An acre is a unit of area equal to 1/640 th of a square mile. It is about the size of an American football field. It is about the size of an American football field. Square Meters to Acres Conversion Table. An acre is an obsolescent unit of are equivalent roughly to 0.4 ha. So if you have 1000 m² plots, you can get about 8 in 2 acres. If you have a 20 ha plot, it will be about 50 acres in size.

Our society has grown increasingly dependent on the grid, and many people have taken to creating their own homestead to counter this. It can be daunting physically and financially, though.

Some homesteads use anywhere from five to 10 acres of land, which can be a lot of work. But you can create your very own homestead on just one acre of land. Not sold? Read one and see for yourself.

First, you need to focus on how much food you are going to need. The bigger the family, the more food. The more farm you have, the more hands you will need to work it. Creating the appropriate size is critical. There are two major factors to food production: livestock and farming. For a one-acre farm, you should consider keeping your livestock to a minimum, because they also will require part of your farm to keep going.

Now depending on your family and needs, one recommendation is to keep at least one cow, and chickens. Alternatives, or supplements, would be a goat and a few pigs. Each animal provides a variety of uses. The cow provides fresh milk for cheese, butter and cream, while also giving off great fertilizer. Fertilizer will increase your crop yield and is vastly important to be self-sustainable. The chickens will provide you with a good source of meat and eggs.

Here comes the first necessity when it comes to land management. A cow will need approximately a half acre of grass to be kept well-fed. The other half acre will be used for your farming. Hundreds of years ago, we discovered crop rotation, something that is not a huge common practice on big farms. You will want to divide your farming plot into four groups and rotate different vegetable groups. The other parts you need to consider for land management: power production and housing.

1 Plot To Hectares

Before you design your house, though, look at what you need for your garden. Those four plots should focus on food that will produce enough food during the season to feed you and your family through the winter. You may have winter crops like kale available, but your primary growing season will be through the summer months. You need one plot for potatoes, another for peas and beans, one for cabbages and lettuces, and the last for root vegetables. Fortunately, there are enough varieties among those groups to satisfy even picky eaters.

The primary principle in this intensive farming method is that you rotate your land every four years or so. This will allow nutrients and fresh fertilized land to be continuously utilized. When you go to pick out your crops, remember to group them up and rotate them. However, make sure that you are growing crops that you will eat.

The home, and really everything about a one-acre homestead, should be condensed to just necessities. Do you really need a six-top stove with double ovens? Can you get by without an Olympic-sized bath tub? With the rise of tiny homes, we are starting to realize you can utilize space effectively without sacrificing comfort. Your home should be designed to be effective, but allow you to live the way you want.

The last major component you need to consider before starting your adventure is power production. Photovoltaics and wind turbines have come a long way. Using the rooftop to your home or barn is an ideal location for power production. Keep in mind: You will need to dedicate a space for a power inverter and battery bank. Before deciding which way to go with power, use an energy calculator and guestimate how much energy you will need. Air conditioning and refrigeration are two of your highest contributions to your power consumption.

Now you have all of the components, it’s time to start designing to your personal preferences. Perhaps you want a small pond or an herb garden. One acre is a lot of land for four people, and properly utilized can be self-sustaining. As you lay out your homestead and design your home, do your homework. Know your crops, learn your routine, find a habit that will get you in the swing of self-sustaining.

In order to be completely off grid, you will need to invest the time and know what you are doing before you ever purchase the land. After you have a design, it is time to pick your spot. Find an area that you enjoy. Research your water table, your soil content, and take core samples. Determine what energy production methods will work best for the area.

Once you are done with your research and design, congratulations! You are one step closer to being less dependent on the grid. Now, the easy part is done. You know what you need to do. The next step is to start your adventure. Get out there, purchase your land and get to work. Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and it will take hard work and effort. However, with perseverance, you can have your own homestead.

What advice would you give someone living on a one-acre homestead? Share your advice in the section below:

Most whitetail hunters do not hunt massive tracts of land with pristine hidey-hole food plots at every possible location. In my experience, half-acre plots are common and allow for the perfect mix of feeding and hunting. Assuming your spot has four to six hours of sunlight, proper soil PH and solid rainfall, this is the right route for you.

Here are factors to consider before haphazardly planting a food plot. And how to do it when you do.

Hunting Deer vs. Feeding Deer

The most important step in developing a successful food plot is to set expectations and goals. Feeding plots tend to be surrounded by less cover, possibly closer to larger ag fields. They also tend to be used at last light or before daybreak.

A plot dedicated to nutrition and feeding should be providing food for at least eight months out of the year. A well-cared-for half-acre clover and chicory mix — such as Evolved Harvest’s blend — is hard to beat for a feeding plot. While soybeans can provide food for about 10 months out of the year, browse pressure would make that hard to accomplish with small acreage.

A kill plot is a location where you can expect to see deer during daylight hours in optimal weather conditions. Typically, kill plots are surrounded by good cover and some distance from a large crop field. The ultimate kill plot must provide maximum attraction for the time of year you will be hunting. Attempting to hunt over brassica during early October might work, but brassica does best after multiple frosts that mobilize the sugars in the plant. Oats would be a better early season choice and are extremely attractive at the early growth stage. Keep a trail camera on your plots to determine when to move in for a hunt. Just because your plot is in great condition does not mean it is the most attractive food at that time.

The Ultimate Half-Acre Plot

1 Plot To Acre

The limiting factors regarding food plots typically revolve around time. Almost all hunters would be willing to spend the money, but they simply run out of weeks, days and minutes. Perennial clover is high maintenance and will require you to mow the plot a few times. For those with limited amount of time, clover may be a poor choice if you want a highly maintained plot that is attractive to deer. Annuals such as oats and brassicas or turnips are fast-growing and require less maintenance than perennial clover. With multiple trips to spray, and the cost of renting or buying equipment, a budget can get out of hand quickly when planting and maintaining perennials.

If you have access to some equipment and have the time to maintain it, clover is hard to beat, though. Clover can feed deer for months and provide excellent hunting opportunities throughout the season. Trying new blends and planting at the right time is critical for success. Follow your trail camera pictures closely to better understand patterns of when deer find a certain food source attractive. Then move in for the hunt.

Don't Miss: 13 Reasons You Have Bad Fortune with Food Plots

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