Need help on small-time farming.?

I plan to farm in Delta, Utah. It's good farm land, and a lot of vegetables are grown there despite the arid climate. My farm won't be much, just 1-3 acres to feed myself. I'd like some advice on the how-to's, without using the usual "big farm" equipment. I plan on having a large root cellar, 1 goat, and possibly some chickens. For plants I want (among other things) wheat, corn, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, kale and beans. For instance: How do you collect seeds from lettuce and carrots, and how do you preserve them throughout the winter for planting the next spring? Do you need to dry out corn kernels in the sun for them to keep? Any help would be appreciated, as I don't personally know any farmers.



I'm probably the best person to answer this question. I'm a permaculture farmer. I just moved from Blackfoot, ID. Lived/farmed there for 5 years. My husband had lived in Blackfoot for over 30 years.





Blackfoot, ID is about the same elivation, and weather, desert type ground as you have in Delta, UT.





I raise meat goats. My current herd is 78 goats. You need to get two goats. One goat is a lonely, bellowing, escaping, anoying creature. I assume you are getting goats for milk. I highly reccomend LaMancha goats first and foremost. Their temperments truely are outstanding. A very easy to handle goat for a beginer. You should breed your dairy goats to a Boer buck. That way you end up with 50/50 dairy goat/meat goat.





It will put more flesh on the males, for you to eat, or to sell them (you'll get a higher price). The 50/50 doelings can be sold to someone with a meat goat herd who should be very happy to be adding some dairy blood to their herd.





In that climate, you need to have a snug three sided shelter for the goats, with deep beding. Make sure you angle the opening away from the horrible winter blizzards.





How are you going to dig a root cellar in that lava rock soil? How are you going to keep it above freezing? Our soil always froze hard as concrete about two feet down, the winters are so brutal. I did well storing carrots, onions, potatoes, cabage and squash in our (mostly unheated) basement in Idaho.





Don't bother with wheat on just 1-3 acres. Much more work than it's worth. Besides the "big boys" grow miles of it all around you. Find a farmer to buy it from instead (about $6 for 50 pounds) or buy it from one of your local feed mills (about $11 for 50 pounds).





Animal feed wheat is no different than the wheat people eat. The only difference is its been cleaned (via having air blown over it) one less time that what is sold to humans. Just make sure it's not cracked wheat. You want the wheat grains (also called wheat berries) to be whole.





The wheat I am currently using to grind and bake bread for our family was put up (stored) by my mother-in-law over 30 years ago, in Idaho. The desert is the perfect climate for long term wheat storage.





Corn is a 120 day crop. You have possibly 90 frost free days. Be prepared to loose your crop, and spend a lot of time in early spring covering your baby corn plants every evening to prevent frost or snow from killing the plants.





Potatoes are grown everywhere around you. Again, I would buy those dirrectly from the farmer. Usually about $5 for the 50 pound sack.





Seed collection is different from different plants. First off you can only grow a single type of open pollination plant to collect "true" seeds. Otherwise the plants will cross pollinate.





That means if you grew Dragons Blood carrots, and Snow White carrots they would cross pollinate when you allowed them to go to seed. So you would end up with Snow Blood carrots, or a White Dragon carrot that would be NOTHING like the original seeds you planted. They might be good, but they might be bad too.





Check out a book from you library, or invest in purchasing on on seed saving. Different plants have their seeds harvested different ways.





Air dry your seeds completely (not hard in your climate). Then store them away in glass jars, or plastic bags in a cool, DARK place. The less light the seeds get on them, the better they will survive.





Some seeds will keep for hundreds of human lifetimes (like wheat). Other seeds, like corn, are good only for a couple of years, before the germination rate drops off too much.





Corn kernels should not be dried in the sun. Only the open air. Easy to do in your climate.





Chickens are great. However in your climate you will have to be very carefull of frozen combs, and even frozen legs. Make sure you have a well built (no drafts) hen house that can withstand the 80MPH blizzards you get in the winter. It's very sad to find you hen house accross the street, and your hens little frozen balls of feathers.





~Garnet


Permaculture farming/homesteading over 20 years




Yikes, this is a question. I farm soybeans and corn, but i do have a friend who is a vegetable farmer, im afraid i wont be able to help you much, but with corn seed collecting, it has soemthing to do with "detasseling" which i personally dont do.


Drying kernals i would assume would be a nessesady, but then again i'm not a vegetable farmer and wouldnt know professionally.


Sorry