Lehman's Country Life Designing Your Ideal Homestead by Fred Wilson A homestead is neither a farm, nor a rural residence; therefore, it presents design challenges that are different from the others. A rural residence is basically nothing more than a suburban house plunked down on a larger lot, and any outdoor design will be largely concerned with landscaping, with appearances. A farm, on the other hand, is more like an industrial complex. Depending on its type, it will involve several or even many buildings-it must make accommodations for the passage and maneuvering of very large equipment and the handling and storage of many tons of products that might range from seed and fertilizer to hay and grain to milk or meat.
Homesteading & Country Living No Regrets: 10 Key Things To Consider Before Moving To The Country | City To Country | How to Homestead The country lifestyle is not for everyone. Every day I commute into my job in the city I hear at least one fellow commuter complaining about the ferry service. Or about logging on the local mountain. Or the weather. Which always leads me to wonder, “What did you think it would be like when you moved somewhere you can only access by ferry/has a long history of logging/where it rains a lot”? It’s all about preparation. Here are a few things to ponder before committing to the rural lifestyle: Income – What will you do for income? There are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself before changing your lifestyle so dramatically, but these 10 will help you get some clarity around whether or not a life in the country is for you. Victoria Gazeley lives and works in an 80-plus year old restored heritage log cabin on the wild west coast of British Columbia, Canada. Related Posts:
Sustainable Food Center - Austin, Texas Start A 1-Acre, Self-Sufficient Homestead - Modern Homesteading Everyone will have a different approach to keeping a self-sufficient homestead, and it’s unlikely that any two 1-acre farms will follow the same plan or methods or agree completely on how to homestead. Some people like cows; other people are afraid of them. Some people like goats; other people cannot keep them out of the garden. For myself, on a 1-acre farm of good, well-drained land, I would keep a cow and a goat, a few pigs and maybe a dozen hens. Raising a Dairy Cow Cow or no cow? On the other hand, the food that you buy in for this family cow will cost you hundreds of dollars each year. 1-Acre Farm With a Family Cow Half of your land would be put down to grass, leaving half an acre arable (not allowing for the land on which the house and other buildings stand). Grazing Management At the first sign the grass patch is suffering from overgrazing, take the cow away. Tether-grazing on such a small area may work better than using electric fencing. Intensive Gardening Half-Acre Crop Rotation
The Self Sufficient Blog The Self Sufficient Blog is my mini-journal about self sufficent farm living. It... -- keeps you up-to-date on new information and what others are doing to become more self sufficient. ---New methods and creative approaches to farm living. -- keeps you up-to-date with other postings or news about self sufficient farm living --Join my blog and become more self sufficent by clicking on the orange button to subscribe. Self Sufficient Living There is nothing like the feeling of self sufficient living. Continue reading "Self Sufficient Living" The "Ah ha" Moment Here I am, 54 years old. Continue reading "The "Ah ha" Moment" Aquaponics Systems Aquaponics systems, simply put, is an agriculture ecosystem where plants and animals co-habitat in a cultivated water environment. Continue reading "Aquaponics Systems" Homemade Solar Panels People are successfully making homemade solar panels that perform and look better than manufactured panels. Continue reading "Homemade Solar Panels" Farms R Us
Surviving The Middle Class Crash WWOOF Sweden High Altitude Living In WA & CO Resources - The Happy Homesteader Blog Bruce and Carol McElmurray live in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado at an elevation of 9,750'. Ed and Laurie Essex live off grid in the Okanogan Highlands of Washington State at an elevation of 4200’. Bruce and Ed, bloggers for The Happy Homesteader at Mother Earth News, have decided to collaborate on a blog about their high-altitude living. What natural resources do you have on your property and how do you utilize them? Ed Essex: We use the sun for solar power. We also use the sun for passive heat in our home in the winter and to keep our insulated cold frames warm enough to grow fresh veggies in the winter without any other source of heat. We use the existing groundwater for our drinking water. We use the rainwater to fill our cisterns. We use the two cisterns at the house to water the garden and the one at the barn to water our two horses. We use regular gutters to capture the water off of the roof. We use our timber to heat our home and cook with.
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