Farm land for veggies (Austin, West: for sale, real estate, to buy)

[relocatetoxxxx]

Hi - I dont have any experience in farming in general but I am very interested in trying it out at a place where I can volunteer and learn from that experience. At the same time , I am also doing research on land which would be good to buy (may be for a distant future) for growing vegetables. Is there any place on net that can give me info. on how to research on the lands that are available for sale and what are they good for growing.

Thanks in advance,

[ashbeeigh]

This was the first thing I thought of https://urbanrootsatx.org/. You may be able to help with the kiddos. But, I also do know there are several smaller urban farms in east Austin. Eden East, Boggy Creek Farms, Hausbar Urban Farms....there's lots. But, if you're looking to like "farm" out in the country, I've got nothing.

[relocatetoxxxx]

Thanks for the info. Looks like they have suspended all volunteering activities for the time being. But it is definitely good place to start. I will check out the other farms as well for opportunities.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by relocatetoxxxx

Hi - I dont have any experience in farming in general but I am very interested in trying it out at a place where I can volunteer and learn from that experience. At the same time , I am also doing research on land which would be good to buy (may be for a distant future) for growing vegetables. Is there any place on net that can give me info. on how to research on the lands that are available for sale and what are they good for growing.

Thanks in advance,

For research information you can go to the Texas A&M WEB site. They have a large amount of information on agrilife and land. They also have a real estate center that speak of this as well. Obviously it is on a large scale but it can help with the information you seek about land characteristics and growing.


As for volunteering and learning from the experience I would not look at larger (even Mom & Pop natural operations) and commercial operations as they are not only to busy working the land but also would work it a great deal differently than you would on a small scale. Instead look for local community garden opportunities. These are plots of land opened up to locals for starting their own very, very small growing ops. Some may also provide classes by local agricultural experts/operators. These are more geared towards the level for starting out. The local City government might have information on these, the churches, etc.

[Austin97]

landsoftexas.com is pretty good. You can also just use zillow/trulia and search for larger acreages.

[relocatetoxxxx]

Thanks @escanlan,@Austin97. Any particular link on the Texas AM site that gives this info. Especially the real estate center and the research info on how to learn about the land would be really helpful.

ALso are there any organizations that help small time farmers to get going if they are interested in purchasing abt 5 acres and start farming ?

thanks again

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by relocatetoxxxx

Thanks @escanlan,@Austin97. Any particular link on the Texas AM site that gives this info. Especially the real estate center and the research info on how to learn about the land would be really helpful.

ALso are there any organizations that help small time farmers to get going if they are interested in purchasing abt 5 acres and start farming ?

thanks again

You will need to run through the various TAMU and other site pages and pick out the information you are interested in.



I am not aware of any specific organization that can help with the "start farming" question but there are many different organizations out there. You can review the Texas Department of Agriculture WEB site here for various grant and other information https://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home.aspx . While running through these various sites they will point you to others that may fit your specific needs. It's mostly a matter of defining your high level objectives and then finding the information on the various sites.

[TMSRetired]

Originally Posted by relocatetoxxxx

Thanks @escanlan,@Austin97. Any particular link on the Texas AM site that gives this info. Especially the real estate center and the research info on how to learn about the land would be really helpful.

ALso are there any organizations that help small time farmers to get going if they are interested in purchasing abt 5 acres and start farming ?

thanks again

Very important to learn about the land.

East of I-35 is a mixture of heavy clay/sandy loam and that's where most farming occurs.
West of I-35 is mostly limestone with a light covering of soil.

When I lived in Travis county I ended up with raised beds because of the heavy clay.


Here's some links:

https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/h...in-area-soils/

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/F...3/0/Travis.pdf