Does anyone else have an interest in pictures, drawings and information about homestead layouts? I've been looking for websites with them. You know I have seen one well used acre get the use and productivity of twenty poorly used acres. The best used acres are always the ones where the systems are completely integrated with each system being the foundation for another system. What kinds of things do you all have going that incorporates this principle? I want to know about practical things like, poultry being used for orchard maintenance, animals that follow one another in pasture, and Animals that harvest their own crops etc...

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), February 28, 2002

Answers

the best one acre layout I ever saw was J D belangers. Now thats really been a while back. That is what he had when he started publishing Country Side. It was really neat! No wasted space there. maybe you could get them to reprint a picture in an upcoming issue if they still have one. I do but my scanner is not hooked up yet.He also published his Magazine on that one acre homestead at the time.Do you ever read this forum J D? I miss the good old days!

-- Corky Wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.net), February 28, 2002.

That is one of my major interests -- what to put where? A good resource is Ed Robinson's "Have-More Plan" at least as far as basic concepts. I'm very interested in permaculture and ark systems and would appreciate it if some good sites could be posted or, better, yet, some good ideas here.

I have spent a lot of money on landscape and home design software, but it's not much use for planning animal housing -- for me, anyway.

-- zorby (arvon104@cs.com), February 28, 2002.

The Permaculture Activist is one of the best sources for that sort of info. All of their back issues are available.

-- Darren (df1@infi.nt), February 28, 2002.

Check layouts of old medieval farmsteads. They had centurys of trying out things to see what works. Of course you may not want the cows right under the house for heat! LOL. But anyway, what an interesting question, I'm going to do some research now...If I find anything cool enough, I'll post it. Have fun with your planning!!

-- Susan in Northern LP Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.

We have about six acres. The layout around here makes it quite difficult to make things just the way I'd like for maximum efficiency. By the lay out I'm referring to the old rotten granite quarry and the almost complete absence of real soil. Its either sand or rotten granite.

We've made at least 6" of good, leaf mold compost to cover about 1/2 acre where the garden is. To the immediate south of there, across the driveway is the house and to the immediate south of the house, about 10 feet below grade in the quarry "pit" is the 1/3 acre pond, stocked with bass and bluegills.

This summer we'll be fencing in the garden and dwarf orchard. I hope to use geese in the orchard and will be pumping nutrient rich water from the pond for the garden.

We'll also be planting some of the shoreline of the pond with different things. I want to provide natural cover for frogs and insects to help in feeding the fish. Right now there is very little cover along the shoreline. A small stand of cattails, maybe some wetland pampas grass, reeds?, and ??? The pond itself has been planted with several waterlilies so far. We also planted blue flag on the western shore with the idea that in the fall when it drops its seeds the wind would take them to the eastern shore and they would automatically plant themselves there. They did that and we have several of them now.

West of the house there are pockets where some stuff is growing, like poplar trees, sumacs, weeds and blackberries. As compost is generated we'll be developing these areas into perrenial herbs and flowers for relatively low maintenance cash crops.

West of there on the western edge of the property is the pole building with attached greenhouse/poultry house. I've begun composting up there because it is all granite. Eventually the plan is to have that area planted in flowers too.

This stuff takes alot of time to bring into maturity.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), March 01, 2002.

Zorby took the suggestion right out of my mouth. The Robinson's/Have More Plan is the best! It was printed in it's entirety in issue #2 of Mother Earth News. I drag it out once in a while and read it for inspiration. They didn't have much land and used every inch of it to it's full productiveness.....Good Luck!

-- Harmony (harmonyfarm57@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

Check out Country Life: A Handbook for Realists and Dreamers by Paul Heiney. A very rosey view of homesteading - but full of great ideas, especially animal housing. I think www.barginbooks.com has it for 1/2 price. Enjoy.

-- diane greene (greenwitch@catskillnativenursery.com), March 01, 2002.

If we don't house the animals under us (hey - I like free heat!), then we plan on running a trench greenhouse "hallway" between the house and the stable/barn area. Warmed in the winter from the earth and the aninimals, it will be refreshing to walk through shelves of seedlings throughout the winter on our way to feed the "babies"!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 02, 2002.