I have been reading... but new, and didn't want to "pop my head above the cornrows"...

I am moving next month into my test version of homesteading. It has been my dream for years... but I move every few years to a new state usually, at least a new town, and can't seem to get settled... but soon. anyway... my new landlord is going to let me do what I want, so I am designing a HUGE garden designed around a grill area... with a greenhouse on one end and my chicken coop and run at the other. I am getting a milk cow once I learn more about them and a pig... i want them to "graze" together, and a donkey to protect them. Oh, and I want to get a llama or alpaca, and learn to spin. I learned to knit last OCT, I just made my first real butter, and planning on cheese and canning soon too...

Any tips on planning a garden to support 2 people for the whole year? I am a begginner as I said, and starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed with all the book stuff... just going to jump in head first like always... :)

Tell us about yours...

Hello all, Nice to see some activity.
golfngardennut, I prefer raised beds with intensive/ companion planting. (square foot garden) As for zone 7, i'm not very familiar with your growing season, but i do know that with a green house you'll extend your season for lettuce, radish, or cole crops. As for tomatoes or cukes, it's more daylight hours in winter if you heat the GH.
Hope this helps...I'll check in later, GL

I am incredibly excited about finding a local dairy, www.utterlyfresh.com, and the wonderful lady that owns it was so nice and willing to show me around her farm and answer my milk cow questions. I will be getting milk from her in the future until I can get my own cow/cows and figure out the whole thing.

I have been planning the garden by using the farmers almanac and I get to start a local master gardeners course FEB 4 - I am so stoked. I will post my "plan" later :) Busy exchanging seeds right now and cleaning the house so I can move on to preparing the garden area :)

g'nut

I hope you were raised on a farm or at least have been gardening for awhile. I don't wish you bad luck, but you have lots to learn and will certainly need lots of help and advise. Have you ever raised chickens? Have you ever milked a cow? Have you made plans to have your cow bred and what will you do for milk while she is dried up? Please don't put the fresh manure on your garden and don't let the chickens run in your garden unless you can protect your tomatoes and such. At least you know that a donkey is a good pasture protector. You sound like you have lots of energy so I wish you allkinds of
Good Luck !