Backyard Farming

             So, you have decided how much space you have and you have a list of what real food your family currently eats. Now it is time to take a look at what is practical for your family without moving to a rural homestead.

             First take a look at what you eat the most. For us it was milk. At the time we had two teenage boys that could each drink a gallon a day, so we started with dairy. First we purchased four dairy goats, two in milk. One was a saanan/boer goat that produced over a gallon a day and the other was a Nigerian dwarf goat that produced a quart a day. The reason to start with what you use the most is because you will feel the pay back very quickly. Our goats paid for themselves the first month.

             Another easy place to begin is with chickens, most cities allow a certain number of chickens based upon the amount of land you have. Many cities restrict roosters, but you don’t need roosters for eggs. See our chicken section for more information about chickens.

             Also consider a place for your vegetable garden, our best results have come from having two pigs in a pen for six months and then planting our garden in their pen after slaughter. This way the ground is fertilized and rototilled and they eat all the weed starts and seeds so you have a weed free garden!. Also by raising your pigs off season from fall to spring you don’t have any fly issues. See our pig section for more details.

             You can also consider a garden design that can be used as a green house in the winter. We prefer having a separate green house and garden because we use our garden as a pig pen in the winter.

             Check out our garden design and planning section and garden advice for tips on choosing what to plant in your garden. Family farming can be very rewarding, quite often each person has their own pet project. Having a backyard garden is not only emotionally fulfilling and it improves the quality of your food. You can now eat those fancy greens with goat cheese that were picked minutes before they made it to your table. Between better quality food and the exercise you will do on your own backyard farm your health will improve and you’ll feel great and be having fun!

A backyard farm includes your vegetable garden.

The first steps toward self-reliance

Choosing food for your family

The Suburban Home Farm

Timely Information and Support for the

Urban and Suburban Home Farmer.

Please click this link and fill out the form to contact us. We will return your email as soon as possible.

To contact us: