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Thomas Haschen wrote:
I am 53. My wife is 44. We have a 5 year old daughter. We sold everything and moved to Ecuador 4.5 years ago. We bought land and built house in the Andes. It was just a little too cool for us. And couldn't grow as much as we would like. We decided to sell. And move down in elevation. Buying land and house in Ecuador. 4500ft 1371M.
Temps 70-80F 21-26C everyday. Year around growing most anything. Property only has about 5 acres. But more land is for sale nearby. Currently has many fruit trees. Oranges several types of Lemons bananas etc.
We were thinking it would be good to do this with someone else. Let someone else live this dream with us Trying to be as self sufficient as possible. Seems many are interested, but no idea how to start the journey. Two heads might be better than one so to speak. Rent free. Just contribute to Homestead.
Would anyone be interested in Homesteading with us in Ecuador? House is huge. It has a suite built for person to stay in while main house was being built. Bedroom kitchen bathroom living area. Seperate entrance. Perfect for single person. Couple. Or small Family.
Are thoughts on canidates. First and foremost we must get along, be friends, and work as one. We would like them to bring something to the table. Like carpenter, mason, animal husbandry, horticulture, aquaculture, anything they would specialize in. Ask any questions.
Cristobal Cristo wrote:If you don't plan on having animals them 1 ha should be sufficient Please remember that animal manure is your main soil improvement material in such climate.
Visually I like the orange orchard and just read that it also has some olives. If I had this many oranges, I would get pigs. Nothing would be wasted. How busy is this narrow road? One car per hour or per minute? I understand it's located at the higher part of the property.
I have not noticed high voltage power lines. If the lines that are there are just feeder lines (around 15 kV or even twice more) I would not care as long as they do not transect the land in the middle. The water canal means there is water. The floodzone looks greener than anything around, so maybe you could get two milk goats at some point even if you don't plan now. It would be also good for chicken pen (movable when flooding). Probably the best spot for vegetables, because there would be more moisture there all year long and more humid air from canal water.
From two houses the more expensive wins. The cheaper one is just too ugly for me, but looks that it's located in some valley. The more expensive is on the hill(s). It is off grid, but does not say if it has sufficient water. It looks good and quality and the views are stunning, however the orange land looks most idyllic, pastoral and peaceful. Everything is ready, so - much less adventure (at higher price) and less choices to make. Being on the mainland, one can just take a car and get anywhere within Euro-Asia. The 330k house looks like it would have the poorest soil, being on the hill in chaparral like biome. It also has a lot of olives.
If I had to choose I would pick oranges as I love designing and building and I like having animals and plenty of water. I would have shade of many trees and a producing orchard.
If you don't want to build then for two times as much money you have a ready package. I know it's personal but also a lot depends on your age. If you start late in life and from scratch you may not have enough energy to develop all you need the way you want.
Cristobal Cristo wrote:I think rain harvesting is feaseable if you have no other choices - no or bad well water, no streams/ponds, desert climate with low precipitation or restrective well drilling regulations. I would consider a property without a well only if I knew that the area has good water, sufficient amount and not too deep (the deeper the well the more expensive and usually lower yield).
If well is avalable try to look for a minimum 50 l/minute yield. The more the better. In the time of extreme drought, lower yielding wells may simply stop yielding anything.
Land size needed depends on soil/climate combination. For orchard, vegetables and a few animals 2 hectares is sufficient assuming that land is fertile enough to produce sufficient amount of vegetation for the grazers. If you plan on having more sheep/goats - the more terrain the better. It's better to have a smaller plot with excellent water, soil and microclimate than ten times bigger with rocks and aridity.
Water and soil are your main objectives, because they are bulky ingredients. Everything else can be relatively easily adjusted, but if you start with low quality soil and low water it may result in major frustration. I have tons of water and deep soils and I struggle to produce any vegetables, but at the same time have more and more fruits and quite a lot of sheep.
Are you still considering the citrus orchard?
Maybe if you share a list of your land finds it will be easier to help you.
John C Daley wrote:I have done research on the area,
- Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
- Mountainous inland areas are cooler and receive more rain than the coastal region.
- Average Annual Rainfall: Rethymno receives approximately 574 mm (22.6 inches)
of precipitation annually, with the majority falling between October and April.
RAINFALL COLLECTION PROCESS
With 574mm of rain a year, you need 34 sq M of roof to collect 20,000L of water.
[ 20,000 / 574 = 34 ]
Somebody who has water supplied with a meter can tell us how much a garden uses, I dont know.
But in Bendigo I use about40,000L for myself. per annum. Average family in Victoria uses about 175,000L of water annually.
From https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/drought-support/tools-and-calculators/farm-water-calculator/garden-use
they list the volumes of water used for garden etc for different rainfall areas.
I notice homes for sale on Crete, promote the fact they have water storage tanks installed.
Here is a Greek company that makes tanks, listing size and cost.
https://plastikon.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PLASTIKON-BROCHURE.pdf
John C Daley wrote:I think all the opinions are worth consideration.
I would add;
- Do you want to sell at the farm gate?
- A flood zone may have better quality soul, but you dont want a structure swept away
- water is always #1, but if you can capture rainfall it will be easier.
- Power can come from solar panels etc and may be better value than posts and wires.
- Area you require may create different needs.
- slopes can be used to you advantage, moving water, flood protection.
- Soil quality is very important, its hard to improve from rubbish soil.
R Scott wrote:ZONING. If you have to ask council permission to do any little thing, it becomes a nightmare quickly.
Cristobal Cristo wrote:Water is the deal breaker in hot arid summer climate. Of course dry farming exists, but in arid Mediterranean it's limited to olives and almonds. At the beginning I was really excited with the prospect of growing without water, but it was a complete failure for me. Even with water things fail on a regular basis.
Light traffic may be acceptable, as long as there are not future plans to turn this road into a highway or expressway. I personally would not like to be adjacent to even light traffic road. My cats are free roaming and I would not like to see them dead.
I would not like to have high voltage power lines over my head, but if they were 200 m away (but not closer) I would probably accept it. Proximity to power lines is not only possible radiation problem (current physic says it's low energy due to low frequency, but life is way more complex than that), but also the fact that it will have easements around and future extension of the power lines would encroach even more on your land. Even if it had no easements, if the state decides to widen the energy corridor they will do it.
Flat terrain is better than slope, but it depends on the steepness, orientation, soil, etc.
-southern/western slope will be more perpendicular to the sun rays
-steep slopes will have shallow soil and shallow soil will not hold much water
-irrigation on steep slopes is problematic; despite using pressure control emitters, the top trees on my 5 degree slope get 2 times less water than bottom ones
-if the slope is steep it's dangerous to use tractor
Occasional flooding at the bottom is not a problem as long as you are aware of it and you build higher enough. I'm saying "enough", because there may be always more intense flooding in the future. Valleys are an asset in the mountains - usually they will have deeper and fertile soils and more underground water. At the same time, please be aware that a well by a stream may have salty water. I would never buy a property with bad water.
Valley bottom may have clay rich soil which can be used for building,
Some valleys may also experience temperature inversions resulting in freezes but also cooler summer nights.
Having some trees or any source of shade is greatly helpful if not critical.
Anne Miller wrote:Water is a necessity and hauling water is no fun.
For most folks road noise is a deal breaker, especially from a very busy road or if there are small children.
Being off a paved road with light traffic sounds okay to me.
Power lines close to the property is a must even if a person is off grid as that is something that might be added as folks age and running electric from the nearest pole is expensive.
Flooding is a deal breaker as it is not possible to predict what Mother Nature is going to do even if the cause was a broken dam. Loss of property and lives are too precious.
I love a gentle slope and I live on top of a mountain.
What else? It depends on what you want the land for. A permaculture project is could mean different strokes for different folks ...
Gardening and animals or one or the other or living a sustainable life?
My property came with a water well, a pond, electricity, and sewer ... all the comfort of home, including an unfinished house. The ultimately, best purchase we have ever made.