Hey everyone!
Just moved into this place on the edge of Austin (about 0.4 acre), and I'm finally ready to start my homesteading journey. The yard is mostly open grass, Kentucky bluegrass with some tall fescue and gets full sun most days.
Central Texas climate means mild winters and long growing seasons, which I'm hoping to take full advantage of.
My plan for this spring:
Build a small chicken coop from reclaimed lumber at Austin Hardwoods, starting with 4 hens (leaning toward Buff Orpingtons or Rhode Island Reds).
Set up raised beds along the back fence for tomatoes, beans, kale, and herbs.
Start composting with a Geobin system near the garden.
Monitor soil moisture with a Reotemp Soil Thermometer + Moisture Meter
And since mowing will eat into gardening time, I preordered a Navimow i210 to keep the lawn tidy while I focus on planting and tending the chickens.
I'm also looking at a Shakti Pumps solar-powered irrigation pump for dry summer months, want to keep things off-grid where possible.
Any advice? What veggies thrive here without constant babysitting? Any low-stress chicken breeds that do well in Texas heat? And if you've used a robot mower alongside animals or garden beds, did it play nice?
Excited to learn from this community!
by Ok-Abrocoma-5825
21 Comments
That sure looks like HOA territory. Make absolutely sure you are allowed to have chickens.
You’re quickly going to find out how much your neighbors are assholes!
I’d go with leghorns, they don’t mind heat as much as the fatter breeds.
Before you get too ahead of yourself you should look up your local zoning laws and whether or not you have an HOA. This cookie cutter neighborhood screams HOA.
Leghorns are pretty hardy for the heat. Make sure to predator proof your pen.
I’m only in Arkansas, but we ended up having two different growing seasons, spring and fall. Summer is right out, except for a bit of harvesting because of the heat.
The best thing to do there is to talk to your neighbors who have gardens, and the county extension service
This comes across like a bot trying to drop a bunch of product names at us-
That’s literally a subdivision.
Please check zoning laws first!
This does not seem well thought out
r/gardening
my first thought looking at this pic was neighborhood… pls make sure this is something you’re able to do first
“Homestead” in suburbia, that’s a new one
Are you in an HOA? Have you checked restrictions??
Even *if* you are allowed to have chickens they usually have strict rules about where they can go and how far they have to be from the house or other homes.
Compost bins may be an issue with neighbors. Again, please check your community rules!
Complaining neighbors will ruin things real quick!
Had chickens for ~10 years in Driftwood. Can confirm there are a LOT of breeds that do fine in this climate with shade and shelter and ample water access. Leghorns are great but healthy individual birds of most breeds sold around here are hardy enough for the summers and the winters here.
Buffs and RI Reds are very hearty and do well in the Northeast, I’d research to see if there is a more suitable breed for warmer climates? I am in the Northeast, have hearty breed hens, and if we get a warm spell in the summer they suffer without a lot of work to keep them cool unless they are free ranging in the woods
No, dude.
Pretty sure this is a bot y’all
🤨
This is Austin, lots of people do this in their back yards. Go to Callahan’s, they have both those breeds and others that are well suited for the area and can give good advice.
Assuming you’re not HOA, the city requires you to have your coop 50 feet from the nearest residence. Go online to Austin resource recovery, there you can get a rebate towards a composter or chicken coop. Consider completely covering your coop and run with a chain link shed or other enclosure. Coyote jumped our fence like it was nothing and took our flock out one summer after free ranging for 3 years.
If the regulations can’t stop you, your neighbors and the heat are your next problems. Plant some privacy vegetation along your fence that is close to your neighbors house asap. Consider installing sprinklers/irrigation before you do anything. You’ll find not much survives the summer without daily watering. It’s a real drag on any travel plans if it’s not automated or covered by someone.
These are the options we have with this post. It’s a bot, it’s a post with a bunch of adds or a rich person who has no idea what homesteading means.
What veggies will you grow? maybe find a suitable fruit tree!