Starting Your Homestead: The Top 10 Things to Consider
Embarking on a homesteading journey is a transformative experience, filled with learning and growth. Drawing from the collective wisdom of pioneers like Joel Salatin, John Suskovich, Justin Rhodes, the broader homesteading community like Aust of Homesteady, and insights from Josh and Annie McElroy of Heartway Farms, here are the top 10 considerations for starting your homestead:
Be sure to check out the FREE PDF with an abundance of resources and homestead checklist! CLICK HERE
1. Land Selection
Climate: Understand your local climate intricacies. You can accomplish this by observing your land and utilizing permaculture principles This influences your choice of crops and livestock, ensuring you work with nature rather than against it.
Soil & Water: Test your soil and ensure quality access to water. Homesteaders like The Rhodes' and The McElroy family advocate for sustainable practices that begin with understanding and improving the land you have.
2. Legalities and Zoning
Know the local laws before you start. The importance of zoning and compliance, from animal regulations to building permissions, are worthy of taking time to understand to save yourself from frustrations and avoidable conflicts.
3. Infrastructure Basics
Begin with what's necessary, not extravagant. Heartway Farms approach to starting with a farm that fits their family's needs reflects the core of growing where your planted with what you have available. Plan for adaptability in your structures and take time to learn about your land before making permeant decisions as taught by Justin Rhodes.
4. Sustainable Energy and Water Use
Consider solar power for your energy needs, inspired by simple yet effective solutions seen across homesteads. Heartway Farms discus water conservation and the use of the RPS solar pumps as a solution, aligning with Justin Rhodes' emphasis on efficient water use through the use of surface groundwater.
5. Garden Planning
Plan your garden with permaculture in mind, as suggested by Rhodes, but with an eye for family integration, a point that many homesteaders often touch upon. Rotate crops, use companion planting, and keep it organic, supporting soil health and biodiversity. Additionally, chickens are a great resource to utilize in amending your gardens with the use of portable chicken tractors or poultry netting.
6. Choosing Your Livestock
Pick animals that match your land and lifestyle. Heartway Farms experiences with chickens, sheep, and bees can guide you, emphasizing humane and practical management, akin to Salatin’s rotational grazing methods. By learning your property and its unique ablity to be better suited for certain species you can work with the land and not fight it!
7. Waste Management
Turn waste into wealth with composting, a practice central to sustainable homesteading. Heartway Farms simple composting methods mirror Suskovich’s approach to reducing and converting waste through recycling and reuse. If you have the space you can produce an abundant source of black gold for your gardens right at your homestead.
8. Food Preservation
Learn preservation techniques like canning and fermenting, which Homesteading Family and Heartway Farms often share through their content. Annie of Heartway Farms shares an abundance of resources regarding canning meats and sessional produce with the Presto digital canner, traditional pressure canner, and water bath canning. This not only extends your harvest but also deepens your connection to your food, much like The Homesteading Family's philosophy on food processing and preservation.
9. DIY Skills
Homesteading requires a DIY mindset. From building garden beds to creating homemade cleaners, the Heartway Farms projects show how to incorporate family into the homesteading process, blending utility with education, similar to Rhodes' innovative designs and adaptive philosophy. Be sure to check out the FREE PDF with an abundance of resources and homestead checklist! CLICK HERE
10. Building Community
Homesteading thrives on community. Josh and Annie of Heartway Farms emphasize the importance of community in homesteading, from sharing knowledge to trading goods. This echoes the broader homesteading ethos of collaboration over competition and building resiliency as a community. Another great place to gain knowledge and build community is at Abundance Plus. The Abundance Plus community is packed full of resources and education! CLICK To Access Abundance Plus
Breaking It Down:
Starting a homestead is about crafting a life that's sustainable, educational, and community-oriented. By blending the practical wisdom of Joel Salatin, John Suskovich, Justin Rhodes, insights from Aust with Homesteady, and the family-focused approach of Josh and Annie McElroy of Heartway Farms, you're well on your way to a fulfilling homesteading lifestyle. It's a journey of learning, adapting, and growing alongside your land and community.
Resources for Your Homesteading Journey:
Books and content by Joel Salatin, John Suskovich, and online resources from Justin Rhodes.
Podcasts and content from Josh and Annie McElroy of Heartway Farms YouTube Channel.
Websites like www.heartwayfarms.com and www.homesteadingfamily.com for additional insights.
Local or online homesteading groups such as Abundance Plus for support and shared learning.
Remember, homesteading is a personal journey. Each step you take is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, your environment, and how to build resiliency with both.
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