How to Start a Homestead Part Two

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 96

How to Start a Homestead Part Two

In my first episode about homesteading I covered a variety of topics to help point you in the right direction. I did not talk much about the specifics of homesteading but I did lay the basic foundation for success.  

In this episode I want to get down to some specific actionable tips that you can start doing today. After all this is a lifestyle choice. It will take some time and a lot of hard work. When most people starting thinking about this, they don’t even know where to start. But after this episode you will be well on your way. So stayed tuned to How to Start a Homestead Part Two. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E96 which is called How to Start a Homestead Part Two. 

First of all I want to take a minute to emphasize something. I do not want my listeners to take this the wrong way because I am not a gloom and doom type person. But I truly think that our culture and society is headed in the wrong direction. We are  dependent on a global supply chain for our basic necessities. It has become painfully obvious over the last couple of years that we cannot depend on that supply chain because it is constantly disrupted by things that are far out of our control. Consequently, we are being robbed of any sort of personal security. But in my opinion, one of the best ways to regain some of that personal security is to take steps to be in control of many of your own resources. One of the best ways to do that is to start your own homestead. 

Become a Perpetual Student

But in order to do that you truly have to have the right attitude. If you are going to manage many of your own resources, creativity and ingenuity are going to be your best friends. Furthermore you can never stop learning. This means you are committing to being a perpetual student. 

For example, it is not as simple as reading a book on gardening and off you go. You have to consider your climate, growing season, soil type, average sun exposure. It not as simple as building a chicken coup and tossing in some birds and hoping for the best. 

Being successful as a homesteader mean that you will acquire numerous skills over time. I have had my homestead property for over 25 years and I am still learning new things. I am always researching and reading about new topics. For me in particular, it helps that I have a blog and podcast. But, I also have about 250 books on my iPad on numerous topics from small engine repair to solar design and installation.

Educate Yourself

Along with being a perpetual student, it goes without saying that you should educate yourself on a number of different topics. If you are interested in gardening, then learn as much as you can about gardening in whatever region you live in. If you want to raise chickens, then learn as much as you can about chickens. It pays to simply do some homework especially before you spend any money. 

Take Classes and Tours

If that is not enough, then take some classes and tours of working farms and homesteads. These days it is certainly possible to find someone that does home stays and allows you to actively participate in their farm or homestead. For example, it is much easier to learn how to process your own meat from someone that has done this before. Learning from a book is one thing but interactive learning from live humans is another level all together. You can also find conferences and weekend seminars that focus on homesteading. 

Find a Mentor, Join a Community

Another fantastic thing to do that will keep you motivated and on the right path and that is being a part of a community and maybe even having a mentor. You truly do not have to do this alone. If you don’t know where to start then get some help from someone with experience. Most homesteaders are more than happy to share the knowledge and skills.  

Start Small

But once you set you mind to it, I cannot over emphasize that you must start doing something. Start out small and learn one new thing at a time. By far the best way to learn is to learn by doing. But I want to be absolutely clear about something. You will make mistakes. You will have failures. That is why you must start small. If you want to raise chickens then start with 6 or 8 chickens and not two dozen.  At least if you make some mistakes, your losses will be limited.  But the benefit is that you will learn from those mistakes and improve your methods the next time. 

And you will be glad to know that it is no different with me. It was one thing for me to raise chickens when I was in South Carolina. It was another thing all together to raise chickens in the middle of the forest in Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation. There was a learning curve on the right breed to use, which ones could tolerate the cold, the extreme elevation, not to mention all the things I learned the hard way about predator control. 

Get Comfortable in the Kitchen

And as long as you are starting small, you should also start getting very comfortable in the kitchen. By far one of the best ways to make yourself more self reliant is to learn to cook from scratch. Learn to cook from a small list of basic ingredients much the same way your grandmother did. It is so inexpensive to bake homemade bread, make soup, make homemade spice mixes, as well as many other things. 

You should also get comfortable with home food preservation, especially canning. I am so surprised at the number of people these days that have no idea how to home can foods.  But this is another good example of how you can start out small. Get some basic equipment and start with the easy stuff. Try out a few things to build your confidence. Don’t wait until you have an enormous amount of excess produce from your home garden to start learning about home food preservation. 

Set Some Priorities

Now once you have tried out a few things and have gained some basic knowledge and skills, it it time to set some priorities regarding where you want to take this and how far do you want to go. There are a lot of important questions to answer. For example: 

Is it more important to you first learn about gardening?

If gardening is your priority, do you want to produce enough food to last you good portion of the year? 

If that is the case, are you interested in learning about home food preservation? 

Do you want to raise chickens for meat and eggs?

Do you want to raise rabbits for meat? 

Do you want to have fruit trees? 

Do you want to install solar? 

Do you want to build a greenhouse?

Do you want to build you own home?

Do you want to have bees and small livestock? 

Do you want to learn basic construction? 

And this is just a small list of skills required to live a bit more independently. So, you have to set some priorities. Keep in mind it is vital that you gain some basic skills prior to moving into a rural area where there are limited services. Even after 25 years of living on my homestead property it still takes enormous effort to get anyone up there to help with anything. Consequently, out of necessity I have learned to do many things my self. 

DIY Projects

And speaking of doing things for yourself, another simple thing you can do is to experiment with various DIY projects. Again, there is no better way to learn a new skill than active participation. Start with a simple construction project for example. Build a simple chicken coup if you want chickens. Finish out your garage if you have one. Once you are on a homestead, having these kinds of skills will save you a significant amount of money. 

Is your present property going to allow you to do what you want? 

And while you are setting priorities and learning about DIY, it is extremely important to decide if you present property is going to allow you to do what you want? 

That being said, there are a tremendous amount of things that can be done on a quarter acre of land right in the middle of an urban area. In the right location and in the right climate, you can produce a tremendous amount of fresh produce. There are a tremendous number of options for having an urban micro farm. So, just because you want to do some homesteading does not mean you have to move. 

Evaluate Your Present Property

And while you are thinking about that, it is important to carefully evaluate your  present property. Each property will have its own unique strengths and challenges. If you do not own the property where you presently live, what are the limitations to what you CAN do while you are there? If you own the property, how much do you want to invest if you are considering a move later on? 

Look at the size of the property and potential restrictions. A smaller property will be much easier to manage but may have limits on what you can do. You can have a tremendously productive garden in an urban area but you most likely not be able to have small farm animals. That is where a larger property in a rural area becomes advantageous. But then again, that means more responsibility. 

Location Makes a Difference

Depending on what you want to do, even the state you live in makes a huge difference. Location is extremely important. No matter how self-reliant you want to be, you still have to comply with local laws and regulations. In some cases, local laws could completely destroy your dreams of self sufficiency. In other locations, they may work tremendously in your favor. Consequently, there are several factors to consider. For example:

Rebates for renewable energy

What are the federal and local rebates for renewable energy such as solar. Some states have much larger rebates than others and these rebates can make your solar installation much more financially affordable. 

Net Metering

If you have a large solar array and are producing more electricity than you need, are the local net metering laws in your favor. What this means is whether or not you can sell your excess electricity to the local power company. Some states have terrible limitations while others work in your favor which is another factor in making your solar more affordable. 

Living Off the Grid

Another consideration is whether or not you will be allowed to disconnect from the grid. In some places this is actually illegal. If you want to be disconnected from the grid, then you cannot take advantage of net metering. Also, being disconnected from the grid may affect whether or not you can have homeowners insurance. Most insurance companies will factor that in as an increased risk. 

Homesteading Laws and Property Taxes

It is also important to look at local homesteading laws and property taxes. In states with high property taxes, it may not be affordable to own a large piece of land. Some states have tax exemptions for homesteads because your property is your main asset. Once again, things such as this works in your favor because it can drastically reduce your operating costs. 

Home Schooling Laws

If you want to live remotely and have children, you have to consider the practicality of home schooling and whether or not that is allowed in your state. 

Climate and Natural Resources

And while you are looking for the best location, you always have to consider the local climate and availability of natural resources for any land you are considering for purchase. Land may be cheap in parts of Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and other states. But land is cheap for a reason. Often it is inexpensive due to limitations in natural resources especially water. 

Colder locations may be less expensive but your growing season is often short. Warmer more humid locations have a much favorable growing season but are more prone to natural disasters. For example, the costal states may be more favorable for farming and homesteading but they are also more prone to extreme weather events and flooding. 

If gardening and raising animals is of interest I strongly recommend taking a look at the USDA Hardiness Zone map. Zones 6a and 8b are going to be more favorable for homesteading. 

Community

Is a sense of community important to you? If not, then local schools, farmers markets, road conditions and maintenance may not be important to you. But if you envision a small close knit community where people help each other out, that is going to make a difference in where you purchase property. 

Can you qualify as a farm?

And after all of this, depending on your financial resources, it may be important to find out if you can qualify as a farm. Many states provide tax benefits, rebates, and even tax deductions for feed, seed, and equipment. In some states this is very easy. For example, New Jersey only requires that you have 5 acres and sell an average of $1000 annually to be a farm. Other states are much stricter so it is important to check local laws.

Personal Safety

And lastly, one important factor that any people over look is that of personal safety. There have been several times I have injured myself while working the homestead. Fortunately, none of those injuries have been serious. And the area where I live is considered a no rescue zone in the winter. So, you also have to look at the  availability of  medical services. Not only that, if you live more remotely and have a homestead, it is going to be much more difficult to evacuate in the event of an emergency. I am just saying that I know from personal experience that if you prefer to live more remotely, that are some valid safety concerns that being to be considered. 

Summary

Now when I started this two part series about homesteading, one of the first things I stated was that this is a lifestyle choice. And with that choice comes advantages and disadvantages. Yes this kind of lifestyle is a lot of work at times. But it also brings an incredible amount of personal satisfaction, personal freedom, and personal security. 

And I think all of those things are important especially today when how our world functions seems to change on very short notice. At least when you are in control of a great deal of your personal resources you are insulated to some degree from such unexpected changes. 

I cannot over emphasize that many of the things that will make you a successful homesteader has to do with managing you personal affairs such as your money. If you have personal debt, then work on paying it off or at least reduce it to the point that it is not a significant deciding factor in how you choose to run your life.  

Along the same lines as managing your money, I also strongly recommend developing several streams of income. I have been successful at this for over 20 years. Having several streams of income will give your an extra layer of insulation against financial difficulties. 

Beyond that, become a perpetual student. Never stop learning. The specialization of our civilized world often relegates most people to a narrow set of skills.  Consequently, most of us have forgotten how to actually take care of ourselves. Becoming a homesteader, managing a huge portion of our own resources, and being more self reliant gets you back in touch with the fact that everything you do and everything you choose not to do has consequences. So, instead of depending on a huge infrastructure that you cannot understand nor control, learn to do things for yourself. 

The best part for me is that I speak from first hand experience. I’ve been doing this for many years and honestly I wouldn’t live any other way. If that is something you want to accomplish for yourself then there are very specific things you need to do. 

-First, do a reality check. Learn what homesteading is about and determine if it is for you. Remember this is a lifestyle choice, not a weekend hobby. 

-Look closely at your present life and lifestyle. If you are in debt, then pay it off. If not, then pay it down so that it is not a significant deciding factor in how you live. And by the way, this is something you should do whether you decided to homestead or not.

-Strive to simplify your life as much as possible. Reduce your responsibilities and obligations. If there are things in your life that do not produce any value, then get rid of it. You will be all the better for it. 

-Become a perpetual student. Learn as much as you can about homesteading and being self reliant. Make some new friends that are already homesteading. Visit some farms, take some classes, attend some seminars. 

-Start small and learn some basic skills before you make any kind of move. Set some priorities. If gardening is your thing, then learning as much as you can and start a garden. If you want to start with chickens then get maybe 6 or 8. Remember the best way to learn is by active participation.  You will make mistakes and have some losses. But if you start small any mishaps you may have will not result is significant loss. 

-Once you get a taste for being more self reliant, evaluate your present property and decide if you can do what you want with your present location. If not and you want or need to move, then keep in mind that where you go makes a huge difference. 

You have to consider whether or not you can live off the grid, laws around installing solar energy as well as net metering, become familiar with homesteading laws at any location you are considering, look at property tax rates, decide if you want to live in or near a small community or if you want to be more remote, look at the local climate and availability of other natural resources. Consider whether or not your homestead could qualify as a farm. And finally, you have to consider your personal safety and the availability of medical services in the event of an emergency. 

If you have been listening to me for awhile, you likely know that I am not a gloom and doom type person. I am just a very pragmatic type person. But I must say that in our ever changing world I think it is quickly becoming truly important that all of us try to be as self reliant as possible. Learning some basic skills of self reliance is valuable in and of itself. But if you follow through with the natural extension of that and actually start a homestead, then you are well on your way to being far more self reliant than most. And in my opinion, there is no better way to protect your personal security. 

My last bit of advice about starting a homestead is just to remember that this is not going to happen in day. It is going to be a process and it is going to be a lot of work. But, remember you are trying to establish a lifestyle that will give you a great deal of personal security and freedom.  Just don’t forget to enjoy the process. 

Well folks, that is it for now.  I hope you will join me next week for another episode.  But for now, this is your host Patrick signing off until next week.  Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.  

Patrick

Patrick