plant garlic this fall for next year harvest. Other things get planted in the fall for spring harvest, also.

Reason I suggest chickens: eggs and meat. they can forage to reduce your feed $$ by maybe 25%. fairly easy to take care of IF you have a place to keep them at night.

If your acreage is fenced, a feeder calf would provide meat. goats, too. They'll keep down the weeds and such nicely. but goats need a GOOD fence.

You could also raise rabbits. Nice eating. check out the rabbit forum here.

You could also share a cow/calf/steer with a friend. They buy it (or at least 1/2) and you take care of it on your farm. Pig might work for you also. Pigs are called "mortgage lifter" for a reason. They eat almost anything and fatten up nicely for fall slaughter.

I'd plant fruit trees as soon as feasible, too. They take a couple years to get up to speed, so you need to start.

You could also consider bees. Great to have your own honey. Easy to take care of. You just need to overcome the fear of bees. (A bit pricey to get started up, however) But you only need one or two hives to get enough honey for you, your family, and a bunch of friends

well...that's my suggestion off the top of my head.

EasyDay · #5 05/30/07, 09:56 AM

Research, research, research.

Then venture into areas of homesteading that you are truly ignorant about and research some more. A less obvious idea just might be the one you're looking for!

fordy · #6 05/30/07, 09:59 AM

...................For me , the very first thing I took care of was making sure I had an all weather road leading to my home . My land was all clay and I was 400 feet off the asphault so it took lots of #2 road base to make it happen , LOL $$$ . Next , I built a perimeter fence that was dog proof on both sides and would accomodate any species of animal I cared to house on my property . Both of these items are necessary prior to any further plans you have as they facilitate your everyday activity on your property . , fordy...

Wolf mom · #7 05/30/07, 10:19 AM

First, I'd live & walk the land for a while. Get to know it. Where are the prevailing winds? How does the property drain? What kind of soil do I have? What kind of wild animals are around? What you want to do with the land will evolve as your interests grow.

Things like that need to be answered as you don't want to move gardens, you want to build sheds to block wind if possible & convenient. Animal pens/pastures placed so the prevailing wind blows away from your house.

Then I'd move slowly. You'd be suprised at the time & work that's involved. Fruit trees take a long time to mature & don't require a lot of time so they'd be a priority. As would shade trees around the house. A small garden, maybe chickens.

Everyone here will have good suggestions, read, choose what fits for you as there are many differing opinions. And remember all the forums here are super.

bachelorb · #8 05/30/07, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by House faerie

What would you do first/ what would you not do.
Just getting ideas right now.

What I would do is find the friendliest neighbor you got when your saying your howdys and find out what they're raising and why. Then offer to help him/her every chance you get and watch what they do.

What I wouldn't do is read a book on it. Funny thing about books, when life on the farm is falling apart, the book won't help you a bit..... but your neighbor will.

oz in SC · #9 05/30/07, 10:26 AM

Is there fencing in place?

If you want more trees plant them as quickly as you can,trees take forever to grow to any size.

I like the John Seymour book,it has some incredible 'plans' for small farms like yours.

bachelorb · #10 05/30/07, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolf mom

Everyone here will have good suggestions, read, choose what fits for you as there are many differing opinions. And remember all the forums here are super.

Ooops. Forgot that one.

House faerie · #11 05/30/07, 11:04 AM

Wow, this place is awesome!
Lots of helpful replys, all things I am considering.

The land was owned by a couple who owned much more of the land which is just off the highway and up a hill. They sold all the land piece meal until only the 6.92 acers which the house is on was left. The neighbors dont seem too interested in farming, most of the places are neat as a pin. There is a place down the way which has horses and another with a few ponds which I guess used to be for pay fishing.

The land is not fenced but that is one of the first things we would like to do after we build an outbuilding (on an existing foundation) for storage as we will need to make a large room out of the 24x24 attached garage to be used as a school room. My husband is a teacher and we have six children so finances are tight. We do not know for sure what type of fencing to do at this point.

We would like to do chickens for sure and possibly latert a few goats, maybe a cow...

How do you go about finding out if you are allowed to do this type of thing? I mean, if the neighbors complain about stray chickens...LOL

We would like to try and be more self sustaining, and if it works out, maybe find a way to profit from it as well.

Thanks guys!!

fordy · #12 05/30/07, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by House faerie

Wow, this place is awesome!
Lots of helpful replys, all things I am considering.

The land was owned by a couple who owned much more of the land which is just off the highway and up a hill. They sold all the land piece meal until only the 6.92 acers which the house is on was left. The neighbors dont seem too interested in farming, most of the places are neat as a pin. There is a place down the way which has horses and another with a few ponds which I guess used to be for pay fishing.

The land is not fenced but that is one of the first things we would like to do after we build an outbuilding (on an existing foundation) for storage as we will need to make a large room out of the 24x24 attached garage to be used as a school room. My husband is a teacher and we have six children so finances are tight. We do not know for sure what type of fencing to do at this point.

We would like to do chickens for sure and possibly latert a few goats, maybe a cow...

How do you go about finding out if you are allowed to do this type of thing? I mean, if the neighbors complain about stray chickens...LOL

We would like to try and be more self sustaining, and if it works out, maybe find a way to profit from it as well.

Thanks guys!!

................A well built perimeter fence will be $$$$ . You might consider a less expensive idea , where you , layout a big area (square or rectangle) area that would enclose your home , dog runs , small barn and animal holding area's . This space might be 400 x400 . Build a strong perimeter fence around this small area and then decide how you will cross fence "it" based upon your future considerations . After all you can put up an electric fence as a perimeter fence for cattle and horses until such time as finances allow you too build as you would "like too" from the getgo . Sheep , goats and other small animals don't do well with electric fences and they don't prevent Predation by coyotes and neighbor's dogs . Good luck , fordy...

bachelorb · #13 05/30/07, 11:42 AM

I agree with Fordy. Perimeter fencing costs a bunch. Here's where the big circle starts....... You have to decide what you want. Heres why. On good pasture, you can have 6 goats or sheep an acre. Or you can have one cow/calf pair every two acres (These are only examples.... right now, because of the drought, I can barely support earthworms). I think you can run a ewe lamb pair with the cow calf without any additional land. So if you wanted 10 goats you could get by on two acres fenced or if you wanted a cow and a couple of goats you could get by with the same.

Now, when I started this post, I wasn't even going to say anything about that. I was going to tell you (in my opinion) that I would think about building a pole barn instead of using the existing foundation. They are a heck of a lot cheaper and a lot more versitle. Need more equipment storage, well, you just take off a section of siding, and you have a new equipment barn. Need to pen livestock, buy 4 $15 cattle panels and you've got 4 15 foot walls.

For pole barn plans look here . This is the best building plan site known to man...... and its free......

Good Luck,
Brad

jen74145 · #14 05/30/07, 11:47 AM

The lady asks about books and nobody mentions Carla? Tsktsk, lol!
Anwya, Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. Teaches you to do everything, milk a cow, preseve garden goodies, buld a root cellar, butcher, bake...
Jen... one reformed city girl who would be lost without it!

farmergirl · #15 05/30/07, 12:00 PM

Get yourself a copy of John Seymour's "The self-sufficient Life". That will tell you all you need to know about what's possible on a small farm.

EasyDay · #16 05/30/07, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jen74145

The lady asks about books and nobody mentions Carla? Tsktsk, lol!
Anwya, Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. Teaches you to do everything, milk a cow, preseve garden goodies, buld a root cellar, butcher, bake...
Jen... one reformed city girl who would be lost without it!

Yes... it was in post #2.

RosewoodfarmVA · #17 05/30/07, 03:37 PM

My two cents, don't build anything that you won't get your money back in sale value if you choose to decide to sell it later. We went from city to 8 acres, and that felt huge, but after fencing and building and planting fruit trees, etc., four years later we sold it and purchased 123 acres. That "huge" 8 acres suddenly felt so small, so we knew we needed more to meet our needs. Now that we've been here 5 years and have fenced and cross fenced the whole farm and built barns, pond, etc, it also feels smaller than it once did! Once you get to know a property and get adjusted to it, it will feel much smaller, and you'll realize that it can't meet your expectations.

6 acres won't give you enough for a house, garden, fruit trees, chickens, and "maybe a cow" so you must make your expectations match the land if you are really going to stay there awhile. Otherwise, consider that place to be a "stepping stone" to a larger property that you can do more with, and only make improvements that will "pay off" should you decide after several years that you really need more land. When we were on 8 acres, we maxed out the potential very quickly with just fruit trees, several goats, a large garden, and chickens, and my dad's horse, and were glad that the improvements we made were such that the place was more appealing to potential buyers, and so we made money on it. We knew that land could never support what we wanted to put on it.

You have to have realistic expectations of what each animal needs to support it. What I'm getting at is don't pour alot of money into that small of a property until you are absolutely sure that it will meet ALL of your desires and then some. Start slow, with low input animals like chickens, and a garden. After awhile you'll know if that place will meet your needs, then go for the more permanent things like a barn, fencing, etc. that cost so much. Now that we have this farm we are able to do all that we wanted before, chickens, cows, goats, acres of veggies, and orchard, as well as timberland to meet our building needs. Everywhere you look you can find people with 6 acres and some animals, and usually the land is overworked, overgrazed, unproductive, etc because the owners are trying to do too much for the land. Better to have your wants outlined from the start, and decide what you have to have and what you can give up, because 8 acres just won't support much. Don't jump into barns and fences ($$$) without a logical plan and reason behind them. My 2c

#18 05/30/07, 04:13 PM

Call your County Courthouse and ask someone about zoning for homes with 5+ acres in that area..if they don't know, they'll tell you who does..

Where I live in MO, you could have an elephant there if you chose ..no zoning at all for anything except waste systems..love it.

Maura · #19 05/30/07, 04:37 PM

Another book, anything by Ruth Stout. If you are going to do lasagne gardening, you can start right away, whether flowers or vegetables.

We have 6.6 acres with a house and pond. A small garden can grow a lot, especially with planning. Since you have six growing kids, you would want to think about starting a garden and start making your mistakes. Make sure you keep a yard for the kids to play in.

If your land is zoned agriculture, then you can have livestock as well as a vegetable stand. If you have neighbors right across the road, you want to consider their sensibilities and rethink pigs. As for a calf, if you get an older calf you can finish it on pasture and butcher him when it's time to feed hay. Chicks are adorable and you can probably get the kids interested in caring for them when they arrive in the mail. Buff orpingtons are nice and are good foragers. I'd start with a dozen and see how you do. The roosters will be put to freezer camp as soon as they start crowing, which is about 6 months of age for an orpington, 4 months for a smaller bird.

Because calfs and sheep prefer different foods, you can keep sheep on the same property you keep the calf. You can put three or four ram lambs of a meat breed in with the calf and butcher them when its time to buy hay. You want a breed that doesn't get "territorial" until older so that you don't have to rush butchering to get rid of a mean ram. Butchering all the pasture animals at the end of the season gives you time to think about raising and breeding animals. It's fairly cheap to buy weaned lambs and calves. If you get involved in breeding animals you have more worry and more work.

Go to your county extension office. Your land may be eligible for farm subsidies, grants, or loans. They can also help you figure out what will grow well on your new farm, and what won't.

House faerie · #20 05/31/07, 10:25 AM

Ok, so it looks like we will decide how much 'yard' area we want and fence that. Plant what we can plant to get something out of this Indiana summer, then plan better next summer. Get 15-20 chickens in the Spring. And build a pole barn. :baby04:

Now, I will need to research chicken types, move an little exixsing out building and convert it to a chicken house, fence material cost, pole barn cost, decide what I want to plant to can, learn to can, learn about goats..goat milking, soap making... LOL OH and keeping cyotes away from my children!!
(I'll start w/ the books)