We’re just moving onto 20 acres in eastern New Mexico, high plaines, shade is a challenge with frequent high winds. The land was cheap, but we have a well, a creek, and are near the Pecos river. Approaching retirement (hah), like most following this thread, want out of the city and some ability to take care of ourselves.
The Guinea hens is a wonderful idea! I was thinking maybe a goose or two, but you know what they’re like!
I love this stuff, don’t you!
I grew up on a small farm, the product of Depression era parents. All their lessons are really coming home now. In recent years I've added a greenhouse that now supplies most of our winter veggies. 12 outdoor raised beds, plus a large garden spot provide veggies from May to early November. I had to do a lot of work to get the dirt in the garden spot up to speed. Lots of compost, manure, ashes from the wood stove, etc. My wife laughed at me the day I can home all giddy with the news that we had worms in the garden spot. Worms do wonderful things for your soil, but it takes a fair amount of organic matter to call them in to work their magic.
We can and freeze a lot of what we grow. My farm had an orchard area that had become diseased and overgrown due to neglect of the previous owner. I cut out the trees I couldn't save and replanted about 6 years ago. Just starting to produce now. I've also added a bunch of grapes (got more than I know what to do with this year), raspberries, black berries and blue berries, also in raised beds. Working on fencing off about 15 acres for cattle, but that one has come to a halt in recent weeks because it's been so hot. I've been selling my excess veggies (okra, corn, peppers, broccoli and onions) to neighbors and one local restaurant. I recently restocked one of my ponds, too. Firewood is really cheap (free in most incidences except for the labor) and I'm planning to install an outdoor wood fired boiler on the farm soon (made by Central Boiler). I have radiant floor heat installed in my hangar and house and I put HePex tubing under the beds in the greenhouse, too. I think this will heat all three with plenty to spare. There's easily 20 years of firewood on the property, mostly hardwoods.
Once I finish my fencing, get a few cows and get some sort of biodiesel production going I think we'll be about as prepared as we can be.