Is a 1/2 acre enough?

[mrbstephens]

I'm looking at a house for sale that's on 1.7 acres that happens to be in an area that is protected and the town will allow only 25% cleared. This would give me about 1/2 acre to grow crops. Think I could grow enough for my family of four in an area of this size? I'm hoping I'd be aloud to keep my goats/sheep/chickens in part of the other 75%. :/

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I don't think I personally would want to clear more than 1/2 acre anyway, but does that include the cleared space where the house sits? 1/2 acre of garden is quite a bit and I think if you also raise animals for food on the rest of the land, it might be nearly enough for two people to be pretty self-sufficient some day. A 1/2 acre garden could certainly help support a family of four.

Personally, I like trees and there are things you can do with forested land -- grow mushrooms, run pigs . . . etc.

Ideally, I don't think I would buy anything less than 5 acres though, if I could start over.

 

[Wifezilla]

.5 acres is better than NO acres

 

[rebecca100]

We have almost an acre, but we only use about half. It is cramped and you have to make the most of your space, but I think it would be possible.

 

[mrbstephens]

Thanks for you replies! I'm not looking to be totally self sufficient, but I'd like to grow most of our produce on the property and have a few goats/sheep/chickens. I have chickens now, but I'd like more. I'm a vegetarian so we'd just be using the eggs and milk. I also like to spin so I'd like the sheep for the fiber. We love the location of the house. It's quiet and secluded. My son loves to explore so he'd have a great time exploring the woods. There are hiking trails that lead to small ponds that have frogs/fish/salamanders. The house is also close to a bay beach. I've lived in my current home for 9 years. I have a 1/2 acre here and can't do anything with it. It's shady and the neighbors are all right on top of me and constantly in my business. The real estate agent will be showing me the inside of the house tomorrow!

 

[sufficientforme]

Depending how the house is situated on the land, I think that is enough. We have 2 acres and are not cramped at all with dogs, chickens, horses, donkey, turkeys, sheep. Sounds like a lot but they all have their sections and it works (This would not work for pasture grazing but where we live there is none) I love the ideas in books that talk about self sufficient living on 1 acre. 5 acres. etc Here are a couple favorites on my shelf.
http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Home...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274313159&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficie...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274313201&sr=1-1

 

[patandchickens]

You can do a lot on 1/2 acre if you set your mind to it

However, make sure you factor in the very nontrivial cost of clearing the land and rendering it arable; and make sure there are no drainage issues with the remainder of the acreage (I mention tihs b/c one common reason for land to be protected is wetland type issues, of course that might not be the case in your situation).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[mrbstephens]

You can do a lot on 1/2 acre if you set your mind to it

However, make sure you factor in the very nontrivial cost of clearing the land and rendering it arable; and make sure there are no drainage issues with the remainder of the acreage (I mention tihs b/c one common reason for land to be protected is wetland type issues, of course that might not be the case in your situation).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

It is considered "wetland." The house and property are way up on a steep hill. Actually a little challenging for my Prius to get up. Most of the property is flat, but is at the top of this hill. So drainage should be good.

 

[tortoise]

What is winter like? Do you want to drive up there in snow and ice?

 

[mrbstephens]

What is winter like? Do you want to drive up there in snow and ice?

Yeah, that's a HUGE concern for me. My husband has a Jeep with 4WD. At least he could get to work and back, but I'd be terribly worried about be able to get up the hill in the winter. Especially if it's anything like the one we just had! It's a private dirt road and there's just this one spot that is steep and rocky. When I'm going up it the light on my dashboard is flashing the slippery light at me and I can tell the car is struggling. I'm wondering if it can be helped just in that one part. The rest of the road is just bumpy, but that doesn't bother me.