What would you do with ONLY one acre?

chewie · #21 04/13/12, 07:37 PM

we have many more acres in pasture, but for the house itself, I am aiming for almost no 'yard' in the traditional way. the front is just gravel, and past that is a large grassy spot we fence for horses, and someday it'll be a round pen. the backyard is where I'm doing all the gardening. I have just never understood doing all that work to get a lawn growing just to complain all summer long that you now must mow it?!! and the noise of a mower, eww.

my backyard is maybe 1/4 or so acre, and its got lots planted like others said. in the end, I aim to be able to use a few passes with either a small push or even a reel mower. the rest will be on my plate.

the barnyard pens are built in a 'wheel' type idea--the barn and water is in the hub. so to feed and water its just a matter of a hose and a bucket. the pens go long, a hutch in each, and feed pans etc. at the top/hub.

last summer I went to visit mom in iowa. took a different, more scenic route. I was totally amazed at the size of some 'lawns'. I'm talking several acres to mow???? they plant a few bushes or flowers around the house, I seen NO gardens to speak of. buildings (new) were placed at such far out spacings, that it left tons of land just to mow. and it was all obviouslly seeded and groomed, looked like a golf course. that doesn't just happen, they had t put sooo much effort/money/time into....lawn. I do not get that??!!!

kvr28 · #22 04/13/12, 08:02 PM

you can have them watch this

unregistered168043 · #23 04/13/12, 08:03 PM

Sell it, go to a cheaper area and buy 5 acres.

kvr28 · #24 04/13/12, 08:06 PM

this is a larger spread at 4 acres, but gives good ideas and suggestions

retiredbop · #25 04/13/12, 08:14 PM

My youngest brother used to live in this "estate development" in Stafford VA. He owned the smallest lot and the smallest house permitted in the place; 3500 sq ft (not including the basement) on 3 acres. Everything else was larger and some of those manicured properties were 10 acres. And you are right, not more than one shrub or tree per half acre. Truly sad. They probably spend more on lawn care than I spend on electricity each month. Where is the logic in that?

BakerBen · #26 04/13/12, 08:20 PM

i think people get caught up in having enough acreage to raise cows, horses etc. In reality your first farm is PROBABLY not going to go in that direction. you can get anything on an acre.
I have more than an acre but IF I had one acre it would look similar to the diagram posted earlier. i'd have fruit trees but more than a dozen chickens, a very large garden, some rabbits, but no bees, i'd also only plant certain herbs for a little organic pest prevention but growing herbs for myself really iisnt my thing as of yet.

jwal10 · #27 04/14/12, 09:01 AM

We have 1 acre, 3 pygora goats, 3-5 chickens, 2 rabbit does and a buck and 20 pigeon pairs. Large garden, raised beds and a small 6'x8' aquaponic greenhouse with yellow perch. Yard is very small, I only hand mow a 12'x20' area with a lot of clover but the rabbits keep most of that nibbled down. I make my hay by hand from the meadow with a walking scycle mower. I glean a lot from the forest land behind us, hunt, fish. We buy very little....James

MO_cows · #28 04/14/12, 09:32 AM

The problem for me with just one acre is the likelihood of neighbors. Usually a one acre lot is surrounded by other lots and neighbors. This really limits what you can do. The example illustration of beehives and pigs on the back property line would probably have your neighbor behind you in a tizzy in about 15 minutes.

If you get more rural and have more land, you can still intensively use and manage your "core" one acre around your home but also have a buffer zone between you and any neighbors.

Wags · #29 04/14/12, 10:00 AM

Yes neighbors could be an issue, as could zoning regs with that small of a lot. But it is doable and the books previously mentioned are a good place to start for ideas. My major gripe with those books is that they barely mention Nigerian Dwarf goats.

Many cities are now allowing Pygmy or Nigerians goats. Pygmy's are a meat breed, Nigerians are a dairy breed. And if you get goats from a breeder that is breeding for milk production there is no reason you can't be getting a 1/2 gallon or more a day from a 20" tall doe. Of course in that small of a space you may not be able to have a buck, so its best to have a buck lined up for breeding before you buy does.

The goats and chickens can share the same pen, IF you set up separate housing and a way for the chickens to be fed without the goats being able to get into it. The chickens will scratch around and distribute the goat manure, keeping down parasites and the few flies that might develop. (Goat poop does not draw flies like cow poop does.)

I got my start in goats from folks that have less than an acre and have a single buck & his wether companion in a small pen. Nigerian bucks generally are not as smelly as their larger counterparts mostly because the does cycle year round so there isn't one big rut season - although fall does bring stronger heats and a little more smell. All that to say, if the neighbors can't see the buck pen, and it isn't bordering their property and there isn't zoning to prevent his being there you could get away with a buck. Or get a young buck (less than a yr old) every year to bred your does and then sell or butcher him once you have bred your does so that you don't have one year round.

So on one acre - 1/4 acre for your house/garage, 1/4 acre paddock for Nigerians & chickens, 1/2 acre for garden/orchard. Some of what is grown in the garden/orchard can also be used to feed the goats/chickens. Or if you don't want as big of garden you could give the goats/chickens more room. And you can plant fruit trees in the "pasture" providing you give then adequate protection from the goats. (5' no-climb horse fence works for us.)

farmgal · #30 04/14/12, 03:48 PM

you can buy the grafted fruit trees that have branches of pears, say on an apple tree to save space in the yard. terr gardening too.

wes917 · #31 04/14/12, 05:10 PM

I would be ecstatic with an acre LOL. I have far less than that and have half a dozen blueberry bushes, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, kiwis, strawberries, and a decent garden in a city lot. I use the front yard a little with edible landscapes. There's a lot you can do if you get creative.

Big Dave · #32 04/14/12, 06:04 PM

7/8 of an acre is what my friend grows on. They have 23 acres. He got 20 grand off his farm last year. Yep that is his selling crops. He has a garden to feed his family.

wes917 · #33 04/14/12, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmgal

you can buy the grafted fruit trees that have branches of pears, say on an apple tree to save space in the yard. terr gardening too.

You could also purchase columnar apple trees.

Wildfire_Jewel · #34 04/14/12, 07:21 PM

We have 9/10ths of an acre. I have ALOT of raised beds for veggies and strawberries. Rasberries along a fence line. Chickens (hens only) and ducks. We do raise a batch of the mutant cornish and we are trying meat ducks (Pekins) this year as well. We have about 20 breeder rabbits as well. I have also planted mulberry and apple trees and hope to get a nectarine or pear this spring yet. And we have 3 grape vines as well. I want to try hops at some point and hope to put in some type of nut tree, probably hazelnuts. I will be putting in more raised beds to increase the amount of pumpkins and winter squash I can grow for the animals winter feed. I also grow several long rows of sunflowers but it is a race to see who gets them first - us or the goldfinches! This is ALL in our back yard as we are in a pretty restrictive township that unfortunately I don't see us getting away from any time in the near future. I figured, I would just do as much as I could, where we are right now, rather than waiting in frustration until we could move.

Shenandoah · #35 04/14/12, 08:28 PM

I'm going to be moving to a very small 0.12 acre yard with a tiny house on it this summer. I plan to do raised beds, have chickens and rabbits and eventually try to have a few goats. I also want to try to build a small hoop house for winter gardening/aquaponics system, not sure if there's going to be room for that, but it's in the plans. The Dervaes are a huge inspiration and I would really like to be as productive as them; although it will be harder since it's only me and my 6 yr old. I will try to do as much vertical gardening as possible and utilize as much of what little space that I will have. I am pretty excited about moving and can't wait to get started

stef · #36 04/14/12, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredbop

All great ideas! Please, keep'm comin'.

I have considered adding that Backyard Homestead book to my own library but didn't know if it was worth the money. Sounds like I'll be hitting Amazon for a copy.

I'd love to add a feeder piglet or two to the backyard, but my neighbors would NEVER let me get away with it. I just barely won the argument over my chickens. It seems they are considered "small animals" and thus legal in the village. Pigs, however, are livestock and thus are not legal.

Now meat rabbits ,,,,,, a distinct possibility.

I'm glad you can have chickens. Any limit as to how many? I recently found out that in our little town we may have up to three as long as we keep them no less than 15 away from the fence.

By the way...Williamsport, lovely town. Hope you like it there. (:

Sanza · #37 04/14/12, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredbop

My youngest brother used to live in this "estate development" in Stafford VA. He owned the smallest lot and the smallest house permitted in the place; 3500 sq ft (not including the basement) on 3 acres. Everything else was larger and some of those manicured properties were 10 acres. And you are right, not more than one shrub or tree per half acre. Truly sad. They probably spend more on lawn care than I spend on electricity each month. Where is the logic in that?

They haven't been hungry yet, or got sick with e-coli, salmonella, mrsa or listeria from their store bought food, but once people start realizing how much contaminants are in their store bought food they might start growing their own.

ChristieAcres · #38 04/15/12, 02:55 AM

Sell it and buy more acreage! As long as it doesn't have a pond or creek on it, you could do a lot with 1 acre, however, CCR's, Zoning Restrictions, even City/County can get involved in restricting use. Then, add neighbors, ouch! We had 1 acre, had 20 fruit trees (semi-dwarf mostly), 12 Blueberry Bushes, Grapevines, massive Kiwi Vines, 20 ft Raspberry Row, Strawberries, Currants, and a very nice garden. We also had lots of noise, couldn't have chickens there (zoning...), couldn't have pigs (zoning & CCR's), but we could have had a few rabbits.

Now, if you had an acre, out in the country, bordering forest or other undeveloped property, that is a different story. It would still be too small for our purposes. Out of 6.68 acres, we cleared almost 2, which is all in use, and the remaining property is in forest (we heat with firewood). In fact, we have 2nd growth bordering all 4 sides of our property, for added privacy. We can see one neighbor's home through the trees on the N side, also peaks of the Hood Canal. If the neighbors cut down their trees, we would have a nice view and higher taxes (no thanks). Here, no CCR's, more than 2.5 acres, so we can do a lot with our property. After research on zoning restrictions (County specific), I wouldn't be on less than 5 acres!

I could care less about grass and eventually want it all gone. DH doesn't care if I turn our backyard into a Permaculture garden. When I have the funds available, I will be doing that. We currently have 9,000 sq ft devoted to garden areas and our orchard. Another 1/2 acre will be set aside for raising pigs (2 1/4 acre fenced areas for rotation). Another 1/4 acre will be fenced for 2 mini-goats (for milking). Also, I am deciding where the future greenhouse will be built... We currrently have (2) 10' X 20' garden cabins, a little greenhouse, a chicken house, and a pighouse.

clovis · #39 04/15/12, 06:36 AM

My orchard and garden are each about a quarter acre. I have a couple of chicken lots though, both small. I let the chickens out in the day to roam around, so I don't have to feed them. I have 23 chickens right now, I grow more than enough fruit and vegetables. Not much of a meat eater, but I obviously eat a lot of eggs!! Other than spices, flour, and sugar, I'm self sufficient using just a half acre. I do have a half acre front yard, which I once set about to plant in fruit trees. I just don't need any more fruit trees. The rest of it is just a buffer, I guess. I DO have another garden which I'm no longer using simply because I grow more than I need already.

retiredbop · #40 04/15/12, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stef

I'm glad you can have chickens. Any limit as to how many? I recently found out that in our little town we may have up to three as long as we keep them no less than 15 away from the fence.

Stef, no such considerations here. And my neighbor, bless him, actually went to the town board when I got a rooster claiming a "noise nuisance". Board said there wasn't anything wrong with it. The breeding hasn't worked out anyway, so I think Bullwinkle might be headed for the freezer this fall. Some parts of Williamsport are pretty, but if you read our local paper you wouldn't want to live in the city. And I can pretty much guarantee I'd never get away with chickens inside the limits. I live a few miles out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanza

They haven't been hungry yet, or got sick with e-coli, salmonella, mrsa or listeria from their store bought food, but once people start realizing how much contaminants are in their store bought food they might start growing their own.

Sanza, I write a chicken column for a monthly newspaper which focuses on independence doing as much fr yourself as you can. (The Valley Newspaper can be viewed online) I have made several references to that very situation in the last 18 months that I've been writing it.