This is my dream homestead — a life I’ve imagined for many, many years. I believe a small piece of land, cared for with intention and old‑fashioned wisdom, can provide nearly everything food-wise a person needs, along with plenty of exercise. I’m building a system inspired by the 1800s, when families lived close to the land, grew their own food, raised their animals, and relied on practical skills instead of outside inputs. This homestead is my way of returning to that simpler, grounded way of living.
My goal is not to create a large farm. It’s to shape a small, efficient, self‑sufficient homestead where every part of the land has a purpose and every animal contributes to the whole. Nothing is wasted. Everything supports something else.
How the Land Works
The land is divided into paddocks, each with a specific job. Pasture paddocks give goats fresh grazing and long rest periods. Hay paddocks grow winter feed. Garden paddocks grow annual crops and are rooted by pigs each spring to prepare the soil. One paddock is dedicated entirely to high‑yield root crops like mangles and fodder beets, which provide supplemental feed for the animals.
This structure keeps the land healthy, prevents overuse, and makes it possible to stay food self‑sufficient without needing more acreage.
The Animals and Their Roles
Every animal on the homestead contributes something essential. Goats graze, raise their kids, and provide milk and meat. Pigs root in the garden, turn the soil, and supply pork each year. My chickens are multi‑purpose birds: the hens lay eggs, raise their own chicks, and those chicks are grown out to 10–12 weeks before they are butchered for meat. This keeps the flock self‑renewing and eliminates the need to buy day‑old chicks. Each animal fits into the system in a way that supports both the land and the household.
By butchering goat kids at six months, the homestead avoids the heavy winter hay burden that small farms often struggle with. This timing keeps the system balanced and sustainable.
The Gardens That Feed Us
The main garden paddock grows staple foods for the household: potatoes, beans, squash, greens, onions, herbs, and more. This garden also produces scraps and trimmings that feed the animals, creating a natural cycle where nothing goes to waste.
Near the house is the kitchen garden, the heart of daily living. This smaller garden grows vegetables, herbs, berries, and small grains used for bread, cereal, and baking. It’s close enough to harvest every day and doesn’t compete with the paddock system. It adds food to the homestead without taking space from pasture or hay.
Orchard Lanes and Hidden Spaces
The orchard lanes — those open strips between fruit trees — are more than pathways. They can be fenced into extra pasture, used for hay, or planted with tall grains like sorghum and sunflowers. These hidden spaces add flexibility and help support the entire homestead without sacrificing fruit production.
A Closed‑Loop System
The goal is to be a homestead where everything connects. Goats graze pasture and eat hay. Pigs root garden paddocks and eat milk byproducts. Chickens follow behind and clean the land. Garden scraps feed livestock. Roots supplement winter nutrition. The kitchen garden feeds the household. Orchard lanes support pasture, hay, or grain.
Every part supports the others. Nothing is wasted. Everything has a purpose.
Why This Works
This homestead is built on traditional methods that worked for centuries. It’s practical, achievable, and designed for modest land. With thoughtful planning and clear roles for each part of the farm, it becomes possible to raise meat, grow vegetables, produce milk, store roots, harvest grain, and live simply without relying on outside feed or large acreage.
This is my dream homestead, and time will have to see how it actually turns out — and I’m building it one thoughtful piece at a time.
SMALL HOMESTEAD by the river 