How do you use your space?

[captchris]

We did not think things through very well before we built. We have a 1.4 acre lot on family land in the middle of the woods on a lake. Behind our house is almost a cliff down to the water. To the left is a road down to the water. To the right it goes down hill somewhat and we have a large fenced area for the dogs. That, and the fact that we didn't cut nearly enough trees, means that we have very little area to garden, etc. If we had cut more trees before we built, it would have been less expensive than if we cut them now. I have a nice size raised bed, but not nearly large enough, and I'd love to have chickens, too. The other obstacle is lack of sun because of the trees. I put in a garlic/shallot bed and a strawberry bed late last summer.

sounds like us how much sun does a vegtablie garden need

 

[reinbeau]

We're on .6 acre here, the lot is deep but a bit narrow, only 76' at the street, but it pies back to about 130' out back. I always had my garden in the front yard due to lack of sun. Then four years ago now we cut down all the trees in the backyard due to a septic installation. I had a blank slate, which was kinda neat after living here for so long. So, the veggie garden is out back now, it's roughly 35 x 50', I think. The driveway was moved years ago from one side of the house to the other, so we could build a garage down back and not eat up the yard with it, I acquired a small strip of land from a neighbor that allowed me to tuck that garage down back, and have even more room behind it for any livestock I might want (not just chickens, although when I mention the 'g' word hubby's eyes roll to the back of his head so I'm biding my time about them right now). The bees are down near the chicken coop, which is just to the backside of the garage. Lots of room, really, although I'd love more. I've always wanted to buy out my neighbors and knock their houses down (don't get me wrong, I love my neighbors, I just want their land!). If I did that I'd end up with almost four acres here, just enough

 

[Henrietta23]

Huh, now if I got DH to move the garage, that would open up a nice garden area..... I wish I'd been around when he built it! It wouldn't be were it is now!

 

[enjoy the ride]

Reinbeau- "I've always wanted to buy out my neighbors and knock their houses down (don't get me wrong, I love my neighbors, I just want their land!"

Well- me too. I look at the acre paddock my neighbor has and make up fantasy stories about how I would acquire it. Mostly because he has two horses in there 24/7 all summer and fall and never once picks up the poop. So now my horses have to live with his flies. In my fantasy, he does not come out well.

Oh well- do we ever reach a point of total satisfaction?

 

[johnElarue]

Same here, I'd love the plot next door too. It's about 2/3 of an acre. 3 old terrraced paddies, now overgrown with cedar, blocking out the sun.

When we moved in we cut the road access to the neighboring land. I've offered the owner but no one round here ever sells, we were lucky to get our place.

I'm hoping that someday he'll want to log the cedars and have to use my land to get to 'em at which point I'll have some leverage, wishful thinking.........

 

[Henrietta23]

If we'd had the money we could have had the plot next door. When DH bought the house it was undeveloped. Unfortunately it went up for sale at a time when we didn't think we could afford the $50,000. I wish we'd looked into. A local builder bought it and put a house on it. Left it unfinished and put it back up for sale. It finally sold about a year later. This is about a 1/2 acre that is pie shaped, wider at the street frontage, then coming to a point in back and bending around behind our property for a ways. It would have almost doubled our lot and given us control of the trees on two sides.
The upside is that we have great neighbors living there and the trees and their house block the view of the property on the other side of them which isn't so pretty.

 

[Homesteadmom]

We had an opportunity to buy the 1 1/4 acre lot to the west of us a few yrs ago for $50k(all fenced, septic, all utilities, feed shed & 2 bedrm single wide included). But dh drug his feet as usual & we missed out on it. that would put us up to 2 1/2 acres. Then this past fall the lot on the east of us went up for auction & if we could have gotten it, it would have only cost us $29k!! Utilities, septic, dog kennel(6 spots) made of slump block, fenced, 3 sheds & a metal car storage building & a 2 bedrm dbl wide(needed to bulldoze due to cats!!!!) on it. Then we would have 3 3/4 acres! Boy think of all the fruit trees I could have with that much land, not to mention grazing pens & a bigger garden too. We would have room for the goats & hog with no problem then. Plus the place to the east of us after we bulldozed the house we would have put up a new shop for dh over there as all the utilities & septic are in the perfect spot. Had I known how much it was being auctioned for we would have tried really hard to find the money to buy it. Even if we ate beans for 2-3 mos as a main dish.

 

[sparks]

We were fortunate to split the lot between us and the neighbors with those neighbors. Painful to borrow that $$$ but not as painful as someone squeezing a house between us. Turns out we were just in time! He is mowing his half (huh!)and we are planting three plots of trees. Evergreen in one, fruit trees in the other maples and flowering bushes for the birds. Will take awhile but with three developments behind us, it is a good thing.

 

[sylvie]

We bought the neighbor's 2 acre lot for only $3000. Land usually goes for $25,000 per acre here. There is a small bog/ wetland on it and he wanted to sell when all the hoopla was beginning about preserving wetlands. He knew he wouldn't be able to find a buyer because no one could alter a wetland in order to build without allocating and paying for the same size wetland relocation somewhere else. We absolutely didn't want a home next to us, the price was a steal and we've got a unique area to sit on a bench and watch the wildlife.

 

[erthymom2]

we are going to plow up 1/2 acre this year to plant mammoth sun flowers, and also pumpkins - both for sale at farmers market in the fall.