Urban Homesteads and Communal Farms: How To Turn Dirt Into Gold [1]

By Carmen Allgood [2]
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

When Tiny is Huge: How a Family Produces 6,000 Pounds of Food in Their Back Yard

Just 30 minutes north of Los Angeles in the burbs of Pasadena, California, is a burgeoning tiny farm tucked snugly between three major freeways. For the last decade, the Dervaes family has proven the impossible dream can come true and happily shares the trials and tribulations of their Urban Homestead [3] with the world. Using Laura Ingalls Wilders’ autobiographical Little House children’s stories as a sweet-dream lifestyle, their chosen model for sustainable self-sufficiency is now dubbed: Little Homestead in the City.

The family of four raises more than 350 varieties of fruit, veggies, herbs, and berries on 1/10 of an acre, which translates to a 66′ x 66′ garden space. The tiny farm is also abuzz with bees making honey, while chickens and ducks lay eggs and lend their considerable skills to insect control. Other animals share the farm but are safe since the family has a vegetarian palette.