My husband and I have found our 2.5 acre yard to be more than enough to manage. We are just starting to develop the back half of the property after 10 years of living here. I so happy we went with a smaller home, on a smaller lot, that is closer to town. People who haven't tried to grow a large percentage of their own food have no idea how much time it takes to grow, harvest, and preserve it all. It also is important to think long term when designing a homestead. How will you manage it if you have health problems or how you will live there in your 80's.
400m2 + indoor/greenhouse is enough for me. An extra acre to finish a cow & a few goats would be good. So many people have it turn into a life sentence block. Forget about: How can you go on holiday for a couple of weeks? SOP's for stand in people. I try to aim to eat the best organic food for free, try to sell enough to cover my time and costs. But I like new garden toys and lights so I'll never win that battle but I could if I needed to. I also don't have animals so that's a lot less work
We have 10 acres and we are 74 &76 YO. We did a lot of homesteading with veg/fruit/animals. It is a lot of work and we are downsizing our areas of operation. Be aware of how much work it is. Any slow down in work yields a lot of nature taking over. Just maintaining the buildings and equipment is a lot of work. My greenhouse, shop, and tractors all need a lot of up keep. Glad we had this life style but it requires lots of work whether you can do it or not.
I have been homesteading on two different properties over the past 8 years, and I think my best advice to newcomers who don't yet have property is to consider how heavily you want and intend to rely on power implements to make your system work. It's easy to magnify your management capacity with the aid of power implements, but make sure your system doesn't completely fall apart or need fundamental redisign in the event you no longer have the access or luxury. At a strictly "human scale", I think 1 to 3 acres is about all a person can realistically intensively manage with hand tools and on foot in most geographies, additional acerage better be nothing more than pastureland or timber/hunting land etc, IF you want to be able to manage it without the expense and dependence of heavy power implements.
I remember the book you referenced. It was published in 1973. Amazon has it for sale for $12.89 "Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management" is the title, and it's written by Maurice G. Kains and J. E. Oldfield. However, the updated version was published in 2015 and written by Maurice G. Kains! It's just $9.95. Maybe it has the new technology you said was helpful today.
I have the original book and it has great info that needs to be supplemented with more current information to have the current picture. Read, read, read, then do, do, do.😆
I was part in a solidary farmer group here in Germany for a couple of years. We had around 1 acre of fields close to the city, which we maintained with 2 people at full time. No animals except bees. In summer/autumn we could easily maintain enough vegetables for 20ish households. Using the french row technique for a bigger diversity and some foil tunnels for winter and tomatoes, we had greens for 10/12 months a year. It really depends what each persons needs are and how much time and effort one can put into maintaining and farming.
I have two acres and it is too much for me, a middle aged female that works full-time. I"m selling it and moving to less than an acre. I can have 10 or so dwarf fruit trees, some area for gardening, a small chicken coop/run and some honey bees. I think it depends on what you plan to do and how many ppl are in your household.
I wonder what that huge strip of deforested land behind the property is? Curtis, your new home is looking amazing with that huge roof to catch rain water. You've got it all, all the expertise and an amazing looking homestead. Well deserved, of course.
Man brother. I wished you still did consultation work. I would so pay your fee, flight, hotel, food and gas to have you come work with me here in our property. People like you are hard to come by. I feel like. About 2-5 years behind everyone. EVERYTIME I reach out, everyone tells me they don't do that type of work anymore. I would even pay good money to come tour your place. Have so many questions
For my family, we estimated a minimum around 15-20 acres. (Currently homesteading on less) 5+ acres of hardwood is ideal, firewood and deer bed. Also privacy
Sure, I'll have 1-5 acres to actually homestead on. But itll be withing our 20+ acres because we need woods for privacy, firewood, habitat for animals to hunt, etc. Plus, we want the extra land to have space for our kids to put a home if they wish. For them to have plenty of land for themselves when they're old enough
Our homestead is 6 acres with only 1.5 acres viable for house and gardens due to bedrock and hardwood forest. We have chickens and turkeys that freerange, eliminating the need for a barn. Instead we have 2 coops and a couple of well built sheds for miscellaneous items. The only thing that is fenced in are our multiple garden spaces to keep the chickens out. We grow mostly potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, butternut squash, tomatoes, corn and peppers, along with some greens and flowers. I do a lot of canning and dehydrating and maintain a well stocked pantry. We have lakes near by for fishing and the forest is vast behind us for hunting. I have brought in tons of soil, built rock retaining walls and raised beds in areas that can't be farmed, as well as containers on my deck and growing vertically, which has taken me countless years to develop. Imo, you don't need acres upon acres to obtain most of your own food, but it does take determination and hard work. Our property is not idyllic by any stretch, but it serves our needs. We still try to work out problems like being hooked to the grid and need it to use our well pump, so we have other, less ideal options in place if it ever goes down. Edited to add, we heat strictly with firewood that we obtain from someone else for now, to preserve our own trees for the future. We can also close down the upper level of the house in winter if need be to use less wood. Right now we use between 12 and 14 cords of wood per winter.
@@victoriaman117 Easily..lol. This is face cords not bush cords. We live in zone 4 with fairly harsh and long winters. Last Christmas we were snowed in for a few days. Temps average around -22C but can be in the -30's for weeks...colder with the wind chill. We do have a bit left over most years but that is burned first on chilly fall days. More is always better☺
Chrisa, you said everything! I have an question to you: would you like to live without wood or heating dependency concern? what motivates you to stay in one place with these dependencies? (besides family land or be near family)
@@chrisa6682 Hi Chris. Thank you for the reply. The reason I am shocked is I live in Zone 1 and albeit we have a mixed heating system (oil and wood), we only go through 2 cords a winter and half a tank of oil. If we relied strictly on wood alone we could not burn more than 4 if we tried!
I appreciate these property breakdowns. I moved out of the SE USA last year, after 35+ years, was just so tired of the heat, humidity, and bugs. I was inside too much to avoid a thousand mosquito bites and the humid temps. My favorite time of the year was winter. Moved back west and the lower humidity, milder temps, and four seasons feels amazing. That property in Milam, TX is a great deal compared to what I'm used to, but I checked out the weather forecast, almost every single day in the 10 day forecast is 100+ degrees. I hope people think through all of the angles, potential issues, and their personal preferences. Find a great property and homestead till your heart's content.
@Snappypantsdance CO was actually at the top of my short list, my family goes back a few generations there, but lack of water and how it's changed so much had me looking elsewhere. I totally understand, we each have to figure out what we need/have to have, and what can we deal with as a smaller, side issue. I am outside so much more now, love it.
20 acres plus next to a large Gov't park/reserve which allows hunting :) That 5 acre book opens your mind to what is possible using ALL you have. But really not enough especially for your own firewood in the north.
Firewood needs can be reduced by passive thermal designed house, a more efficient wood burning heater, already having some large trees needing to be removed early in the site development (much harder in the desert if you first have to grow the trees), realising you can burn dried cow pats if you are interested in having cows (like in Turkey and Russia), if your site can physically be dug and you have the option of geothermal, if you have access to sun....
@@WarriorGnome that's exciting. I've thought a lot about this option living in the desert but I haven't had much luck getting other family members on board so far Things that I ponder on are accessibility (perhaps one ramped access), having a distant view to maintain good eyesight and not feel enclosed (perhaps earth removed at one critical point so one can look horizontally out from a principal room, how to waterproof the space from ground water flow, having outdoor living spaces so that one is outside when temperatures are mild, ways of having skylights as features, how to locate the solar panels so that they don't give away where the house is located... love playing with the idea of underground houses.
Wonderful to have you back, and I have just got my land here in the UK, thank you so much for all your help and training, you are going to save me a big load of money on mistakes. 😁
My context: 67 yo single granny on 16 ac, after animals, forest, ponds, houses --only about 2-3 usable and it's plenty for fruit/nut trees, gardens, free-range area, greenhouse, storage, etc. Know your context
1/8 of an acre is all I NEED. If I had a wife and Children I might need a full acre. But each climate requires a different amount of land. I am in Florida with a full year of growing and intense sun with layers of multiple canopies so I have food growing under food. I don’t eat beef so any livestock I would get do not need acres. Chickens and rabbits need square feet not acres. Any greenhouse for me would only be needed for 2 months and not during storm season. Those who NEED many acres outside of Bovine Livestock keeping are likely not using land efficiently. Nothing wrong with going big but you do not NEED it, you want it. Also more acres are more work. I am happy with my quarter acre and so far I am only working one third of it as I slowly put in the food forest.
Hey Curtis, great book I got that book from my Grandfather. He had 5 acres just north of Toronto in Milliken, Ontario. But it's a subdivision the last 20 years. Good memories from my Grandparents property. Thanks Buddy.
Great conversation. The size also depends on the resiliency of your neighbours (Allan Savory) because how they manage their land will affect your land. Considerations of agricultural chemical use, recharging water tables, wild fires... the ideal size of land also depends on your age. In terms of getting rid of tree stumps, it's much easier to get fungi to do the work for you rather than digging stumps out. Bit of cardboard and dirt can stop the stumps resprouting.
I've been searching for educational resources on homestead that was structured and not just random youtube videos, I will def be enrolling in your courses
I wouldn't go for the Texas property for 2 reasons. #1 easement borders it (probably a gas line). #2 soil is terrible. I checked the soil survey and about the only thing that that property could be good for would be growing bahia grass for cattle. A garden would be impossible due to soil types. Corn would be 8-9 bushles per acre. Good soil would be no less than 80 bushels per acre, preferably 100 plus. Translation - not enough acreage to feed a SMALL family and it would take a fortune to build raised beds or amend the current soil.
Alot of places people find out they should have at least 10 acres due to rules and regulations that prevent you from having farm animals and chickens on smaller parcels
Kevin from Epic Gardening and Epic Homesteading is homesteading on 1/3 acre. He has chickens, a pond, an orchard and garden beds, both in ground and raised. He even has a water tank, a grey water recovery system, solar, even a three bay compost system. I'd like to be able to do something like that; maybe a bigger house and a bit more land; because I want to keep a dairy goat.
On the lowest end, you could probably do 2 or 3. 1/4 acre house, 3/4s garden greenhouse chicken coup some fruit trees, 1 acre for fire wood trees. You wouldn’t be total self producing, but few are with more land anyhow. But 5 acres of good land is decent.
In my opinion it depends on what kind of homestead you want. Some people just want fruits and vegetables and some chickens. One to two acres are fine. Some people want to be totally self sufficient. Then i recommend about forty acres. 20 for the house, barn, solar. Then one acre for fruits, nuts and other perennials. Then half to one acre for vegetables. Then a rotation of patures for cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. Then 20 acre for growing grains for the animals and trees for firewood and then some ponds stocked with fish and hunting.
You should trim a nice firebreak area around your homestead.. Kelowna is being burnt to a crisp it seems. That or build an underground bunker/shelter, with oxygen and a well/water etc and food/outhouse etc etc!
4:55 😁 funny looking tom. Another perk to having some land 👍 Curtis must be doing well with these older vids still getting views, getting more reach and subs. The snow ball of nearly 600k subs would keep rolling for a while even if he pulled the pin on doing vids.
Something to ponder: There are about 1.9 billion acres in the U.S., and it has been estimated that; of the 1.9 billion acres in the United States, 915 million are farmable. Currently, the U.S. population is around 335 million. This means that there are 2.73 acres of farmable space for each person in the U.S. (915,000,000/335,000,000). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American Household consisted of 2.51 people in year 2021. Now I realize that everyone cannot and/or will not become a homesteader. But, if each household was homesteading, then this means that the average homestead cannot exceed 6.85 acres (2.73 x 2.51), or someone will be left out… Just saying.
Sadly, I can't tell you how many potted ferns we've killed this year... I've come to the conclusion that a fern has a longer life expectancy at Lowe's than at my house 🫤
No doubt many will be left out. Unfortunately many are stupid, useless and lazy. Doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy life while the masses destroy themselves.
No way you can protect that amount of land without a small tribe. Empower your neighbors to feed themselves or have them invest in that land so they work to provide for themselves.
I have a bit more than 10 acres with about 2 of it being treed. With my primary heat source being wood, trees are rather important. Fortunately for me I'm on amicable terms with my neighbours who let me harvest their wind blown trees which is good while I grow my own wood lot. I would like 80 acres or more too but I think someone could make an acceptable homestead on 5 acres. If 3.5 were treed that's plenty of room to be reasonably self sustainable in my opinion anyhow.
Im in North Central B.C., and looking for an off grid compatible parcel. land values here are insane at this time. my hope is 1/4 section, my budget may dictate less.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Homesteading in Ontario and ready to move. Loved Alberta. Are there homesteading communities in western Alberta and if so, what County are they in?
My husband and I couldn’t afford australia anymore and jobs landed us in the Us. South Australia has the perfect climate for vegetables, 80-90 degree summers, 38-50 degree winters. Cool enough to grow the things that need chill hours, but no dreaded snow. Where would you suggest in the Us Curtis? We’re thinking zones 8a-8b, just not sure where. We want to be able to grow something all year in case there were no more canning lids etc. No coastal hurricane areas either. Too much stress Thanks
Coastal California has the most beautiful weather year round. I say that a little bit jokingly, because its much too expensive for mere mortals. I live in Northern Cali, not too close to the coast. The temps have been going up and up. I am sick of hiding in the house during the summer. Our zone is supposed to be 8b, but I think that needs to be reevaluated. To my knowledge, climate zones are set by minimum temperatures. We got a 2 day dusting of snow last winter. However, almost no bugs! We can eat outside in the evenings with little or no mosquitos, and we're about 2 miles from a good size lake!
Curtis, hello! I'm a new subscriber, but I used to watch you a lot when you were doing the micro greens thing when you first got on CZcams. Are you for hire? Can I hire you to find me some undeveloped land? I've looked a lot. But I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. What I'm looking for... 2-20 acres, above 5,000 ft, preferably with either timber or stone for building, a place to install 2-3 walapinis, 10,000 watts of solar, a spot to build a house, within an hour drive to town and I don't want to see any neighbors anywhere from my property. Does this even exist? Any suggestions? Love your content. I'm a builder of 40 years construction experience. I want to be completely off grid and want to build my own home or renovate an existing structure.
its because americans need so much "stuff"... in this part of the world, we dont think about keeping dozers and heavy machine, we would keep a tractor and implements, also smaller is better, for example a family of 6-8 could be well fed by a single crop of wheat for 3 years from a 4 acre lot. The more stuff, the more headache. one can hire stuff to setup the farm first and then all you do is maintain if you built it right in the first place.
Join us in Mexico. Life here is like what people remember from childhood, surrounded by nature and real history. I'm forming an self sustainable off grid community in a natural paradise here sooner than later. Let's talk!
@@offgridcurtisstone I really appreciate the reply. I just found your channel and it appears to be an excellent resource. I know you have a great setup, but lots of people don't. I'm asking your audience as I seek others to join my family on a piece of paradise to live off grid. My plan can accomodate many people or families. It's tough to do alone.
@@leahredmond150 Hi Leah. I thought I already sent you a message but don't see it here. I'm not a tech guy. If so, apologies to be a pest. We are looking at the state odf Pueble in southern central Mexico. It's incredible land with natural fruit trees and numerous other valuable natural resources, even coffee. I want to form a community as I know living self suffient is not easy and is much more feasible with a team of people. I'm looking for thinkers and freedom lovers and envision sitting by a campfire after a days work on the farm or excursion to a nearby Spanish colonial archaeological site. I plan to construct my families home and others. With trails leading to a central courtyard area known in Mexico as a Zocolo, where the community can gather. It can be large or small, depending on the group. We are working towards the goal and alone we'll be there within 2-3 years max. With partners much sooner. It's needed for many, most don't seem to be aware of the need. Thanks for your time. If you have any specific questions it would be an honor.
@@offgridcurtisstone " it can't "??... so I think human beings should ask how's that benefit the future of the wickedness of the world if that's the case??
@@offgridcurtisstone well unfortunately no I disagree.. any good decent human being understands we shouldn't pay to eat ,live , have shelter & be at peace with eachother ...god gave us common sense for a reason, not to control the masses by $$$$
Ok, so if you don't have to pay to eat and live, are you asking the farmer and the home builder to work for you for free or are you asking the government to take their stuff to give it to you? Sounds like communism. 100 million killed under that ideology. Not a great track record.
@@annburge291 and because not all land is equal. What is the density of the forest? What can the land produce? What is the climate? There are MANY variables that go into determining how much land you need. @Snappypantsdnace, No need to laugh about the answers as they are different for every location and individual.
Dude asked the 'how much land do you need' question 4 times before saying under 10 acres, then saying 5. Such a waste of time. Get to the f'n point already.
My husband and I have found our 2.5 acre yard to be more than enough to manage. We are just starting to develop the back half of the property after 10 years of living here. I so happy we went with a smaller home, on a smaller lot, that is closer to town. People who haven't tried to grow a large percentage of their own food have no idea how much time it takes to grow, harvest, and preserve it all. It also is important to think long term when designing a homestead. How will you manage it if you have health problems or how you will live there in your 80's.
I'm tring to find couple of acres. I live in Missouri
@@barb8452If I may ask how do you like Missouri?
You are correct I am not 80 and just earlier today I was sharing with a friend that it's getting to be a lot for me. God Bless you.
400m2 + indoor/greenhouse is enough for me. An extra acre to finish a cow & a few goats would be good.
So many people have it turn into a life sentence block.
Forget about: How can you go on holiday for a couple of weeks? SOP's for stand in people.
I try to aim to eat the best organic food for free, try to sell enough to cover my time and costs. But I like new garden toys and lights so I'll never win that battle but I could if I needed to. I also don't have animals so that's a lot less work
We have 10 acres and we are 74 &76 YO. We did a lot of homesteading with veg/fruit/animals. It is a lot of work and we are downsizing our areas of operation.
Be aware of how much work it is. Any slow down in work yields a lot of nature taking over. Just maintaining the buildings and equipment is a lot of work. My greenhouse, shop, and tractors all need a lot of up keep. Glad we had this life style but it requires lots of work whether you can do it or not.
I have been homesteading on two different properties over the past 8 years, and I think my best advice to newcomers who don't yet have property is to consider how heavily you want and intend to rely on power implements to make your system work. It's easy to magnify your management capacity with the aid of power implements, but make sure your system doesn't completely fall apart or need fundamental redisign in the event you no longer have the access or luxury. At a strictly "human scale", I think 1 to 3 acres is about all a person can realistically intensively manage with hand tools and on foot in most geographies, additional acerage better be nothing more than pastureland or timber/hunting land etc, IF you want to be able to manage it without the expense and dependence of heavy power implements.
Agreed.
I remember the book you referenced. It was published in 1973. Amazon has it for sale for $12.89 "Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management" is the title, and it's written by Maurice G. Kains and J. E. Oldfield. However, the updated version was published in 2015 and written by Maurice G. Kains! It's just $9.95. Maybe it has the new technology you said was helpful today.
I have the original book and it has great info that needs to be supplemented with more current information to have the current picture. Read, read, read, then do, do, do.😆
I was part in a solidary farmer group here in Germany for a couple of years. We had around 1 acre of fields close to the city, which we maintained with 2 people at full time. No animals except bees. In summer/autumn we could easily maintain enough vegetables for 20ish households. Using the french row technique for a bigger diversity and some foil tunnels for winter and tomatoes, we had greens for 10/12 months a year.
It really depends what each persons needs are and how much time and effort one can put into maintaining and farming.
It also depends on the climate and soil where you live. That’s awesome!
Foil tunnel? French row? Please describe. TY
I have two acres and it is too much for me, a middle aged female that works full-time. I"m selling it and moving to less than an acre. I can have 10 or so dwarf fruit trees, some area for gardening, a small chicken coop/run and some honey bees. I think it depends on what you plan to do and how many ppl are in your household.
Where is this land?? City??
@@barb8452 The south and midwest. Small house with an acre is everywhere here. And for cheap.
Midwest like Ohio?
Where is it
I wonder what that huge strip of deforested land behind the property is? Curtis, your new home is looking amazing with that huge roof to catch rain water. You've got it all, all the expertise and an amazing looking homestead. Well deserved, of course.
Man brother. I wished you still did consultation work. I would so pay your fee, flight, hotel, food and gas to have you come work with me here in our property. People like you are hard to come by. I feel like. About 2-5 years behind everyone. EVERYTIME I reach out, everyone tells me they don't do that type of work anymore. I would even pay good money to come tour your place. Have so many questions
For my family, we estimated a minimum around 15-20 acres. (Currently homesteading on less)
5+ acres of hardwood is ideal, firewood and deer bed.
Also privacy
Exactly.
Sure, I'll have 1-5 acres to actually homestead on. But itll be withing our 20+ acres because we need woods for privacy, firewood, habitat for animals to hunt, etc.
Plus, we want the extra land to have space for our kids to put a home if they wish. For them to have plenty of land for themselves when they're old enough
Our homestead is 6 acres with only 1.5 acres viable for house and gardens due to bedrock and hardwood forest. We have chickens and turkeys that freerange, eliminating the need for a barn. Instead we have 2 coops and a couple of well built sheds for miscellaneous items. The only thing that is fenced in are our multiple garden spaces to keep the chickens out. We grow mostly potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, butternut squash, tomatoes, corn and peppers, along with some greens and flowers. I do a lot of canning and dehydrating and maintain a well stocked pantry. We have lakes near by for fishing and the forest is vast behind us for hunting. I have brought in tons of soil, built rock retaining walls and raised beds in areas that can't be farmed, as well as containers on my deck and growing vertically, which has taken me countless years to develop. Imo, you don't need acres upon acres to obtain most of your own food, but it does take determination and hard work. Our property is not idyllic by any stretch, but it serves our needs. We still try to work out problems like being hooked to the grid and need it to use our well pump, so we have other, less ideal options in place if it ever goes down. Edited to add, we heat strictly with firewood that we obtain from someone else for now, to preserve our own trees for the future. We can also close down the upper level of the house in winter if need be to use less wood. Right now we use between 12 and 14 cords of wood per winter.
12-14 cords!!!! How?
@@victoriaman117 Easily..lol. This is face cords not bush cords. We live in zone 4 with fairly harsh and long winters. Last Christmas we were snowed in for a few days. Temps average around -22C but can be in the -30's for weeks...colder with the wind chill. We do have a bit left over most years but that is burned first on chilly fall days. More is always better☺
thats fucked haha i wonder how many actual cords that is? In my area that would cost you $3600 + per winter@@chrisa6682
Chrisa, you said everything! I have an question to you: would you like to live without wood or heating dependency concern? what motivates you to stay in one place with these dependencies? (besides family land or be near family)
@@chrisa6682 Hi Chris. Thank you for the reply. The reason I am shocked is I live in Zone 1 and albeit we have a mixed heating system (oil and wood), we only go through 2 cords a winter and half a tank of oil. If we relied strictly on wood alone we could not burn more than 4 if we tried!
I appreciate these property breakdowns. I moved out of the SE USA last year, after 35+ years, was just so tired of the heat, humidity, and bugs. I was inside too much to avoid a thousand mosquito bites and the humid temps. My favorite time of the year was winter. Moved back west and the lower humidity, milder temps, and four seasons feels amazing. That property in Milam, TX is a great deal compared to what I'm used to, but I checked out the weather forecast, almost every single day in the 10 day forecast is 100+ degrees. I hope people think through all of the angles, potential issues, and their personal preferences. Find a great property and homestead till your heart's content.
Isn’t it funny, I just moved from 35 years in CO because to TN because of no water. It all depends on all the factors in your life doesn’t it?
@Snappypantsdance CO was actually at the top of my short list, my family goes back a few generations there, but lack of water and how it's changed so much had me looking elsewhere. I totally understand, we each have to figure out what we need/have to have, and what can we deal with as a smaller, side issue. I am outside so much more now, love it.
If it's pretty and easy living, it attracts all the wrong people. Hardy environments create hardy people.
@@labellavita2248where did you move? I am in tx too. I’m tired of being inside all the time
20 acres plus next to a large Gov't park/reserve which allows hunting :)
That 5 acre book opens your mind to what is possible using ALL you have. But really not enough especially for your own firewood in the north.
Just be careful, they came after the Bundy's for petty reasons concerning federal land.
Firewood needs can be reduced by passive thermal designed house, a more efficient wood burning heater, already having some large trees needing to be removed early in the site development (much harder in the desert if you first have to grow the trees), realising you can burn dried cow pats if you are interested in having cows (like in Turkey and Russia), if your site can physically be dug and you have the option of geothermal, if you have access to sun....
@annburge291 Actually considering going underground when I find property
@@WarriorGnome that's exciting. I've thought a lot about this option living in the desert but I haven't had much luck getting other family members on board so far Things that I ponder on are accessibility (perhaps one ramped access), having a distant view to maintain good eyesight and not feel enclosed (perhaps earth removed at one critical point so one can look horizontally out from a principal room, how to waterproof the space from ground water flow, having outdoor living spaces so that one is outside when temperatures are mild, ways of having skylights as features, how to locate the solar panels so that they don't give away where the house is located... love playing with the idea of underground houses.
@@annburge291 IT is a lot to plan out
Wonderful to have you back, and I have just got my land here in the UK, thank you so much for all your help and training, you are going to save me a big load of money on mistakes. 😁
My context: 67 yo single granny on 16 ac, after animals, forest, ponds, houses --only about 2-3 usable and it's plenty for fruit/nut trees, gardens, free-range area, greenhouse, storage, etc. Know your context
Thank you for this video Curtis and the information you have shared with us. I appreciate you.
1/8 of an acre is all I NEED. If I had a wife and Children I might need a full acre. But each climate requires a different amount of land. I am in Florida with a full year of growing and intense sun with layers of multiple canopies so I have food growing under food. I don’t eat beef so any livestock I would get do not need acres. Chickens and rabbits need square feet not acres. Any greenhouse for me would only be needed for 2 months and not during storm season. Those who NEED many acres outside of Bovine Livestock keeping are likely not using land efficiently. Nothing wrong with going big but you do not NEED it, you want it. Also more acres are more work. I am happy with my quarter acre and so far I am only working one third of it as I slowly put in the food forest.
Hey Curtis, great book I got that book from my Grandfather. He had 5 acres just north of Toronto in Milliken, Ontario. But it's a subdivision the last 20 years. Good memories from my Grandparents property. Thanks Buddy.
Glad i found this channel man ! Looking forward to seeing more
I like the John Seymore English homesteading books.
his books are great!
Curtis we're praying that you and your family are safe in the fires. Please update us if you can!
We’re fine. Thank you.
Great conversation. The size also depends on the resiliency of your neighbours (Allan Savory) because how they manage their land will affect your land. Considerations of agricultural chemical use, recharging water tables, wild fires... the ideal size of land also depends on your age. In terms of getting rid of tree stumps, it's much easier to get fungi to do the work for you rather than digging stumps out. Bit of cardboard and dirt can stop the stumps resprouting.
We are currently homesteading on 2.5 acres. We would like more but making due with what we have.
Appreciate your Time* 💯fold Curtis... Its kewl your locating property's for people...
Bountiful blessings 🕊️ in All you do 🙏
Hi my friend where are you from 😊
I've been searching for educational resources on homestead that was structured and not just random youtube videos, I will def be enrolling in your courses
I wouldn't go for the Texas property for 2 reasons. #1 easement borders it (probably a gas line). #2 soil is terrible. I checked the soil survey and about the only thing that that property could be good for would be growing bahia grass for cattle. A garden would be impossible due to soil types. Corn would be 8-9 bushles per acre. Good soil would be no less than 80 bushels per acre, preferably 100 plus. Translation - not enough acreage to feed a SMALL family and it would take a fortune to build raised beds or amend the current soil.
Alot of places people find out they should have at least 10 acres due to rules and regulations that prevent you from having farm animals and chickens on smaller parcels
Great talk man
I love the Texas/Louisiana property❤️
This video gets me too excited to find the Spruce Ranch property 🔥🙌🌲💫🇺🇲
Much love from Sunshine Coast Australia
Kevin from Epic Gardening and Epic Homesteading is homesteading on 1/3 acre. He has chickens, a pond, an orchard and garden beds, both in ground and raised. He even has a water tank, a grey water recovery system, solar, even a three bay compost system. I'd like to be able to do something like that; maybe a bigger house and a bit more land; because I want to keep a dairy goat.
Yes
Watching while my generator gets me enough hot water for a shower.
CURTIS, ARE YOU GUYS OKAY OUT THERE? We've been worrying about your family and homestead with the fires. Hoping you guys are okay.
On the lowest end, you could probably do 2 or 3. 1/4 acre house, 3/4s garden greenhouse chicken coup some fruit trees, 1 acre for fire wood trees. You wouldn’t be total self producing, but few are with more land anyhow. But 5 acres of good land is decent.
In my opinion it depends on what kind of homestead you want. Some people just want fruits and vegetables and some chickens. One to two acres are fine. Some people want to be totally self sufficient. Then i recommend about forty acres. 20 for the house, barn, solar. Then one acre for fruits, nuts and other perennials. Then half to one acre for vegetables. Then a rotation of patures for cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. Then 20 acre for growing grains for the animals and trees for firewood and then some ponds stocked with fish and hunting.
I hope you and your family are far from the wildfires. Praying for your safety 🙏
Wild fires are a regular part of summers out here. We're fine thank you.
Good to hear you are ok.
I have 4.68 acres in the western wa area. It’s set up perfectly
Do you get a bit of snow?
@@cherylcook1942 not a lot where I’m at we get a foot of snow here and there but we get 44 inches of rain. Easy to grow here
You should trim a nice firebreak area around your homestead.. Kelowna is being burnt to a crisp it seems. That or build an underground bunker/shelter, with oxygen and a well/water etc and food/outhouse etc etc!
Kelowna is not being burned to a crisp. There is a fire on the westside.
@@offgridcurtisstone LOL well maybe not, but still. Couldn't hurt.
4:55 😁 funny looking tom. Another perk to having some land 👍
Curtis must be doing well with these older vids still getting views, getting more reach and subs.
The snow ball of nearly 600k subs would keep rolling for a while even if he pulled the pin on doing vids.
Something to ponder:
There are about 1.9 billion acres in the U.S., and it has been estimated that; of the 1.9 billion acres in the United States, 915 million are farmable. Currently, the U.S. population is around 335 million. This means that there are 2.73 acres of farmable space for each person in the U.S. (915,000,000/335,000,000).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American Household consisted of 2.51 people in year 2021. Now I realize that everyone cannot and/or will not become a homesteader. But, if each household was homesteading, then this means that the average homestead cannot exceed 6.85 acres (2.73 x 2.51), or someone will be left out… Just saying.
Your average American can't grow a single potted plant.
@@cletushatfield8817 That is shameful, but it seems you are correct.
Sadly, I can't tell you how many potted ferns we've killed this year... I've come to the conclusion that a fern has a longer life expectancy at Lowe's than at my house 🫤
No doubt many will be left out. Unfortunately many are stupid, useless and lazy. Doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy life while the masses destroy themselves.
I would love 10 acres
160 acres, Go Big or Go Home! ...and feed your neighbors
Those neighbors will soon believe themselves entitled to what’s yours if they aren’t made to feed themselves.
We fed our neighbors off of 5.5 when the lock downs screwed everyone.
Far too big for one family... get a community going to share the work load
No way you can protect that amount of land without a small tribe. Empower your neighbors to feed themselves or have them invest in that land so they work to provide for themselves.
@pin_high Right on, if Diesel is unattainable, hand cultivation will get it done. A few good gardeners could quickly teach people skills
I have a bit more than 10 acres with about 2 of it being treed. With my primary heat source being wood, trees are rather important. Fortunately for me I'm on amicable terms with my neighbours who let me harvest their wind blown trees which is good while I grow my own wood lot. I would like 80 acres or more too but I think someone could make an acceptable homestead on 5 acres. If 3.5 were treed that's plenty of room to be reasonably self sustainable in my opinion anyhow.
At point 4:52 , what do you use that plant for ??
3 acres and a cow.
3 acres and milk goats 🐐
Power lines right next to that property? What was the cleared rectangle at the property line ?
Im in North Central B.C., and looking for an off grid compatible parcel. land values here are insane at this time. my hope is 1/4 section, my budget may dictate less.
40 acres and a mule.
* motorcycle noises *
Mule-- now that is old school!
I own the book!
@mistyhollowhomestead6876 now that I think about it- I may too--- My Uncle logged with mules and they were huge.
Just bought 40 acres back in May. Still working on the mule. lol
In the end; 3' x 6' x 6'
"Davy Jerrolds Jacket"
What would you have rated your lot using your new scale?
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Homesteading in Ontario and ready to move. Loved Alberta. Are there homesteading communities in western Alberta and if so, what County are they in?
I live on 47 acres that is 5 hours west of Edmonton and looking to build community here..
Thank you Leah. I am intuitively drawn to Clearwater County. @@leahredmond150
Brother what kind of plants are those tall skinny tops....
My husband and I couldn’t afford australia anymore and jobs landed us in the Us. South Australia has the perfect climate for vegetables, 80-90 degree summers, 38-50 degree winters. Cool enough to grow the things that need chill hours, but no dreaded snow. Where would you suggest in the Us Curtis? We’re thinking zones 8a-8b, just not sure where. We want to be able to grow something all year in case there were no more canning lids etc. No coastal hurricane areas either. Too much stress
Thanks
Coastal California has the most beautiful weather year round. I say that a little bit jokingly, because its much too expensive for mere mortals. I live in Northern Cali, not too close to the coast. The temps have been going up and up. I am sick of hiding in the house during the summer. Our zone is supposed to be 8b, but I think that needs to be reevaluated. To my knowledge, climate zones are set by minimum temperatures. We got a 2 day dusting of snow last winter. However, almost no bugs! We can eat outside in the evenings with little or no mosquitos, and we're about 2 miles from a good size lake!
Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri. You could include Kansas and Nebraska.
5 acres minimum
I have 5 acres moving to 40
Alaska land sales going on now (for those that live to be cold).
4m56s Haha nice healthy home grown plant .we all just need enough room to grow our buds
@4:54 That should have happened at 4:20
MG Kains is the author
If heating with wood I would think you need at least 10 acres to grow trees too be renewable.
The book is way older than that. It was written in the 1930s.
any way to send an email that I would like to discuss with Curtis? in regards to my being a Realtor in Texas --- thanks.
Curtis, hello! I'm a new subscriber, but I used to watch you a lot when you were doing the micro greens thing when you first got on CZcams.
Are you for hire? Can I hire you to find me some undeveloped land? I've looked a lot. But I can't seem to find what I'm looking for.
What I'm looking for...
2-20 acres, above 5,000 ft, preferably with either timber or stone for building, a place to install 2-3 walapinis, 10,000 watts of solar, a spot to build a house, within an hour drive to town and I don't want to see any neighbors anywhere from my property. Does this even exist? Any suggestions? Love your content.
I'm a builder of 40 years construction experience. I want to be completely off grid and want to build my own home or renovate an existing structure.
Yes for sure. Email me at flpconsultants@proton.me
You’re in eastern TX? I thought it was Canada
So I need 60, carp. Guess I’m scrapping my too small homestead start
Do you offer up any Canadian properties for evaluation or just American?
Yes. We have some clients right now that are in Canada.
I think deer hop over 4' fences pretty easily.
Nice property but too far east so will be susceptible to hurricanes that frequent Louisiana and potential flooding. Also a bit too expensive for me.
This one was out of all extreme weather zones. We use the FEMA map.
SASQUATCH REPORTED IN THAT AREA
its because americans need so much "stuff"... in this part of the world, we dont think about keeping dozers and heavy machine, we would keep a tractor and implements, also smaller is better, for example a family of 6-8 could be well fed by a single crop of wheat for 3 years from a 4 acre lot. The more stuff, the more headache. one can hire stuff to setup the farm first and then all you do is maintain if you built it right in the first place.
Join us in Mexico. Life here is like what people remember from childhood, surrounded by nature and real history. I'm forming an self sustainable off grid community in a natural paradise here sooner than later. Let's talk!
Thank you, but we're very happy where we are.
@@offgridcurtisstone I really appreciate the reply. I just found your channel and it appears to be an excellent resource. I know you have a great setup, but lots of people don't. I'm asking your audience as I seek others to join my family on a piece of paradise to live off grid. My plan can accomodate many people or families. It's tough to do alone.
I’m curious to find out more information! I live on 47 acres in northern bc and am open to living in Mexico
@@leahredmond150 Hi Leah. I thought I already sent you a message but don't see it here. I'm not a tech guy. If so, apologies to be a pest. We are looking at the state odf Pueble in southern central Mexico. It's incredible land with natural fruit trees and numerous other valuable natural resources, even coffee. I want to form a community as I know living self suffient is not easy and is much more feasible with a team of people. I'm looking for thinkers and freedom lovers and envision sitting by a campfire after a days work on the farm or excursion to a nearby Spanish colonial archaeological site. I plan to construct my families home and others. With trails leading to a central courtyard area known in Mexico as a Zocolo, where the community can gather. It can be large or small, depending on the group. We are working towards the goal and alone we'll be there within 2-3 years max. With partners much sooner. It's needed for many, most don't seem to be aware of the need. Thanks for your time. If you have any specific questions it would be an honor.
2 acres and a dogs
Enough so the government can't find and hassle us!
At 4m54s is that cannabis?
Ya dude.
Just use the actual timestamp. 4:54 and it takes you right there. Most people don't know about this feature.
Hmm... im curious in terms of those who are homeless w/ no money & how's that benefit them if they would like this life for themselves??
It can’t. Get some money and stop being homeless first.
@@offgridcurtisstone " it can't "??... so I think human beings should ask how's that benefit the future of the wickedness of the world if that's the case??
You asked how this information can help the homeless with no money, it can't. You need money to make things happen.
@@offgridcurtisstone well unfortunately no I disagree.. any good decent human being understands we shouldn't pay to eat ,live , have shelter & be at peace with eachother ...god gave us common sense for a reason, not to control the masses by $$$$
Ok, so if you don't have to pay to eat and live, are you asking the farmer and the home builder to work for you for free or are you asking the government to take their stuff to give it to you? Sounds like communism. 100 million killed under that ideology. Not a great track record.
Are you a sativa or indica kinda guy?
Sativa for the most part.
@@offgridcurtisstone nice. What strain you growing?
You don’t want trees in Texas
Owen Benjamin recommend this channel and I can see why because this man has a very nice property
Lol, these opinions on acreage are all over the place. 2 - 160 acres and everything in between.
Because ideals, wishes, and knowing what they are capable of managing don't always coincide
@@annburge291 and because not all land is equal. What is the density of the forest? What can the land produce? What is the climate? There are MANY variables that go into determining how much land you need. @Snappypantsdnace, No need to laugh about the answers as they are different for every location and individual.
4:54 😉
Dude asked the 'how much land do you need' question 4 times before saying under 10 acres, then saying 5. Such a waste of time. Get to the f'n point already.