My parents have a modest suburban home. They've lived here for almost 20 years and very much like both their home and the town in which they live. Their backyard is unusually spacious (according to Google Earth, about 60 x 60 feet).
While here visiting, Dad asked me to do some weeding in some three-tiered garden beds in the side yard. I like weeding (yeah, I know I'm weird), so I didn't mind at all.
I used a flat-head screwdriver as a weeding stick, though the soil is so soft I mostly didn't need it.
While I weeded, I looked over my parents' large yard and mentally redesigned it to become an urban homestead.
Consider these ideas. The gardening shed you see against the back wall could become a chicken coop, with about one-quarter of the yard fenced for that purposes.
The rest of the yard could become raised beds. I estimate at least 25 three-by-eight-foot beds (probably more) could fit back here, including three-foot spaces between beds for wheelbarrow access. This many raised beds in the backyard would still allow space for the patio and maybe even a drum composter.
That doesn't include the side yard, which could also be reconfigured with different grow beds. (I know from experience the three-tiered configuration of these existing beds makes for difficult access for the upper tier.)
The climate of this particular town would allow almost year-round growing conditions. Put everything on a drip system, and water usage during drier months would be modest. You could harvest an enormous amount of food from a backyard garden this large.
If Don and I lived here, I could see us doing this. However we don't, and my parents aren't in a position to care for an extensive garden and chickens, so the backyard is what it is.
But it makes for nice daydreaming while pulling weeds.
Well, sounds pretty good. But there's a house on the other side of that fence. Even if the neighbors and the HOA were ok with the noise, chickens draw rodents like crazy, plus, ugh!bugs. My coop is too close to the house and it's not a battle, it's constant war with pests! And since it's California, you never know. They might think bird flu. And panic. The raised beds would be great.
ReplyDeleteYou live in the right place.
I love your folks place. It looks peaceful and happy. But a place like that might not keep someone like me around either. I'd probably have a coop of bantams or minature chickens too close to the house again.
I love chickens. My 5 year old hens have been laying up a storm. I would love to get some more, but would rather pay for eggs than make life commitments to more animals. Feed costs more than eggs.
Feed costs more than eggs? What feed are you buying? I get 50 lbs 16% protein laying hen feed for $15 at most. Lasts a month or more for 5 birds. I get 2 dozen eggs a week, for a total of 8 doz a month roughly. 8 doz x $3 (a very conservative store cost) per doz is $24 value whether I eat or sell. Your math may be wrong or you're paying too much for feed.
DeleteMy girls are 5 years old and I love them dearly. They get the best feed, (organic), scratch(organic), bsfl, sunflower seeds, supplements, meds if necessary, DE, scraps, and they forage under supervision while I garden and do yard work. They quit being just chickens and became pets long ago. I'm amazed they're still laying at this age, but we're all happy.
DeleteThere is no proper cost analysis on love relationships even with pets. Good food for them is very expensive but well worth it. There are plenty other expenses too like pine shavings, cleaning supplies, and lots of time.
But they are all lap chickens, shoulder chickens, and such a joy.
Kinda like the song, " If loving them is wrong, I don't want to be right!"
When I lived in California I had a 10k ft lot and that is basically how we lived. We were allowed to have six hens and we grew so much and had multiple fruit trees. We also had a worm farm. Unfortunately we were backed up to an almond orchard and constantly dealt with the chemicals they sprayed on the orchard. Both of our dogs died of cancer at a young age and I was dealing with health issues so we moved. It was a beautiful mini homestead.
ReplyDeleteLove the concept!!
ReplyDeleteIt would make a lovely mini-homestead as you describe.
ReplyDeleteGiven that for us, regularly homesteading does not seem to be in the cards, exercises like these are very interesting to me.