Adjusting the dream...

[canesisters]

Oh the adventure!!!!
That is a whole new ballgame of growing season. Rabbits will burry you in manure in no time. And if you're not careful... they'll burry you in rabbits too. I'm so excited for you.
Will your daughter be helping in the gardening enterprise? Perhaps you can add on to your gardening space by enlisting some of hers???

 

[digitS']

This is the time of year for planning, Lesa! Gardening should be fun and planning can be, too .

You can break down the idea of food self-sufficiency with a few simple math steps. You can actually get it down to calories per square foot - especially if you think in terms of potatoes .

Steve

 

[Beekissed]

I agree with Ridgerunner. Growing enough fresh food on that acreage would definitely be doable, but I'd keep the livestock small~rabbits and chickens. I'd start a BTE garden method to build soil and go from there.

All your food needs could be provided on that space if you managed it well and adjusted your food wants/needs(as in how much grains you can grow to provide yourself in bread and chickens in any grain based feeds). You may be able to barter for grain.

You could do bees for use in sweetening for recipes. Dairy can be bartered for if you simply must have it...many of us rarely ever use/consume dairy so it can be done quite easily.

Total self-sufficiency is almost impossible in today's world, but you can go a long way towards it on 2 acres. I've always had the dream of a farm too, but I've since learned you can grow where you are planted~quite literally.

 

[Smart Red]

@lesa, know that your dream can take fruit in a yard of that size. In the case of dedicated gardeners, size doesn't always matter. There are so many ways to meet your goals, but with a smaller space the gardening will be more intensive.

As you find out what is and isn't permitted where you have purchased your new home, you will devise ways to journey closer to independence. Even in a front yard, trellises, fencing, and plantings can be done to hide the chicken coop or rabbit homes and make them esthetically pleasing to the neighborhood.

Keep us abreast of what you are doing. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Some of us are working with even smaller spaces.

 

[catjac1975]

Well, I always dreamed of my "someday farm". It was to be around 20 acres with a couple of out buildings and barns...you know what I mean. That is a doable dream in upstate NY. Land is cheap and there are plenty of old farms around. My daughter has moved to Florida and I would like to join her down there. Looking at real estate, I realize I am going to have to adjust my dreams for the future. It looks unlikely that I will end up with more than an acre or two, and what passes as a barn in Florida is not what I was thinking!
My question... is it possible to grow enough food on that small space to be fairly self-sufficient? I realize I will be able to garden year around. Maybe that will make up the difference in space? I have seen all those magical pictures of one acre lots with a cow, chickens and growing all food. I assume that is an exaggeration? Anyone doing anything like this?

You will have to adjust your gardening techniques. My SIL grew tomatoes in what northerners all spring. They grow a foot a day. She never got as one as they dried up when the heat set in-not from lack of water-too much heat. I'm sure you have to choose your varieties carefully and adjust your planting schedule. Dallilies grow and bloom like crazy but she loses hers to moles. She is in one of those gated communities. I'm sure there are no predators-not even a cat is allowed to roam. And her friends thought she was mean poisoning the poor little moles-not my kind of place to live....

 

[lesa]

Cat, I have absolutely no interest in a gated community or an HOA. Not a big fan of rules, in general! Beekissed, we are bee keepers here in NY. Dh is researching keeping bees in Florida. Sure we will continue that endeavor. Debbie, my daughter is busy growing her business- so she probably won't have time for my garden. But, Dh and I will make it work. If we have a big project, she will lend a hand... Mary, I am looking between 20-45 minutes away. I am betting that a longer commute will be worth it, if it means more land. You all may or may not remember, that I positively hate winter- so there is a big upside to this plan!

 

[journey11]

That will be a whole other world compared to NY. Please keep us updated as you settle in and as your new garden develops. I had an article in an old issue of Countryside magazine that I kept that detailed how a couple in FL grew all of their produce in their 1 acre yard and even had enough left over to sell. They grew a lot of fruit trees too. Just think of all the cool new things you will be able to grow easily, like citrus and artichokes!

 

[lesa]

Journey, I am very excited about the prospect of all the fruit I can grow! Very interesting about the Countryside article. I will have to see if I can find that online. It really is a whole other world down there- positively tropical!

 

[journey11]

It was several years back. I probably did eventually throw that issue away. But maybe they do have it online, since they keep all of their issues.

 

[catjac1975]

Cat, I have absolutely no interest in a gated community or an HOA. Not a big fan of rules, in general! Beekissed, we are bee keepers here in NY. Dh is researching keeping bees in Florida. Sure we will continue that endeavor. Debbie, my daughter is busy growing her business- so she probably won't have time for my garden. But, Dh and I will make it work. If we have a big project, she will lend a hand... Mary, I am looking between 20-45 minutes away. I am betting that a longer commute will be worth it, if it means more land. You all may or may not remember, that I positively hate winter- so there is a big upside to this plan!

Same for me regarding gated communities. My parents were in a great place which was perfect for them in their advanced years. Their neighbor used to mention to my mother that they heard her flush the toilet in the middle of the night. We got reported when visiting for backing into the parking space to unload 3 small kids and luggage. So, who knew that was against the rules? Old people with nothing to do.