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i knew this retire guy that made a living on 1/2 acre, that included his house, every inch of the yard was raise bed vegatable, and then he sold on side of road, cash money. around here you can lease power company land, the land under the big power lines for gardens, its like a dollar a year, as long as there a road for truck travel
The other thing is water. If you have a large growing area, you're going to have to depend to some extent on rain coming at regular times. With the climate the way it is now, I don't know if that's possible, so you might have to add in the cost of irrigation, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ognend
This article is not about self-sufficiency as in growing all of your food. It is about making a living by growing a mono crop that requires little space and sells for $3+/bunch (such as mesclun greens).
You're still going to need room for at least three fields, though. A mono crop in the same place is going to eventually where out the soil. So you need to rotate crops and let at least one field lay fallow or plant clover in it or something.
You're still going to need room for at least three fields, though. A mono crop in the same place is going to eventually where out the soil. So you need to rotate crops and let at least one field lay fallow or plant clover in it or something.
Agreed but I think these folks do enrich their soil from outside sources. I think the book they have (that I have referenced in this thread) goes into more detail. Don't remember any more, it has been a while since I looked at it.
Sub, jumpin your thread here but sufficient land is less that 1 acre, I think too. If you can grow enough chow & raise some hens for eggs, etc. you're good to go. Grains are harder but hey, they're not totally unobtainable in the MT/ID area -- though Maine would have potatoes I guess too.
Sub, jumpin your thread here but sufficient land is less that 1 acre, I think too. If you can grow enough chow & raise some hens for eggs, etc. you're good to go. Grains are harder but hey, they're not totally unobtainable in the MT/ID area -- though Maine would have potatoes I guess too.
Just random musings...
In the 1800s much of Maine was a grain belt. The big concentration on grains shifted focus to other states.
Currently Maine produces:
500,000 ton of corn
2,170,000 bushels of oats
800,000 bushels of barley
545,000 gallons of maple syrup.
Your sellin on Me no matter how much a case i make for the redoubt states of WY, ID, MT & WA & OR.
Maine with over 3,000 miles of coast line may be thought of mostly for it's tourism and lobster. With 92% of the state forest, Maine produces a lot of timber products like lumber, wood pulp products and maple syrup.
Generally thought of for potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, apples and fiddleheads. But we produce a lot of other farm produce as well. Along with the various grains that I previously mentioned.
As an organic farmer myself I find that often people forget that this rural state produces a lot of farm products. A natural lack of drought helps in this regard.
You're still going to need room for at least three fields, though. A mono crop in the same place is going to eventually where out the soil. So you need to rotate crops and let at least one field lay fallow or plant clover in it or something.
That should have been "wear" out the soil. I can't believe I missed that.
That should have been "wear" out the soil. I can't believe I missed that.
S'all good, it's not the end of the world.
Or is it!?!
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