Her neighbour has the same amount of land. On his plot he houses seven pigs, one boar and six sows for regular pig production. Usually there are 16 maturing pigs, 16 young pigs and 16 piglets. In the first year they will produce 48 piglets, which he will raise large enough to provide meat for himself and some to sell. He has a smoke house for making ham and bacon, so his product is highly valued and he easily sustains himself. The hides are tanned for leather. He also has a garden and an orchard. His trees are four crab apple, mountain ash and chokecherry. He puts in a hedge of raspberry and plants rhubarb, potato, corn for flour, eating and pig food and plants other vegetables as well. He will easily survive. There is enough fruit for pies, preserves, jam and pemmican (if needed). He will also trade with his neighbour, some spun yarn for smoking some meat.
The next property is a gardener. He puts in crops of potato and other vegetables. He turns most of his property into a vegetable garden. He has to have his sheep, goat and chickens to survive, but they are kept in a small pen behind the house. There are zucchini, pumpkin and squash. He also plants lavender and roses and starts a soap production. He purchases a still to make perfumes.
The next property is a goatherd. He has six goats on his land. His primary purpose is dairy. The goats provide milk for cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, milk and ice cream. He plants currants, raspberry, blueberry, saskatoon and oregano, savory, dill, mint, thyme, sage and chives. He needs berries to flavour his yogurt and ice-cream and herbs to flavour his cheese. He has plenty for trade and sale.
All of this without a tractor or a rototiller.
The shepherd is a weaver. She keeps 6 sheep on her small property and plants enough potato and root vegetables for her survival. She also has a chokecherry, a mountain ash and an apple tree. Her sheep provide wool for weaving and knitting, and meat and skins to sell. Her one goat gives her milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and cottage cheese. She dyes the wool from natural products and weaves beautiful blankets. The yearly lambs are slaughtered for meat and the skins are used for furnishings and clothing. There is trade in breeding the livestock. The goatherd and the shepherd keep bucks for breeding. The horticulturalist brings her ewes for fertilization. The lactating ewe provides milk and the offspring are butchered for meat and skins.
The poultry farmer has a dozen chickens and a rooster. She has a dozen eggs to sell every day, or to raise chickens for meat. She plants sunflowers to supplement their diet and her own. She plants corn for flour, currants, berries, potato and spice. Her trade is obvious. A dozen eggs for milk, but eventually she buys her own goat, it’s easier that way.
There are other homesteaders, each doing a variety of the production of the other properties.
The plantings are easy, two fruit bearing trees per corner, with fruit bearing shrubs beneath. Under the shrubs are spices and strawberries. A hedgerow of berries and currants are planted on all sides of the property. The property is divided in half 50’x 100′ for the animals and the rest for the house and gardens. The gardens consist of several rhubarb, corn, potato and whatever other vegetables they desire. Sunflowers and other flowers add to the yield.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes