Plan the Perfect Homestead
(Page 3 of 9)
April/May 2006
Edited by John Stuart, Carol Mack and Megan Phelps
Finding Your Place
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When purchasing a house and land, ask all the usual questions you would when buying any house. But homesteading may introduce other considerations, such as:
• How rich is the soil, and how long is the growing season?
• Does the property provide adequate pasture and water for livestock? Will you need to build a barn?
• Will you be able to harvest firewood from your land?
• Is there a nearby farmer’s market? Do the roads near the house get enough traffic to sell products from home?
Defining your priorities before buying land is crucial to homesteading success. And even if you have a clear idea of what you want and where you plan to settle, take your time before committing to a specific piece of land.
“You may live in a community three or four years before you know enough about the town, the land and your own habits to be sure which location is best,” says Bryan Welch, publisher of MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Welch lives on a 50-acre farm outside of Lawrence, Kan., with his wife, Carolyn. When looking for land, they knew they needed a large pasture because they were interested in grass-fed livestock, but everyone’s needs are different.
“We’ve lived in nine states, so we’ve looked at this puzzle from a number of different angles,” Welch says. “I’ve witnessed the disillusionment that occurs when a family that planned to raise vegetables as a cash crop discovers they’ve chosen a mountain town with an 80-day growing season.
“Obviously, homesteaders should pick a place they like. But they also need to make sure that their planned crops and animals will be compatible with the local environment.”
When deciding how much land you need, keep an open mind, says George DeVault, a farmer in Emmaus, Pa. “Forget about absolutely having to have a certain number of acres,” DeVault says. “There was once a book called Ten Acres Enough by Edmund Morris. A few years later, R.B. Roosevelt wrote a book called Five Acres Too Much.”
With today’s intensive cultivation methods such as raised beds and greenhouses, many homesteaders are able to grow most of their own food on less than an acre. That can work in an urban area, and even better, in a small town where property values are lower. Find an inexpensive house on a double lot, and you may be in business. Another strategy is to purchase land, but avoid a big mortgage by building and living in a simple cabin until you’re ready to build a house. “I bought my first piece of land — 28 acres for $350 an acre — about an hour into the countryside from Portland, Maine, where I lived,” says Scott Vlaun, a writer and photographer, who still lives on the property with his wife, Zizi. “I built a small cabin there from fir poles, green hemlock and recycled windows for $500.” Steve Maxwell followed a similar strategy in Ontario, where he and his wife, Mary, built and lived in a small cabin while building their house.
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