The Little Half Acre is located 4.5 miles east of downtown Bakersville, NC. We’re at about 3,000 feet altitude. Our property backs up to a land conservancy where there are no homes– only pristine forest for hundreds of acres.
We’re also located 5.3 miles from Roan Mountain as the crow flies. “The Roan,” as we call it around here, is the second highest mountain east of the Mississippi River at 6,285 feet. The Roan is a scenic 30 minute, 17.4 mile drive from our place. There’s a trailhead by the road, where the Appalachian Trail follows the mountain ridge. It’s a popular spot for hiking and sightseeing and with colossal views. Don’t miss it, and take your camera! Here’s a Google Map for your trip.
Roan Mountain has an interesting history, including The Cloudland Hotel.
What We Grow
Peach tree
Pear tree
Plum tree
Paw paw trees
Aronia berry
Honey berry
Blueberries
Blackberries
Fig trees
Apple trees (Grimes Golden and Stayman Winesap)
Hardy kiwi
Strawberries – June bearing and Ever Bearing
Black raspberries
Asparagus
Jerusalem artichokes
Kale
Lettuces
Bush beans
Pole beans
Yod Fa
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Broccoli
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Spinach
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Summer squash
Winter squash
Corn
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Carrots
Brussels sprouts
Collards
Corn
Cucumbers
Mustard
Mizuna
Peas
Peppers
Ground cherries
Swiss chard
Turnips
And there are various flowers, herbs etc.
Critters
Here’s a partial list of wild birds you may see, depending on the season:
Downy woodpeckers
Redheaded woodpeckers
Pileated woodpeckers
Red tailed hawks
Sharp-shinned hawks
Golden eagles (coming south from Canada during winter)
Towhees (one of our favorites!)
Ruffed Grouse – a rare sighting, strutting below our dining room window…
Thrushes
Black capped chickadees
Tufted titmouse
Dark eyed juncos
Ubiquitous blue jays
Mourning doves
Carolina wrens (we call them the Jack Russell terriers of the bird world)
Finches, including goldfinches who love our sunflowers
Hummingbirds
Wild turkeys (our resident tom’s name is O’Rourke, for his distinctive call)
Cardinals
Grosbeaks
Cow birds
Robins
The usual sparrows, garrulous crows (but they do chase hawks away from our chickens!), turkey vultures
Rare starlings and grackles in early Spring
Animals in our immediate area include:
Black bears
Deer
Bobcats
Foxes
Weasels (rarely if ever seen)
The usual suspects: raccoons, possums, skunks…
Mountain lions are sworn to be, and even reportedly sighted in the highest elevations.
We hear occasional coyotes at night, especially since the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy bought the property behind us. We have three kinds of large black snakes. Jackie found a 6 foot black racer curled up in a chicken coop nesting box just the other day with its mouth around a half-swallowed egg (a not-uncommon experience for those who keep chickens) and we see copperheads– but no rattlesnakes inhabit this area (whew!). We love to see black racers– even though they can be aggressive– as they help keep down the rodents and are known to eat copperheads.