Central Texas permie rollcall

Just a reminder. Mother earth news fair is this weekend. In belton

Jerry Sledge wrote:Gail Gardner
May be going to SE Oklahoma this week to look at land on south side of Lake Sardis. Any recommendations?

Hi Jerry. I'm sorry I didn't see this until just now. Did you find what you were looking for? That would be a lot further south and east than I am. I talked to someone down that way once here. He said they didn't have great soil and no good internet. But they weren't in that specific area.

I'll be moving to San Saba county in December and will be reviewing the heck out of this site for my little one acre permaculture homestead.

San saba pecans. Nice

Adding myself to the roll call; Just northeast of Austin right where the Blackland Prairie starts!
Backyard gardener looking to make more sustainable and long-term improvements to my land. Long-term goal is to build up my S.K.I.Ps so that the family land in the Hill Country will be left to me and my husband.

Hello!  First day here.  I'm from just south of the DFW area.  New to all of this.  I've been interested in homesteading / hobby farming for a little bit and stumbled onto the permies site.  Anything happening in this area?  The other posts are so old, I think I might have hit a dead site.

Michael Shwartz wrote:Hello!  First day here.  I'm from just south of the DFW area.  New to all of this.  I've been interested in homesteading / hobby farming for a little bit and stumbled onto the permies site.  Anything happening in this area?  The other posts are so old, I think I might have hit a dead site.

Hey Michael, welcome to Permies! The Oklahoma and Texas forum has been quiet for a while but the rest of the Permies site is really active. I've always received at least a few responses to my questions. My wife and I live just south of Austin and are currently wrapping up building a timber frame straw light clay cabin. We start looking toward food production in the fall.

Cheers,

Aaron

Michael Shwartz wrote:The other posts are so old, I think I might have hit a dead site.

Ah, but you brought this thread back to the top of the list of 'Texas and Oklahoma' posts allowing me to find it and convincing me to finally make an account here!

So, hello from New Braunfels! My husband, daughter, and I are currently living with my parents (a blessing in disguise when covid-19 started). The virus also is what got me to start a garden this year and inevitably stumble upon permaculture!

I'm lucky that I have been given free reign over their suburban yard allowing me to grow our own food and implement new permie tactics that I'm learning. End game is to purchase some land in the Canyon Lake area (despite how expensive it is) and begin the crazy journey of revitalizing the amazingly rocky land.

Thanks for bringing this back up to the top Rebecca! We keep bumping into each other. haha.

So I'm currently in the fort worth area. Looking for land. It does seem that a lot of folks are around Austin. I'd love to be in that area. If anyone knows of a few acres for sale around them, let me know!

Looking forward to connecting with as many as possible. Covid has me aching for community and boy do I miss hugs. ; )

Jenny Jones wrote:
So I'm currently in the fort worth area. Looking for land. It does seem that a lot of folks are around Austin. I'd love to be in that area. If anyone knows of a few acres for sale around them, let me know!

The land around here is expensive, but I can't be anywhere else! Our game plan for land (my parents are looking to buy soon-ish and we'll be sharing with them) is to stalk the county records and cold call people. My dad's first call last week was a bust, but call #2 is coming soon!

But seriously, the prices are ridiculous. We're looking in the Canyon Lake area which is very hilly... for how cruddy most of the land is I can't believe the prices they're charging! ($20,000/acre for RAW land seems to be average)

I've seen several people from here in Texas looking for land, and I'm just gonna share with you the one I found.  I can't get this one, but it was such a decent looking deal.  https://www.landsoftexas.com/property/62.5-acres-in-Cottle-County-Texas/8301324/  It's north Texas, about an hour and a half West of Wichita Falls.

So anyways, thought I'd take a second and tell you who I am and what I'm doing here.  Maybe some others will do the same.  I'm 45 single white male.  My fiancee passed away several years ago.  We were living together and all that and shortly after she died, I found I couldn't make ends meet in our house.  I let it go back to the bank and as I had no one else there in the area (other than her family), I moved back in with parents.  It's kind of sad.  But I got over a bit of depressions and have been helping them out a little at first and a lot more lately as they age.  I'm in the Waxahachie area.  I've been keeping my eyes on land here in Texas.  Anywhere except south of here.  Not wanting to up the heat!  I am enjoying and learning from my first small container garden that I planted this year.  Looking forward to expanding it more and more.  I would like to get into some livestock, but I'm not really able to at this location.  Soon though.  Hoping to find about 10-20 acres for the right price in the not so distant future and set up shop there.  Primarily as a small homestead or even a hobby farm.

Michael Shwartz wrote:So anyways, thought I'd take a second and tell you who I am and what I'm doing here.  Maybe some others will do the same .

Welcome Michael. I'm  pretty new here also. Very tough story you have shared.  I can't imagine what you've been through. Thank you for opening up and sharing  it with us.
Sounds like you have a pretty good plan set up for the future. Im happy to be in a place where so many people have the same goals with living more consciencely and working towards healing ourselves as well as the earth.

Rebecca Blake wrote:

Jenny Jones wrote:
So I'm currently in the fort worth area. Looking for land. It does seem that a lot of folks are around Austin. I'd love to be in that area. If anyone knows of a few acres for sale around them, let me know!

The land around here is expensive, but I can't be anywhere else! Our game plan for land (my parents are looking to buy soon-ish and we'll be sharing with them) is to stalk the county records and cold call people. My dad's first call last week was a bust, but call #2 is coming soon!

But seriously, the prices are ridiculous. We're looking in the Canyon Lake area which is very hilly... for how cruddy most of the land is I can't believe the prices they're charging! ($20,000/acre for RAW land seems to be average)

With all growth that coming from San Antonio and North, I wouldn't be surprised if Canyon Lake areas will start selling at $30-40k/acre of undeveloped land.
We are living between New Braunfels and San Antonio and seeing how old ranches being developed into 5-15 acres lots for sale at $50k/acre price tag with no electricity, water, or sewage. Another tendency is that old-timers around me who have 40-50 acres lots, splitting 5-10 acres and trying to sell for $40k/acre.
The worst thing is that people drilling more and more water wells at already overpopulated area. We opted for rainwater for all our needs instead of going 800-900 feet deep to get into aquifer, but it is exception unfortunately.

Vladimir Gerasimenko wrote:With all growth that coming from San Antonio and North, I wouldn't be surprised if Canyon Lake areas will start selling at $30-40k/acre of undeveloped land.
We are living between New Braunfels and San Antonio and seeing how old ranches being developed into 5-15 acres lots for sale at $50k/acre price tag with no electricity, water, or sewage. Another tendency is that old-timers around me who have 40-50 acres lots, splitting 5-10 acres and trying to sell for $40k/acre.
The worst thing is that people drilling more and more water wells at already overpopulated area. We opted for rainwater for all our needs instead of going 800-900 feet deep to get into aquifer, but it is exception unfortunately.

There's this big fancy neighborhood off of 46 (West NB), Vintage Oaks, that I think is inflating prices for raw land, too. Not to mention the huge development going in on the 100s acres ranch near the high school!

I really am pushing for rainwater but my parents don't have much an interest in it... my dad just turns it down saying it will cost just as much as a well and 'won't be as reliable'. Since we'll be sharing the water source, it's easier for us to use the well if they're getting one. Though, we will still collect rainwater from our roof that we can use for the land without paying for additional filters. And really, it may be just as much or more expensive to do rainwater because we'll have two households either splitting the well costs or we'd have to double up on rainwater catchment costs!

Checking in with you all. How are you? How are things? I'd love some updates.  Let me hear em!

Jenny Jones wrote:Checking in with you all. How are you? How are things? I'd love some updates.  Let me hear em!

Hi Jenny! How nice of you to check up on us all!

We are great on my homestead. Getting ready to start our business, investing in real estate rental homes. If done right we should be able to retire my husband in 10 years at most so we can focus on our homestead :) Granted, it may take longer because we'll most likely need to take money out of the business for....

Building our home on our (almost) new land! We're working on securing some land along side my parents at the moment, it will take about 6 weeks before we close though... so I'm just praying nothing bad happens.

Home building will be a bit more costly because we're not going the earthen home route, but we are planning on doing the finish out ourselves since we have more sweat equity in our young bodies than we do money in our wallet. We'll see what ultimately ends up happening, for now we just need to get the land.

How are things up north? (Because, you know... you live SO far north! lol)

Check out lightning ranch near Abilene.

Howdy all,

Newbie to Permies in south DFW. Wanting to get a garden started (and see what else is possible) in my suburban backyard.

Andrew Welser wrote:Howdy all,

Newbie to Permies in south DFW. Wanting to get a garden started (and see what else is possible) in my suburban backyard.

Welcome Andrew! And happy New Year. 2021 will be a great year to get started with practicing permaculture in your yard.

I’m currently in a suburban yard, in the process of acquiring acreage. We started out with a vegetable garden last Spring and I’m looking to starting a food forest in the suburban plot this year (as we will probably have this house another 5 years still)

Our vegetable beds are raised- and being in Texas with hot hot summers I’m kind of wishing I had grown in the ground. But beware, suburban plots are most likely filled with just a bunch of gross clay dirt- so not the ideal growing situation. A raised bed is an easy way to bring in some good soil. Or if you want to play the long game- just keep adding amendments (compost, mulch, compost teas), maintain a crop all the time, and eventually the crappy suburban clay will turn to great, fertile humus soil.

If you do decide to bring in new soil it does NOT have to go in a raised bed, you can dig a ditch and put it in there. This will keep the bed from drying out so quick in July/August/September.

I do want to put a disclaimer, I’m still pretty new to this all but that’s what I’ve figured out thus far

Andrew Welser wrote:Howdy all,

Newbie to Permies in south DFW. Wanting to get a garden started (and see what else is possible) in my suburban backyard.

Welcome!  I was in Fort Worth for 15 years. Moved this year away from the chaos of the city.  I second Rebecca. Raised beds and I recommend a compost bin if you have room.

Ask questions when they come up!

The hubby and I have gotten fed up with the HOA crap where we currently live and have started looking at property where we can relocate with some of our extended family. Lots of land out in Coupland area (about halfway between Elgin and Taylor, 45ish min drive from Austin on the toll roads). Lots of the farmland is being parceled up into 10acre plots; no electric, water or sewage on most of them but it's a good place to start!

Could you post any links you find or have found? It's 3+ hours for me. I do like the idea of moving further south than Dallas.

Carolyne Castner wrote:The hubby and I have gotten fed up with the HOA crap where we currently live and have started looking at property where we can relocate with some of our extended family. Lots of land out in Coupland area (about halfway between Elgin and Taylor, 45ish min drive from Austin on the toll roads). Lots of the farmland is being parceled up into 10acre plots; no electric, water or sewage on most of them but it's a good place to start!

That area sounds great since you can get what you need but still be close enough to a city for work if need be!

We just purchased raw land with my parents and are now planning to begin building this year, best of luck with finding your extended family parcel! It can be tricky- double check that there are no County or parcel specific deed requirements before purchasing.

And a nice little hint: we were able to purchase ours by checking the county records for who owns empty land. It wasn’t listed for sale but the lady was happy to sell to us when we called. Great way to save on realtor fees, too.
May not be the easiest route but it was the best route for us since raw land in this area (Canyon Lake) is practically impossible to come across.

I should say “raw UNRESTRICTED land” is practically impossible to find here.

Sure! I did a property search in Williamson County, looking for listings of at least 1 acre; here’s some of the ones that caught my eye

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/960-County-Road-223-Florence-TX-76527/2085944444_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/County-Road-355-Granger-TX-76530/2075307869_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Fm-971-2-Granger-TX-76530/2078081227_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/437-County-Road-Spur-E-TRACT-A-Taylor-TX-76574/2073795036_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/0-Skog-Rd-Coupland-TX-78615/2077076037_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1330-Fm-1466-Coupland-TX-78615/2077221499_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/TRACT-County-Road-437-D-Thorndale-TX-76577/2075594494_zpid/

Reviving this roll call.

We are Texas Hill Country - 290 Wine Trail near Johnson City - an hour west of Austin.

Would love to make some local friends. These are our thoughts:
https://permies.com/t/159400/Essene-IC-beginning-Central-Texas

I'm in Center Point, just 7 miles from Comfort, TX. We have been here for 5 yrs growing olives, grapes, figs along with a vegetable garden. I have lots if questions about growing olives and table grapes in TX. One day we want to make our own olive oil. Anyone out there who can help? Ren Trapino

For any permie types in the Florence, Jarrell, Salado area, hit me up if you need a place to play (or let your dogs out to play).   30 acres ... lots to do