As part of my job, I get to se a lot of interesting old government publications like the one below. There is a lot of pre-WW2 farming information, before chemicals were pushed as the only way to grow. When we’re looking into “new” methods to try here at Seven Trees, or even just for background on how things were done before Lowe’s and Home Depot, I often look at these old USDA pamphlets. This one, on planning a subsistence homestead, is very doable for most people, even if your lot is smaller than the ones shown here. Just scale down a bit, but use the layouts for guidelines as to what was considered crucial for a well-rounded ‘stead. (Oh yeah…clicking on each picture should get you a much bigger one.) Here’s a 1 acre layout. Notice the caption mentions it’s a good size for one man with help from his wife & kids. Ah, the good old days…male breadwinner, female housekeeper, and one income enough to cover the bills.
2 acres….
And 4 acres. We’re kind of pushing it at Seven Trees, having all the livestock. We just assume we’ll have to buy hay instead of growing our own or having enough grazing year-round. Ideally we’d have 3 to 5 acres, but not at current prices in our area.
Watch for more helpful vintage government info on all kinds of topics, like rotational grazing, wireworm control, helpful farmhouse conveniences (a really cool low-tech “refrigerator” in this one), and so on!

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