I would like to know if anyone out there has a homestead on a city lot. I will be buying a house soon, and it looks like I might be in the city for a while. I am most intrested in a garden, chickens, and rabbits, Im not concerned about zoning because everything is quiet. Any body thats doing this, I would like to hear from you. Roxanne

-- roxanne (roxanne@143webtv.net), March 24, 2001

Answers

Roxanne, your plans sound great! I am glad to hear you want a homestead - even in the city. I don't know if I qualify for a homestead in the city. I live near a large city and the street in from of my house is paved and has a fire hydrant, power, phone, cable. I have a small place (under 4 acres). On it are five goats, 30 hens, 2 roosters, 1 rabbit (pet), and one cat. The 1/2 acre garden presently has five kinds of watermelons planted for a cash crop. Where the (sold) rabbits used to be is a veggie garden. We have a deep water well with jack (hand) pump. I can hear the hum of traffic from a nearby US hwy. so I am not far enough out. Maybe one day... I have plans to add fruit trees among other dreams. Go for it. Only two things: chickens are quite noisy, especially roosters and even though rabbits are usually quiet, I just about had a heartattack one day, while changing the roofing over their cages. They can SCREAM just like a woman that is in fear of dying!! Thought you should know that. Good luck!

-- Eve in FL (owenall@lwol.com), March 25, 2001.

all depends on what you mean as homesteading. When I lived in the suburbs of Detroit,,I had rabbits, a nice garden, and bees. actually,, it was more than I have now, but IM working on that

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 25, 2001.

Hi Roxanne, I'm presently in the city on a large lot. Technically, this is a rental property, as we're still trying to settle my fathers' estate. Anyway, I didn't want to get in to deep as far as planting fruit trees, etc., although there is room. Plenty of room for bees, too. I'd love to have laying hens, but a few of my neighbors would never let that happen. Oh, well. Some of the homesteading things that I do; buy in bulk, bake and cook from scratch, make soap, sew some of my clothing, buy most purchases at yardsales, can and freeze loads of stuff from my garden and U-pick farms, hang clothes out on a line to dry, recycle and conserve energy as much as possible, and live very frugally. I don't plan on living here much longer, but.....bloom where your planted, as they say!

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

Roxanne, Sure you can homestead on a city lot. When I was a kid, my folks had a rabbitry in the garage(the car was parked outside), chickens and a garden. I live in a very very small town and started with 10 lots, 22 feet wide and 80 feet deep, and had goats, chickens, and rabbits, and a garden. I did get to buy the 2 1/2 acres behind me so am now planting my fruit trees and fencing in more pasture for the goats. Besides, homesteading is a state of mind, not how much land you own, (as Jerry Belanger would tell you) so go for and good luck to you

-- Karen (kansasgoats@iwon.com), March 25, 2001.

You can get away with a few rabbits and chickens, just call em "pets" and be discrete when harvesting.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

I am not in a city, it's a very very small township. However, I have kept horses 'in town' as it was not zoned against them. I kept the manure managed, so there weren't many complaints about it. However, now the county has changed the zoning and I would not be allowed to keep a horse and a pony on 1 1/2 acres anymore. I could probably get away with a goat (if I could find a quiet one!) or a couple sheep.

The retired couple across the road from me had a pig and a few chickens (about a half dozen) with a rooster, and a little garden on their 3/4 to 1 acre plot. Some folks who really were from a city moved in next door to them and before you know it, they were complaining about rooster crowing (he was a very quiet rooster to boot, I always smiled when I heard him crowing because it was so soft and inoffensive), and the pig's general existance (I never heard or smelled it at all!). He was forced into giving them up, which was a really sad thing for an old man whose pleasures were few and who took such good care ofhis animals. He did maintain the garden until he died, but I thought it wasn't quite the same for him.

You might look into some of the things that Jay Blair has written on this site about vermiculture and add earthworms to your plot. I am doing most my gardening on a small area (still about 1 1/2 acres, my horses live elsewhere now) and trying to pack in apple trees, berry bushes, raised bed vegetable gardens, etc. I have limited space so I planted semi-dwarf apple trees, and still plan to put in a couple of the hardy pole-type apple trees as cross polinators that will not take up much space.

Two nice books to look for: The Practical Garden of Eden : Beautiful Landscaping with Fruits and Vegetables, by Fred Hagy (The Overlook Press), and Country Life - A Handbook for Realists and Dreamers, by Paul Heiney (DK Publishing, Inc).

The first deals with landscaping around your house (maybe useful in a city where people tend to complain if you don't keep up 'appearances', at least on the face presentation side of the house) all with edible and useful plants that are also attractive. The second deals with small homesteading plans for land usage, and what is possible given the size of the land you've got to deal with. The worst thing about them both is that they make it so darned attractive that you want more land to take care of!

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 25, 2001.

Roxanne,

Yes, it can be done. You simply keep the idea of being as self- sufficient as practical. No, you can't run large livestock, though you usually can get away with rabbits, and possibly some hens...just a few, 5 or 6, for eggs. And you can garden....Even if you are limited to container gardening. Also look into using more efficient appliances, photo volactics (if practical), alternative transportation...etc. There are lots of alternatives. Remember that the first thing you have to change is your state of mind. Think self-sufficient and then do what you can. Good luck and enjoy your life.!

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

Roxanne,now your talking my talk.Gerbil told me of a great book where a family in berkley did just that. It is called the Integral urban house put out by the Farallones institute, through sierra books and I got my copy on ebay for 5 dollars.Hope Gerbil comes back I miss her! What a great book. They raised fish in a little pool,bees,chickens, rabbits and used the front yard to grow alphalfa.And they recycled just about every thing.And they had a garden too which fed them and helped feed the rabbits, and chickens and they raised worms under rabbits for the fish.I live in town and raise what I can. I have rabbits[ for wool cant kill things]and chickens for eggs and 10 dawrf fruit trees, and a few raised beds for veggies. I figure if I water it it has to produce something for me.And 2 pet goats one who produces wool and If we ever breed mocha one for milk[ and they love the leaves from the mulberry in the front].I had a great worm bin under the rabbits until the roof rats ate them all.As the saying goes bloom were you are planted.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), March 25, 2001.

I currently am living on a 0.2 acre lot in a suburban subdivision. I call it my "trainer homestead". As Deborah has already said, the most important thing to change is your state of mind. I do intend on owning more land someday, but until then I can start learning the skills I'm going to need once I get there. I can't keep animals due to zoning, but I'm going to be doing a lot of square foot gardening this year. My father-in-law is coming down next weekend to teach me how to build raised beds, and I'm building a compost bin out of some pallets I scavenged from a construction site.(All this from someone who's terrified of power tools!) I plan on doing a lot of canning and freezing produce from my garden, and I'll hit the farmers markets and U-pick farms for the produce I don't have room to grow here (like sweet corn). I have a friend with a large herb garden who will let me harvest whatever I want in exchange for some help putting down mulch. I also am relearning how to cook from scratch rather than just eating fast food all the time. I've been simplifying my life by trading in my gas-guzzling vanity vehicle for a more economical car, gave away most of my clothes to Goodwill, cut up my credit cards, and started making extra payments on my debts. Just because I live in the city doesn't mean I can't have a Countryside state of mind.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

You may want to check out the Vancouver urban bisf site. It is www.cityfarmer.org

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

Think self-reliance rather than self-sufficiency. No-one is utterly self-sufficient these days, even if they're only trading for an axe and a knife. However, you can produce a lot of your own stuff, and reduce your reliance on outside supplies.

Vegetable garden of some sort first. Next fruit - think quick returns initially - melons, then berries (strawberries, brambles and raspberries, currants, etc), then vines, then fruit trees on dwarfing rootstock. Remember there are some quite decorative edible plants - rainbow chard, rainbow kale, various fancy lettuces, herbs, many things - you could put quite a lot in the front yard too.

Think about livestock, but don't get hung up on it - the vegetable garden can be a learning experience while you're thinking about what will work - or even if you're better off using the space for more vegetables. Chickens tend to be noisy, even without a rooster; and some neighbours can't take that, even though they'll play hi-fi, rev vehicle engines and slam doors at 1am. Some people say three or four Indian Runner or Khaki Campbell ducks are quieter and easier to pass off as pets than the same number of hens (and these ducks don't need swimming water).

P.S. This is from what my grandparents did when they retired from the farm to town. Unfortunately I'm not at that stage yet.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 25, 2001.

I'd concentrate on a garden and fruit trees. We started on 1/3 acre in Miami. Rabbits are great because they're quiet, don't smell too much and their manure is perfect for the garden. Chickens can work, but if it's against zoning regulations you have have to make sure your neighbors are happy with it. Don't keep a rooster, and give the neighbors extra eggs! Our biggest problem was stray dogs.

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), March 26, 2001.

I'm about as close as I can get....

I am raising all of our veggies (good thing there's only two of us!!) in a 100'+ deep raised bed (more of a planter) this year. Also raise rabbits for meat and maybe for sale. I could probably have a couple hens, but I have 4 big dogs, and need the yard for them (in more or less of a trailer court).

It isn't hard - if you plan well, and work right. Most of my chores are done before 9 am, leaving plenty of time for other things (mainly this and the BHM forums!!)

As I've belabored, I make most of my soaps, cleaners, etc. And am learning to sew clothing. My biggest problem is that the landlady hasn't given me the goahead on getting a wood stove. Then I wouldn't have to deal with the propane tank for heat, or the propane stove for cooking.... That's getting really expensive!!!

Check that zoning for the chickens!!!! Rabbits are usually exempt - and can be kept in a garage if needs be, but chickens are another story.

We have a lot of subdivisions out here that are made of 5 acre and bigger lots, and they all state - in no uncertain terms - NO CHICKENS. The main reason isn't noise... Its smell... But, as anyone here can tell you, they needn't smell bad with proper management. Another fear is flies, but on the farm I never had a problem.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 26, 2001.

In a rental house on a double city lot, I have three milk goats (two are Nigerian Dwarfs) and fourteen chickens, all licensed with the city Animal Control. I also have eight fruit trees, six blueberry plants, 30 feet of raspberries, an herb garden, currants, grapes, flowers, and raised beds for vegetables. Oh, yeah, and four dogs, a cat, and finches and canaries.

For animals, get approval ahead of time, from your neighbors and animal control. When talking about chickens, be sure to say, "no roosters." And remember, these are PETS, not livestock. (OK, so occasionally an older hen turns up missing. Or maybe a "visiting" cockerel. Yum.) No one will be keeping track. Be very sure to get QUIET animals, and make sure they stay quiet. Make sure unpleasant smells are NON-EXISTENT, no matter what you have to do to accomplish that. I do my semi-annual deep-bedded stall cleaning on Sunday afternoons, so any stray odors will be gone by the next weekend when folks are again in their yards. And I use PLENTY of straw.

Give your neighbors some eggs once in a while, and invite them and their children over to see and play with the babies (bunnies, chicks, kids, etc.) If there are gardeners, offer them some manure. Become an asset to most of the neighborhood, and the occasional malcontents will likely shut up and go away, especially if Animal Control says they know about you and you're on the up and up. This has been my experience. I hope yours goes as smoothly.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@seedlaw.com), March 27, 2001.

roxanne,

I forgot to mention, even though we live in rural area next door to a cattle ranch, we only have 1.2 acre of ground . On this we raise all our produce to use and barter and this season have expanded to a few fruit trees in addition to the garden. Hope to run a fruit and vegetable stand off the front porch in a few years. It doesn't take a lot of space to be self relient. Another good site is squarefootgardening.com

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 28, 2001.