# How to identify good homestead land?



## Dial (Sep 1, 2010)

How do you tell if land will be good?

I have a current vision of a sustainable mostly-ranch with a few acres of garden plot. I am just starting to explore homestead property, and the few places I've looked at, I haven't really felt like "this is a good place for things to grow." But I'm really just following my instincts so far. (And a few common-sense observations.) 

Here's my current criteria:

How green is it?
How rocky is it?
Are the natural trees tall? (I'm guessing this is indicative of the sunlight / water available to an area)
Does it have a pond, creek, or wet-weather stream?

Is there a good book or online resource that helps new or potential farmers to know what is good?


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## Navotifarm (Dec 16, 2009)

There are zillions of books but identifying good homestead land starts from within you. Where have you chosen to be living now? Why? How much money have you got to buy your land with? How renewable a resource is this money? You are going to need a steady stream of it to buy seeds, stock, fencing, buildings, pay taxes. So ifave a good job, then buy land as near as possible to it. There is a very productive farm on a New York City roof. Will Allen has a hugely productive urban farm. I've got land which could be a terrific homestead but neither money nor strength to actualize the possibilities. I've also got so many books I can hardly move around in my house. And I've read them all. Take courses get a farm job. Be an intern or a wwooffer. Stockpile greenbacks. Build a Tiny House. Stay away from gas or oil or coal fields.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Land that is good for one aspect of homested life might not be good for another. That means that you need to know what you want to raise before you know if land is good or not.

A reliable source of water is a wonderfull thng for a homestead. Both livestock and seedlings need water. 

Do not worry about trees unless you need them for building: Even in bad ground a 30 year old tree might be tall, while in good soil a 5 year old tree will still be short.


If you primarily intend to have livestock you might find rolling hills with some shade trees to be perfect, while if you primarily want crops you will need it to be flatter. To some extent the ideal land depends onwhat you want tod o with it.

A lush, green cover of vegetation tells you that the soil may be good: a soil test done will give more info but it can be time consuming.


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## Deb862 (Jun 22, 2005)

We are having to deal with similar questions in our land search. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) we have learned and research enough that we end up ruling out just about every property in our price range LOL! You can start by checking soil maps online at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm. It took me a little while to figure out what to click on to see all the info I needed but it's a great site. I also usually check out the county tax map online. Their site usually has other info like soil maps, topography, etc. Just Google "(your county) county (state) tax maps" and you should find it.

Other things we look at are exposure. It seems there are lot of north/West facing slopes in our price range LOL. Or there is a huge hill/mountain to the East! Good southern exposure is the goal. 

We looked at one 40 acre piece last year that was both wood and pasture. We thought it looked good as there were thigh-high grasses/hay growing in the pasture and large trees on the wooded part. Then we happened to notice that in many places there were huge puddles (almost small ponds LOL!) where there was no ground cover on the farm road still remaining from a heavy rain the night before. Went home and checked the soils map and sure enough, it was mostly heavy clay, poorly drained soil with rock 8-16 inches or less down. Soil maps are definitely our friend!

Some plants do indicate water or a lot of moisture (ie, possibly poorly drained land) near the surface but lush green things and trees can be deceiving. Always check a soils map and always look at exposure and topography. We usually do this both online and then physically at the property with a compass. Best of luck to you in your search!


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

As I always tell people, you will never find the perfect place, you have to get as close to it if you can. And then ask yourself if this is good enough and can we make it the perfect place. Slightly rolling ground will work for about any farming practice you may want to try. Rolling ground will allow for the water to run off, rock in fields is not fun but if there isn`t much it is still doable. Sandy ground on a dry year will get you nothing unless you have irrigation. Looking at soil maps will help alot, but looking at the farm ground is still the best. I also am never in favor of getting anything that will flood, if you have ever been through a flood you know why. Hope this helps some. >Thanks Marc


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