One Man Farming

[raymar2020 (imported)]

I have two friends who live as subsistance farmers in rural Tennessee. They have almost 100 acres, but only about 25 of it is actually useable for food production. Their "garden" is about 4 acres. They grow virtually everything one would want on the table. They have older fruit trees, that produce more than enough. They end up selling more than half their yield at a small roadside stand. The rest they can, since they do not have electricity, and that feeds them the whole year. They keep some cows , pigs, and of course chickens. Eating at their house is a true pleasure. Even with the small amount of land that they actually cultivate, I would say that they are capable of feeding 30 people a year.

Ray

[Riverwind (imported)]

Also look into raised growing beds, ceder planter boxes, 4' by 12', 3 or 4 of them is all you need. Of course the ceder is not cheep but a raised bed allow you to do your gardening without bending over so much and it keeps things like moles, gofers, bugs at bay, although it is nice for the deers.

As for goats, you can let them graze however if they eat a weed you will taste it in your milk, my Father pened his and only fed them first cutting hay.

River

[gandalf (imported)]

I have a neighbor here in Kentucky that uses only about one acre for his garden. Most if it taken up by corn since it takes a lot of plants to get a year's supply. He grows all they need in the staple dept....beans, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes (yams) tomatoes some cabbage for slaw. He does have quite a few acrtes otherwise that are used to grow corn, wheat or soybeans as cash crop. Out of four or five rows of potatoes, he provides for his son who lives near, and has given us potatoes and yams and tomatoes that he has extra. He still ends up with potatoes and yams to use as seed the next year.

[gunnutz (imported)]

On the subject of raised gardening beds, try old railroad ties, put the first layer half in the ground and put another layer on top you can shorten some of them so that they interlock. Drill holes for re-bar and stake the two layers together. Then fill the inside with dirt. It keeps the weeds and crab grass out and makes it easy to maintain. You still have to contend with insects and rodents.

You can also use them to form terraces to build planting beds on an incline.

[JesusA (imported)]

An excellent book on exactly this subject is Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains. It was written in 1935, during the Depression, and is still in print. It covers most of what a small family would need and need to know – including the preferred small livestock to provide meat and milk. An excellent book. I still have my copy of the well-thumbed 1940 edition that my father bought new.

[transward (imported)]

An excellent book on exactly this subject is Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains. It was written in 1935, during the Depression, and is still in print. It covers most of what a small family would need and need to know – including the preferred small livestock to provide meat and milk. An excellent book. I still have my copy of the well-thumbed 1940 edition that my father bought new.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Indepe ... 962&sr=8-1

You can get a used copy for under $5 shipped.

Transward

[devi (imported)]

Water and irrigation is a major requirement in many places in the western US since rainfall is usually not adequate or timely. I've heard of people making it on a quarter acre per person and have seen some pretty substantial gardens. Hot beds and greenhouses will drastically lessen the amount of area needed to grow certain crops plus extend the growing season. Most crops generally need to be region specific. Certain crops require more soil nutrients to be replenished. Corn (maize) is the major one. But if you rotate it after beans or peas then it's really not a problem. Rotating crops is necessary for several reasons (bugs, weeds, soil nutrients) and tracts of land should be left without any crops growing on it every seventh year or so. Easier said than done.

Old vehicles can be converted into planters, hotbeds, chicken coops, goat houses, dog houses, outhouses, kitchens, living quarters, storage areas, wind and solar power supply centers, etc.

[devi (imported)]

Something I forgot to mention is that weeds are not all bad and even add (sometimes a lot) to the crops you can get. They can be good for medicines, spices, dyes, or the best kind of nutrition provided they have never been sprayed. Common pigweed is the major one that's really good for you. If you go to the health food store in the cereal isle look up "Amaranth Flakes" and read the back. They're both from the same plant species which also include "Chinese Spinach", certain ornamentals: "Joseph's Coat" and "Love-Lies-Bleeding" among many others. It seems whereas we're busy spraying pigweed here as a common ditchweed (do NOT eat if it has been sprayed!), in Japan, China, India, and many other places they eat the tender greens and sometimes the seeds from their different varieties. In Mexico and in the southwest the common recipe is to sautè onions in butter and spices, add corn, then squash and at the last stir in the tender greens. The seeds were usually left for planting and is one of the elements for Indian medicine bags. Just because it's a weed doesn't mean that it's bad and can even be considered "a gift from God".

[gandalf (imported)]

I have munched on pigweed leaves many times. They have a good flavor raw.