Dan's Winter Project

Do you remember this?

It's a photo from last February, when I blogged about heavy rains flooding the buck shelter. The boys were standing in six inches of water and we had to move them out.

Every heavy rain since then, Dan and I are concerned about a repeat performance, so we've been discussing options. Those options have all been variations on one of two ideas: do something to prevent the shelter from flooding again (like a seasonal pond), or move the bucks' home to a new location. After tallying up the pros and cons of each, we realized there are more incentives for moving the bucks rather than messing with drainage. The biggest incentive is that having them closer would be more convenient for water, hay, and feeding chores! The other problem is that the roof in the buck shelter has been leaking, so a repair would be necessary if we left them there, in addition to fixing the flooding problem. 

After discussing all the concerns and options, we decided to build new buck housing and tear down their current shelter to re-use the materials. We'll put the boys back in the old buck barn for the time being.

So Dan's winter project is building the new barn. Here's where we're putting it.

The blue above is the location of the new buck barn. We're going to re-do the chicken yard to set up an area for the bucks that will facilitate a new pasture rotation plan. Please note that nothing is to scale!!! But you get the idea.

It will be a gable roofed building. One half will have three exterior walls and a pony wall will divide the two halves. That will be the bucks' side. The other half will be open (no walls) and used for feed and hay storage. 

Here's how it's going so far!

There's no specific time table for this, but we've had some pretty weather so hopefully, it will move right along. After that, it will be fence repair and rearrangement. 

Continued here.

Dan's Winter Project © Dec 2020 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com

2020 Master Plan Revised: What Do You Think?

Thanks to everyone's feedback, here's what I've come up with for the 2020 master plans in my upcoming 5 Acres & A Dream The Sequel. The "big picture" view will be on the left page, the detail view will be on the facing right page. Captions can list what's growing in the hedgerow and what fruit trees and bushes are planted, etc.

Key:
solid black lines = fence
dashed black line = property line, not fenced
pairs of black dots = gates
dotted gray lines = electric fence to subdivide pastures
italics = planned projects

I made a few more revisions thanks to your comments.
You can see the revised detail view on my Master Plan page.

In the book, I'll explain changes and rationales from the previous master plan and include photos to further clarify. I also need to note that everything is only approximately accurate.

To test how well these print out, I sized them for a 6" by 9" paperback with half-inch margins and saved it as a PDF. Then I ran it off at the library to make sure the text is legible. Both Dan and I thought the print-out was quite satisfactory, so unless any of you spot mistakes or things that otherwise need clarifying, these are what I'll use in the book interior. An actual physical proof copy will let me know for sure.

For now, I need to know what you think. Better? Suggestions? Did I forget anything?

2020 Master Plan Revised: What Do You Think? © Mar 2020

by Leigh Tate at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Master Plan 2020 (I Need Your Opinion)

The last time I showed you a new master plan was four years ago. But now I'm working on images for chapter four of 5 Acres & A Book The Sequel, and realized that I need to update it. In recent years, I've worked with smaller close-ups, for things like pasture management, pasture rotation ideas, the goat corral, soil-building, and the tractor gate. The time had come to incorporate those, plus other changes, into the big picture.

I'm going to show you two versions (and an idea for a third) and ask which you think would be better for a 6-inch by 9-inch paperback (with half-inch margins). The first version is labeled with text, the second with numbers and a key. I prefer the text labels for an "at a glance" view, but when I try to label everything it becomes too cluttered. So I must be selective.

Version 1 with text

The other concern is that in print, the text becomes very tiny to fit the map on the page (becomes about 5 inches wide in the book). The numbers and key let me put more in, more legibly. The map below is more detailed and accurate.

Version 2 with numbers.

Key:
1. house
2. greenhouse (planned)
3. peach and plum trees, herb gardens
4. cherry, pears, apples, elderberries, and hay growing
5. kitchen and canning garden and hoop house
6. grain
7. apiary and bee garden (to be revived)
8. rainwater tank
9. rainwater runoff tanks (for the garden)
10. woodshed & outdoor laundry Future outdoor kitchen (formerly carport)
11. solar panels
12. sawmill
13. goat barn
14. goat corral
15. workshop
16. tractor path
17. barn water catchment tanks (1 large round, 2 small totes)
18. chicken yard and coop, pecan trees
19. duck house and pond
20. compost bins
21. goat path to browse areas (failed hedgerow)
22. buck barn
23. buck shelter
25. forest garden hedgerow
25. hay growing
26. crabapple tree and field crops
27. seasonal pond
28. Leyland cyprus privacy hedge and windbreak
29. wooded browse areas to become silvopasture
30. wooded, unfenced

Dotted lines are electric fences subdividing pastures for rotational grazing.
D1 - D7 = doe paddocks
B1 - B4 = buck paddocks

However, it's a bit of a nuisance to have to look everything up by number. Unless I go with . . .

Version 3

One last option is a possibility. That would be to split and enlarge the map to cover two pages. They would overlap some in the middle, so nothing was lost in the crease. Then I could possibly use text captions. 

Looking forward to hearing which version you think would do best in a paperback.

Master Plan 2020 (I Need Your Opinion) © March 2020

by Leigh Tate at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Master Plan 2019

At long last, here's our updated master plan. The last one I shared was in 2016. After that we didn't feel the need to make new ones, because it seemed as though everything was in place. While that's somewhat true, we've learned an awful lot about building soil, rotating grazing, and better managing our homegrown resources. Now that I've started working on chapter four of 5 Acres & A Dream The Sequel, I realize that I do indeed need to update our master plan. So here it is.

Master Plan 2019

Master Plan 2019 © June 2019

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Master Plan 2016

If you've read my blog for awhile or my first book, then you know that one of our cornerstones of homesteading is our Master Plan

When we first bought our place we walked the land, dreamed out loud, and discussed what we wanted to do. To keep our proposed big picture in mind, Dan wanted to map out how it would look some day. That's what our Master Plan is, a map of where we hope we're heading; of our goals fulfilled. It serves as a reminder of what we've decided and makes it easier to discuss how new ideas fit into the big picture.

We've updated it almost every year. Now that new goat quarters are finally going to become a reality, we've been reflecting back over what we've learned over the past several years and have been discussing land usage. All of this is reflected in the new Master Plan. (To see previous plans, click here).

Things in black are current, blue designates 

what's planned. Gates are notated with pairs of dots.

The biggest change (besides the goat barn) is more permanent designations for pasture and field crops. I've long hung on to the idea that we could rotate field crops and pasture in a four or five year rotation plan that utilized our critters in soil preparation. The reality of doing that has proved more challenging than I anticipated. This is partly because the odd shape of our land doesn't facilitate an easy moving around of critters. The animals themselves don't like change-ups, especially if it means being driven to different areas. It's so much easier to simply open one gate or another, depending on where we want them. This doesn't mean we can't use them in various areas, but having a more permanent setting is less confusing for them.

The area we've chosen for field crops in the new plan is in a good sunny spot which has fewer weeds than "doe pasture 2" and more sun than "buck pasture 2" where I've grown them in the past. We plan to prepare it next fall for winter wheat. The placement of the new goat barn with a small fenced-in "goat corral" will make it easy to rotate between the girls' two pastures.

Rotating the bucks amongst their smaller pasture areas will require a little more fencing (as in a corridor from the shelter to buck pasture 3. We may even be able to divide their pasture 1 into two for additional rotations. I also plan to make more hedgerow garden areas along fencelines between the various pasture areas.

For permanent quarters, we think the pigs should be toward the back of the property. When they were closer to the house it was impossible to carry feed or hay to the goats without being accosted by pigs. They are pigs, after all! We can still give them access to whatever area we want them rooting in, so they can still have pasture, but a permanent home farther back gives us a little more control. As long as we feed them in the same spot, they'll be happy.

Once the barn is done we can finish the house (only three more windows plus siding to go), including adding on a small greenhouse. That front corner of the house faces south and gets good sun in winter.

The other thing we plan to do is finish fencing the rest of the property. Most of the property is fenced, except for the back "wooded, not fenced" area. There is a lot of good browse back, but the property lines are very dense with shrubs and fallen trees. It will be a big job to clear it to erect a fence.

The most amazing thing with this plan is seeing how far we've come and how "little" is left to finally have the sense of being "established." Trying to get one's homestead set up is a lot of work and there is sometimes a difficult balance amongst time, money, and our goals.

Do you have a Master Plan? I'm looking for folks who do, because I'd like "How To Make a Master Plan" to be part of my The Little Series of Homestead How Tos. If you'd be willing to be interviewed for an upcoming book and see your plan in e-print, please contact me and I'll tell you what I have in mind.

Master Plan 2016 © May 2016
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Planning for Forest Garden Hedgerows

One of our 2015 homestead goals is "doubled fences for protected diversity." This was my awkward way of saying "forest garden hedgerows between the forage areas." The idea is to run parallel fences about 4 to 6 feet apart, and plant permaculture hedgerows in between for the chickens, pigs, goats, and us. Cattle panel type fencing will give them some access without being able to demolish everything. This is a project we'd like to get started on as soon as possible. The first step was to update our Master Plan. I chose two places for our first hedgerows, one in a mostly sunny location, one with mostly shade. Eventually, we'll do the same for all our fencelines.

January 2015

The mostly sunny location is down the middle of our front pasture, which is about an acre in size. Awhile back we decided it should be subdivided. Previous Master Plans show a possible pond in the middle here, which is not on this newest version. (It may reappear in a future plan, who knows?) A curving line of trees, our blueberry bush, and a nearly goat-demolished wild rose bush already live there. This makes the perfect place to plant our hedgerow. It's a straight double red line on the Master Plan (red to indicate planned project), but we plan to follow the curving treeline when we install the fence.

The shady location is between the buck and doe pastures. It will get some morning sun. The goats have eaten down everything in that spot anyway, so it seems like a logical place for the first shade garden. To start, it will only require a second fence of cattle panels alongside the existing fence.

Once the hedgerow locations were decided, the next step was to make a list of possible plants. The criteria is that they must do well in our location and climate, and that they must be edible by our livestock (the goats are of particular concern). There are several good websites for lists of permaculture plants (a few are below), but for something like this I prefer a real, hard copy book, so I got out Edible Forests Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier. Volume 1 Appendix One has "Forest Gardening's "Top 100' Species", an invaluable list. Appendix 1 to Volume 2 is a comprehensive table entitled "Plant Species Matrix", listing everything a forest gardener or permaculturist needs to know about hundreds of plants.

One of my concerns is hardiness zone. Hardiness zone maps show low temperature tolerances for various plants, but make no mention of heat tolerance. I'm in zone 7, but we can have some doozy temperatures in summer, easily topping 100° F / 37.8° C for days at a time. I've learned that some plants rated for zone 7 actually cannot tolerate our summer heat, rhubarb, for example. In making my list I also referred to websites and my nursery catalogs, and chose plants listed for zone 6 or lower, plus 8 or higher, especially if the description included heat or drought tolerant.

To check for edibility for our goats, I stumbled across a really great searchable database, "Guide To Poisonous Plants," hosted by Colorado State University. Another great list is at Cornell University's website, "Toxic Plants and the Common Caprine". I like these two sites because they explain why certain plants are a problem for goats (or other livestock). Some plants can be safe under some conditions but not others. Sometimes it's a particular species within a genus that is the problem, not the entire genus. I like those bits of information.

I only used three layers for my lists, rather than the seven or nine usually listed on permaculture sites. It was just simpler that way and avoided overlapping entries. These are preliminary possibilities. We'll do the actual choosing later.

Upper Layer

• Already have white oaks, Quercus alba and lots of acorns, which the goats and pigs love. In addition these are dynamic accumulators and a coppice species.
• Mulberry, Morus species. Zones 4 - 9. Berries and leaves edible, bark and roots medicinal, coppice species. Can be self-pollinating, or not, but cross-pollination recommended. Stark Bros. carries a self-pollinating Pakistan mulberry stated to be tolerant of heat, drought, humidity, sun, and poor soil; suitable for zones 6 - 10
• Asian persimmon, Diospyros kaki. Zones 6 - 9. Edible fruit, medicinal bark, nectary. Some self-fertile varieties. (We have a mature American persimmon Diospyros virginiana in the woods but Dan isn't too impressed with it. D. virginiana is said to make a good coppice tree.)
• Chestnut, Castanea species. (Not horse or buckeye chestnut, Aesculus species, which are toxic). Zones 4 - 8. Edible nuts, coppice and windbreak plant. Need two for pollination. The variety "Colossal" is said to be blight resistant with high yield. 
• Pawpaw, Asimina triloba. Zones 4 - 8. Edible fruits, bark is a natural insecticide. Need two for pollination. Stark Bros. has several heat tolerant varieties. 
• Hazelnuts, Corylus species. Zones 4 - 8. Edible nuts, nectary plant, bark medicinal, windbreak. I have two of these (American hazelnuts) I can transplant. They aren't really thriving in their original spot. Need two, have two.
• Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas (not prunus spp). Zones 4 - 8. Edible fruit, medicinal, nectary, dye plant (bark). Two best for good production.
• Sumac, Rhus species, not Toxicodendron vernix (poison sumac). Zones 3 - 8. Tea or "lemonade" from fruits, medicinal bark and berries, dye and mordant plant. Goats eat the leaves. I have some of these I can transplant too. 

Middle Layer

• Blueberry, Vaccinium spp, I already have one which I believe to be V. ashei, rabbiteye blueberry. Edible berries, medicinal. Leaves edible by goats.
• Rose, Rosa, I have one of these too, what I call a "wild rose". Hips for tea or medicinal. Leaves edible by goats. 
• Honeyberry (edible honeysuckle), Lonicera caerulea. Zones 3 - 8. Edible berries, nectar plant. Need two for pollination
• Wolfberry (Goji), Lycium barbarum, edible fruits and leaves, nectar plant. Self-fertile.
• Aronia or chokeberry. Aronia melanocarpa not Prunus virginiana, which is choke cherry (and toxic to goats). Zones 3 - 8. Edible fruit when cooked, wildlife shelter. Drought tolerant. Self-pollinating. 
• Jostaberry, Ribes nigrum x uva-crispa. Zones 3-8. Edible fruits, nectary plant. Self-fruitful.
• Sea berry or Sea Buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides, Zones 3 - 8, edible fruit, nitrogen fixing, dye plant, medicinal. Need both male and female plants. 
• Thornless loganberry, Rubus × loganobaccus, Zones 6 - 10, edible fruit, leaves goat edible. Heat tolerant, self-pollinating
• Hardy Kiwi, Actinidia spp. Edible fruit, medicinal. The variety Issai is said to be heat tolerant and self-pollinating, zones 5-9. 
• Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, annual, but apparently perennial in zones 9 - 12. Edible tubers, goats love the vines, medicinal, nectary plant.
• Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, Zones 6 - 11, but my original rosemary plant froze out during the winter of 2013 - 2014. Culinary, tea plant, medicinal, drought resistant. Source of B1, B6, C, folate, iron, and calcium

Ground Layer

• Comfrey, have Russian, Bocking #4, Symphytum peregrinum. Zones 6 - 8. Dynamic accumulator, medicinal, nectary. Source of protein, calcium, iron, and B12. This strain is sterile.
• Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus-henricus, zones 3-9.  Aerial parts edible, dye plant, medicinal. Self-pollinating. 
• Horeseradish, Amoracia rusticana, zones 2 - 10, roots and leaves edible, nectary plant, and aromatic pest confuser. I have some of this, a hybrid variety that I can transplant.  Source of sulfur and copper. 
• Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, Zone 4 - 8, Edible leaves, dynamic accumulator, medicinal, dye plant. Source of iron, and potassium.
• Oregano, Origanum vulgare, Zones 4 - 10. Culinary, nectary, tea plant, medicinal. Another one I can transplant. Source of vitamin A, B6, E, K, beta carotene, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium
• Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, Zones 3 - 8, culinary, edible fruit and leaves, tea plant, nectary, dynamic accumulator, medicinal. Drought tolerant once established. 
• Yarrow, Achillea species, Zones 2 - 10, medicinal, aromatic pest confuser, dynamic accumulator, dye plant. I have a lot of this and can transplant. Source of copper.
• Dwarf blueberries, Vaccinium, Creeping blueberry is zones 6 - 9. Edible fruit (and leaves for the goats). 
• Thyme, Thymus vulgaris, Zoners 4 - 10. Culinary, tea plant, medicinal, natural wormer. Source of vitamins A, B1, folate, C, K, beta carotene, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, calcium

That's my list at present. I'll work out a more specific planting plan soon. 

For those who would like some internet resources for permaculture plants:

• Temperate Climate Permaculture
• The Natural Farmer - NOFA

For a list of vitamins and minerals in plants:

• DIY Vitamins & Minerals for Goats
• Also see Appendix C in 5 Acres & A Dream The Book

Again, for the poisonous plant websites:

• Guide To Poisonous Plants - searchable database
• Toxic Plants and the Common Caprine - lists
• Just added - NC State Cooperative Extension Poisonous Plants 

Next ... A Start on the Forest Garden Hedgerow

Planning for Forest Garden Hedgerows © January 2015
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

The Master Plan and The Chicken Coop

Detail from our 2014 master plan.
Everything in red is proposed. 

If you've been following our master plan revisions, then you know that the thing about which we've been the most indecisive, has been the barn; it's size, shape, and location change on every revision. We've finally settled on what to do: build both a new chicken coop and a new goat barn. The chicken coop must be first so that we can use the old coop area for storage when we tear down the existing dilapidated coal barn. I'm pleased to announce that building the coop has commenced.

The idea for our new coop came from the poultry shed plan (page 59) in Carol Ekarius's How to Build Animal Housing.  It includes a feed storage area which we liked, but I didn't like the arrangement of the doors, so we modified the plan. I wanted a straight shot into the chicken area for a wheelbarrow. We also moved the location of the exterior door based on the arrangement of our own buildings.

Very rough sketch of the new chicken coop floorplan. I'm thinking
of putting a Dutch door between the chicken and storage areas. 

Before you look at the project photos, I'm supposed to tell you that this is not conventional construction. This is get-er-done construction. If some of it looks a bit unconventional, well, that's just how it is.

Corner posts were sunk and concreted in.

Dan dug a trench and used cap block for a footer. It needed to be buried
deep enough to prevent critters like dogs or foxes from digging underneath.

Cinder blocks are dried in on top of the cap blocks. As you can
see, the new coop sits across the chicken yard from the old coop. 

Anchor bolts and concrete trowel for the next step.

Anchor bolts were cemented into some of the cinder block holes

The sill plate will be attached to the blocks with the bolts.

First, however, an in-between layer of flashing. We didn't have metal
flashing so Dan used what he had, asphalt flashing. It prevents moisture
from wicking into the wood sill plate and keeps termites away, hopefully.

Folded over the cinder blocks, the flashing makes a drip edge.
Sheathing on the outside will cover the flashing so it won't be seen.

First wall framed out. The entry door is on the right
& a window to light the storage area is on the left.

The chicken entry will open into the existing chicken yard. The real challenge will be convincing the chickens to use it.

Continued in "Evolution of a Chicken Coop."

The Master Plan and The Chicken Coop © February 2014 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Homestead Master Plan: Updates & Tweaks

2014 revised Master Plan. Copies of recent master

 plans can be found in  5 Acres & A Dream The Book

No profound changes with this revision. A few finished projects needed to be added:

• goat shelter in the front pasture
• privacy / wood storage fence
• fencing the doe browse in the woods
• turned carport into workshop to prepare for building a barn

Specific plans for the barn are the main reason for the update. Past master plans all show something different in regards to the barn. The current plan for the barn is to tear down the existing outbuilding and build a goat barn in it's footprint. This plan is pretty much set.

Before we can tear down the existing shed we have to move everything out of it. That has led to turning the carport into Dan's workshop, also building the chicken coop so we can use the old coop for storage too. More on all that soon.

The other change to the master plan is a fence for the big garden where I have deer browsing, chickens scratching, and stray dogs digging. That has gotta stop! Nothing specific yet, except we know it will need to be tall to keep the beet green and sweet potato vine eating deer out.

The puzzle is what to do about planting field corn this spring with its companion cowpeas. We've been growing it for the past three years to provide corn for cornmeal and some of our chicken feed. We have no means to plow however, so we're stumped about what to do.

I should also mention that the plan is not specifically to scale, rather it is a rough sketch. We aren't so much mapping the homestead out as we are trying to see how all the pieces might possible fit together.

I know several of you have specifically mentioned the master plans in your book reviews. Has anyone got one ready to share?

Homestead Master Plan: Updates & Tweaks © February 2014 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Homestead Master Plan, 2012 Revision

Although we continually seem to be analyzing what we're doing and evaluating what we've done, once a year we try to put it all down on our master plan. We drew up our first one in 2009, the year we bought the place. Every year we get to know the place a little better, and what we want to do with it a little better. I actually didn't think we had many changes to make, but after talking about things, we did make a few. Things in red on the sketch below are what's on the drawing board.

Copies of all our master plans are available in my book, 5 Acres & A
Dream The Book: The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient
Homestead. For more information, click here.

The biggest change is in where we've been growing our grain. (Compare to last year's master plan, here.) This year, it's labeled "pigs". While it seemed a logical place for grain at the time, the ground was neglected for so many years that it seems impossible to overcome the morning glories, blackberries, kudzu, and other unwanteds established there. Goats do a good job of brush clearing, but after reading Sepp Holzer and Joel Salatin, the best solution for getting to the root of the problem seems to be pigs.

This would not be a permanent area for pigs, but will be where we'll put them this spring. If that goes well and we want to continue with them, rotating their location with temporary fencing makes more sense. Ever since reading an article about Australian pasture cropping in the July issue of Acres USA, I've been wondering why we couldn't modify the concept with pigs; fence off a pig area in one of the pastures every year, and follow with a grain & legume crop right there in the pasture (keeping the fence up of course;). After harvest, the goats and chickens feast on the remains and we can reseed as needed for pasture.

Our previously designated pig area, will be fenced for a doe browse. We will enlarge it by extending existing fences to meet along the property line. This will make a triangle shaped area, as you can see on the plan. This area is of particular concern because it is loaded with invading kudzu and poison ivy, all creeping our way. The goats will keep all that at bay.

A barn (or maybe barns, we haven't decided yet), is always under discussion and we really haven't settled on "the" spot. A central location makes the most sense, with fences and gating to give all animals access to various pasture and browse areas. Having a pie shaped piece of property makes that a little more challenging. Our current outbuildings (one for animal housing and one for workshop/tool storage) are becoming increasingly dilapidated with use, and eventually we're going to have to replace them both. Our carport is also in deplorable condition, so that neither of us will be surprised if we wake up one morning and find it tumbled down!

Current thinking is to tear down the "coal barn," and rebuild in the same footprint. This would become a real workshop for Dan on one side, and a milking parlor over the existing concrete slab. We could run a water line to it so I'd have running water there. (Add a small point-of-use water heater and it would be absolutely deluxe). We could also add a carport onto the front. The old carport could become an outdoor room, with an outdoor oven, barbecue grill, smoker, picnic table, etc.

Loafing shelter and hay storage would be a separate building. I'm thinking movable fencing could make pens as needed (kidding, kids, etc). Poultry housing would go here too, though not the guineas. From what I've read about guineas, home is home is home. They don't take to being moved around so I figure we might as well start them where we want them, near the buck barn because the woods are full of ticks.

Fencing is an ongoing project. We've pretty much finished the privacy fence / wood storage, and eventually hope to add a gate across the driveway and finish it to the house. We'd also fence the other side of the yard so that if we ever get a dog again (sigh), he'll have run of the back yard.

The other fencing concern is the red line you see on the left side of the property. Currently it's wire mesh and a row of crepe myrtles. The rental house though, sees lots of folks come and go. While everyone always seems nice enough, young children especially are attracted to the goats. They want to see the goats, pet the goats, feed the goats, throw things at the goats, hit the goats, hang on the fence, pull on the fence, climb the fence. You get the picture. Since the incident last spring with the neighbor's dog, we've been thinking "out of sight, out of mind" is the best solution. A privacy fence along here however, would be neither cheap (long stretch) nor easy to install (tons of tree roots). It's on the plan however, even if it's just one panel at a time.

We've left the pond on the plan too, though that isn't even on the radar. Still, it's good to have these things in mind as future plans are made. Honey bees too. Also eventually digging out the old swimming pool and building a greenhouse over the top. The pool itself could be the foundation for the greenhouse and a good spot for a root cellar in the greenhouse "basement."

One thing in the planning stage that I couldn't fit on the sketch, is the greywater areas we've been discussing.

Sketch of ideas for greywater.

With the hall bathroom scheduled as our next indoor project, we've been trying to finalize a plan. All the plumbing is at the back of the house. Part of it we'd like to drain and filter with a greywater wetland. This would be used to irrigate the field on the other side of the fence. Next to the house, laundry water would drain into a raised bed greywater garden. This side of the house is where the bedrooms are and faces southwest. I'd like to frame the two bedroom window with pergola type trellises, and plant deciduous vines there to shade the windows from the hot summer sun. These would be watered with the laundry greywater.

This is a long term plan and will likely change again next year. What it does for us though, is gives us a framework for decision making. It keeps us from spontaneously building something that would be in the way a few years down the road. If you're interested in seeing the original master plan and our progression of ideas, check out the following links:

• 2009
• 2010
• 2011

Copies of my homestead plans can also be found in 5 Acres & A Dream The Book.

Homestead Master Plan, 2012 Revision © Sept. 2012
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Homestead Master Plan: 2011 Revision

One thing we try to do every year, is take time to re-evaluate our homestead master plan. We think it's key to helping us toward our primary goal of the most self-sufficient lifestyle we can achieve. At least once a year, we like to re-evaluate what needs to be done and how we want to do it. We make changes in our plan, and adapt our goals as we research and learn more about the things we'd like to do. We also believe it's important to stop and focus on the big picture from time to time, because it's too easy to get stuck on individual projects and problems, and forget why we're doing this in the first place. It's a time to take a fresh look at what we're trying to accomplish and to analyze how we can best get there. It's a time to adjust our thinking and take a deep breath before taking the next step.

Our plan has evolved a bit in the two years we've been here. Our first two master plans (2009 original plan here, and the 2010 revision here), focused only on the cleared part of our acreage. Our property is triangular in shape, like a slice of pizza. The shortest side of that triangle is at the front of the property, bordering the road, and is where the house and cleared areas are. The back is wooded. Now that our focus is shifting more toward breeding Kinder goats, we want to incorporate the back portion of the property into the master plan as well. Being wooded, it will make wonderful browse areas for goats, who really prefer shrubs, plants, and trees to grass and pasture.

Copies of all our master plans are available in my book, 5 Acres & A Dream
The Book: The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient Homestead.
For more information, click here.

Firstly I need to mention that this is a rough sketch, not to scale and not entirely accurate. I tried to make it as accurate as possible, by comparing our survey, aerial photo, and an old topographical map to get the layout correct. I discovered that even these cannot be superimposed on one another accurately; the location of the buildings and even shape of the property vary somewhat on each one. (You can see an aerial photo here, and the topo map here.) In addition, trying to figure out exactly where the fields and fences are was a challenge, but they're approximate enough that at least you get an idea.

At first glance, the fence lines do seem oddly placed, until you understand they follow the treelines and natural contours of the land. The color coded text on the plan gives a gist of the past, present, and future of the place.

Purple: is how it was when we got here. The place had been badly neglected and was terribly overgrown. The blueberry bush and fig trees were a very pleasant discovery, and there are actually more pecan trees than I've indicated. The outbuildings, though rundown, were serviceable, and from that we made our start.

Blue: is what we've accomplished in the past 2 years & 2 months since we bought the place. Besides repairs and remodeling on the house, we've done a lot of planting and all the fencing (dotted lines are completed fences). Fruit and nut trees will take awhile to produce and so were particularly a priority. So was establishing a garden. I've also done quite a bit of transplanting.

Red is planned, future projects. Besides finishing the kitchen (our indoor project), our current outdoor project is fencing the back part of the property, starting with the area labeled "buck browse". This is a huge job, expensive and labor intensive. On the other hand, it's a project we can do pay-as-we-go. The woods will be perfect for goat browse, and give us the ability to rotate the goats off of the grazing areas. The pastures are another concern. They aren't what I would call proper pastures, but fields. We plan to start on pasture improvement soon, and hope to be able to have good quality grazing as well as the ability to make some of our own hay. Also in our future (we hope): a real barn, bees, pigs, and a greenhouse, for which we're planning to use the old swimming pool as a foundation.

Green is a few random features which we have to live with.

What this plan doesn't show, is our water conservation plan, which I talked about here. Repairs and upgrades on our old house are ongoing, but not included in the master plan.

Most of the time we only see what is yet to be done. It seems like that's a lot and it gets discouraging at times. But between the master plan and our annual homestead goals, we are gradually making progress. When I look at our updated plan, I can see exactly how much. And that's encouraging.  Step by step we're getting there.

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What about you? Do you have a master plan or a list of goals?

Homestead Master Plan: 2011 Revision © July 2011

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Fine Tuning The Master Plan

One of the things on my winter to-do list has been to work on my herb garden plans. Getting my seed order in has prompted me to set about this task in earnest, because I need to decide where to plant those seeds!

To help with this, I've turned to two of the volumes I mentioned as being on the nightstand, Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke. These books are similar in content to two other books I read last summer, Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community, by Heather C. Flores, and The Self-Sustaining Garden: A gardener's guide to matrix planting by Peter Thompson. Neither of these are nearly as extensive as Jacke's books, but they served as a good introduction to a concept which has been a goal of ours for as long as I can remember -- to steward every square foot of our land for function as well as beauty.

I set about to plan my herb gardens by taking a look at the Edible Forest Gardens chapters on design process (ch. 3, vol. 2). As I read through the section, "How to Articulate Your Goals: Four Options," I quickly realized that my first step needed to include a consideration of our land as a whole. Even though I had previously drawn out a master plan, we now needed to refine that plan to better fit the herb gardens into the big picture.

Copies of all our master plans are available in my book, 5 Acres & A
Dream The Book: The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient
Homestead. For more information, click here.

The new master plan is similar to my first sketch, but more accurate I think, in terms of building size and placement, and the yard. Some things, like the fence line, are still approximate, but you get the idea. Some things on the sketch have already been implemented, others are future.

What this exercise did for me, was to more clearly define the separate "landscape" areas for which I need to plan:

• Herb gardens in the front yard
• Bird garden to the right of the house
• "Orchard" between the veggie garden & zig zag fence
• Almond tree area across the driveway from the herb gardens. This is where last summer's garden was.
• The "backyard" left of the house, which will serve as a recreational area

Here are my thoughts on these areas at present, including an update of what we've done so far:

Herb Gardens

This is actually my target area at the moment and I'm working on a separate post for that. Details soon!

Bird Garden

Currently:

• Bird Garden is the view from our kitchen and dining room windows, also from the back windows of my studio.
• Has two bird baths, two seed feeders, and one suet feeder
• Is shaded
• Is fairly private from the road
• Serves as a walk through area to the vegetable garden

Planning:

• To develop it as quite area / bird sanctuary type shade garden.
• Benches for seating
• DH would also like to put a solar fountain there. I wonder though, how well would a solar fountain work in the shade???

"Orchard"

Does four fruit trees qualify it to be an orchard??? I just don't know what else to call it.

Currently:

• Have planted two dwarf pear trees and two semi-dwarf apple trees.
• Added the zig zag fence to define the area.
• Planted elder bushes in two of the "zigs" on the garden side of the fence; daylilies and daffodils planted on the road side.

Planning:

• This area needs the drainage tended to. We almost planted the almond tree at the bottom of the tree row, but fortunately discovered an underground rain puddle there before we put it in (which is why we planted it where it is now). It needs a series of swales to direct rain runoff down the slope, and a cistern/pond at the bottom to collect it away from the trees and shrubs.
• This spring I'm going to plant a mix of orchard grass and ladino clover there, for ground cover, for some nitrogen fixing (which the apples and pears will appreciate), and for whatever small amount of hay we can get.
• Plant more flowering and fruiting shrubs in the fence zigs and zags (on order).
• Also need to consider the strip of ground on the side of the road. I don't want to have to maintain it by mowing. Maybe plant a short perennial clover there, like White Dutch? (Also considering this for the shoulder of the road near the Leyland Cypresses.)

Almond Tree

This is where I had last summer's vegetable garden.

Currently:

• Area defined by a concrete border
• Almond tree newly planted
• Daylilies and daisies planted along the roadside edge

Planning:

• Original plan was to plant a big shade tree here to shade the house's southwestern facing windows and front porch. This plan was upset when we needed a quick place to plant the almond tree. The almond tree will not be as big, mature height of 15 feet, spread the same, so I'm not sure how much shade to eventually expect for the house.
• Still need to shade those windows. Currently thinking, muscadine vines on trellises(?) One thing I've discovered is that these windows only get setting sun in summer. In winter the sun sets directly to the front of the house.
• Not sure what to do with the rest of this space. On the original master plan, it was labeled "shade garden."
• Will put my strawberry plants there in the spring, where last year's green beans were.
• Also considering putting my forsythias along the line farthest from the house, to provide some visual privacy from cars coming from that direction.

"Backyard," Recreational Area

I have "backyard" in quotation marks because it's really a side yard, but will serve as a backyard would.

Currently:

• Shaded by the big old oaks.
• Open with little to no shrubs or undergrowth
• Easily accessed from the back door
• Fire pit for camp fires
• Recently transplanted azaleas to define the area and create a privacy hedge

Planning:

• DH wants to build a barbecue pit and smoke house here.
• Maybe I can get an outdoor oven into the bargain???
• Will be the only area with "lawn"
• Need to consider growing replacements for the oaks. They are old and we don't know how much longer they'll last.
• Need to consider seating and dining. Picnic table?

I should mention one other book which has been helpful in planning these areas, What Plant Where, by Roy Lancaster. This book was recommended to me by Canadian reader, Val. Though it doesn't deal specifically with edibles and medicinals (the qualifying feature for what I plant), it has been helpful nonetheless, as it divides plants according to specific landscape categories such as size, shape, color, soil, sunlight, position, seasonal features, etc. (Plus, being a Dorling Kindersley book, it's a treat to look at.)

Other areas of consideration

• Field #1 - will be used for grazing/browsing for livestock (goats and chickens)
• Field #2 - we're hoping to have at least part of it plowed this spring for field corn and ?
• Researching eventually alternating the two for growing and grazing

Other new features in the Master Plan

• Greenhouse - the best idea at present is to put it next to the carport. My clothes line is there now, so this will have to be moved. A greenhouse location has been something of a problem, because the sunniest places on the property are near the road, and I don't want the greenhouse near the road.
• Rainwater catchment tank - behind the greenhouse(?). Possibly others?
• Bees - hives on the south side of the coal barn where they'll be shaded in summer by the magnolia and fig trees, and protected by the barn from northern winter winds
• Pond - well, that's not new but it still is a future project
• Coal barn & animal shed - these were replaced by a barn in the original master plan. We're rethinking this and are leaning toward replacing the respective buildings in their current footprints. Unanswered question - are they large enough to meet our needs?

Undecided - not on the master plan

• Rabbits - we've discussed these in terms of meat and manure. The hesitation stems, I think, because I used to have Angora rabbits for fiber, (more on that here), and these were pets. It would take a mental adjustment to see them as livestock and to butcher them.
• Pig - for meat, manure, and lard. This isn't on our radar yet, so to speak, but something we mention from time to time as a possibility.
• Hay storage - can use the coal barn car port, but need to think of a better location. This is a consideration in regards to building a new barn or replacing current sheds.

Fine Tuning The Master Plan text and photo copyright 7 February 2010
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

A Master Plan

Recently, blogger Molly at CrossRoads shared the plan for their place with her readers. Since we've been working on a master plan for our own place, I was very interested in hers. Even though we've only been here three months, we realize that if we don't have a vision and goals for our little homestead, then the end result will be haphazard, random, and ultimately inconvenient. We also realize that we haven't lived here long enough to have fully observed the sun and weather patterns throughout the seasons. Still, we've lived in the area a number of years and can put that experience to good use.

If you are new to this blog, then I'll start by telling you that our five acres is pie shaped. You can get the gist of it from this old areal photograph -


The part we're working on is the front portion of the triangle where the land has already been cleared. At the moment, our master plan looks roughly like this (click to biggify):

Copies of our master plan plus revisions are available in  my
book, 5 Acres & A Dream The Book: The Challenges of
Establishing a Self-Sufficient Homestead.  For information,
click here.

Some of it is either already in place or in progress. Some of it is yet to be. Some of it we haven't figured out yet, like where to put a greenhouse and some bee hives. It's a rough sketch at any rate and not to scale. Still, it gives you an idea of what we are thinking about for now.

~ The house will be an ongoing project for quite awhile. Considering that it's 80 years old, it needs some repair and quite a few updates.

~ The barn is yet to be and will replace the two small sheds that we currently have.

Dan wants to put the root cellar under it, as there is an excellent slope to the back of the property there. It will be home to goats, possibly sheep, and chickens. That is also where the workshop will be.

~ A chicken yard will be attached to the barn, though they will get to free range some too.

~ Vegetable garden is underway. Update on that soon.

There is a hedge of Beauty Bush separating it visually from the house.

Bees love these. They are ornamental, but also act as a privacy hedge from traffic coming from that direction.

~ We'll put in some fruit trees between the road and the garden, two apple and two peach I think.

~ The front yard will become an herb garden and will include culinary, medicinal, and dye plants. I plan to start on that this spring, gradually adding a section at a time until eventually there is no more lawn.

One other thing I need to plant in front is something to shade the western windows of my studio. On sunny summer afternoons it gets quite warm in there. At the moment I'm thinking about a dwarf or semi-dwarf honeysweet pear tree.

~ The meditation garden is something we'd like to do eventually. It's a quite, shady, private spot that would be perfect for a bench to sit on.

~ The shade garden will be where this year's garden is.

Again, I need a deciduous tree to shade the front porch and bedroom from the hot summer sun in the late afternoon. For this, I would like a Ginkgo, "Autumn Gold". I plan to plant the two shade trees this fall. As the ginko grows, I will plant more shade lovers.

~ The hedgerow already has it's start with the Leyland Cypresses. I was thinking today though, about other things to plant with them, to add color and interest. I have loads of hardy hibiscus around the place and am thinking about transplanting some this fall to the hedgerow. They wouldn't get sun until the afternoon, but most of them are already growing in the shade so they couldn't do any worse.

~ We have two areas we plan to fence in, field #1 and #2. #1 is badly overgrown.

This is the one we're talking about fencing first and putting goats in. We'll fence in #2 later, so that we can rotate grazing. I'm not sure if we can alternate growing hay in them, but that would be something to look in to.

~ Field #2 is where my rabbiteye blueberry currently lives. There is also a circular sort of berm in the middle of it, perhaps a good place for a pond(?) Someday(?)

~ The pecan and fig trees are already well established, and I've already shown you my old oaks.

~ The back portion of the property is wooded. We've wandered around back there and discovered it is a mix of hardwoods and pine. It has some pretty spots, and I'd like to clear a walking trail. Maybe this winter when we can see the lay of the land. We've also talked about eventually fencing this in too, but that's a ways down the road.

~ Greenhouse and beehive locations to be determined, as I mentioned.

And of course the rest of it may change somewhat as well. But at least we have a plan, which gives us direction and helps us set our priorities. Dan is anxious for it all to be done, but I'm just happy to be working on it. This blog is all about that journey.

Related Posts:
Master Plan 2010
Master Plan 2011
Master Plan 2012

A Master Plan is copyright August 2009 by
Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/