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23 Feb ’12
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I'm Ceiling_Cat over on the OG. I haven't spent much time here because, honestly, I've been a little demoralized about homesteading. I've been looking for a property for the better part of 2 years and haven't really been able to do many homesteading things in that time.
Well, 9 offers in, we finally got one accepted. We've been through all the inspections and appraisals, and short of an act of god, we're closing on 6/12. One of the things that makes this a good homestead IMO is that its on 1/2 acre, and its cheap. We'll only be spending about 1/7th of our income on the mortgage. That's about where the benefits end. Its a 1945 bungalow. It's rough but livable, and will require a lot of work.
First things first, I'll be responsible for the lives of 6 chickens that I know little to nothing about. Any tips, websites, etc. on chickens will be greatly appreciated.
Second, the previous owners let the flower beds all around the house grow and grow for years. It's left the house in a bit of a bowl. I'll be removing a lot of vegetation and top soil so water runs away from the house and not under it. I'm thinking I'll need to start a compost pile with all that shit I remove, and I'll want to know what to plant in those beds once its regraded. Preferably something suitable for front yards that also produces food.
Third, There's a bunch of mature but neglected fruit trees and pecan trees on the property. How do I care for them? I'd like to get some peaches, pears, plums, and pecans this year, so what do I need to do to feed those trees and get them back to health?
Fourth, there's about a 800 sqft raised bed fenced garden. I don't think its planted with anything but a few onions. What should I do with that?
The climate for all this is the Dallas area. I live north of there in Denton, so its a few degrees cooler, but similar otherwise. Ultimately, I plan to live in this house for a while. I can delay gratification this year while I get going on bigger permaculture projects over the next few years. I'd like to use non-gmo organic methods as much as possible, and everything has to be vegetarian, so no blood or bone meal. I'm open to doing about anything on the property within a sensible budget. Hopefully there's some people on here willing to throw me a few tips on how to get started on these initial projects, or at least congratulate me on my new house.
23 Feb ’12
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23 Feb ’12
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23 Feb ’12
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The first yard picture with the fence in the back is taken right outside the back porch. That first section of yard will largely be for the dogs. All the rest of the pics are taken just beyond that gate into the second yard. That will be the little urban farm. I might have exagerated the size of the garden a little. Its probably more like 500 sqft.
21 Oct ’12
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Congrats on the property it looks great. I don't have any Chickens but they are not to hard to care for, just keep there coop clean and them fed. I know lots of members here raise chickens and will give you more in depth instructions 
What seems to be the problem with the fruit trees? Are they wilted and dying, broken limbs? Welcome to the forums and congrats again.
20 Feb ’12
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Awesome, it must feel good to have your spot picked out and settled.
It looks like your zone is either 8a or 7b. You are so close to growing avacado it hurts!
For the beds around the house I would plant berries, rhubarb, chive, herbs, strawberries, asparagus. You could also consider using vines here (use a trellis that will keep them off the house) to shade/cool the house but also produce food. Something like a grape vine or hardy kiwi would be good. Even some serviceberry could be good here are certain varieties grow high enough to shade. Birds love serviceberry, so you'd be taking care of your winged friends at the same time. Win, win.
For your large garden I would look at what you want to eat and use an intensive planting model to get as much yield as possible. I highly recommend this book: . He goes into the tools and techniques appropriate for the market gardener. He focuses on hand tools to minimize expenses, and there is a good selection of handy tools he recommends to ensure a couple people can productively work a smaller plot of land.
As you noted, composting is a must, and with your chickens around you should be able to make killer compost.
Happy homesteading, and congrats again.
23 Feb ’12
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Congrats on the property it looks great. I don't have any Chickens but they are not to hard to care for, just keep there coop clean and them fed. I know lots of members here raise chickens and will give you more in depth instructions What seems to be the problem with the fruit trees? Are they wilted and dying, broken limbs? Welcome to the forums and congrats again.
I don't know that there is a problem with the fruit trees. One of them is nearly dead. I'd say only about 1/5th of it has any new growth, so that one will require some reviving or removing. The rest seem like trees to me, but I don't know how to maintain them, ensure they produce, or protect the fruit from pests.
23 Feb ’12
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Awesome, it must feel good to have your spot picked out and settled.
It looks like your zone is either 8a or 7b. You are so close to growing avacado it hurts!
For the beds around the house I would plant berries, rhubarb, chive, herbs, strawberries, asparagus. You could also consider using vines here (use a trellis that will keep them off the house) to shade/cool the house but also produce food. Something like a grape vine or hardy kiwi would be good. Even some serviceberry could be good here are certain varieties grow high enough to shade. Birds love serviceberry, so you'd be taking care of your winged friends at the same time. Win, win.
For your large garden I would look at what you want to eat and use an intensive planting model to get as much yield as possible. I highly recommend this book: . He goes into the tools and techniques appropriate for the market gardener. He focuses on hand tools to minimize expenses, and there is a good selection of handy tools he recommends to ensure a couple people can productively work a smaller plot of land.
As you noted, composting is a must, and with your chickens around you should be able to make killer compost.
Happy homesteading, and congrats again.
Ok, apparently I'm a 7B
Berries seem reasonable around the house, but I worry a little about planting in the middle of June. That's damn hot in Texas and just the beginning of the worst time of the year. I wouldn't mind some tips on how to minimize the amount of work I do watering, maybe drip irrigation or something. The whole property is decently shaded by trees. In fact, I think I'll have to prune the trees above the big garden bed to get it some sone.
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