NAVIGATION
Homestead Layout
Homestead Size
Designing Layout
Animals To Raise
What Can Grow
Be Self-Sufficient
Hi, I’m Ryan
I started homesteading because the challenge and reward of living off the land excited me. I was surprised to learn that I could develop a small yet productive farm in just a couple of years, even without having grown up farming.
A smart 2 acre homestead layout can give you a great farm that offers a variety of produce and livestock, without being too difficult to manage. You might think you need a larger piece of land to be self-sufficient, but a farm this size has the space to grow fruits, vegetables, and grains, and raise four types of animals: bees, chickens, ducks, and goats.
2 Acre Homestead Layout
This ecofriendly layout offers the space to daydream. You don’t need to focus only on the veggies that are your favorite or the most reliable — you have the room to experiment a little, and even produce some goods in excess to sell or trade for the things you don’t cultivate.
Designing Your Homestead Layout
How Much Will A 2 Acre Homestead Produce?
When you design a 2 acre homestead, you can reasonably expect to produce thousands of pounds of fruit and vegetables per year, not to mention meat, eggs, and honey — pretty much all you need for a well-rounded diet.
A 2 Acre Homestead Produce Can Produce The Following
- Main HouseAround the main house, flowers will attract bees and butterflies. This is also a great spot for berry bushes — I’ve fit 7 or 8 on a plot this size. My favorites are blueberries, but because those take a number of years to produce substantial yields, planting quicker-maturing types, like raspberries, is a good idea.
- Raised Garden BedsWith 12 14’x7’ raised beds, you’ll be able to produce around 1 to 2 pounds per square foot, for a range of 2,000–4,000 pounds of produce each year.
- Chicken CoopYou’ll easily be able to build a fenced-in coop and pasture area with space for 25 egg-laying chickens and 45 raised for meat.
- Fruit TreesA two acre homestead can fit a dozen fruit trees. Each mature fruit tree can produce 100–300 pounds of fruit per year, meaning that your trees could yield over 3,000 pounds of fruit.
- BeehivesYou can expect your bees to produce about 160 pounds of honey on a farm this size.
- Duck PondA pond with a small nesting house will allow you to keep a few ducks on your farm — important not only as food, but for pest management.
- CompostA 2 acre homestead design can accommodate three stalls for compost piles. This is a great way to process food scraps, leaves, and paper into fertilizer that will maximize your future output, and help you reach self-sufficiency in waste management. If you have excess, you can trade some with neighbors.
- Storage ShedThough it doesn’t add to your farm’s output, this is an essential investment to protect your farm tools and gear, of which you’ll need a good amount for a homestead this size.
- CropsIn addition to raised beds, starting with the vegetables that are easiest to grow, you will also want to plant staples like corn, wheat, and beans, which thrive planted directly in the ground.
- Solar ArrayOn a 2 acre homestead, you’ll have space for a solar array of 10–12 panels, which should get you far on the path to a self-reliant homestead. I do, however, always keep a backup generator and fuel set aside for emergencies or excessively rainy periods.
Why A 2 Acre Site Is The Perfect Size For Your Homestead
A 2 acre site is the perfect size because, with a careful layout, you can produce a wide variety of food generous enough to support a small family, and potentially even extra to put in storage to survive emergencies or save for a later season.
Are 2 Acres Enough For A Homestead To Farm?
You can definitely have a productive farm on two acres — I’ve seen people do it on much smaller pieces of land. Two acres is a great amount of space to grow your daily staples and still have room to branch out. For me that looks like trying different pepper varieties, and new types of heirloom tomatoes. Reading homesteading books was a great way to get inspired by the people who have walked this path before me.
What Are The Dimensions Of 2 Acres?
Two acres equates to 87,120 square feet, and my plot was 415’ long by 210’ wide. A 14’ x 40’ tiny home will easily fit in one corner of the plot without consuming too much of the cultivation space.
How Do You Lay Out A 2 Acre Homestead?
On my compact farm of 2 acres, I have enough space for several distinct growing zones and a central open space to easily navigate the entire farm, which makes my daily maintenance a lot easier. Some smaller components of the farm don’t need their own defined space, but can seamlessly be worked into nooks and crannies — like situating berry bushes around the house (with the added benefit of bushes and trees protecting your home from the sun’s heat) or putting beehives in the orchard.
Here’s What I’ve Done
- A tiny home that took up minimal acreage
- 600 sq. ft. of ground-level growing space
- 1,960 sq. ft. of raised bed growing space
- A pen for a few goats
- A coop for 70 chickens
- Three beehives
- 12 fruit trees
- A duck pond with eight ducks
- Strawbale compost pile
- Storage shed
- Solar array with 12 panels
Composting isn’t rocket science, but to avoid stink and rot, it’s important to understand what goes in and what doesn’t, and to find the right proportions of browns and greens.
How Big Should A Homestead Garden Be?
The garden will not be the largest part of your farm — once you add animals, they need adequate space to grow and be happy. It will probably only take up about a sixth of your 2 acre homestead layout. I suggest a combination of raised beds and in-ground crops for a total of 2,560 sq. ft. of growing space.
How Many Fruit Trees Should You Plant On 2 Acres?
A dozen fruit trees can fit easily on a two-acre homestead farm. With this many, you’ll be able to plant a mix, keeping in mind that you’ll need two of each type for germination purposes. I planted a variety to have fresh fruit for a longer period of time over different growing seasons, as the ripeness window is staggered for peaches, plums, and apples, as an example.
How Many Berry Bushes Should You Plant On 2 Acres?
I’ve planted seven berry bushes around my home, since they’re a great addition to any diet and they preserve well, which can make them great for bartering (if you have any left to share!). These don’t take much work after they’re in the ground, but I do use netting to be sure that animals don’t get to the berries before I do!
Fencing Your 2 Acres
Of course, the larger your farm, the bigger an investment it will be to fence the perimeter. However, properly fencing your farm is critical to protect your animals and ensure your veggies survive until harvest time.
I’ve learned that the different options to fence a farm each have their unique pros and cons. Wood is easier to install than steel (and might even be gotten for free, if you live on a wooded plot), but steel will require less maintenance over time.
What Animals Can You Have On A 2 Acre Hobby Farm?
It’s possible to raise a few different types of animals on a 2 acre homestead farm, including bees, chickens, ducks, and goats. Animals larger than these will require a larger plot.
Chickens
There is little downside to having chickens on a two acre homestead. Knowing the basics of chicken keeping will get you started on egg and meat production, helping to provide the protein that will round out your diet. Chickens play an important role in a farm ecosystem, helping to eliminate ticks and other pests that could pose a risk to human and animal life.
Bees
In addition to producing honey, bees help pollinate your plants, ensuring a good harvest. Combining this with the compact size of their hives, adding some bees to your homestead is a no-brainer. I’ve been stung a few times, but an occasional pinch is worth it!
Ducks
A two acre homestead can easily hold a small pond for a flock of ducks. If you’ve never eaten duck eggs, they’re a versatile addition to many recipes, whether or not you eat the ducks as meat. Ducks also serve an important role in a farm’s pest management.
Goats
The space a 2 acre homestead layout offers allows you to raise animals that need a little more space to run around. Goats are a great addition for a farm this size. Their love of eating brush can help you combat wayward, invasive weeds, keeping your plot tidy. Food-wise, goat milk and goat cheese are staples of many diets. Soap can also be made from the milk, and some goat fur lends itself well to making yarn.
Are 2 Acres Really Enough Space To Grow Your Own Food?
Yes! With a well-designed plot, a 2 acre farm is definitely enough land to grow your own food. You need to be realistic about expectations, especially in the first year or two, as some plants like berry bushes and fruit trees need a couple of years to become substantial producers. It’s also important to remember that some things are out of your control — variations in expected weather, severe storms, or drought can all have an effect on your yields.
How Much Food Can You Grow On A 2 Acre Farm?
With careful planning, you’ll be growing thousands of pounds of produce on a two acre homestead farm. After properly readying the soil for planting and using your own compost to keep the soil rich, you can maximize production on every square foot.
Estimated Harvest From A 2-Acre Homestead With This Layout
- 120 pounds of berries
- 5,400 pounds of produce
- 800 cartons of chicken eggs
- 60 cartons of duck eggs
- 400 pounds of chicken
- 200 pounds of duck
- 500 gallons of goat milk
- 450 pounds of honey
- 6,500–8,000 pounds of fruit
- 200 pounds of wheat
Can 2 Acres Of Land Sustain One Person?
I have been able to totally support myself on a two acre homestead. I believe that, when done well and with a little bit of luck and good weather, a homestead this size can even support a couple or small family. Preparing for the winter season will be an important part of being able to survive on your own output year-round. Canning, freezing, and dehydrating are all important parts of this equation.
Are 2 Acres Of Land Enough To Feed A Family Of Four?
I have friends who support their family of four nearly from the output of their own land with a two acre homestead. It’s important to be realistic — it’s all right if you go off the farm for some things that don’t grow well in all areas. Things like oils are critical to a lot of cooking, but buying or trading for those will be a lot easier than, say, trying to grow enough olives and maintaining a press.
Figuring out the things that grow well on your land — and that you’re good at growing — will help you build up a surplus to sell or trade for what you can’t grow.
Can You Be Off Grid On A 2 Acre Homestead?
A 2 acre homestead has the free space for a solar array that can be very productive, and that’s a big advantage of situating a farm on at least a couple of acres.
Are 2 Acres Of Land Enough For An Off Grid Homestead?
Energy is just one of the components of off-grid life. You’ll need to have a plan to irrigate your crops if a drought occurs. Situating your farm near water sources is important (and one of the reasons having a pond for ducks, and to collect rain, makes so much sense). You’ll also need to consider your daily functions — there are a few options for off-grid bathrooms.
Are 2 Acres Of Land Enough To Be Self-Sufficient?
In a perfect year, and depending on your family size, it is possible that a 2 acre homestead offers the space to be totally self-sufficient. Especially when relying on solar energy and rain, though, there are some things that are just out of our control. I try to do my best and understand that sometimes relying on purchased fuel and energy is part of the reality of homesteading.
How Many Solar Panels Needed To Power Your Homestead?
Tiny homes generally require 10–12 solar panels per 1,000 square feet of living space. The number of panels you need will depend on your home size as well as the energy draw of your farm for things like lighting or powering a watering system.
Can A 2 Acre Homestead Be Profitable?
A 2 acre homestead layout makes a great farm because it offers room to breathe while still being compact enough for daily rounds to be manageable. The more you expand your farm, the more labor it will require. A two acre homestead layout is just the right combination of productive and practical.
Your Turn!
- What combination of fruit trees will you plant?
- What items do you hope to produce in abundance, for trading purposes?
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