trying to make the most of
a Half acre in
suburban Michigan
If your backyard is a blank canvas, you’re the artist, and this piece of land is your masterpiece in the making.
Welcome to my half-acre homestead, tucked in the heart of suburban Michigan. This space is more than soil and seeds, it’s a living story. Once a hunting ground for the Sauk and Chippewa people, later a working farm, every square foot of this land holds echoes of the past.
Today, I’m doing my part to honor that history, coaxing life from sandy soil, planting with intention, and cultivating a space that feeds both body and soul. From ancient arrowheads to sprouting seedlings, this land never stops revealing its secrets.
Whether it's heirloom vegetables, wild edible plants, or the simple tools that keep it all going, this "homestead" is a hands-on journey toward sustainability and gratitude.
Every garden has a story. This is mine.
MICHIGAN
This is where I live.
The Mitton, Michigan's lower peninsula would naturally be covered in forests and fields, lakes and streams. It generally ranges between climate zones 5 and 6; my location is a solid 6a maybe even 6b and there are certainly warmer micro-climates in and around my house.
I love geography and history and there's a lot to learn about this area. Filled with lakes and creeks, animals are abundant. In the past the Sauk and Chippewa people were in this area, an important hunting ground. I found a native arrowhead while digging deep in the side of the yard a few years ago, testament to their activity. Later on this was a large farm and my house sits on the location of the old barn. I commonly contend with stone walls underground that were once animals pens.
Much of this part of Michigan has heavy clay soil, nutrient rich but dense, but my yard is naturally very sandy, probably because of its proximity to the many lakes nearby.
I'm learning the personality of the land and finding that it's capable of growing many things. My fun task is learning how to live with this land and grow things here successfully.
My Half-Acre Homestead in 1955 and again in 2024. In 1955 two barns sat where the current house and lot are now, one in the exact location of the current house.
"God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures."
Francis Bacon
