Meat is definitely not required. I'm not vegan but am considering it. A guy that works for me is strictly vegan and weighs about 240 lbs. He doesn't seem to be starving and competes at a high level in tae kwon do tournaments. http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/19/heart.attack.proof.diet/index.html
60 x 40 is not a "small spot" my friend, 25 x 25 is more than enough. If it's deer you're trying to keep out, check around for a used dog kennel. If it's coons, just plant out in the open, sometimes they get confused looking for a gate to unlatch. If it's rabbits, plant some for you and some for them. I name mine, that way it feels more like I'm sharing.
I was a vegetarian (not vegan still ate cheese and eggs) for 5 years and those were the best food tasting days of my life. Started eating meat again because in those days being a vegetarian was like being a communist and I had older people that invited me to dinner and it became just too awkward. My parents thought if I just ate a steak I would become normal again. Now even my old doctor who gave up on me as hopeless recomends Honey Bunchs of Oats intead of bacon and eggs.
140 At least that's what an Amish farmer I know farms. He says he has no use for any more land because his 140 is all he can handle especially now that the kids are all grown. Never worries about the price of oil, just what to do with all the hog sausage now that there are no boys around to eat it.
25 x 25, check. That would be much easier to work. I was going to give away what I can't eat. If I put a box of tomatoes out at work they're gone by 10:00 AM. People can't resist free fresh vegetables evidently. The rabbits aren't that bad it is the squirrels that are really destructive here. They're not the fluffy tree squirrels you see back east, these are nasty desert squirrels, more like a rat really. They wreck stuff just for fun. I've been shooting them but they've learned to put some distance between me and them and it takes a spectacular rifle shot to hit one these days. They'll just dig under any fence I put up. Anyway, I'll downscale my plans to a smaller plot. Just wanna do some tomatoes, corn, onions grow well here and so do carrots. I've thought about trying to grow some green peppers as well. My area is Climate Zone 11 so not everything will grow here. If I go vegan I'll probably still eat fish, yknow, maybe go to sushi once a week.
Trust me. I've been through it this Summer lol, and so has my neighbor. You need a fence that will keep the deer from putting their heads over and eating enough to work up the courage to jump the fence, and eat the rest. I threw moth balls around the small fence I have vs. his expensive 40'x120' six foot fence. Not only did the deer get him, so did the rabbits. I kept the deer out, but the rabbits did 'some' damage.' Nothing easy about growing your own food...
no kidding, after I have that first fresh tomato of the season I wonder what was and how did I eat that crap all winter?
I just finished a fresh tomato with a little sea salt and pepper. YUM! Where I live, we get fresh vegs about half the year. The other hydroponic stuff during the Winter and Fall tastes like crap compared to TRUE fresh vegs. Yes I know, some here may like other hydroponic "herbs" so I'm not picking on you. There's really nothing better than veggies you grew in the dirt. God had a plan. Btw, here's what's on the menu for this evening: From fresh crab to Crabcakes Fresh yellow fin tuna caught this morning, pan fried in some extra virgin olive oil, a little butter, some cayenne pepper, and cut garlic. Fresh corn from this morning Fresh tomatos, cucumbers, lettuce, tossed in a salad with feta, pepperoncini, red wine vinegar, parmesan cheese, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. I'm hungry now. Lol!