AuntieM Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 DH and I are thinking about looking for a tract of land. We would like to spend a couple of years "grooming" it (ie, considering land use, getting some fruit & other trees started) before moving out of suburbia and onto the property. So, we are at the very beginning of this process. Are there any books/articles/web sites that you found helpful in making such a transition? I'm not sure we even know where to start. Our first step will be to invite over some friends who made a similar move a while back, and pick their brains! But aside from that, I'd appreciate any recommendations you can share for first-timers going about this process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 If you plan on planting fruit trees, may i suggest you put in some yard hydrants (a frost proof faucet on a pole ) to help you water them while they are getting established. A baby fruit tree can be killed by just a couple weeks of dry weather in the summer. Also plant your trees in the fall if you can. It is much easier on the trees. How big of a tract of land are you thinking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emory. It's what you want even if you don't want it. Advice on all country living, even buying land, I believe. I literally read my copy to shreds, duct taped the spine. Sections on farming, buying equipment, all sorts of gardening, every type of animal, recipes, how not to get gas from beans and how to prepare a body for burial. Great stories, great everything. Go get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 Thanks, Remuda, that book sounds great! Fairfarmhand, I do not know for sure what size we will want. That's part of our research. I don't think we want to be ranchers but do want a few critters and some space. Mostly we may want to have property for extended family members to have bungalows on the property with enough space for privacy between us. In my mind - my not-thoroughly-educated-on-the-subject-yet mind - thirty acres sounds like a good number. DH has said eighty. So we need to think it through and talk about costs, etc. Thanks for the irrigation suggestion, we would definitely have to work that out early on. We would want to be in close enough proximity to the acreage to go out there a couple of times a week before we actually relocate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 (edited) Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emory. It's what you want even if you don't want it. Advice on all country living, even buying land, I believe. I literally read my copy to shreds, duct taped the spine. Sections on farming, buying equipment, all sorts of gardening, every type of animal, recipes, how not to get gas from beans and how to prepare a body for burial. Great stories, great everything. Go get one. :iagree: You can read this book for years. You don't have to be a hard core granola eating hippie to enjoy it. There are gobs of tasty recipes included. Take a drive in the country with a realtor (wear comfy shoes and messy clothes) and actually LOOK at acreage sizes if you or dh have no experience in the country. Eighty acres is a LOT of ground to maintain and keep up with taxes on. And the privacy concerns would depend on if it was wooded or pasture land and how the land lays. Rolling hills can give much privacy as can wooded areas. FYI, in most places with average rainfall one can keep one cow/calf pair per acre. Read up on septic tanks and research the cost for putting water/electric out there. We have a 600 ft drive from the road and the cost of running our utilities out here was not cheap. Of course you could always do a well, but electric can be expensive too. Septic tanks scare some people, but we've always had one and not had any problems. But you do want a good place for it that is not close to any trees (tree roots can grow into the field lines and clog them) in a well drained area. Do you know anything about perc tests??? Just make sure of everything before you buy anything. Some people would take advantage of your ignorance and sell you a gorgeous but unuseable piece of property. For instance a piece of land might look great in the summer and fall, but have several inches of water on it in the spring. You can't really build much on that, and forget about a septic tank on property that doesn't drain. Edited July 26, 2010 by fairfarmhand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 ... You don't have to be a hard core granola eating hippie to enjoy it... :D Okay, then, it'll be good for us! Green Acres, here we come...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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