Hi guys!
As I'm in the stage of dreaming/planning/doing all the math on buying land and starting a semi-self sufficient homestead a question that keeps popping up is "how much time is spent in providing for oneself and one's family?
So the base question is: "How much time on average do you spend per day building/maintaining your homestead and it's gardens to provide food for your family?". Additional relevant information would be how big the homestead is, what animals you keep and what the chores involve.
I'm personally potentially looking at 105.000 sqft, including farmhouse/barns/... The properties I am looking at all have a liveable house and barns on them. I will need to work on the gardens, and the house/barns will need a little work to start with, but a full renovation within the first 5-10 years (as much as I like the 60's, I don't want to live in them). I'm looking at keeping poultry, potentially some sheep and a pig. I want a small orchard, and a no-till fruit/veg garden to feed a family of 5. I am very aware of the fact that I will most likely only be able to provide, say, 70% of our menu. I'll also need to buy diesel, clothing, equipment,... as I'm a horrible dieselfarmer
Some friends/family are certain this farmstead-idea will keep me busy 14hrs/day, leaving little to no time for anything else. Most online research on the other hand doesn't seem to agree with them... This is highly relevant for me as I hope to homeschool my kids, potentially look after my elderly parents on the property and will need to do at least some work to sustain us financially.
Discuss away!
