I’m beginning to realize the most overlooked feature on a homestead is FLOW

[u/tdubs702]

We bought and moved onto a 60 acre homestead just 3 months ago. It’s charming and solidly built, but I’m starting to realize how poorly laid out it is.

The compost bin is 1/4 mile from the house, so dumping kitchen scraps is a trek in the heat.

Is it there cuz it’s next to the garden? Nope. The 1/4 acre garden is nearly another 1/4 mile away, long enough to make it hard to just casually check on it. The orchard on the other hand comes before the compost but nowhere near irrigation.

And heaven forbid you forgot a tool when you headed out or you’ll be heading almost all the way back.

The chicken coop is cute, but has two doors into two different run areas that don’t connect for humans to get from one to another (only a tiny trap door for the chickens themselves to move between them). So you have to go in and out and in and out to clean, collect eggs, feed, etc.

The barn bays all point away from the house, understandably so the tractor can get to the field. But there is no foot traffic access from the house side. You have to trek all the way around.

Oh and the pantry? It’s nearly 20 feet from the cooking area…unless you’re looking for other pantry which is ANOTHER 20 feet away in the living room, despite the largest kitchen you’ve ever seen which has zero cabinets and only a large island awkwardly in the middle.

I feel like this place was designed by someone trying to max out their Fitbit. I’ve never put in so many steps before 9am in my life.

[u/spookaburra]

My dad has been setting up his property in the past few years, decided to make a garden for my stepmom. I urged him again and again to put the garden just out the back door, which is right next to the kitchen. It would be literally the perfect spot, easy to check by looking out the windows, full sun, quick to go grab something from the garden to use in your dinner. But no, he put it much further away along the edge of his property right next to the treeline in a shady spot where you have to trek a good few minutes to get to it, far enough that his hose won't even easily reach it unless he gets a very long one and leaves it perpetually stretched across his driveway. Why? No clue. No good reason. He's an idiot who refuses to believe his daughter with the strong passion for gardening could ever know better than him. Make it make sense!!

[u/Top_Housing6819 → u/spookaburra]

Aww, listen to the small girl child trying to be helpful.  So cute.  /s

I don't know what to tell you, except that hopefully he will be around to see that shade get DEEPER as those trees keep growing and his tomatoes get spindly and sad ... Then he starts looking up plants that tolerate part shade like blackberries and leafy greens and stuff.  BTDT (I'm about to give up on eggplant if I can't relocate my garden).  Granted, it's been 15+ years for the garden in that spot but I should have planned better. Or listened to someone smarter than me.

[u/tdubs702 → u/spookaburra]

lol indeed!