My Yard is too Small

Spring Morning

We live on just over 2 acres. People mistakenly believe you must have more than 1 acre to have an operating homestead. For those of us who enjoy just vegetable and herb gardening, you can have no yard. Trees become vital in a large yard: for their shade (to prevent burnt grass in the heat of summer), minimize your mowing time, and provide a breeze. Here are some aspects to consider when opting for a bigger yard:

• How much money do you want to spend in gas for mowing?
• How much of your free time can you invest in maintenance?
• How often do you receive rain? This will definitely determine how fast your grass grows and how often you will have to mow your yard.

Here are some aspects to avoid when keeping your lawn mowed:

• Keeps bugs down. (They have no grass to live in.)
• Keeps your yard from shifting. When you just have dirt for a yard, any type of heavy rain will shift the layout of your land.
• Lowers the amount of dirt tracked in the house (but you will track in grass, lol).

 Gardens can grow vertically, in gutters, in pots, indoors, ect. There are a lot of good ideas on Pinterest on how to maximize the space of your yard. The only type of "space" you would need to consider is if you have larger livestock such as: pigs, horses, cows, and goats.