# What can I do with an acre of land? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768 "2006-03-10T00:15:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/21 "2006-03-10T20:18:38Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > You could build an airport with a giant treadmill for a runway. That idea will never get off the ground. An acre, from the standpoint of a suburban house lot, is a fairly decent piece of land. From the standpoint of agriculture or leisure activities , it’s mighty small. Slightly better than 200 feet on a side. Not enough to buy you the kind of isolation from the neighbors you’d need for paintball or camping. I’d say that the hardwood farm is one decent approach. The distance away sort of precludes anything maintenance intensive like xmas trees, an orchard, or an actual garden. I suppose you could plow it over and plant sunflowers. Of course, it sort of depends on where it is. An acre of land in New England, if left to its own, is going to become woods fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/22 "2006-03-10T20:22:57Z")
Rent it to NIST who can then use it as the standard measurement for an acre. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/23 "2006-03-10T20:25:34Z")
Am I really the first wise-ass to answer that what you can do with an acre of land is **plow it behind one ox in one day**? How did I get to be so lucky! See Wikipedia entry:[Acre:History](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acre) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/24 "2006-03-10T20:39:38Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Am I really the first wise-ass to answer that what you can do with an acre of land is **plow it behind one ox in one day**? Yes. And I’ll be the first wise-ass to ask: Is it between the salt water and the sea strand? ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/25 "2006-03-10T20:46:53Z")
Plant several conifer trees a year, and have a personal Christmas tree “U-cut it” lot for you and some friends. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/26 "2006-03-10T21:02:37Z")
> [@ArnoldIsNumeroUno](#): > > I inherited an acre of land. it is like an hour from me, I already own a house and this land is in the sticks so I don’t want to live there. But I don’t want to sell it either…what are some ideas for things I could use it for? We really need to understand the situation better. You say ‘sticks’ but does that mean outer suburbs or farmland? Is the idea to make some money off the land OR would you be happy just not having to pay out for taxes and such? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/27 "2006-03-10T21:58:16Z")
An acre is 43,560 sq ft or approx 208 x 208 feet (if square) Call the applicable municipal authority and confirm on the zoing. DO NOT use the tax listing data to confirm zoning, it’s often wrong or misleading . Once you know zoning that will determine the allowable range of uses. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/28 "2006-03-10T22:10:52Z")
You could donate to a [land trust](http://www.lta.org/aboutlt/) to keep it from being developed. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/29 "2006-03-11T00:30:37Z")
> [@Tastes of Chocolate](#): > > Plant several conifer trees a year, and have a personal Christmas tree “U-cut it” lot for you and some friends. In Oregon, people do this for a “farm” tax-writeoff. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/30 "2006-03-11T00:54:44Z")
Put a fence around it. Build a cabin and stockpile food and other necessities. Collect guns and explosives for defense and boobytrap the perimeter. Declare it a sovereign nation, fly a flag of your own design, and dare the law to screw with you lest you make defensive strike to protect the homeland. Believe me, they will be too scared to mess with you. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/31 "2006-03-12T18:05:57Z")
But seriously, what you can legally do on it depends in large part on the local zoning regulations. Check with the planning department for the area’s governmental entity. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/32 "2006-03-12T19:00:15Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > But seriously, what you can legally do on it depends in large part on the local zoning regulations. Check with the planning department for the area’s governmental entity. This is what I am going through right now, found a .9 acre lot for a great price, the zoning for intended use is kinda fuzzy but planning is saying OK, I am putting in a request for that in writing so I don’t buy it and then have them tell me no. In my case its my wife and I along with my sister and her husband, carving out a little “Drach estate” between the 4 of us. Lots of room for some fruit trees, deck areas, area for the kids to explore and have many an adventure without ever leaving the property. Looking forward to the joy of trenching for sewer and water lines. To the OP something like a small impromptu farm might be viable, just plant a bunch of assorted fruit and nut trees and leave it alone after a few years you should be able to buzz by and pick up enough fruit and nuts in an hour to make several happy neighbors and or free fruits for canning, jellymaking, or homebrewing if you are into that. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/33 "2006-03-13T01:35:35Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > just plant a bunch of assorted fruit and nut trees and leave it alone after a few years I don’t know about Michigan, but I think that in most of the U.S. there are very few desirable fruit or nut trees that do not require a lot of care (regular skillful pruning, weeding, proper fertilization, fungicides, insecticides, antibiotics, netting to protect fruits and nuts from squirrels, birds, etc.). I like the “valuable hardwood” idea or, if you are up for more of a challenge, you could cultivate mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/34 "2006-03-13T02:15:06Z")
> [@ArnoldIsNumeroUno](#): > > I inherited an acre of land. it is like an hour from me, I already own a house and this land is in the sticks so I don’t want to live there. But I don’t want to sell it either…what are some ideas for things I could use it for? Being dead serious, I would cultivate truffles. Put a stand of hazelnut trees on it, inoculate them with truffle fungus about 5 years in. About 5 years after that, just rent a pig, and presto, truffles at $200 a pound or whatever they go for. If I ever get an extra acre of land that’s what I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/35 "2006-03-13T03:05:32Z")
Is it between the salt water and the sea sand? Then you’d better reap it with a sickle of leather. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/36 "2006-03-13T03:09:14Z")
Build a small [trebuchet](http://www.trebuchet.com/) and fling things around. > [@garygnu](#): > > You could build an airport with a giant treadmill for a runway. Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/37 "2006-03-13T23:53:00Z")
> [@Yeah](#): > > I don’t know about Michigan, but I think that in most of the U.S. there are very few desirable fruit or nut trees that do not require a lot of care (regular skillful pruning, weeding, proper fertilization, fungicides, insecticides, antibiotics, netting to protect fruits and nuts from squirrels, birds, etc.). I like the “valuable hardwood” idea or, if you are up for more of a challenge, you could cultivate mushrooms. Well im also not talking about any kind of optimal yeild situation, its not like you are making a living on these plants. Sure you are going to loose alot to squirrels and such but in some ways I would think it would almost add to the experience having all the little critters around. Many other types of melons, fruits, berries whatever could be tossed around as well. just let them run wild, some will die out, some will thrive. If someone picks some…oh well. My only worry in a very rural area would be a bear moving in or something like a bobcat preying on all the little critters. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/38 "2006-03-14T01:05:48Z")
No General Question here. Let’s try IMHO. **samclem** ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Hello\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Lady)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/39 "2006-03-14T03:51:05Z")
I’d build a cabin with a nice, wide deck and use it at a retreat. Family and friends could make use of it when they wanted to as well. I’d also fence off an area for grazing and hire it out. There are plenty of blocks in our area where people do this. Fruit trees, vegetables sound fine, but not if you can’t easily tend to them. Something that grows well without much attention would be better. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768/40 "2006-03-14T06:01:03Z")
Just had a thought: are there close-by neighbors? How big a bastard can you be? Because you could plow the acre and sow it in dandelion, crab grass, bamboo, chinese lanterns, bittersweet, and every other noxious and/or invasive plant you could think of. And, as a bonus, there would be no need to maintain those plants in any way. They’re all ridiculously hardy, let them fight it out among themselves…at the same time they try their damnedest to take over the surroundings. After a couple of years of never ending battles against your invading horde, the neighbors would probably be ready to band together and off you a sizeable increase over the fair market value just to be able to nuke your ‘nature preserve.’ 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-an-acre-of-land/347768.md?page=3)