An Under-$10,000 Ozarks Home

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As far as our garden goes—well, as the folks around here say, "Nothing grows in this ground but rocks." The topsoil is thin, rocky, and acidic, and the subsoil is mostly clay. During the first spring I dug seven 4' X 35' raised beds. Each row took about six hours to dig to a depth of 1 ' and produced an average of seven large wheelbarrow loads of rocks and roots.

Although we fertilized, we didn't harvest much from the garden the first year because of severe heat and drought, and we expect it will take several years to make the ground really productive. Once the root cellar was dug, we had the backhoe man dig two dozen fruit tree holes in our rocky ground, and when we've accumulated enough topsoil and compost, we'll plant our orchard. Our two milk goats are fenced out of the garden and have the freedom to roam the woods.

Have we found the good life? Well, to be honest, we're still adjusting to our lower standard of living and the slower rural pace. But in spite of that, we're also beginning to love the freedom, the peace of mind, and the degree of self-reliance we've achieved here at our still-developing country home.

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