Making it on small acreage

[i_am2bz]

Okay, you guys asked for it!!!

First of all, just to throw a monkey in the wrench...I'm a vegetarian so no rabbits for me. I already have 4 hens, who do provide more than enough eggs. Hmmm, a goat. That has possibilities (for cheese & milk), will have to check with zoning....(altho my entire family already thinks I'm nuts for having chickens...sometimes trying to be SS is a lonely business).

I have a small garden with tomatoes, peppers, cukes, onions, & lettuce. (The broccoli died, ) My biggest problem is our land is entirely CLAY (North Carolina, where nothing grows but tobacco & cotton), so we actally had to truck in decent soil & put it in a raise bed. How could I manage that on a larger scale...?

I have 1 pear tree, which has about a dozen little pears on it right now, & 1 apple tree with NOTHING. I would LOVE to grow more fruit, and have some nut trees. I've read they're hard to grow (nut trees). I would dearly love to grow strawberries, but also read they're hard to grow. Any suggestions there would be appreciated.

Oh, & a good share of the back yard is the septic system, so obviously I couldn't grow trees there.

So, how do I it?? I'd love to see pix of other small-acreage homesteads out there!!

 

[hwillm1977]

I would start a whole new thread with your questions, just so we don't end up completely hijacking emilosevich's journal

Probably more people will reply that way too... People like Farmfresh and Ladychef2K are doing TONS on city lots, way more than I do with 3/4 of an acre

 

[Wifezilla]

sometimes trying to be SS is a lonely business

You need to put that quote in your signature area!

 

[emilosevich]

2bz,
we just started strawberries this year and haven't had any problems yet. The are getting shoots all over the place. DH is going to make a raised bed to put them in. We live in swamp soil so deal with a little bit of blue clay. The only hard part I've found about growing strawberries is keeping them in their area.

 

[emilosevich]

Went and visited this evening with Dad sis' and brothers. They are in from Kansas for the week. It's fun seeing them as I only get to once a year. Brother #2 shared with me their experiences with butchering their first chickens. Quite interesting to say the least. Gave them a couple of hints for next time including the use of a funnel and how we do it. Dad was very impressed with our method of hanging the chickens to kill and thought he might use a similar idea next time.
Guess Bro#2 is in charge of animal care at their homestead and was not to impressed with the new acquisition of 20 chicks to go home with him. I told him not to worry. These ones will grow much faster.
I am anxiously waiting for my eggplant to mature. Seems it started quickly and has slowed down some. About the size of a baby eggplant right now. I'm really wanting to try eggplant Parmesan Guess we'll just check it every day. DD is already doing that for me. I think she really wants to try eggplant as well. This is our first year growing it so we are very excited.

 

[i_am2bz]

I would start a whole new thread with your questions, just so we don't end up completely hijacking emilosevich's journal

Probably more people will reply that way too... People like Farmfresh and Ladychef2K are doing TONS on city lots, way more than I do with 3/4 of an acre

I'm so sorry!! I didn't realize. I've re-posted my questions in a separate thread.

 

[emilosevich]

Well went to K's today. He had some shearing that needed done. The Border Leicester cross lambs were getting a tad bit long and he decided today was as good a day as any. We got through 12 of them. We did do 3 of the Lincoln x Wenslydale crosses. We left the ewe lamb so that she could be shown at this years fair. I got to tie her and the BFL yearling ram (Gabriel). They've never been on halters before so it was a very amusing experience.
We found the ewe lamb that I wanted to keep and got her red marked so that she wouldn't be sold. There were a couple of really nice fleeces that came off. There are still a couple more to go.
K bought DD a butterfly net at Mt. Hope the other day so that she can catch the chicks when they get out. We went and collected all of the banty eggs. They are going to be made into pickled beet eggs. They will be just the right size for the kids to eat.

Finally made the cheese I've been wanted to make for a couple of days now. It's really easy cheese just takes a couple of hours to do. There wasn't enough milk to make very much of it. DH asked what could be done with it. Had to explain that it is a simple ricotta so could be used for anything you would use ricotta in or just eat on crackers. He decided we're having stuffed shells tomorrow or the next day so that I can have time to make more.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Did you take any pics of the shearing? I'd love to see it.

 

[emilosevich]

No sorry didn't even think about it. Just normal part of life. I will get pictures next time. We counted about 6 more that still needed done so I will remember the camera.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I want to have sheep some day. Reading posts like this helps to learn some of the stuff I will need to know too.