When you think of a Homestead...

[BarredBuff]

When you think of a Homestead...what kind of animals or crops do you think of? What do you think the people are like? I was just curious...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ummm, I think of the 1800's and a small farm.

 

[Southernbelle]

My ideal homestead would involve

about 20-30 acres
a BIG garden
a hayfield
a donkey for protection from dogs
a hog
chickens, of course
rabbits
a milk cow - I'd breed her to a beef bull and raise her offspring for the freezer.
a few goats for brush control

ETA: fruit trees - I forgot about fruit trees!

We only have 6 acres now and we're not fenced for livestock, so maybe one day...

 

[iddybiddyfarm]

I think if you are making any attempt at a more self sufficient, sustainable lifestyle -growing veggies and/or fruit, and a few hens or rabbits- that would be a homestead.
Currently I'm working on turning our 1/3 acre into a homestead. I'm growing some veggies and fruit and nuts this year, and hopefully next year I'll be adding chickens. At some point I'd love to have at least 5 acres and goats, rabbits and larger gardens, but for now I'm learning and growing where I am.

 

[happyfeetfarm]

I think about being independant the best one can be with what they have. We have 18 acres but most is covered with mesquite and catclaw so we can do nothing with it until we get the money up to have it cleared or get a tractor to clear it ourselves. We have dairy goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and a horse we would like to teach to plow our 2 acre garden plot. We get pigs that we feed out on the extra goats milk and the feathered creatures eat what they can off the land and we use what greens not used from the garden/the peelings for everything. We do have to supplement with grains because we are so dry. We also have a small orchard with peaches, plums, apricots and some blackberries and grapes. We try and eat directly off the land and make minimal trips to the store. We recycle as much as possible and reuse building materials for pens. We love the bartering system as selling some items are illegal and this prevents us from breaking laws.