The One Acre(or less) Homestead

5 Comments

1. 

   goinggray58 September 23, 2018 Reply

   as far as how much land it takes to feed a person.. for a year

   The minimum amount of agricultural land necessary for sustainable food security, with a diversified diet similar to those of North America and Western Europe (hence including meat), is 0.5 of a hectare per person. This does not allow for any land degradation such as soil erosion, and it assumes adequate water supplies. Very few populous countries have more than an average of 0.25 of a hectare. It is realistic to suppose that the absolute minimum of arable land to support one person is a mere 0.07 of a hectare–and this assumes a largely vegetarian diet, no land degradation or water shortages, virtually no post-harvest waste, and farmers who know precisely when and how to plant, fertilize, irrigate, etc. From the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
   Of course it is an excellent way to get the experienced acquire tools you need before you need it to start now. After 5 years of attempts I have learned a great deal. The biggest thing is that conditions are never perfect for all crops or animals. Suffice to say that you should plan on producing well more than needed, including feed crops for animals for protein. In the event of mother nature not cooperating you have extra. You need extra to save seed as well.. (so no GMO)..

2. 

   CaptTurbo September 23, 2018 Reply

   I’m lucky living in SW Florida. Almost everything that grows on my 1/3 acre lot is something you can eat. I have learned that Asian crops love the summers here in the incredible heat and humidity so I grow food year round. I don’t raise any animals at this time but with freezers full of meat and a huge solar power system to protect it, I’m in good shape along with my skills for fishing (37 years as a fishing guide) to harvest protein.
   In the last few years I have converted my fenced back yard from grass (and garden) by bringing in 60 to 80 yards of wood chips. Less grass to mow and a lot more very fertile ground to grow food in.

3. 

   Panhandle Rancher September 24, 2018 Reply

   My paternal grandparents lived totally off grid, no electricity, no indoor plumbing. They had black walnuts, peaches, pears, apricots, apples, chickens, guineas, bees, a milk cow, and an almost 5 acre garden. Food stocks were supplemented by the occasional deer, feral hog, and limb chicken of which there were no end. Their five acres (house, blacksmith shop, well, outhouse, and garden provided ample food for the two of them and summer grandchildren, food to can for the winter, a longer term reserve, and a little to share with the church. They (and the summer grandchildren) ‘farmed’ this plot with no automation until they were too frail. Once a year, they went to town to buy sugar, salt, shoes, jeans, coal oil for the high light output Aladdin lamps, and the like. Of gloves they had no need, their hands were shaped to the shovel and hoe and hard as leather. Grandma would turn out us grandchildren out of the house when the rooster crowed. We marshaled forth with quart mason jars into the garden. Breakfast could be had when we showed her a mason jar full of bugs for the chickens. At certain times in the growing cycle, the guineas would be turned into the garden to completely harvest the bugs. Grandpa had this turnout timed so as to provide both insect riddance and potent nitrate fertilizer just before first fruit production. Of insecticide there was no need.

   My grandparents kept three years food in reserve and of course ample seeds. They recalled a time in the 1950s when the garden failed for two years in a row due to drought. I suspect there were many during that time with new holes in the belts. I vaguely remember that hard time because when my family would visit we took them to town to buy canned goods and other long term staples.

   Cooking was on a wood stove and as I became older, there was wood to cut and split from the adjacent forests. They kept five years worth of split and stacked hardwood for cooking and heating. Every summer us boys added a years worth of hardwood to the supply.

   I eventually hated hot humid summers in the remote mountain homestead but later in life realized it provided rare insight in what the real life world could look grid down, post Shumer and the fan. Me, I’m a survivor.

   PR

4. 

   CaptTurbo September 24, 2018 Reply

   Good comment PR. Look to the past to ensure the future.

5. 

   Gramma September 24, 2018 Reply

   a)
   I grew-up on a farm, surrounded by my extended family of four grandparents, aunts and uncles, a lot of older cousins, and neighbors.

   I know a lot about a lot, learned much of it through osmosis… just hanging-out with interesting folks. However, Saturday mornings were reserved for Gene and Roy and Hopalong and Boston Blackie.

   b)
   re:
   Sufficiency on an acre

   A fellow in Washington (the state) has YouTube videos of his wood-chip garden == Back To Eden. According to his videos, his results are repeatable in different climes. I imagine greenhouses would improve on his system.

   Since his produce is nutrient-dense and organic, his prep has zero need for carbohydrate fillers such as grains or grasses.

   I think this makes sense.

   c)
   BisonPrepper.blogspot

   He moved to the Nevada desert (not my first choice). His prep centers around avoiding nincompoops and non-bureaucrats alike. His archives go back a decade or so, and usually offer links to free PA dystopia prep books on Amazon. He is likeably cranky. Sound familiar?