Homesteading Challenge #4: Homesteading Hopes

When I first read Hive account@kiaraantonoviche's latest homestead challenge, my initial thought was that I don't have a homestead bucket list. However, as I thought about it a bit more I started to remember that this isn't true. There was a point where I felt that getting an acreage was possibly within our reach and I had lots of plans, but then things changed bringing me back to dealing with a more immediate future and putting a homestead further into the future. Me being who I am, the way I deal with things that may not happen is by switching that bit off and focusing on dealing with what is within my reach and control.

So first I want to say a big thank you to Kiara for reminding me of my hopes for the future.

source (https://pixabay.com/en/orchard-farming-fruit-agriculture-2372731/)

Trees

I've always had an urge to grow trees, particularly fruit trees, from seed. I'm aware that they take much longer to reach fruiting age this way and that you probably won't get the same fruit that the seed came from, but I don't mind the adventure of seeing what will come as long as I've got the room to plant the adventure! I would have grafted trees too as I think it's important to try and keep the heirloom varieties going.

I'd have mixed fruit orchards and look into what sorts of trees would live comfortably together. It would be great if they all grew well together, then they could be a nut and fruit orchards. Perhaps the mixture of trees would help shield one another from certain pests and diseases.

Poultry

I'd definitely get geese to be guardians and do weed control. I once saw an orchard which had geese and the only weeds left were the ones they didn't or couldn't eat.

I'd also love to be able to take on and rescue chickens. Not ex-battery hens, because while I would love to give some the chance for a better life after what they've been through, I can't justify the way it would just continue to support the industry. I would rather work from the other side and find ways to produce enough of an egg supply from humane farming methods that would make that industry obsolete. So the chickens I would rescue would more likely be from people in towns who don't have the space to keep hens that are no longer producing, but don't want to butcher these girls they've bonded with and who have supplied them for so long with eggs. They could retire into the orchards and help with pest and weed control, continuing a useful life. Meanwhile I'm helping to support city and townspeople in producing their own eggs to help take pressure from the intensive farming industry.

I would also love to be able to be able to breed some of the rarer chicken breeds, or maybe try to create a breed in Australia like the Svart Hona or Ayam Cemani. Of course I couldn't pass up on keeping ducks either!

Livestock

I would like to keep pigs, but I'm not sure if I could manage the large breeds. The biggest appeal for me is there use in preparing the ground for growing and meat would be a bonus, but those big adults kind of scare me!

Being used to multipurposing I'm still not sure if I would get a Jersey cow or dairy sheep. Dairy sheep would also potentially provide wool as well as milk and meat. I should probably try sheep milk before I make that decision though...

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