NAVIGATION
Homestead Layout
Homestead Size
Designing Layout
Animals To Raise
What Can Grow
Be Self-Sufficient
Hi, I’m Ryan
When I started my homesteading journey years ago, I didn’t have many sources of information on how to design my 1.5 acre homestead layout. After building a small but successful homestead, I have grown to love providing others with the helpful tips and tricks I had to learn the hard way.
Your farming enterprise might be small, but it can still be hugely successful for you, for your household, and even for your community.
1.5 Acre Homestead Layout
Working with a 1.5 acre layout gives you room for several options that you may not have considered. I have successfully homesteaded much smaller plots of land, and though any homesteading venture is a lot of work, I have never regretted trying to be as self-sufficient as possible regardless of my property size.
Following my blueprint, 1.5 acres will give you room for a small house and driveway, 16 raised 4×8 garden beds, two 10×10 ground level garden plots, a goat pen, a chicken coop, a duck pond, three beehives, 12 fruit trees, a three-sectioned compost bin, a storage shed, and nine solar panels. All of this adds up to a surprising amount of room for livestock and growing space on your small farm.
On a homestead of this size, I will always recommend sticking with small livestock options — goats being the biggest. You could choose to have two medium flocks of chickens and ducks (as pictured below), or you could instead pick one type of poultry to focus on, depending on your preference. Goats require a lot more space than poultry, so you’ll most likely have 12 or fewer in your little herd. While beehives don’t take up a lot of room, they do require regular monitoring, so I don’t generally recommend building too many of them.
Designing Your Homestead Layout
How Much Will A 1.5 Acre Homestead Produce?
A 1.5 acre homestead can produce thousands of pounds of fruit, vegetables, milk, and eggs, and several hundred pounds of honey in an average growing year. Here’s a breakdown.
A 1.5 Acre Homestead Can Produce the Following
- Main HouseKeep your living space small and designate areas for potted indoor herbs.
- Raised BedsSixteen raised 4×8 beds will produce around 1 to 2 lbs per square foot for a harvest of 512 to 1,024 lbs of produce in a year.
- Goat PenThe amount of milk your goats will produce in a year will depend on how many you have and what breeds they are, but you should be able to count on an average of over 200 gallons of milk per goat every year.
- Fruit TreesTwelve fruit trees could yield approximately 1,800 to 3,600 lbs of fruit in a year.
- BeehivesWith three bee hives, you’ll be able to produce an average of 180 to 360 lbs of honey per year.
- CompostYour compost bin can help feed your garden and your chickens to keep your homestead self-sufficient, but the output will depend on how many people are in the household and how many fresh foods they consume.
- PoultryWith eight to 10 chickens and half a dozen ducks, you could feasibly produce 2,000 chicken eggs and 1,800 duck eggs in an average year, if you have the right breeds and conditions. Adjust your coop and yard space depending onthe amount of poultry you want to house.
- CropsTwo 10×10 ground-level gardens can easily produce around 200 to 400 lbs of vegetables in a year.
- Storage ShedIt’s hard to run a homestead without the proper tools and equipment. Storing these necessary items in a sturdy shed will protect them from the elements and keep everything running efficiently.
- Solar PanelsNine solar panels is more than enough to power a tiny home, but if your home is over 800 square feet, you may need a few more depending on your level of power usage.
Why A 1.5 Acre Site Is The Perfect Size For Your Homestead
A 1.5 acre homestead design is ideal in a lot of ways, not least of which is that it gives you a decent amount of space without having too much to keep up with. My biggest tip for the preparation stage is to plan out which areas on your particular property are best for growing and which areas would be suitable for your animals. You will want level ground for your vegetable gardens and your coops, so tinkering with the layout I’ve provided to make the most of your terrain and soil will set you up for success on your small farm.
Is 1.5 Acres Enough For A Homestead To Farm?
My homestead layout for 1.5 acres will prove that your space is definitely enough to farm. The ability to grow your own food and be at least partially self-sufficient is something not everyone has, so don’t be discouraged that your property lines will come with some limitations. Having room for plants, trees, and livestock is a big deal, and you can use this space to produce many of the staples you’ll eat every day.
If you live in an urban or suburban area, there may be some restrictions in place about what kinds of livestock you can raise in your yard. Even if something like this keeps you from following my diagram exactly, my best advice of all is to roll with the punches. Do what you’re able, and you’ll still have more fresh, homegrown food than most people can boast.
What Are The Dimensions Of 1.5 Acres?
As you begin laying out your homestead, you will be working with 65,340 square feet at approximately 183 feet by 360 feet. Compare my illustration with the dimensions and terrain of your property and start mapping out on paper the areas that you’ll devote to each part of your homestead.
How Do You Lay Out A 1.5 Acre Homestead?
Once you’ve mapped out your 1.5 acre homestead, take a tape measure, a level, a hammer, and some stakes with you as you walk your land so you can stake out your gardens, coops, and sheds in one go. Doing this before you start building or plowing will give you a good idea of the space you have to work with.
Here’s What I’ve Done
- A tiny home that took up minimal acreage
- 512 square feet of raised bed gardening space
- 200 square feet of ground-level growing space
- Three beehives
- Composting bin
- Chicken coop and run
- 12 fruit trees
- Duck pond with seven ducks
- Nine solar panels
- One storage shed
- Open driveway
- Five chickens (which grew to 20 chickens)
- Goat pen with 10 goats
How Big Should A Homestead Garden Be?
On a 1.5 acre plot, your homestead garden should be under 750 square feet of level growing space. My best tip for your garden is to break it up into pieces so that it’s easier to access and maintain. Having two larger, ground-level gardens for my larger plants and 16 smaller raised beds for the rest has worked well for me in the past.
How Many Fruit Trees Should You Plant On 1.5 Acres?
You should plant around a dozen fruit trees on a 1.5 acre homestead. Too many more and you’ll run the risk of cutting into space you need for your livestock or garden plots. Fewer, and you won’t have as abundant a harvest to enjoy later.
How Many Berry Bushes Should You Plant On 1.5 Acres?
If you’re planting berry bushes instead of fruit trees, I would recommend sticking with 15 to 20 bushes. Berries are hard to have too much of, as you can always make preserves, pies, or gifts out of any extra.
Fencing Your 1.5 Acres
As pretty and idyllic as a freshly painted fence can be, homestead fences don’t just serve an aesthetic purpose. You’ll definitely want a barrier to keep predators and unwanted grazers out while keeping your own livestock in. The material you choose for your fence will depend on your local soil and weather conditions.
What Animals Can You Have On a 1.5 Acre Hobby Farm?
On any homestead, I always recommend starting with poultry, and on a homestead of this size you’ll be able to fit bees and goats as well. Anything larger than these options will probably be more trouble and take up more room than they’re really worth.
Start With Raising Chickens
Chickens are one of the most practical livestock options for any farm size. A tip from my own farming experience is to use your chickens to make your gardening life easier. If you build a moveable coop or a chicken tractor, your little foragers can help peck up unwanted bugs while also tilling and fertilizing your soil.
What About Raising Ducks On 1.5 Acres?
Raising ducks is also a great idea on a 1.5 acre homestead design. Your pond will need to be fairly small, probably under 150 square feet, so you’ll need to keep your flock under a half dozen, which could produce up to 1,800 eggs in a year.
Consider Raising Bees
As long as you don’t have a phobia of bees and don’t mind a little maintenance work, beekeeping is actually fairly easy on a small farm. The beehives take up practically no space at all, and the bees will love to fertilize your flowers and fruit trees. The honey that even just a few hives can produce will be more than enough for your family, and a side-note tip here is that it can actually fetch a good price locally.
How To Fit A Small Herd Of Goats On 1.5 Acres
Goats are fun little animals, and they produce a considerable amount of milk each year (depending on the breeds you choose), so they’re also quite practical. Goats will need around 15 square feet of bedded area each, and your pen will need to allow for 200 to 250 square feet per goat as well, so my pro tip here is to plan the size of your herd based on the size pen you’re able to build, not vice versa.
Is 1.5 Acres Really Enough Space To Grow Your Own Food?
A 1.5 acre homestead layout will absolutely be enough room to grow your own food. Whether or not the amount you grow is enough for your household to be self-sufficient will depend on the number of people living in your home and whether or not you’re a vegetarian.
How Much Food Can You Grow On A 1.5 Acre Farm?
Your 1.5 acre farm can feasibly grow thousands of pounds of food each and every year if you’re putting in the work to make it happen. I can’t give you an exact number, but here is a general idea of what a harvest could look like.
Estimated Harvest From A 1.5 Acre Homestead With This Layout
- 1,100 lbs of vegetables
- 450 cartons of chicken eggs
- 300 gallons of goat milk
- 2,500 lbs of fruit
- 275 lbs of honey
Can 1.5 Acres Of Land Sustain One Person?
1.5 acres of land is more than enough to sustain one person. That said, your food production will limit your diet considerably if you only consume what you grow on your land. If you’re not interested in being a vegetarian or in limiting other food options, you will have enough extra food to sell or trade with other farmers to supplement your diet.
Is 1.5 Acres Of Land Enough To Feed A Family Of Four?
While 1.5 acres could probably feed two people comfortably, three would be stretching it, and four wouldn’t be healthy. If you have quite a few people in your home, though, a family of four or more could produce a quarter to half of their food for the year on a homestead of this size.
Can You Be Off Grid On A 1.5-Acre Homestead?
You can definitely be off grid on 1.5 acres, but my first tip for would-be off-gridders is to triple check all of the regulations in your specific area. Setting up an off-grid homestead from scratch can be a pricey undertaking, so you’ll want to be very sure of your options up front.
Is 1.5 Acres Of Land Enough For An Off-Grid Homestead?
As long as there aren’t any restrictions in your area about going off the grid, 1.5 acres is plenty of room to lead an off-grid lifestyle. Before deciding to build your outhouse and outdoor shower, though, you might want to take into account how much space these types of things will take away from your homestead design.
Is 1.5 Acres Of Land Enough To Be Self-Sufficient?
1.5 acres of land is enough for two, maybe three, people to live relatively self-sufficiently as long as they are fine with some dietary restrictions. If you’re wanting true self sufficiency, though, with your little farm paying for itself while providing you with everything you need, you’ll only be able to achieve this on 1.5 acres if you’re living alone.
How Many Solar Panels Needed To Power Your Homestead?
In my blueprint, I’ve allowed room for nine solar panels on your 1.5 acres. This number is more than enough for my tiny home, but if your house is above 1,000 square feet, you might require additional panels. I’d advise 10 to 12 panels per 1,000 square feet of powered living and working space.
Can A 1.5 Acre Homestead Be Profitable?
Now that you’re armed with a 1.5 acre homestead layout designed to help you find success on your small farm, you’re ready to get started. Roll with the punches, don’t worry about doing everything perfectly, and make adjustments as you go along!
Your Turn!
- What are some advantages you’ve found about raising goats?
- Do you have recommendations for other homesteaders selling produce?
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