The most important thing is that you get lots of sun for fruit and veggies and put your chickens in the shadiest spot. Grow only what you actually eat. I used to try to grow as many varieties as possible and had great success in growing things we don’t really eat. Sure there was still satisfaction in it but now I’ve really pared it down and realised that we basically only eat onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, cucumber, peas and pumpkins and herbs and a small amount of lettuce. And you can grow a LOT of those things in a small space. Also, vertical gardening will be your friend 😊
Lol...my hubby fell into the trap of 'plant everything '..just because he wanted to see things grow. Now we grow only what we eat on a regular basis ( and preserve the excess. Lol....now I can't face another eggplant 😅
Yep we are learning that already actually haha! I think it's a combination of growing what you like to eat and learning to eat what you can grow haha! Looking forward to trying some fun vertical garden ideas for sure!
We're on a quarter acre block. We have a large three bay shed, a 20' shipping container, a 20' caravan under cover next to the shed, a chook shed and run and a 3 bedroom house with a full length veranda. We have over 20 fruit trees in half 44 gallon drums. We have a large veg raised bed veg garden. There's lots of grass for our Grandies and two large dogs to run on. We have a bore for water for our garden. You will enjoy your journey. Look at gardens in your area. This will give you so many ideas.
My advice put the house as close to front property line, you Don't need a front garden, maximum the back yard room, consider now the roof as a attic room to make the most of that space
@@Homestead_OnTheRock_ we're on 970sqm and we are renovating our block to make it an urban homestead. We are spending $500 to engage an architect to ensure we are council compliant and to ensure the house renovation will provide the best value for money. It's a good investment to make sure we "do it right" as my wife and I have great ideas but we aren't as good as the professionals.
I'm in a townhouse in Melbourne with a tiny courtyard. I also have a 40 sq/m community allotment plot. It's not much, but it's what we have for now & although we're not 100% self-sufficient, we have the homestead mindset; learn to bake, preserve, make dairy products & live simply. Support local small farms & other homesteads by buying their products. Keep your moral compass front & centre & you'll be fine. You will know when it's time to take the next step. Your 1000m is a blessing 😊
I live on a 1200m² plot. My house is 300m² and I have a 3 car garage at the back of the property with a long driveway from the front to the back of the property. On the rest of the property I have chickens, quail, ducks and rabbits. It supply us (family of 4) with enough meat to enable us not to buy meat. I also have a veggie garden and fruit trees that supply us with enough veggies that we don't have to buy. I don't have help and cope with what I have going on here. I am just telling you this that you can see what is possible on a small peace of land.
I think your reasoning about this block of land is spot on. Regarding the house -- give some real thought to orientation. For no money at all, you can decide how to orient your house, and make it most efficient. The best way to orient in Australia is to have as many of the windows facing north, fewer facing south, reduce (or eliminate) east and west facing windows, and ensure you have decent sized eaves (at least 400mm). This way you can avoid the sun coming into the house via the windows in the summer, whilst also getting the benefit of the sun through the windows in the winter. Sun hitting glass (windows) will heat up your home in the summer, whilst too many (big) windows facing south with let in too much cold in the winter. Double glazing is expensive, but orientation is key and doesn't cost much at all. Keep the roof structure simple and save money there as well. A simple gable roof is cheaper than a complicated hip and valley roof, and a rectangle north-facing house is often the most efficient in terms of orientation, whilst also providing a good north-facing roof face for a later solar installation. Upgrade the wall and ceiling insulation as much as you can afford, and you will be more comfortable for it later. These are the absolute best and cost effective (or free) tips for an efficient house design. And of course -- fruit and vegetables require sun - lots of it. Plan your fruit and veg garden so that there is no shade from surrounding trees or structures.
I agree with what you are thinking. I also remember how productive the Greeks and Italians could make their 1/4 acre blocks in Adelaide back in the 1970s and 80s. Small forces you to be efficient, creative and clever. You can always network with other people in your community, exchange produce with one another. You don’t have to grow everything yourself. Building a loving, caring, supportive and interactive community can be your greatest and strongest asset. 🙏🦋
Well said! Best part is we have discovered how kind and helpful the homesteading community is and we are confident this will grow into our greatest asset as well! Appreciate this comment
I love watching your videos so much. It gives me hope with our 1/4 acre block and all my homestead dreams but having to learn absolutely everything from scratch! It is overwhelming but you guys help me feel not alone 🙌🏻
Tom and Dorothy here from NZ. You are on the right track with your thinking. You could rephrase the question from "is this land big enough?" To be ," What can we do on this piece of land? " The answer is - HEAPS! With the efficiencies and learning you talk about, you will begin to understand intensification , so that after 10 years of homesteading a 1/4 acre, you will find it produces more than you need. We dreamt for years of owning more land. Now we are so glad we don't! Being grateful is spot on. Our family moto is "We are hopeful and we are grateful".
I highly recommend a book called the permaculture home garden. It will give you so many tips on how to make the most of your space, how to maximise efficiency and how to get those chickens doing most of the hard work for you.
No, my first homestead was a quarter acre block in town with a big old federation home. We had a big garage, a chook pen a tool shed and a huge garden. I grew plenty of food and fruit trees. My kids had a play area and swing set. It’s a good starter homestead. We put our chickens into a smaller pen and let them free range during the day and locked them up at night so a small pen works.
If you are going to down that tree have the trunk milled to make your garden beds. Mulch all the smaller branches for using for paths round the garden beds. Use everything in the meantime. When you mow rake the grass up and cover with a tarp when dry it makes great nesting box material. Any debris on the property start a compost pile, ready to use next year. All these gifts are there for you to harvest now😊
Remember to think about shading and maximising growing space with the northern aspect. We have a property with the same aspect and the house casts a lot of shade in winter when the sun is low. Think about how you position the house to maximise the growing space and perhaps consider having fruit trees in the front or side and parking in front of the house so you have as much unshaded growing space as possible. You can also use septic water for fruit trees so if you are planning a septic system your septic field could also be an orchid.
we live in a small rural VIC town and you will be surprised with how much we can fit on our small block. Sometimes things are stepping stones. We brought our current house with the intention to sell again in the future, who knows when that will be...but for now we live within our means and land size. you can absolutely homestead on your block. Trust the Lord and where he was led you for this season
Appreciate this! Glad to hear you're also doing the best you can with your space and you're grateful for the land you do have! I think most people dont have easy access to big acreage so its important to change our perspective and do our best with whatever land God has blessed us with to garden and grow!
Starting small is sensible and with building a house building a garden and being present with your family you will be grateful for your 1/4 acre block. ❤
Inspirational stuff Tom! We have been able to grow a large portion of our yearly veggie needs in a small corner of our yard. I think you'll have plenty of room.
It's my first time on your channel and we are also homesteading on a quarter acre and we loved it sooo much! I love watching homesteading families homesteading on a lot of acres but I know how a lot of work it is. We can grow a lot on a quarter acre and is a manageable lot especially for families with small kids. We have 2 boys, 6 and 4,and we are on our 40s so we don't have the energy we had on our 20s and 30s,so a quarter acre is perfect for us.
It is small, but you had a budget that you're stinking to and you can sure grow more there than you could in the caravan. You have to start somewhere and you're learning as you go, yes... you'll probably outgrow it pretty quickly but there is so much you can still do with it, especially if you plan well and with purpose. You mentioned that house B was closer to the road and might lost the feeling of being in nature, not if you fill the front with fruit/food baring trees, a food forest up the back, chooks, compost... I've watched and thought it's quite small too, but starting from bare land, you can plan it well and still have everything you want.... call it the Tardis. lol
you're 100% correct! We believe we will surprise a lot of people with how much we achieve on this block! It's quite impressive what a "can do" attitude can achieve sometimes! Appreciate the support and comment!
We have a book called "practical self sufficiency" it has examples for lots smaller than yours up to much bigger. Dont be discouraged, research permaculture, and make your garden work for you. This is plenty of room to start something big!
Hi from Adelaide, congratulations guy's, i am 60 years old, raised 3 children, and fostered over 12, all grown now and have children, so yeah im having some me time lol i just bought my first block and am building my first home, its a lil stressed and i to was thinking my land was to small but taking the plunge, 😅 what ever you decide i wish you all the very best. I will stay tuned. I look forward to seeing the outcome! 😊
Well...again, a few thoughts, It IS big enough to start with. Building your infrastructure will take time, but it will give you 'learning time'. Utilise the space at the front of the house for fruit trees...using an otherwise 'dead space'. Raised beds are a blessing...but depending on how you build them, also possibly expensive up front. My dad had a rotary hoe and dug over our veg plot...we had veg all year round. 'Staggering' your crops, so you don't get everything ripening at once too. We have 9 raised beds and 3 fruit trees on our current block...it's 334 sqr meters ( no lawn..we're pensioners). We had chooks previously..4...gave us enough eggs for most of the year. A shed is a must for storing tools, chook food ( mice) and fertilisers etc. Just Start !! It will grow as it should..one step at a time. ( an old fashioned farm girl :) )
Don’t be frightened to plant fruit trees in the front yard. We were very happy to have fruit Rees in the front because they flower beautifully in spring and you can harvest the fruit.
We have 700m2 in the city outskirts - we have chickens and about 40 fruit / olive trees. I can recommend the "grow a little fruit tree" book very highly for fitting a lot of fruit trees in with the goal of having year round fruit. Just go slow and learn as you go ☺️ and plant seeds
I think it’s a perfect size. Especially cause you are able to plan it all out from scratch. You will be able to learn to grow plenty of veg and eggs for your family. I have a very small suburban no dig garden. I have 4 garden beds. I am still learning. Have tried to grow all sorts of things. I find that each season (I’m south east QLD. So sub. Tropical) there will be 1 thing that we get a huge abundance of. Last Summer it was eggplants. Mostly 1plant and some little ones off another. Then my newly established choko vine kicked in and I could not keep up. I was giving around 50 a week away to friends and neighbours. Highly recommend growing choko. Super easy to start from store bought. Trust me when I say one single plant can feed 3 families in the season. Also grow it vertically along your fence line. Pick them small. No fatter than a tennis ball. You van treat them raw or cooked like a zucchini or cucumber. Anyway what I’ve learnt is to learn to cook and enjoy whatever you are growing a lot of. And it’s not always the thing you’d expected. I now know many ways to prepare choko and eggplant
You’ll be able to do so much! That’s plenty of land and if used efficiently it’ll be fine :) There’s lots of strategies to maximise space aswell like layered food forests (edible ground covers, edible mid storey and edible or fruiting), vertical growing, moveable chicken tractors etc. It’ll be great and I can’t wait to see what you do :)
You only need a small chicken coop for the hens to sleep in at night. Let them out in the morning and if you want to keep them in one area just buy some electric chicken netting and put it where you want to keep them in the day. That way you can move them around and manure is spread out.
We are with you. We are still stuck in the city with a very small back yard, waiting until we are able to buy a small block of land. We are are trying to make the most of our small space planting veg in as many spots as we can find, with grow bags everywhere. So excited to see your journey as what you’re doing is our goal.
You will have a comfortable home within your budget ,peace comes from living without debt ,and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you on. Train up your children in the way they should go ,have fun and enjoy them. You want to be as self sufficient as you can but also have time to visit family,read and pray. Your days will be full and pass quickly. children grow up and you wonder where the years have gone.we are all enjoying you journey to God be the glory
All your ideas are great. I'm in the UK and my husband and I have lived 80% self-sufficiently for the last 15 years very nicely off just over three acres of land including eggs, chicken, pork, lamb, veggies, fruit and fish (we're right near the sea). We're selling up now as we're well past retirement age. I'd love to do it all again. I have a whole load of brilliant books that I wish I could send to you.
The important word in your statement is "starting" your homestead. Better to begin and become competent before growing bigger than you can cope with. Love watching your enthusiasm and honesty starting this journey.
Keep the front yard small if you can. I agree with others a young family, you will both be crazy busy, so I think the block will be a good size. Espalier your fruit trees along the fences try the dwarf tree's. They are bigger than you think. I homeatead a 800sqm block. It's doable. Just have to be cleaver about how you do things
I reckon you need another revenue stream. I started a business and it was a couple of years before it was self sufficient. Having a part time job in that period was a huge blessing. Burning through savings puts a lot of pressure on you.
I’m excited for you and your family. I have just under that size land with a decent size home taking a lot pf the land but able to grow so much food and meep chickens. The more land, the more work. I find this size more than enough work. I would recommend you get soil tests done and pick the best sun spot to grow in, away from tree roots. Start building your soil even while building your home. The soil is everything. All the best with your adventure from an older Aussie urban homesteader. Kayleen 😀
You will be able to fit so much on this property. Either employ a permaculture designer or ask your families to pool together and employ one for you to list everything you want on the property and put a design together for you. It will give you a foundation of what to put where, what to plant, and a visual of what it will look like. For inspiration of how much you will fit on your block look at Andrew Millison's you tube channel and his latest video of before and after of turning his yard in to a food paradise.
I have a little over 1/2 an acre , it’s surprising how much you can grow , achieve on smaller allotments . As long as it’s veggies, a few chooks ,a couple of trees etc. maybe a goat or a couple of sheep it will be sufficient . It would be too small if you wanted more or large stock like cattle.
Agreed! I think it's all perspective and we will be doing a lot more on this than I think people realize! Glad to hear you're doing well with your space as well! appreciate the comment
You can grow heaps in an apartment so a quarter acre is a great blessing. That said, so is 5 acres. Been managing my 5 as a legally blind person with physical limitations without a truck laugh out loud, and realised that my dream of running health retreats, herbal medicine making workshops, life on the land experiences isn’t so far fetched but we need more land. We did have Dexter cows, chooks, food forest, veggie garden on this 5 acres and the decision to sell has been a hard one but I’ve been forced to learn how to grow fruit trees from cuttings so we can take them with us and leave the trees here for the new owners. I’m also a horse trainer so we have horses here too. 5 acres is plenty for a forever family homestead but it’s not massive.
Interesting story but if both men have the same brain they both would do the studying. And use animals as well to maintain the land. But having said that you can grow heaps on your block. But maybe you could get a part time job too least until you are making lots of UA-cam if you do. You are young and there is 2 of you, children don’t take up all your time. Your channel could make it by you achieving the goal of selling sufficiency on a 1/4 acre, prove it can be done, people want to see that it can be. But you have to optimise every minute inch of space. Plan your dwelling to extend up not out. Espalier fruit trees along all your boundaries. Chook pens can’t go against neighbours fences but they can wonder around the back of their yard. Use vertical gardening. Hydroponics, trellis for shade for the house could house the beans, there are so many things you can implement to make it work. Good luck.
Start small and when you have completed everything and realised how it works out for you, then decide if you need bigger. I think for now, it’s perfect 🤩
Great attitude! Im saving in the city until i have enough to buy and start what you are doing but im not sure about building a house. I might buy a block with something there cos im not sure i want to learn about that
I’m sure you guys will do great on your 1/4 acre … maybe start with a few wicking beds for veges …. Efficient use of water and second hand IBC are a cheap way to set them up …. Good luck and look forward to watching your journey 👌
Love your healthy perspective. Grateful & with God's lessons you will go far & succeed with your family. Size isn't everything, living within your means is a lifelong skill
Have you thought of having a ‘tiny house’ on your property and then you would be able to start the other components of your dream homestead. That would take the pressure off you money wise. You can add a shady verandah for extra room ..
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. But yes, it's too small for homesteading. It's equivalent to a city or small suburban lot here. You can have a nice home and a backyard garden. But it probably won't be a homestead (whatever that means). On the bright side, it will be easier to maintain and sometimes having constrictions can be good.
It is small but you're right it will be easier to maintain as well, this is something we touch on in the video! Appreciate your comment and hope you enjoy tonights video!
Be faithful in the little things and more will be added- you will find a way go grow heaps of sttuff in a food forrest. Enjoy tge journey being debt free gives you loads more freedom too
I did think on your first video that the block was far too small for your dreams. Time to get creative. Look at what others have done to maximize small spaces. Maybe put your fruit trees in the chook run. Free fertilizer and waste disposal 😉. Would you build a basement for storage / cellar space? If it is as big as the house base, you can have storage, cellar, and playspace/ homeschool/ hobby space. Have it so it extends above ground a bit for windows at ground level to let in natural light. Talk to God about it all. He knows❤
$130k is totally unrealistic to build even a tiny house at the moment , have you had quotes for getting power and water to the house ? I don’t want to come across as Negative but you need to price “essentials” , especially on a tight budget .
For gardening look at utuber 'Self sufficient me'. Hes aussie and has great knowledge to share in his videos. For house idea, look at 'Simple life reclaimed ' and the house they are building. Start from the beginning !they started with nothing and three kids in a motor home. Some turn barns into homes. Use your money wisely and you'll achieve your dreams.
You talk about cutting down native trees not on your property, even on your property you need permits, off your land it’s illegal and can come with criminal charges and fines etc please see the council or parks about dangerous trees Plant fruit trees on the side with neighbours, plant under crops like strawberries as a living mulch under them, companion. Plant gets more from your space
Yea I think turning it into a hobby farm is probably a stretch haha but im sure we can do and learn a lot on this block still to grow our homesteading skills
1/4 of an acre is a big improvement on a standard house block in Australia these days BUT ………….. Keep the house small and concentrate on growing the basic foods and have a few chooks . Get a paying job asap , be prepared to go without going on holidays and buying takeaways , coffee , etc. Look upon this block as having your foot in the real estate door and move on to a bigger allotment when you can afford to - if you never reach that time , make do with what you have and good luck . Remember though , don’t go spending on things that are not necessary or things that you think “ you are entitled to “ .
You can start the homesteading process on very little land, plenty do it. Sure you have to improvise but so what. We just bought 3.7 acres of bare land and are so lucky to have the room to do whatever we want, however up until now we only had a backyard, and most of that was taken up with a polyhouse.
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house , vertical growing you will be surprised how much you can grow ❤ you got this 🫂 am excited for you besides maybe you can build up a second level on the homestead and still have a compact efficient garden . We believe in you 😊 God will help after all its built on the rock 🙌🏻
The most important thing is that you get lots of sun for fruit and veggies and put your chickens in the shadiest spot. Grow only what you actually eat. I used to try to grow as many varieties as possible and had great success in growing things we don’t really eat. Sure there was still satisfaction in it but now I’ve really pared it down and realised that we basically only eat onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, cucumber, peas and pumpkins and herbs and a small amount of lettuce. And you can grow a LOT of those things in a small space. Also, vertical gardening will be your friend 😊
Lol...my hubby fell into the trap of 'plant everything '..just because he wanted to see things grow. Now we grow only what we eat on a regular basis ( and preserve the excess. Lol....now I can't face another eggplant 😅
Yep we are learning that already actually haha! I think it's a combination of growing what you like to eat and learning to eat what you can grow haha!
Looking forward to trying some fun vertical garden ideas for sure!
We're on a quarter acre block. We have a large three bay shed, a 20' shipping container, a 20' caravan under cover next to the shed, a chook shed and run and a 3 bedroom house with a full length veranda. We have over 20 fruit trees in half 44 gallon drums. We have a large veg raised bed veg garden. There's lots of grass for our Grandies and two large dogs to run on. We have a bore for water for our garden. You will enjoy your journey. Look at gardens in your area. This will give you so many ideas.
My advice put the house as close to front property line, you Don't need a front garden, maximum the back yard room, consider now the roof as a attic room to make the most of that space
Still need to consider setbacks and overshadowing.
Not exactly sure how far from the front we will go yet but I like the idea of attic space and im hopeful we can squeeze it in the budget!
@@Homestead_OnTheRock_ we're on 970sqm and we are renovating our block to make it an urban homestead. We are spending $500 to engage an architect to ensure we are council compliant and to ensure the house renovation will provide the best value for money. It's a good investment to make sure we "do it right" as my wife and I have great ideas but we aren't as good as the professionals.
With two small children you'll be very busy even cultivating a small plot. Family life is very important when the kids are little.
Absolutely! I didn't mention this in the video but I wish I did, well said!
I'm in a townhouse in Melbourne with a tiny courtyard. I also have a 40 sq/m community allotment plot. It's not much, but it's what we have for now & although we're not 100% self-sufficient, we have the homestead mindset; learn to bake, preserve, make dairy products & live simply. Support local small farms & other homesteads by buying their products. Keep your moral compass front & centre & you'll be fine. You will know when it's time to take the next step. Your 1000m is a blessing 😊
I live on a 1200m² plot. My house is 300m² and I have a 3 car garage at the back of the property with a long driveway from the front to the back of the property. On the rest of the property I have chickens, quail, ducks and rabbits. It supply us (family of 4) with enough meat to enable us not to buy meat. I also have a veggie garden and fruit trees that supply us with enough veggies that we don't have to buy. I don't have help and cope with what I have going on here. I am just telling you this that you can see what is possible on a small peace of land.
I think your reasoning about this block of land is spot on. Regarding the house -- give some real thought to orientation. For no money at all, you can decide how to orient your house, and make it most efficient. The best way to orient in Australia is to have as many of the windows facing north, fewer facing south, reduce (or eliminate) east and west facing windows, and ensure you have decent sized eaves (at least 400mm). This way you can avoid the sun coming into the house via the windows in the summer, whilst also getting the benefit of the sun through the windows in the winter. Sun hitting glass (windows) will heat up your home in the summer, whilst too many (big) windows facing south with let in too much cold in the winter. Double glazing is expensive, but orientation is key and doesn't cost much at all. Keep the roof structure simple and save money there as well. A simple gable roof is cheaper than a complicated hip and valley roof, and a rectangle north-facing house is often the most efficient in terms of orientation, whilst also providing a good north-facing roof face for a later solar installation. Upgrade the wall and ceiling insulation as much as you can afford, and you will be more comfortable for it later. These are the absolute best and cost effective (or free) tips for an efficient house design. And of course -- fruit and vegetables require sun - lots of it. Plan your fruit and veg garden so that there is no shade from surrounding trees or structures.
I agree with what you are thinking. I also remember how productive the Greeks and Italians could make their 1/4 acre blocks in Adelaide back in the 1970s and 80s. Small forces you to be efficient, creative and clever. You can always network with other people in your community, exchange produce with one another. You don’t have to grow everything yourself. Building a loving, caring, supportive and interactive community can be your greatest and strongest asset. 🙏🦋
Absolutely ! They were a force to be reckoned with. Still watch Vasilis Garden...gardening the old fashioned way.
@@susanjacquier5358is that a UA-cam channel?
Well said! Best part is we have discovered how kind and helpful the homesteading community is and we are confident this will grow into our greatest asset as well!
Appreciate this comment
I love watching your videos so much. It gives me hope with our 1/4 acre block and all my homestead dreams but having to learn absolutely everything from scratch! It is overwhelming but you guys help me feel not alone 🙌🏻
Tom and Dorothy here from NZ. You are on the right track with your thinking. You could rephrase the question from "is this land big enough?" To be ," What can we do on this piece of land? " The answer is - HEAPS! With the efficiencies and learning you talk about, you will begin to understand intensification , so that after 10 years of homesteading a 1/4 acre, you will find it produces more than you need. We dreamt for years of owning more land. Now we are so glad we don't! Being grateful is spot on. Our family moto is "We are hopeful and we are grateful".
I highly recommend a book called the permaculture home garden. It will give you so many tips on how to make the most of your space, how to maximise efficiency and how to get those chickens doing most of the hard work for you.
No, my first homestead was a quarter acre block in town with a big old federation home. We had a big garage, a chook pen a tool shed and a huge garden. I grew plenty of food and fruit trees. My kids had a play area and swing set. It’s a good starter homestead. We put our chickens into a smaller pen and let them free range during the day and locked them up at night so a small pen works.
If you are going to down that tree have the trunk milled to make your garden beds. Mulch all the smaller branches for using for paths round the garden beds. Use everything in the meantime. When you mow rake the grass up and cover with a tarp when dry it makes great nesting box material. Any debris on the property start a compost pile, ready to use next year. All these gifts are there for you to harvest now😊
Remember to think about shading and maximising growing space with the northern aspect. We have a property with the same aspect and the house casts a lot of shade in winter when the sun is low. Think about how you position the house to maximise the growing space and perhaps consider having fruit trees in the front or side and parking in front of the house so you have as much unshaded growing space as possible. You can also use septic water for fruit trees so if you are planning a septic system your septic field could also be an orchid.
we live in a small rural VIC town and you will be surprised with how much we can fit on our small block. Sometimes things are stepping stones. We brought our current house with the intention to sell again in the future, who knows when that will be...but for now we live within our means and land size. you can absolutely homestead on your block. Trust the Lord and where he was led you for this season
Appreciate this! Glad to hear you're also doing the best you can with your space and you're grateful for the land you do have! I think most people dont have easy access to big acreage so its important to change our perspective and do our best with whatever land God has blessed us with to garden and grow!
Backyard Self-Sufficiency by Jackie French is one of my favourite 'homesteading' books
The block is not too small and a big plus is that it is cleared and level :-D
Starting small is sensible and with building a house building a garden and being present with your family you will be grateful for your 1/4 acre block. ❤
Inspirational stuff Tom! We have been able to grow a large portion of our yearly veggie needs in a small corner of our yard. I think you'll have plenty of room.
It's my first time on your channel and we are also homesteading on a quarter acre and we loved it sooo much! I love watching homesteading families homesteading on a lot of acres but I know how a lot of work it is. We can grow a lot on a quarter acre and is a manageable lot especially for families with small kids. We have 2 boys, 6 and 4,and we are on our 40s so we don't have the energy we had on our 20s and 30s,so a quarter acre is perfect for us.
It is small, but you had a budget that you're stinking to and you can sure grow more there than you could in the caravan.
You have to start somewhere and you're learning as you go, yes... you'll probably outgrow it pretty quickly but there is so much you can still do with it, especially if you plan well and with purpose.
You mentioned that house B was closer to the road and might lost the feeling of being in nature, not if you fill the front with fruit/food baring trees, a food forest up the back, chooks, compost...
I've watched and thought it's quite small too, but starting from bare land, you can plan it well and still have everything you want.... call it the Tardis. lol
you're 100% correct! We believe we will surprise a lot of people with how much we achieve on this block! It's quite impressive what a "can do" attitude can achieve sometimes! Appreciate the support and comment!
We have a book called "practical self sufficiency" it has examples for lots smaller than yours up to much bigger. Dont be discouraged, research permaculture, and make your garden work for you. This is plenty of room to start something big!
Hi from Adelaide, congratulations guy's, i am 60 years old, raised 3 children, and fostered over 12, all grown now and have children, so yeah im having some me time lol i just bought my first block and am building my first home, its a lil stressed and i to was thinking my land was to small but taking the plunge, 😅 what ever you decide i wish you all the very best. I will stay tuned. I look forward to seeing the outcome! 😊
Well...again, a few thoughts,
It IS big enough to start with. Building your infrastructure will take time, but it will give you 'learning time'.
Utilise the space at the front of the house for fruit trees...using an otherwise 'dead space'.
Raised beds are a blessing...but depending on how you build them, also possibly expensive up front. My dad had a rotary hoe and dug over our veg plot...we had veg all year round. 'Staggering' your crops, so you don't get everything ripening at once too.
We have 9 raised beds and 3 fruit trees on our current block...it's 334 sqr meters ( no lawn..we're pensioners). We had chooks previously..4...gave us enough eggs for most of the year.
A shed is a must for storing tools, chook food ( mice) and fertilisers etc.
Just Start !! It will grow as it should..one step at a time. ( an old fashioned farm girl :) )
If the tree isn't on your property how do you get permission to cut it down??
Don’t be frightened to plant fruit trees in the front yard. We were very happy to have fruit Rees in the front because they flower beautifully in spring and you can harvest the fruit.
Look at the English original river cottage, he did it on a quarter acre from memory
Nup. Count your blessings , less is more❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉 big love.
I love your testimony of gratitude brilliant way to end the video.
We have 700m2 in the city outskirts - we have chickens and about 40 fruit / olive trees. I can recommend the "grow a little fruit tree" book very highly for fitting a lot of fruit trees in with the goal of having year round fruit. Just go slow and learn as you go ☺️ and plant seeds
I think it’s a perfect size. Especially cause you are able to plan it all out from scratch. You will be able to learn to grow plenty of veg and eggs for your family. I have a very small suburban no dig garden. I have 4 garden beds. I am still learning. Have tried to grow all sorts of things. I find that each season (I’m south east QLD. So sub. Tropical) there will be 1 thing that we get a huge abundance of. Last Summer it was eggplants. Mostly 1plant and some little ones off another. Then my newly established choko vine kicked in and I could not keep up. I was giving around 50 a week away to friends and neighbours. Highly recommend growing choko. Super easy to start from store bought. Trust me when I say one single plant can feed 3 families in the season. Also grow it vertically along your fence line. Pick them small. No fatter than a tennis ball. You van treat them raw or cooked like a zucchini or cucumber. Anyway what I’ve learnt is to learn to cook and enjoy whatever you are growing a lot of. And it’s not always the thing you’d expected. I now know many ways to prepare choko and eggplant
You’ll be able to do so much! That’s plenty of land and if used efficiently it’ll be fine :)
There’s lots of strategies to maximise space aswell like layered food forests (edible ground covers, edible mid storey and edible or fruiting), vertical growing, moveable chicken tractors etc. It’ll be great and I can’t wait to see what you do :)
As you have said this amount of land will keep you busy. One step at a time and plenty to learn.
How do you cut the tree down when it’s not on your property? Is the land owner doing it?
Feel free to ask any questions about food gardening
You only need a small chicken coop for the hens to sleep in at night. Let them out in the morning and if you want to keep them in one area just buy some electric chicken netting and put it where you want to keep them in the day. That way you can move them around and manure is spread out.
You got to start somewhere! Land is very expensive
Spot on!
We are with you. We are still stuck in the city with a very small back yard, waiting until we are able to buy a small block of land. We are are trying to make the most of our small space planting veg in as many spots as we can find, with grow bags everywhere. So excited to see your journey as what you’re doing is our goal.
You will have a comfortable home within your budget ,peace comes from living without debt ,and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you on. Train up your children in the way they should go ,have fun and enjoy them. You want to be as self sufficient as you can but also have time to visit family,read and pray. Your days will be full and pass quickly.
children grow up and you wonder where the years have gone.we are all enjoying you journey to God be the glory
I think you are a very smart thinker, love watching you guys grow and achieve your goals.❤
All your ideas are great. I'm in the UK and my husband and I have lived 80% self-sufficiently for the last 15 years very nicely off just over three acres of land including eggs, chicken, pork, lamb, veggies, fruit and fish (we're right near the sea). We're selling up now as we're well past retirement age. I'd love to do it all again. I have a whole load of brilliant books that I wish I could send to you.
Start small and as you grow maybe your homestead can grow❤️❤️❤️
The important word in your statement is "starting" your homestead. Better to begin and become competent before growing bigger than you can cope with. Love watching your enthusiasm and honesty starting this journey.
I can’t wait I’m so excited
Love to hear it!
It's not failing if you learn from those mistakes ❤
Your block is perfect size
Quarter acre has sustained so many Aussies just fine
Love it
Make it everything you dream of 😊
Keep the front yard small if you can.
I agree with others a young family, you will both be crazy busy, so I think the block will be a good size.
Espalier your fruit trees along the fences try the dwarf tree's. They are bigger than you think.
I homeatead a 800sqm block. It's doable. Just have to be cleaver about how you do things
I reckon you need another revenue stream. I started a business and it was a couple of years before it was self sufficient. Having a part time job in that period was a huge blessing. Burning through savings puts a lot of pressure on you.
Using vertical gardening will save heaps of space x
Great content. Happy to be here for the journey.
I’m excited for you and your family. I have just under that size land with a decent size home taking a lot pf the land but able to grow so much food and meep chickens. The more land, the more work. I find this size more than enough work. I would recommend you get soil tests done and pick the best sun spot to grow in, away from tree roots. Start building your soil even while building your home. The soil is everything. All the best with your adventure from an older Aussie urban homesteader. Kayleen 😀
You will be able to fit so much on this property. Either employ a permaculture designer or ask your families to pool together and employ one for you to list everything you want on the property and put a design together for you. It will give you a foundation of what to put where, what to plant, and a visual of what it will look like. For inspiration of how much you will fit on your block look at Andrew Millison's you tube channel and his latest video of before and after of turning his yard in to a food paradise.
How can you have the neighbor's trees chopped down? Isn't that their decision?
I have a little over 1/2 an acre , it’s surprising how much you can grow , achieve on smaller allotments . As long as it’s veggies, a few chooks ,a couple of trees etc. maybe a goat or a couple of sheep it will be sufficient . It would be too small if you wanted more or large stock like cattle.
Agreed! I think it's all perspective and we will be doing a lot more on this than I think people realize! Glad to hear you're doing well with your space as well! appreciate the comment
When you figure out your garden area. Cardboard it now to kill grass as it takes ages to smother
A quarter acre isn’t a lot of land however compared to the average size of new subdivisions it’s pretty big.
Youve answered your own question with this video, so you know the answer😂❤✨️🙌🏽💞
You can grow heaps in an apartment so a quarter acre is a great blessing. That said, so is 5 acres. Been managing my 5 as a legally blind person with physical limitations without a truck laugh out loud, and realised that my dream of running health retreats, herbal medicine making workshops, life on the land experiences isn’t so far fetched but we need more land. We did have Dexter cows, chooks, food forest, veggie garden on this 5 acres and the decision to sell has been a hard one but I’ve been forced to learn how to grow fruit trees from cuttings so we can take them with us and leave the trees here for the new owners. I’m also a horse trainer so we have horses here too. 5 acres is plenty for a forever family homestead but it’s not massive.
Interesting story but if both men have the same brain they both would do the studying. And use animals as well to maintain the land. But having said that you can grow heaps on your block. But maybe you could get a part time job too least until you are making lots of UA-cam if you do. You are young and there is 2 of you, children don’t take up all your time.
Your channel could make it by you achieving the goal of selling sufficiency on a 1/4 acre, prove it can be done, people want to see that it can be. But you have to optimise every minute inch of space. Plan your dwelling to extend up not out. Espalier fruit trees along all your boundaries. Chook pens can’t go against neighbours fences but they can wonder around the back of their yard. Use vertical gardening. Hydroponics, trellis for shade for the house could house the beans, there are so many things you can implement to make it work. Good luck.
Start small and when you have completed everything and realised how it works out for you, then decide if you need bigger. I think for now, it’s perfect 🤩
Consider espalier your fruit trees to save space. I think just getting on the property market is fantastic and you can get bigger later.
Great attitude! Im saving in the city until i have enough to buy and start what you are doing but im not sure about building a house. I might buy a block with something there cos im not sure i want to learn about that
I’m sure you guys will do great on your 1/4 acre … maybe start with a few wicking beds for veges …. Efficient use of water and second hand IBC are a cheap way to set them up …. Good luck and look forward to watching your journey 👌
Utuber 'Self sufficient me' has a great video on exactly how to do that with the IBC tanks.😊
Love your healthy perspective. Grateful & with God's lessons you will go far & succeed with your family. Size isn't everything, living within your means is a lifelong skill
Have you thought of having a ‘tiny house’ on your property and then you would be able to start the other components of your dream homestead. That would take the pressure off you money wise. You can add a shady verandah for extra room ..
Thought's on digging a hole for a basement while you don't have a house ontop? Maybe for a root cellar
Would you consider working to get you on your feet to help kick start things. Baby steps ❤❤❤❤
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. But yes, it's too small for homesteading. It's equivalent to a city or small suburban lot here. You can have a nice home and a backyard garden. But it probably won't be a homestead (whatever that means). On the bright side, it will be easier to maintain and sometimes having constrictions can be good.
It is small but you're right it will be easier to maintain as well, this is something we touch on in the video! Appreciate your comment and hope you enjoy tonights video!
Backyard aquaponics by paragraphic check out what he does with the IBC containers for veggies and fish
You do what you can for the money you have. Later on you can upgrade down the track.
"small and slow solutions" - Permaculture principle. You need to factor time into this plan -you don't need to do everything at once.
Be faithful in the little things and more will be added- you will find a way go grow heaps of sttuff in a food forrest. Enjoy tge journey being debt free gives you loads more freedom too
You have a lot of lovely subscribers offering ideas support. You got this
Well said! we're so grateful for the community on here that is supporting us! Thank you
I did think on your first video that the block was far too small for your dreams. Time to get creative. Look at what others have done to maximize small spaces. Maybe put your fruit trees in the chook run. Free fertilizer and waste disposal 😉. Would you build a basement for storage / cellar space? If it is as big as the house base, you can have storage, cellar, and playspace/ homeschool/ hobby space. Have it so it extends above ground a bit for windows at ground level to let in natural light. Talk to God about it all. He knows❤
I agree fruit trees in the front. They are ornamental too
Or olive trees in the front and fruit trees in the chook run like the other guy said
You have plenty of room
I reckon you can totally do it
It looks bigger than 1/4 acre, twice as big,1/2 acre.
$130k is totally unrealistic to build even a tiny house at the moment , have you had quotes for getting power and water to the house ? I don’t want to come across as Negative but you need to price “essentials” , especially on a tight budget .
For gardening look at utuber 'Self sufficient me'. Hes aussie and has great knowledge to share in his videos. For house idea, look at 'Simple life reclaimed ' and the house they are building. Start from the beginning !they started with nothing and three kids in a motor home. Some turn barns into homes. Use your money wisely and you'll achieve your dreams.
You talk about cutting down native trees not on your property, even on your property you need permits, off your land it’s illegal and can come with criminal charges and fines etc please see the council or parks about dangerous trees
Plant fruit trees on the side with neighbours, plant under crops like strawberries as a living mulch under them, companion. Plant gets more from your space
Yep. Thats a suburban block. No way id try do a hobby farm on that.
Yea I think turning it into a hobby farm is probably a stretch haha but im sure we can do and learn a lot on this block still to grow our homesteading skills
What they're trying to do is 100% achievable here! You'd be surprised.
1/4 of an acre is a big improvement on a standard house block in Australia these days BUT ………….. Keep the house small and concentrate on growing the basic foods and have a few chooks . Get a paying job asap , be prepared to go without going on holidays and buying takeaways , coffee , etc. Look upon this block as having your foot in the real estate door and move on to a bigger allotment when you can afford to - if you never reach that time , make do with what you have and good luck . Remember though , don’t go spending on things that are not necessary or things that you think “ you are entitled to “ .
Yo yo yo my friends wats going on 🤠
Howdy Partner!
You can start the homesteading process on very little land, plenty do it. Sure you have to improvise but so what. We just bought 3.7 acres of bare land and are so lucky to have the room to do whatever we want, however up until now we only had a backyard, and most of that was taken up with a polyhouse.
You’re not gonna use your water tanks much. Don’t need them near the house, don’t waste the close areas
Point four is so often overlooked, but with that outlook you can do amazing things!!
I think you'll outgrow 1/4 acres faster then you think
I believe they said it was only 1/4 acre.
Yep it's only 1/4 acre but I'm excited by the challenge and look forward to seeing how much we can achieve on this block
@@Homestead_OnTheRock_ we look forward to seeing the progress! 🍻
@@JaysonM- cheers mate! Thanks for following our journey!
From little things big things grow 🎶
Plenty of work out there, go get a job!
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house , vertical growing you will be surprised how much you can grow ❤ you got this 🫂 am excited for you besides maybe you can build up a second level on the homestead and still have a compact efficient garden . We believe in you 😊 God will help after all its built on the rock 🙌🏻
I think that's a great plan! I love your enthusiasm.
What do you guys do for a living? I'm new to the channel. 🩵