Designing A 4 Acre Homestead Layout

From: https://thetinylife.com/four-acre-homestead-layout/

A 4 acre homestead layout can be very productive – as long as the design is well planned. Having an orderly layout will allow you to make the space work more efficiently than if you added elements a little at a time, in a haphazard fashion. Using fences and pens for each type of plant or animal will help keep things under control.

How Much Will A 4 Acre Homestead Produce?

A 4 acre homestead can produce 2,000 to 4,000 lbs of produce, over a thousand cartons of eggs, and over 1,000 lbs of meat each year. You’ll need to become proficient at a few different preservation methods and figure out what you have in excess to be able to trade for the things you don’t grow on your farm. For example, with a 4 acre homestead, you won’t have enough room to raise beef and pork — so if those are part of your diet, you can barter your top-producing veggies for them.

Production Projections for 4 Acres

Main House
While not a major growing zone, the main house is a great place to situate your berry bushes, and you can also start seeds inside. Planting a couple of varieties of berry bushes is smart, because some take years to produce significant yields.
Solar Array
On a 4 acre farm, you can fit 12 solar panels, which should generate a decent portion of your energy needs, though having a backup plan is always a good idea since we can’t control the weather.
Raised Garden Beds
With 20 14×7 raised beds, you’ll be able to produce around 1 to 2 lbs per square foot for an annual total of 2,000 to 4,000 lbs of produce.
Goat Pen
You can keep six to 12 goats on a farm this size. This entry point into raising livestock will give you experience in breeding animals and processing dairy.
Compost
A 4 acre homestead design can accommodate three stalls for compost piles. You want to add scraps to one area over a year, then let it break down, while starting a new pile in another stall the next year.
Beehives
You will be able to produce hundreds of pounds of honey from the three beehives you place on your homestead.
Fruit Trees
A four acre homestead can fit 15 fruit trees, each producing 100 to 300 lbs of fruit per year, for a total of 3,000 to 4,000 lbs of fruit.
Duck Pond
You can keep a dozen ducks in a small nesting house on your farm. Situating them near a small pond will keep them happy, while also allowing you to collect rain for watering.
Chicken Coop
You’ll easily be able to build a fenced-in coop and pasture area for 25 chickens to lay eggs and 75 raised for meat.
Crops
In your raised beds, you can start with the vegetables that are easiest to grow, but you will also want to plant grains and legumes like beans, corn, and wheat, which grow best directly in the ground.

A 4 acre homestead site is the perfect size because it offers space for growing a variety of crops, as well as raising the animals needed to round out an omnivore’s diet. With a layout including vegetable gardens as well as pens for chickens and goats, and a duck farm and beehives, you will be able to get very close to self-sufficient living. While this is a sizable farm, it’s not so big that you won’t be able to monitor every part of it on your daily rounds, making it a popular choice for those looking to support the diet of a solo dweller, couple or small family.

A 4 acre homestead farm can easily accommodate 15 fruit trees. This is enough that you could plant a few different types to enjoy ripe fruit over a longer growing season: peach, plum, pear, and apple are my favorites. You can also consider cherry and fig trees.

I’ve planted 15 berry bushes around my home, including blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Planting a variety is smart, because some plants mature more quickly than others. Blueberries take years to be reliable producers, as I ‘ve discovered. However many you choose, be sure you have a plan to protect them from wild animals, so there are some left for you by the time they’re ripe.