meg
Congrats on your goals! And I’m envious of your 2 acre garden plot. I don’t have nearly that much space, but I have my front yard and another 100 sq. ft plot about 6 blocks away from home planted. Several of us renegades in the ‘hood are planting out about 1/4 of an empty lot, outside of the city’s P-patch oversight but with the owner’s okay. Keeps it free of charge, but makes us careful about water cuz we haul it in. In my back yard, I have a few 3-1/2 year old hens and an old rooster. We are hatching out our own eggs, right now — under our own broody mama so cute — so that we can have much better egg production next spring. Still, the chicken poop never slows and is garden gold. I’ve slaughtered two of my own — it’s not easy for me. At this point I don’t think we can produce all our own meat, except if we were to concentrate on rabbits. I’d love to raise ducks and even goats, but would need a lot more space. Where’s your rural land?