Adjusting the dream...

[lesa]

Well, I always dreamed of my "someday farm". It was to be around 20 acres with a couple of out buildings and barns...you know what I mean. That is a doable dream in upstate NY. Land is cheap and there are plenty of old farms around. My daughter has moved to Florida and I would like to join her down there. Looking at real estate, I realize I am going to have to adjust my dreams for the future. It looks unlikely that I will end up with more than an acre or two, and what passes as a barn in Florida is not what I was thinking!
My question... is it possible to grow enough food on that small space to be fairly self-sufficient? I realize I will be able to garden year around. Maybe that will make up the difference in space? I have seen all those magical pictures of one acre lots with a cow, chickens and growing all food. I assume that is an exaggeration? Anyone doing anything like this?

 

[Nyboy]

Lesa there are parts of Florida that are very affordable. Once you get away from the beaches prices drop. Where is your daughter ?

 

[lesa]

She is in West Palm Beach area. I will be working for her, so I need to be fairly close by...

 

[Ridgerunner]

In Florida you don't need an upstate NY barn but you still need storage and maybe a place for your animals.

An acre is just over 200' x 200', 43,560 square feet to be exact. A lot of room will be taken up by house, lawn, and driveway. You might have some concerns about what people can see from the road. Shade can also impact how much room you have available to grow things. You can grow a lot of food on a fairly small plot, but you need to grow some things in bulk and store them to be self-sufficient. Some of that takes more room. You will be in a different climate. Many things just won't grow like you are used to. Some of the crops you may be able to grow and eat on most of your summer may burn up in the heat down there.

On the other hand since your growing season is so much longer, you don't need to preserve nearly as much food. You can be eating fresh out of your garden a whole lot of the year. In that respect you can be fairly self-sufficient on a reasonably small plot of land.

I think the big problem with that vision is animals, especially bigger animals. You don't need a lot of room to grow enough to feed rabbits, @hoodat can tell you all about that. I think you keep rabbits anyway don't you? If you have reasonable quality of forage your chickens can do pretty well off of that. But if you have larger animals I think your challenge on being self-sufficient is growing enough food for them. You are not going to have enough room for them to be able to graze or browse without leaving a barren landscape. You'll wind up buying a whole lot of food and that is often not very efficient, especially on a small scale.

I'll add. you will probably have four to five times the useable space on two acres compared to one.

 

[Nyboy]

LOL that is the fastest growing place in Florida. I know about 20 people who bought homes there in past 2 years. Soon West Palm Beach will be West NY Beach LOL.

 

[Carol Dee]

DH and I have 2 acres. Away from the house. No Animals. Just about 1/2 is a wooded ravine and there are 2 outbuildings. One for the tractor one for other garden related STUFF. I have not bought canned vegetables for several years. I do buy fresh produce when the garden is not producing and the things we do not grow. We have had great potato crops but lost the surplus to spoilage. (Have not figured it out yet.) Good Luck with the move and finding the perfect place for you.

 

[lesa]

The thing that really took some attitude adjustment, is when the realtor calls one acre, a farm and tells you to bring your horses!! Having a horse on one acre in NYS, is a joke!! I wouldn't attempt large animals on that tiny plot of land- but I definitely want chickens. I will need a source for manure- there is no soil!
What the neighbors can see if a definite concern, Ridgerunner. So far a lot of the properties I am looking at- have huge front yards- and not much in back. I suppose an attractive garden is always an option... I don't have rabbits, but I am very interested in that option- and have learned so much from Hoodat, on that subject.
Carol Dee, that is good to know. I am still a few years out from the move- but the lack of land is weighing heavily on me.

 

[so lucky]

You have been given some good advice on here. I will be watching to see what happens.
Be careful of building codes and restrictions that might keep you from gardening in the front yard, if that is that you decide to do.
Starting afresh is exciting!

 

[thistlebloom]

Lesa, I have cultured that same dream since I was a teenager it seems.
I'm sorry on the one hand to see it slip away from you, but I'd say it's a fair exchange to be close to your daughter.

One of the good things about this forum neighborhood is that when you move you'll still be next door!

I hope you find the most perfect place that will suit your garden heart. It sounds like you have the time to weed through the possibilities until you find the right one.

I didn't get my farm and my big barn but I do have a tractor!

 

[ninnymary]

Lesa, I miss seeing you here and wish you'd post more often. As to the move, could you move maybe 20 minutes further out? I'm wondering if you would get more for your money a little further out. Is it a possibility to just buy land and then get one of those tiny houses that are becoming popular, say a 500sq. ft one? If not, I'd get as much land as possible with the smallest house on it. This way you would have a little more gardening/animal space. The good thing is that it sounds like you have time and can wait to find the best place possible.

Mary