How to Farm a Small Acreage

A farm on small acreage can be a viable business if managed correctly. You can grow more produce in a small space by using "square-foot" gardening techniques. You may be able to raise some livestock on your small farm as well, depending on space and zoning requirements; chickens are the easiest to start out with. Small-acreage farms frequently grow plants and animals for a niche market, such as organic vegetables or free-range eggs and meat.

Tiller or tractor

Hoe, rake, shovel, post hole diggers, pitchfork and basic gardening tools

Manure

Compost

Plant containers

Chicken house or materials for building one

Chickens

Chicken feed

Fencing

Bird netting

Obtain all necessary permissions and licenses. Check with you local zoning department for rules regarding growing livestock. Zoning laws vary. If you live in a residential area or in the city, you may be limited in the number of chickens you can grow. Some areas allow hens but not roosters. Goats and other livestock may not be allowed in or near many residential or city areas. If you plan to market your products as "organic," be sure you can comply with your state's certification requirements. Purchase a business license and sales tax license before you sell any of your produce. States consider farms a business; you will be fined if you sell without a license.

Prepare the area for planting vegetables. Run the tiller or tractor over the area several times. Pour compost and manure into the tilled area, and till it into the soil with the tiller or tractor. Till the soil three or four times, so it kills any tomato or tobacco hornworms under the soil.

Use "square foot" gardening techniques to grow more produce in a small area. Using 8-foot-long, 2-by-6-inch boards laid on their edges, make 8-by-8-foot squares. Fill the squares with soil, mulch and composted manure. Subdivide the squares into 1-foot-square sections by stretching string across the wooden frames in a grid pattern. Fill smaller squares with different types of vegetables. Pack them closely together. Use stakes with string or fence run between them, and let plants grow up the fence or string. Tomatoes, squash, cucumber, and other plants that grow on vines produce a higher volume of produce when the vine is off the ground away from insects. Leave an open pathway through the center of the garden, so you easily reach items in the center at harvesting time. Plant radishes, cabbage, lettuces, spinach and short items near the outer edge, and tall plants on vines in the center. When one crop is harvested, pull the plants and start a new crop.

Plant the vegetables or herbs that you eat first, then add vegetables and herbs for selling. Either start the plants from seed or purchase starter plants from a nursery or hardware store. Easy-to-grow vegetables include tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, squash, eggplant, zucchini and peppers; they also tend to sell well at farmer's markets. Culinary herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, peppermint, spearmint and rosemary are often in demand at farmers markets and health food stores as well.

Start trays of plants from seed to supplement sales of produce. Vegetable, herb and floral bedding plants are often in demand at flea markets and farmer's markets, and they are easy to grow. Tomato and pepper starter plants are often popular, as are herbs. Heirloom varieties are often particularly prized.

Raise small livestock if your area allows it. Consider starting with chickens, which are easy to raise with minimal maintenance. Raise the chickens for eggs or meat. It takes five to seven months for chicks to grow into egg-layers, so purchase six-month-old to one-year-old chickens from a local farmer so your chickens will begin laying immediately. Build or buy a small chicken house, and fence in a large yard area, or coop. The chickens will lay better if they have space to run and scratch; they will thrive on a diet of bugs and worms from the yard, as well as grass. Supplement this diet with a hanging food container full of laying pellets or crumbles, and make sure there is a water container in the coop. The coop should be covered with netting to keep out predators such as hawks and opossums. Organic eggs and meat are in high demand, but make sure you abide by all local regulations. Generally, you can sell eggs from your home or farm without necessitating an inspection. If you sell meat and eggs in a public venue, however -- for instance, at a flea market or farmer's market -- your local health department will require regular inspections of your farm. Check with your health department to determine specific rules for your area. If you decide to sell the chickens for meat, a meat processor can usually slaughter and butcher them for a fee. All meat should be stored in a freezer if it is not sold immediately.

Familiarize yourself with all state and local farm regulations. Make sure you comply with relevant food-safety laws and certification requirements before selling what you grow.