Discover nine essential steps to begin turning your property into a homestead. From planning to implementation, kickstart your homesteading journey today.
Homesteading, going off-grid, self-sufficiency, and living off the land are all buzzwords and trends that have been brought back to life by the younger generations. It may be because of the rising cost of living or due to the need to reconnect with nature: people are looking to restore their relationship with the natural world, polish their survival skills, and become less dependent on food and energy supplies. But, in practice, how do you get started?
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about turning your property—no matter how big or small—into a fully-functioning homestead. Let’s get started.
Identify Your Homesteading Goals
Before anything else, be sure to have an answer for this question: “Why do I want to start a homestead?”. For many, this can simply be a way to test their green thumb or go back to nature. For others, it may be about establishing an additional income stream, changing their lifestyles, or simply testing their outdoor skills.
Homesteading may not be for everyone, and it is certainly hard work, but it can also be a rewarding lifestyle choice. Just think of this: if you are working from home, you could be doing so in a local, rural community surrounded by fresh air and lush greenery!
Assess Your Land: Find What Nature is Ready to Give
Next up, it is important to assess your land. You may already have a property, or you are ready to purchase an older house to flip in the countryside. In any case, starting a homestead is about working with nature, not against it. Certainly, you can build greenhouses and hydroponic systems to grow non-native vegetables and herbs. But it is much easier to leverage what nature is ready to give! Some ways to be better informed include:
- Understand the type of soil and climate in your area
- Look at what’s already growing in and around your property
- Check your plant hardiness zone
Learn More About Water Management
If you are living off the grid, you will need to learn how to manage your water supply and sewage. In most cases, you’ll need to install a water tank and a septic tank, as well as a water purification system if needed.
You may also consider learning about collecting rainwater and honing your strategies to prepare for a water outage, such as storing drinking water and installing a water cistern.
Maximize Energy Efficiency: Learning the Ropes of Going Off-Grid
From an energetic viewpoint, “self-sufficiency” can mean a lot of different things. You may have solar systems that allow you to produce, use, and store your own energy. Or, you can have a generator that allows you to remain connected and safe during power outages. In any case, it is important to learn about energy supplies and suppliers in the area so that you can make a well-informed, efficient choice.
Get Started With Growing Your Own Vegetables
Growing your own vegetables, fruit, and herbs is a core aspect of homesteading. This activity can help you save a lot of money and exercise far more control over the quality and safety of the food you bring to your own dinner table.
As we have mentioned above, you should get started by learning about the products that grow easily in the area where you are from. You may also consider installing greenhouses to make the process more efficient or if you are looking to detach yourself completely from standard food supply systems.
Preserve Your Produce: Learn The Art of Food Storage
Growing your produce is certainly an important part of establishing your homestead. But as soon as you dive into this world, you’ll have to face a challenge: nature’s seasonality. This means that your grounds can be extremely fertile in the summer but not in the winter, and that you may have shortages of food and supplies in certain seasons.
As you are still learning about growing your own food, you may consider topping up your supplies at the grocery store. However, as you make your way toward self-sufficiency, food storage techniques like canning, freezing, dehydration, and fermentation will become your best friends!
Expand Your Livable Space With Garages and Shelters
Depending on the size of your property, you may need to optimize your livable space with high-quality, ad hoc garages and shelters. Custom Steel Buildings & Garages are a great option to provide shelter to animals and tools, enlarge your workshops, and even store food and water in the long term. Working with a specialist can help you better understand your needs and the types of buildings you can build on your land.
Invest In Building Your Own Skills
There’s no hard-and-fast rule to success when it comes to homesteading, but investing in your own skills is something that will never be wrong. While any skill you may already have will be beneficial in your journey, there are some abilities that can be particularly helpful.
These include:
- Wilderness skills. Skills like lighting a fire, building shelter, finding food, navigation, and purifying water can help you feel a lot more confident in a natural environment.
- Providing first aid. Whether it is about your own safety or helping someone else in distress, learning how to provide first aid to yourself and others is essential.
- Learn to produce crafts. Learning about and selling crafts such as beeswax candles, preserves, fermented foods and drinks, and natural dyes can help you build an additional income stream.
- Caring for farm animals. Even if you are not raising animals for food, you should learn about caring for farm animals. They provide essential company when running a homestead!
Starting Your Homesteading Adventure: Connect With the Homesteading Community
You are never alone on your homesteading journey! There’s a growing community out there—online and offline—ready to provide support and help. Plus, given how unique this adventure is, you are bound to make friends for life.
Besides the homesteading community out there, don’t forget to make an effort to meet and get to know your neighbors, as well as local families and businesses. This simple tip helps you build an invaluable community and support network around you.
