-shy waves-

[Citrus]

Greetings~
I am a newcomer in Oklahoma. I come seeing that this forum should prove a good source of information. ^.^

I understand I can't really claim a 'homestead' as I have a whopping 2 acres to my name, but I have plans and hopes to makes those 2 acres work for me the best they can. ^.^; Currently I'm fixing up the old chicken coop on the property, in hopes of getting chickens in the near future (As soon as I regain income and can afford them, technically), and hope to manage a vegetable garden next year. Problem is any relevant learning growing up consists of 'Mom grew up on a farm and refused to raise us similarly', We kinda had a garden every few years? And we had dogs and cats. Still have dogs and cats (and reptiles, now). Then I was stuck in apartments for a few years, and only now have anything to work with. So I'm something of an utter newb with some cobbled together internet knowledge.

Anyway, so that's me~ I'm here hoping for some community and knowledge. Nice to meet y'all.

 

[hiwall]

 

[backlash]

Welcome aboard. The amount of land you have is not what makes you a homesteader. Attitude and desire are more important qualities.
There are a lot of very friendly and knowledgable people here and everyone is very willing to offer advice. I have yet to find anyone here that is not friendly.
Start slow and work into it. Don't make the common mistake of trying to do everything at once.
When I moved here the first thing I did was put in a huge garden. It just about worked me to death and it wasn't worth the time and energy. So I have scaled way back.
The only reason I am not in Oklahoma is my relatives all left there because they were about to starve to death. Things were hard in Antlers, Ok in the 40s and early 50s.

 

[Amish Heart]

You can do alot with two acres. I did alot with one acre in New Mexico.
Welcome, Citrus, from Kansas.

 

[havasu]

Glad to have you here!

 

[Peanut]

Welcome from Bama... Lots of folks here with chickens. I just raised a dozen peeps this spring. got my first eggs from them about a week ago. posted Welcome Home It's not to late to order some peeps from suppliers this year. They'll be grown by christmas.

 

[kd4ulw]

Hey there! Welcome from Indiana!

 

[dademoss]

Welcome, pull up a chair and sit a spell

 

[Double R]

Welcome! Everyone else already said what I would have said so I’ll stick with WELCOME!!! Glad to have you! Pull up a stump and have a seat

 

[Morgan101]

Welcome from Eastern Missouri. Good to have you with us.

 

[SeventiesWreckers]

Welcome, & nice to have you here. My family on my mothers side, left Northeastern Oklahoma for California during the Dust Bowl of the early 1930's. Both my grandparents worked hard, and by the end of WWII, had saved enough to buy several acres, & build their own ranch style house in the San Fernando Valley. It was still rural then, & they had gardens year round, and even raised livestock up till the early 1960's, when the "Burbs" finally closed in around us. I feel fortunate to have their knowledge base passed on to me.

I started reading The Foxfire Books in the 1970's, and although they are centered around the area of Southern Appalachia, the wants & needs of that time period for subsistence living seemed to be pretty much the same all over. I spent quite a bit of time reading through them with my grandparents, and they confirmed that they did things in a similar way, with much of the differences just being resource based.

The Foxfire Book series might be some good reading for you. But, be advised, it started out as a field trip study for school kids, and finally grew into a 12 volume series by the time it was concluded years later.

 

[BadgerLandHunter]

As of now I'm stuck in an apartment till I can afford a place in the country like I grew up in. Lol.
Sounds like you have a good idea what you want to start with.
Lots of good people here welcome aboard!

 

[The Lazy L]

Welcome Citrus!

 

[phideaux]

Welcome from West KY.

It won't be something that happens overnight.
Homesteading is a lifetime of work.

Sounds like your on a good start.



Jim

 

[Weedygarden]

Welcome, from Colorado!

 

[Cascadian]

Welcome from Oregon.

 

[snappy1]

Welcome from West KY.

It won't be something that happens overnight.
Homesteading is a lifetime of work.

Sounds like your on a good start.



Jim

What he said and welcome from Mississippi! I only have one acre and don't make full use of that, but always trying!

 

[Meerkat]

Greetings~
I am a newcomer in Oklahoma. I come seeing that this forum should prove a good source of information. ^.^

I understand I can't really claim a 'homestead' as I have a whopping 2 acres to my name, but I have plans and hopes to makes those 2 acres work for me the best they can. ^.^; Currently I'm fixing up the old chicken coop on the property, in hopes of getting chickens in the near future (As soon as I regain income and can afford them, technically), and hope to manage a vegetable garden next year. Problem is any relevant learning growing up consists of 'Mom grew up on a farm and refused to raise us similarly', We kinda had a garden every few years? And we had dogs and cats. Still have dogs and cats (and reptiles, now). Then I was stuck in apartments for a few years, and only now have anything to work with. So I'm something of an utter newb with some cobbled together internet knowledge.

Anyway, so that's me~ I'm here hoping for some community and knowledge. Nice to meet y'all.

Your welcome but them reptiles gotta go!

 

[Sparky_D]

It's always good to stretch your wings after apartment living.
2 acres is more than many have (including myself).

 

[Patchouli]

welcome to the neighborhood, @Citrus
from north central Tejas
:green man:

 

[joel]

Out west are large lot of land, some farther than on can see.
But 2 acres is a large lot for a homestead, if your main goal is to rasie your own food.
A small wood lot, which is also a wind break, an orchard & garden,Herbs,poultry & a lamb,goat or pig for the meat.
Sheep & goats can graze the orchard & the pigs can graze the wood lot fire/wind break.
You can use hybrid poplar, black wallnut, spruce,oak,mulberry,chestnut,butternut,peacan,hickorynut all will work in a wind break, feed you & the pigs.
The hybrid poplar will be at cutting age in less than 5 years & new growth will retutn for the stumps, so no replanting is needed.
Welcome glad to see you here. From South Carolina.

 

[Citrus]

Ah, Friendly indeed. I get off for the night and return to so much :3 I'm glad to meet you all!

Start slow and work into it. Don't make the common mistake of trying to do everything at once.

I already know that well ^.^ And I'm definitely starting slow- I had a small garden last year at my grandmother's house, and I'm hoping I can somewhat replicate that much next year. I kinda had potatoes this year. But one issue I've already come across is grasshoppers. I'm hoping chickens can help curb that some, which is why I'm hoping to get them before really trying the garden.

It's not to late to order some peeps from suppliers this year. They'll be grown by christmas.

That's what I hope to do~ Problem is I find myself unemployed for the time being, so I can't really move forward on these plans till I have the money to do so. I'm hoping it's still not late for the year by then ^.^;;

The Foxfire Book series might be some good reading for you.

That sounds interesting, I'll definitely look into that. Thank you.

Welcome, from Colorado!

My parents are in Colorado! Up in the foot hills, spent most my childhood there. Born in OK though, and always vowed I'd return, and finally managed it a few years back. Still visit CO often for family, it's pretty out there.

Your welcome but them reptiles gotta go!

Sorry, inseparable from the critters. Don't worry, though, I don't talk much 'bout the scalies or rodents unless specifically asked. Dog and Cat stories may come un-requested though ^.^

A small wood lot, which is also a wind break, an orchard & garden,Herbs,poultry & a lamb,goat or pig for the meat.
Sheep & goats can graze the orchard & the pigs can graze the wood lot fire/wind break.
You can use hybrid poplar, black wallnut, spruce,oak,mulberry,chestnut,butternut,peacan,hickorynut all will work in a wind break, feed you & the pigs.
The hybrid poplar will be at cutting age in less than 5 years & new growth will retutn for the stumps, so no replanting is needed.

Thank you for this advice. I'll look into much of this. There is plenty of trees creating windbreak/privacy barrier on all sides, but it's mostly juniper, elm, and... something I forget off the top of my head. Deciduous with thorns. I have some plan to look into fruit trees, but that and any larger livestock than chickens are waiting till I figure out the smaller stuff I think ^.^

 

[Bacpacker]

Welcome from Tennessee

 

[Meerkat]

Ah, Friendly indeed. I get off for the night and return to so much :3 I'm glad to meet you all!


I already know that well ^.^ And I'm definitely starting slow- I had a small garden last year at my grandmother's house, and I'm hoping I can somewhat replicate that much next year. I kinda had potatoes this year. But one issue I've already come across is grasshoppers. I'm hoping chickens can help curb that some, which is why I'm hoping to get them before really trying the garden.


That's what I hope to do~ Problem is I find myself unemployed for the time being, so I can't really move forward on these plans till I have the money to do so. I'm hoping it's still not late for the year by then ^.^;;


That sounds interesting, I'll definitely look into that. Thank you.


My parents are in Colorado! Up in the foot hills, spent most my childhood there. Born in OK though, and always vowed I'd return, and finally managed it a few years back. Still visit CO often for family, it's pretty out there.


Sorry, inseparable from the critters. Don't worry, though, I don't talk much 'bout the scalies or rodents unless specifically asked. Dog and Cat stories may come un-requested though ^.^


Thank you for this advice. I'll look into much of this. There is plenty of trees creating windbreak/privacy barrier on all sides, but it's mostly juniper, elm, and... something I forget off the top of my head. Deciduous with thorns. I have some plan to look into fruit trees, but that and any larger livestock than chickens are waiting till I figure out the smaller stuff I think ^.^

Citrus I'm glad your here and it is very nice to see a young person want to live off the land instead of just on it.

from N.Florida.

 

[CrackbottomLouis]

Welcome! The right 2 acres is better than the wrong 10. If it's in a good spot and is set up to produce your needs you are good to go.

 

[Spikedriver]

Welcome from Iowa. I'm a "town kid" for now, but raised on a farm and will return to it someday. The land you've got will serve you well. Take care of that red Oklahoma dirt and it will take care of you!

 

[backlash]

2 acres can work a person to death if they let it.

 

[viking]

2 acres can work a person to death if they let it.

This is very true. Hello and welcome from S.W. Oregon and our paradise is on just over 2 acres, 1/3rd flat and the rest on a slope, each year we have what I call a tsunami of spring, a must do of weed cutting and prepping for the fire season and often we barely get that all done because of late rains, which add to the weeds we need to get down before the fire season starts and we can no longer use power equipment, anyway backlash is right on about 2 acres possibly working a person to death. The thing I strive to get people to understand is to get a good water supply, to have at least a very large water storage for backup in low rain/snow years. Not long after we moved here I developed a spring fed 1,100 gallon concrete cistern at the top of our property which gives us a constant 25 psi water pressure in our home, all gravity flow. Because our spring does not put out a lot of water, we have added a 1,100 gallon black poly tank just above the flat where our garden is grown, the overflow from our cistern feeds this tank and the overflow out of the tank supplies water for our chickens. For people that don't have gravity flow, I recommend a pump through system, my neighbor on our east side has this system which is a 1,500 gallon tank that's filled by a submersible pump that has float switches in the tank and connected to the outlet of the tank is a 1/2 hp pump which feeds a pressure tank which supplies their home with water. Having an unbroken supply of water is probably the most important thing anyone can have.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Welcome from Missouri.

 

[DrPrepper]