Turn that small tract of land into a food producing behemoth

(Homesteading.news) So, you’ve got big plans to feed your family with wholesome, fresh, organic food you produce yourself, but you don’t have a lot of acreage? Not to worry. You don’t need a lot of land to produce a lot of food; in fact, all you really need is some creativity.

Take egg production, for example. When most people think about egg production they think chickens. Fair enough, but chickens need room to roam and feed, so in order to compensate for that, how about trying quail eggs? Yes, they are much smaller than chicken eggs, but, writes Anna Ikona at Pioneer Settler, quail eggs are just as nutritious, if not more so, and the little birds lay lots of eggs but don’t require a lot of space. In fact, she says, she can keep three quail in one small rabbit hutch.

For milk, most people think first about getting a cow, but as you know, a cow needs space as well. So what’s a good milk-producing alternative? Goats produce nutritious milk and lots of it – enough for a family, anyway. And again, a single goat does not require much space, and certainly not an entire feed lot.

When it comes to putting in a garden, there are lots of alternatives you can choose. Ikona says she utilizes a lot of garden towers. They can be a little pricey – around $700 each – but they require little soil and you can grow all kinds of vegetables in them. She has grown tomatoes, snap peas, cucumbers and lettuce in hers; you can try other veggies as well, though. Plus, these are portable so you can move them indoors for winter growth. In addition, you might also consider Mini-Farm Grow Boxes from FoodRising.org. These decidedly low tech grow boxes don’t require any electricity or a lot of effort.

You can also use containers – hanging, 5-gallon buckets, etc. – to grow food. These are very handy and can be set up anywhere there is lots of sun. One thing, though – if your goal is to feed your family, don’t worry about planting flowers. They might look nice, but they take up valuable planting space you can use for food.

And don’t be shy about growing food indoors as well. The technology is there; grow lights are cheap and can be used if you have to put your veggie plants in a room with little sun. These grow well indoors: Tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, carrots, peppers, avocados, lemons and herbs.

If you live in a city or in the suburbs, there may be a community garden somewhere nearby. Most ask for a small annual fee – like $80 or so – to get a plot that is about 6 ft. x 6 ft., so that’s a great deal. Most of these get plenty of sun, too.

For even smaller spaces, check out this Better Homes and Gardens video for more ideas:

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