One Man Farming

[transward]

An excellent book on exactly this subject is Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains. It was written in 1935, during the Depression, and is still in print. It covers most of what a small family would need and need to know – including the preferred small livestock to provide meat and milk. An excellent book. I still have my copy of the well-thumbed 1940 edition that my father bought new.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Ind...2198962&sr=8-1

You can get a used copy for under $5 shipped.

Transward

[devi]

Water and irrigation is a major requirement in many places in the western US since rainfall is usually not adequate or timely. I've heard of people making it on a quarter acre per person and have seen some pretty substantial gardens. Hot beds and greenhouses will drastically lessen the amount of area needed to grow certain crops plus extend the growing season. Most crops generally need to be region specific. Certain crops require more soil nutrients to be replenished. Corn (maize) is the major one. But if you rotate it after beans or peas then it's really not a problem. Rotating crops is necessary for several reasons (bugs, weeds, soil nutrients) and tracts of land should be left without any crops growing on it every seventh year or so. Easier said than done.
Old vehicles can be converted into planters, hotbeds, chicken coops, goat houses, dog houses, outhouses, kitchens, living quarters, storage areas, wind and solar power supply centers, etc.

[devi]

Something I forgot to mention is that weeds are not all bad and even add (sometimes a lot) to the crops you can get. They can be good for medicines, spices, dyes, or the best kind of nutrition provided they have never been sprayed. Common pigweed is the major one that's really good for you. If you go to the health food store in the cereal isle look up "Amaranth Flakes" and read the back. They're both from the same plant species which also include "Chinese Spinach", certain ornamentals: "Joseph's Coat" and "Love-Lies-Bleeding" among many others. It seems whereas we're busy spraying pigweed here as a common ditchweed (do NOT eat if it has been sprayed!), in Japan, China, India, and many other places they eat the tender greens and sometimes the seeds from their different varieties. In Mexico and in the southwest the common recipe is to sautè onions in butter and spices, add corn, then squash and at the last stir in the tender greens. The seeds were usually left for planting and is one of the elements for Indian medicine bags. Just because it's a weed doesn't mean that it's bad and can even be considered "a gift from God".

[gandalf]

I have munched on pigweed leaves many times. They have a good flavor raw.