How to Homestead on 1 Acre or Less

[@RandomPersonOnTheLine]

Medieval peasants only typically had 1 acre to feed a family of 5 - 6 people generally.

[@MonkeyBoy-sd9vc]

They also didn't have to spend 40+ hours a week working at a job just to barely afford their house payment. The government essentially forces us all to be dependent on them

[@RandomPersonOnTheLine]

@@MonkeyBoy-sd9vc Yeah, the system only works because they force participation in it.

[@togetherweharvest]

Exactly. Good point.

[@BoreasCastel]

Peasants could fish salmon in nearly every river of Europe and plant genetics were such that food was twice as nutritious. Today's annual crops have been watered down for shelf-stability and weight.

[@RandomPersonOnTheLine]

@BoreasCastel That argument has been discredited many times. Salmon was not widely available. Sole was the most commonly consumed fish and it still wasn't that frequent. Normally the lord of the village had the rights to river resources and would only allow fishing during certain times of the year. Normally it was during the planting and the harvesting periods because the lord wanted to ensure the villagers had the energy to complete the tasks.

[@brianmedeiros7272]

Good stuff! My wife and I were just talking about wintering chickens!

[@togetherweharvest]

You should check out some of my other videos on chickens. I just created one called "How to Make Sure Your Chickens Thrive in Cold Weather'. It could be helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@pameladavis895]

You gave great ideas even for suburban and urban areas. I never thought about leaves for the chicken coop but why not! Our county trucks out tons of leaves each year when some of those would work in a coop!

[@togetherweharvest]

Exactly. It's so easy to find waste that we're just throwing away. Leaves and chickens make all of our compost for our garden beds.

[@ZMS777]

I love that he is resourceful and his intentionality with the homestead. Everything has a purpose.

[@togetherweharvest]

Thank you for noticing!

[@Coffeethings_homestead]

Thank you for sharing, we just started our homestead, and yes, it can be over whelming, especially since my hubby had a stroke, and now our dreams had to change! But we are still going strong.

[@ZMS777]

GOD will provide

[@togetherweharvest]

You are welcome. Praying for you. Keep your dreams alive.

[@pinballwizard6906]

Make a maggot feeder for hens, good way to compost scrap meat/organs or fish and convert it to protein treats, also active compost bin in the run also helps feed birds. Amazing homestead ✌️😎

[@togetherweharvest]

Great idea. I had a compost ring in the garden all summer. We don't use one when the temps drop.

[@Thingys-Jill]

I have a 7500SF lot on which is my house. I have a chicken coop, chicken run, chicken tunnel and free range, but protected, area. For that I use the 10' depth on which I cannot have anything permanent. Then I have a ~4' x 50' in-ground garden that's next to the chicken free range area which "Ls" into a ~3' x 45' in ground garden which then "Ls" into a ~2' x 18" raised bed. In these areas are my little orchard (2 apple trees, 2 cherry trees, 1 nectarine tree), flower gardens, and artichoke garden (which, unfortunately, a gopher is decimating). Then I have 9 raised beds across the back of the house and down the other side of the house, along with a pear tree. My Green Stalk is filled with strawberries and patio sports both a potted pomegranate and almond tree. When they get bigger, they'll be planted in the ground. So, it technically might not be a homestead, it provides a ton of food and enjoyment. I'll be 67 in a few weeks and wanted to enjoy my property rather than farm it. I've grown most of my front landscaping myself. I've enjoyed your video. You should be aware that wood should never be stored next to a building, especially a wood building. You're begging for termites if you do.

[@togetherweharvest]

Love this! Sounds like you have a great plan and setup. Well thought out, which is always great. As far as termites, that is a non issue here. Nobody gets them where I live.

[@southernyankeeprepper]

Great video! Just came across your channel id like to mention, through my past year of building my homestead for the first time, oak trees can be toxic to other trees and plants due to the jugalone it gives off. Just something you might want to look into before planting your trees near oak.

[@togetherweharvest]

Good to know. Thanks

[@invisiblesurfer]

Great video man, love the energy and enthousiasm, attitude and planning beat size any day, plus with large plots the risk of overspending on things not really needed is super high. Stay pumped and good luck! PS I think pigs can turn out to be too smelly in 1 acre.

[@togetherweharvest]

Thank you! I agree with the over spending and trying to go 'too big, too fast' with larger properties. I encourage people to get really good at 2-3 things per year and go from there. For the smelly pig issue, I will be using a ton of carbon material to absorb their manure. Other homesteaders have done this and it has worked well. We'll see next summer. Thanks for watching.

[@imaybestupid2045]

interesting insight, definitely keeping a lot of this in mind, cheers

[@togetherweharvest]

Glad to be of help!

[@michaelsasylum]

What's your feed strategy for the pigs? What do you feed your chickens? Just curious if you plan on growing feed for your animals.

[@togetherweharvest]

When we get them, I plan on purchasing grain from our local farm coop. Then I'll find ways to use supplemental feed such as apples, garden waste, food scraps, acorns, etc. We feed our chickens grain from the coop, kitchen waste (quite a bit) and freeze dried insects. I have a video explaining that in more detail called 'Why You Aren't Getting More Eggs from Your Chickens' I have no plan on growing feed. To grow grain, we'd need more space and sunlight.

[@polywog9591]

Don't know if Sorghum would grow where you live, but Sugar Drip Sweet Sorghum is super easy to grow in NE Texas, this variety grows 12ft tall. Has seed heads that you can feed to your chickens and the stalks can be run through a cane press for Sorghum juice which like your maple can be simmered down to Sorghum Syrup which is like molasses. Then the spent stalk and leaves (looks like very tall corn stalks) can be used for your pigs or goats or whatever.

[@joannc147]

@@polywog9591 it’s a wonder plant here in the south!

[@readysetgo6085]

Looks like you are doing a great job.

[@togetherweharvest]

Thank you! I'm really enjoying the journey.

[@JodiMontano]

You have a great setup. I wish I had live water. I have 3.6 acres, but at least 1 acre is wooded and steep. All of it is sloped, unfortunately, and I don't have easy access to leaves (steep woods). I had the house built and have lived in it almost a year. I got a decent sized garden established this first year. I'd say it's about 25x30 but my beds aren't as close together as yours. But to your p point, most of my land isn't being used. I hope to have chickens and a rain catchment system in the near future. It'll take several years to get things really dialed in. I enjoy your videos!

[@togetherweharvest]

Sounds like you have a nice plan. It's hard to make videos like this one because every homestead layout is so different. If you have space for meat chickens, egg layers and a garden, that's a great setup! Thanks for watching.

[@cherylhowker1792]

Can I suggest you look up Katie on the channel called raising wildflowers. They are on new ground and have put a catchment system in- that’s why I’m suggesting it. Hope it’s ok to suggest it.

[@jbuck1975]

@jodimontano look into putting swales in to hold water from the hills

[@TombiggbeeLife]

I have a question for Experienced people doing this: What total size area would I need to feed just myself for an entire year? 46 Male. I've seen people claim that 1/4 acre would do it... I'm just very skeptical. My goal is to produce 100% of my vegetables and hunt for my meat (no problems there) ((and also have chickens) Thanks in advance

[@togetherweharvest]

That depends on 3 things. 1. What you grow - specific types matter a lot 2. What climate you are in. 3. How creative your setup is - vertical gardening, greenhouse, containers, beds, in ground, etc. If done correctly, I would say 1/2 acre would be best for this, assuming you have good sunlight as well. You mentioned hunting for all your meat. I'm an avid hunter as well and harvest 2 deer each year. I would say having 1-2 pigs would greatly help you out as well since they take little space and offer a lot of meat. I love your goal of producing all your veggies and hunting for the meat. Well done!

[@victorenecahill9840]

It would help if you could give a diagram of your layout, Thank you for putting is out because people need to know how you can do this on 1 quarter to 1 acre of land. I would like to see more KZbinRS would do this.

[@togetherweharvest]

It would be tough to create a diagram that would work for everyone since every property is different. I'll try to put one together, even a basic imagine to give you and others a general idea.

[@rogerioayresmtbvtt]

You have nice chickens and a good space. Think about plant corn next to your garden.

[@togetherweharvest]

Corn takes up soooo much space and it’s a super heavy feeder crop. For us, it’s not efficient enough.

[@bettinaripperger4159]

New subscriber here ! Great content

[@togetherweharvest]

Thank you! Do you currently homestead?

[@hopechannelcat5462]

do you have a video on how to make maple syrup? enjoyed your content! thanks

[@togetherweharvest]

Yes I do. 3 Videos Supplies to get started - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qavJq5lsntZ9nc0 Tapping Trees - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYS0mIeZltWUacU Boiling Sap - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXvcg4SbfZege9k Thanks for watching!

[@hopechannelcat5462]

@@togetherweharvest thanks

[@dianewebb738]

How do you keep termites from getting into your wood piles while their drying out ?

[@togetherweharvest]

We don't even think about termites. It's never been a problem for me or anyone I know in our area - thank goodness.

[@KaleidoscopeJunkie]

Zoning Make sure you can have chickens, pigs, etc..

[@togetherweharvest]

Yep! In the country, those are non issues.

[@theresavirta4102]

Curious in what area of Wisconsin (northern vs southern) only because I’m in the U.P. And interested in comparison of areas (I’m in 5a).

[@togetherweharvest]

We are in north central WI, zone 4b.

[@theresavirta4102]

@@togetherweharvest one more close relation question, please; my folks have a home in Fifield Wisconsin, would this be similar to your area? As my mom does have difficulty growing vegetables in her area and I’m sure the soil does need some amendments also, but would also like to help there too.

[@togetherweharvest]

Similar as far as weather yes. It's almost 2 hours away from us. I'm not sure why she's having issues growing veggies there. I would recommend raised beds or purchasing bulk compost to incorporate into her ground soil. Best to do that in the fall so it's ready to go for the Spring.

[@theresavirta4102]

@@togetherweharvest thank you we’ll try that

[@cherylhowker1792]

Have you got your plans written down? Like a 6month plan , 12months 2 years 5 years? I was told it’s a very good idea to have that. So what you plan to achieve in the next 6months and so on. So you can say, well in that 6months trees are $30 each and I want 3 so that’s $90 and that you have that money.

[@togetherweharvest]

Not at the moment. You make a good point, especially about saving up for trees, feed, animals, etc.

[@joannc147]

That’s really such a good point! I found my veg plans for fall and spring plants brought great results and my summer harvest was a complete disaster. Oh well. Good thing I like root veggies! I’ve just started to track feed costs and will track my firewood use as well (first year with wood burning heat).

[@cherylhowker1792]

Tbh I see homesteading is different to farming…. Having cows and sheep is farming to me. Unless you have 1 milk cow not meat cow.

[@joannc147]

Nice try, kid, you’re on your way. I believe you will establish a good homestead on this ppty. Your title is misleading tho to say “on 1 acre or less” and then show off substantially MORE than an acre! I’ve got a 1/2 acre with free range hens, meat rabbits, raised veg beds (in the front yard where there’s sunlight), 3 kinds of berries, persimmons and 2 types of figs. I need to work on raising animal fodder next year. Space for most of us is too limited for grains, corn, fruit orchards and chicken tractors. Best of luck to all the homesteaders out there.👍🏻

[@togetherweharvest]

I showed our one acre where we actively homestead. When did I show off more than an acre that we use to homestead?

[@theboringchannel2027]

lol, no grains, no bread, no animal feed for winter, no alcohol to produce. Homesteading with lots of continious OUTSIDE INPUTS is not really homesteading. more like homestead cosplay.

[@togetherweharvest]

Do you know of a homestead that uses no outside inputs?