What could I do with 1/2 acre?

[MissRubyandKen]

We're first time home buyers thinking of buying a house on 1/2 acre. Realistically what could we do with 1/2 acre, still leaving the kids a bit of play space? Is this big enough to have a decent garden? What about a chicken or two, or a goat? I'm guessing no?

[xekomaya]

Sure it's big enough for chickens AND a goat. A lot of what you can do depends on the property orientation, sun exposure, climate, and what you consider a decent play space.

If you're swinging by the library, you might want to pick up the book "Backyard Homestead". I'm blanking on the author - the cover is green if that helps lol. The author asserts that you can grow the majority of your food on 1/4 acre, and "all" if you have another 1/4 acre for pasture and fruit trees. I think she must be in California because her estimates all seem very idealistic, but she has some neat garden plans. I probably wouldn't buy the book, but I found it inspiring and it seems to fit your situation.

[mattemma04]

I looked up this page that I read a few years ago.It will give you some ideas.They put my .87 acre lot to shame with how much they produce on a small lot.

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/20...th-to-freedom/

[Jenn_M]

A TON, depending on the layout of the house/lot. Have you visited Path to Freedom? They produce over 6,000 lbs of produce on 1/10th of an acre.

[MissRubyandKen]

xekomaya- thanks, that's awesome! I'm checking my library for that book

mattemma04 & Jenn_M - thanks for the links the website is great, amazing what they have done there

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by MissRubyandKen

We're first time home buyers thinking of buying a house on 1/2 acre. Realistically what could we do with 1/2 acre, still leaving the kids a bit of play space? Is this big enough to have a decent garden? What about a chicken or two, or a goat? I'm guessing no?

Short answer? It depends.

I have a .289 acre lot that has a split level 70's house smack in the middle. With underground utilities, road easement issues (can't put anything within 8 feet of the street), septic tank, etc.

But with this lot? We have 1200sf in various garden spaces (some raised beds, some just tilled ground, etc.), 3 mature apple trees, 1 mature and 1 teenage plum tree, 7 other baby fruit trees, huge lilac monstrosities (they passed "bush" status years ago), giant evergreens along the back fence, a clothesline, and an 8'x12' shed. And there's still lawn left that I had plans for (but alas, we need to sell so we can live in the same state as hubby's job). The kids love it - they like messing around and digging and planting, and the boys use my raised beds as an obstacle course and just chase each other around them. We can find empty, open spaces at the park - that hubby doesn't have to mow. It works for us.

As for the chicken/goat thing.... Check your zoning laws.

If I lived one block south within the town, I could have chickens. Since only the county has jurisdiction over my lot, and it's not .75+ acres and chickens are considered livestock (yeah, I know, goofy eh?), no, technically I can't have chickens here. Well, and a chicken coop to code is supposed to be 25+ feet away from any human-inhabited dwelling - like right where my outdoor clothesline is. It varies from town to town and county to county, quite wildly.

The goat... you'd definitely need fencing from what I've heard. And .5 acre won't be enough room to grow enough feed for your goat for the year, but certainly enough room to *have* a goat.

[salt_phoenix]

I have .48 acre and I have bees, chickens, quail and a goat. I also have large gardens that could be much much larger, a giant cherry tree, some shade trees, play area and have room for a few more fruit trees.

I'm in the city.
I don't grow all my animal feed on this (haven't tried) but they free range plenty. I don't buy a lot of chicken feed in the summer. It IS fenced.

You can do a lot with .5!!!!

[PenelopeJune]

This is all so very, very inspiring. We're moving onto 3 acres (it's a rental, but it's owned by MIL.) and it is giving me so much hope for what we can do with it. We're already planning a huge garden and chickens, and at some future point, a cow and bees. And if we end up getting to rent-to-own, I want to plant a bunch of fruit trees and bushes.

Thanks for the links and the book! I'll have to look for that at my library.

[mattemma04]

Originally Posted by salt_phoenix

I have .48 acre and I have bees, chickens, quail and a goat. I also have large gardens that could be much much larger, a giant cherry tree

Do you by chance have any photos online? I love to see what others are doing with their yards.

Are your bees in the traditional boxes or in that v type free hanging ones?

[salt_phoenix]

I have bees in a regular Langstroth hive, but we will be adding to the apiary with a TOP BAR HIVE (the v shaped ones) in the spring. My husband made one relatively simply.

My blog has a lot of pictures, I think. There is even a video there of me installing my bees last spring. At least it will point you to the photo albums if nothing else. lol. I haven't updated much in the last 6 months, so i missed a lot of the "little details" of the homestead that the photo albums might fill in.

[ihugtrees]

Subbing because I'm also interested in pictures--I am a visual kind of person!

[gardenmom]

A half acre is pretty big. I second the Backyard Homesteading book. Good read.

I think if you don't own it already and can choose what you buy, make sure you will get good sun. Avoid North facing slopes if you want to grow veggies/fruit.

[mattemma04]

Thanks for the blog link! I had to laugh seeing the prius.Dh just bought a new one and I had it stuffed with 4 bales of straw,salt,and feed bags.I could use a rack.Where did you get yours? I am going to seriously look into bees.Maybe I can get a local to help me start mine.I do have a lot of bees in the yard,but would loooove the honey and wax if I had a hive.

I only have some pics of my yard here at picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattemma06

[salt_phoenix]

Yeah, we use the prius for goat, hay, feed, chickens... we LOVE it!

The rack we got at a local specialty place. Anyplace that sells yakima or thule racks and bars, you should find something suitable.

I am hoping the garden area will be a lot more impressive this year. I definitely have more confidence and experience with livestock than I do with my green thumb, but I'd like to step that up a few thousand notches. lol
In spite of the fact that we are planning a major move in the late fall, that I am VERY excited about, I am going to hunker down this spring and summer and run the "farm" as if I were going to stay forever.

[salt_phoenix]

Originally Posted by mattemma04

Thanks for the blog link! I had to laugh seeing the prius.Dh just bought a new one and I had it stuffed with 4 bales of straw,salt,and feed bags.I could use a rack.Where did you get yours? I am going to seriously look into bees.Maybe I can get a local to help me start mine.I do have a lot of bees in the yard,but would loooove the honey and wax if I had a hive.

I only have some pics of my yard here at picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattemma06

if those pics were taken back in June, you probably have layers by now?

[JollyGG]

For Christmas my brother and SIL got us the book "The Backyard Homestead"

According to it, on 1/4 acre you could have 12 4X8 feet vegetable beds, various fruit trees, grapevines, and berry canes, strawberry beds and a kiwi arbor, a herb bed, a 25X50 patch of a single grail like wheat or oats, 12 chickenss, 2 pigs, rabbits, and 2 beehives. According to the book "by adding a quarter acre of pasture, you'd be able to keep two or three goats for milk or a beef steer to grow through the summer.

I haven't personally tried it. But it is an example of how very much you can do with planning and forethought.

[PenelopeJune]

Thanks to those who suggested The Backyard Homestead! I bought it this week and LOVE it. The great thing about it, is you can find something in there for you, no matter how big or small your yard. It's awesome.

And yeah, to add to the pps post, the back cover says on 1/4 acre, you can harvest: 1400 eggs, 50 pounds of wheat, 60 pounds of fruit, 2,000 pounds of vegetables, 280 pounds of pork, and 75 pounds of nuts. Obviously a lot depends on your climate and soil quality, the laws in your area, and the layout of your yard.