How Much Land? (Penobscot: homes, live, cabin)

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I think for the average person in Maine a 40 acre lot is ideal

I agree that 40 acres would be ideal - for us, anyway. However, I doubt if we will be able to afford 40 acres that has everything we need - a road with power/phone, woodlot, a "high and dry" area for building, and fertile land with southern exposure for the gardens.

So we have thought a little 'outside the box', and figured maybe we could do this another way. We liked Forest's $300/acre cut-over land for a woodlot, but given that there are likely wetlands and buried logs, that would be unsuitable for building and gardening. So...we'd maybe buy 30 acres of that type of land for - a woodlot.

In addition to that, we'd buy a much smaller parcel of higher quality land (e.g. drier, on a road with power, not all wooded) for our home and gardens. It may or may not be more expensive to do it with 2 lots. The best part of this idea is that both lots do not need to be purchased at the same time. We could buy say, 5 acres for the house and gardens, and a couple years later get the woodlot. Or vice-versa.

The nice thing about this plan is that it gives us TWO lots to build on. You never know when a second cabin or camp will come in handy, even if just to rent out seasonally to hunters as a lodge.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Nor'Eastah

I agree that 40 acres would be ideal - for us, anyway. However, I doubt if we will be able to afford 40 acres that has everything we need - a road with power/phone, woodlot, a "high and dry" area for building, and fertile land with southern exposure for the gardens.

So we have thought a little 'outside the box', and figured maybe we could do this another way. We liked Forest's $300/acre cut-over land for a woodlot, but given that there are likely wetlands and buried logs, that would be unsuitable for building and gardening. So...we'd maybe buy 30 acres of that type of land for - a woodlot.

Buried logs are a HUGE PROBLEM if you desire to till the soil.

I have gone to using raised-beds.

After repeated attempts at gardening, we now have all of our veggies in raised beds.

My apple trees were planted in 4' by 4' raised beds [only 8" high] enough to give them 'dry feet'.

This system appears to be working for us.

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by jim65970

hello...well i have a 50 x 125 lot with a big back yard as my old wood house vintage 1946 is only 700 sq ft.....very unusual for a block from the beach....last of its kind in my town

i couldnt do it,no way i could live there the neighbers would hate me.

[Maine Writer]

We have 45 acres. I haven't seen all of it and probably never will. We bird hunt, cross country ski and snowshoe, cut a little firewood, have a pond we had dug, a seasonal stream and natural springs. I tip for Christmas wreaths and bird hunt. We have an acre in market garden and I raise poultry for meat, amusement and eggs. It's enough but it's definitely not too much.

[Zymer]

I have a little over 21 acres. More or less half is field with one field getting overgrown at the present. The large field gets cut twice a year by a neighbor to feed the Red Deer he raises, he bales it and gives me some meat.

I have a creek/brook/stream that forms the southern border to the property. The big field is mostly level with a couple of boulders just barely poking out in some spots. The front field rises gently to the center and there is a fairly deep gully between the two fields. the rest is wooded and slopes down toward the stream, there are some dry rises and some low wet spots.

Deer feed regularly and there are the occasional moose and turkeys...and a coyote that will turn into a pair of slippers if he gets too close to my cats. I can shoot whenever I want and at some point veggie gardens and fruit trees will go in, maybe some Xmas trees too.

It's not enough. There are some neighbors that are a little too close. I've walked through most of the woods and find myself wishing I had more.

[AustinB]

We've got 87 acres of swamp and ledge here at the house. I have seen all of it, but I rarely see alot of it now. In the summer the bugs make wandering around out back there just awful. In the winter it freezes up enough to get the tractor out back to cut the firewood. It is possible to get lost on only that much land.(been there) Fortunately my roads help prevent that from happening now.

[Submariner]

When there are no bugs out, it can be very nice to walk out 30 paces with a folding chair. To sit under the dense canopy and read a book. If you can't see any signs of the house, it certainly can feel as if you were entirely out of touch from the industrialized world.

Except for the occasional chicken or goat wandering by, you might even forget how close you are to the house.

A few days ago some folks were looking for a dog, they asked if they could wander through my property looking for the dog. I said yes and off they went. After a while, from the sounds of their voices, it became obvious that the group had gotten 'lost'. So I went out and guided them back to their vehicle.

I rather enjoy having dense vegetation.

[txmom]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I rather enjoy having dense vegetation.

Dense vegetation is cool. Misty and mysterious.

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

i couldnt do it,no way i could live there the neighbers would hate me.

LOL My neighbors are closer than that. We could reach out and touch their houses....but its only temporary. This is a very quiet neighborhood, and the walls are so thick you do not hear any outside noise unless you have a window open.

[moughie]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

LOL My neighbors are closer than that. We could reach out and touch their houses....but its only temporary. This is a very quiet neighborhood, and the walls are so thick you do not hear any outside noise unless you have a window open.

Same here Alison.

Remember that old yellow pages jingle " Reach out and touch?" GRRRRRR.

At least our neighbors are wonderful and instead of neighbors watching our every move , we have a mountain ( foothill) right in our backyard full of gambrel quail, sugaros, coyotes and occasional diamondback rattlesnakes and roadrunners and great horned owls ( how cool they are!)