Homesteading for beginners

Homesteading For Beginners Become Less Dependent

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Reviewed by Bethany Scott

Last Updated on October 10, 2024 by Alice Benny

homesteading for beginners – The world is changing at a rapid pace, and despite many advancements in the fields of science and technology, it appears that life is getting to be rather an expensive affair.

Homesteading for beginners aims to serve as part of a solution toward becoming more self-sustainable and less dependent on the external world, i.e. grocery stores and mass manufactured goods for daily living.

Homesteading For Beginners

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Homesteading in the past

Homesteading by definition is a term which was coined in the 1800’s to describe lifestyles which depended on the individual, or communities ability to fend for themselves by growing and rearing their own crops and livestock, and becoming self-sustainable via farmer’s markets and small scale businesses rather than large scale businesses.

Homesteading today

In the modern time, homesteading for beginners holds the same meaning, the difference being that it is currently being promoted as a lifestyle best suited for individuals and small families rather than communities, as was the case earlier when communities were more close-knit.

Homesteading for beginners ideally involves understanding one’s needs, heating your home with an outdoor furnace, i.e. sustainability in different contexts.

These needs are divided into categories, which will then help someone who is new to the field decide as to how they should approach their new lifestyle choice.
One of the common needs would naturally be food; this is where homesteading for beginners takes a leaf out of an old book, that being of the old homesteading community of the 1800’s, who survived on both, small patches of garden on which they grew vegetables and fruit, and also larger patches where they grew crops such as wheat.

Ways of making a living by homesteading

However, homesteading for beginners need not be restricted to only food and drink, and the mandatory jams and pickles that appear to be a quintessential addition to the farmer’s markets, which are part of this self-sustaining lifestyle.

One can also consider other aspects of living, which are modified greatly in a cost-effective fashion as part of the lifestyle.

If you are short on space, you may consider a DIY Hydroponic System.

A hydroponics system is a great way to grow produce.

A small example would be certain household items such as soap, shampoo and cleaning agents, which are usually purchased from a provision store.

Homesteading for beginners ensures that one makes these items at home, thus ensuring an economical and environment-friendly set of house products which cost little money and are equally, if not more effective than products that are mass manufactured and sold at department stores.

In context with the sustainability aspect of homesteading for beginners, many of those who have adapted to this lifestyle earn their living through the sale of their fresh products such as fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts, and also by selling homemade soaps, shampoos, cleaning agents, candles, and other items.

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It is common for small-scale industries to carry out similar activities, however, what sets the homesteading community apart is their farmer’s markets, which have grown in popularity worldwide due to their promise of pesticide and pollutant-free food and grain.

With a little research and practice, and careful research, it is possible for one to adapt to a lifestyle that involves homesteading and provides sustainability options.

Homestead Seeds
Homestead Seeds

Homestead Seeds

Nowadays there are so many options to buy seeds for your homestead.

There are literally catalogs flying everywhere as the season approaches.

A common mistake that newcomers to homesteading make is to plant everything in sight.

Experience will teach you that a careful selection of seeds to grow in the garden will increase the percentage of success considerably.

Homesteading Growing Season

This is probably the most important aspect for you to consider when you are whittling down the choices for different seeds.

Consider how long the growing season is.

There are certain varieties that require a much longer period of warm weather than might be available in your locality.

Sure, they look great in the catalog but there is no point if they are not feasible.

Similarly, the opposite may also be true when you are choosing the seeds.

There are certain crops like peas and lettuce that require a more moderate temperature over there life span.

Choose seeds that fit your climate zone is a wise way to go.

This can be a little tricky for newcomers although with a little research and maybe even some advice from other people in the area will help you narrow down the choices for your homestead seeds.

Things like the amount of rainfall in your location also affect the soil temperature.

Experience is truly the best teacher for the answers to such questions. Another good source is the seed supplier themselves.

They have usually been in the business long enough to know what variety of seeds is successful in what area.

But you can always DIY Hydroponic system and grow year round.

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Homesteading Budget

It is easy to spend a large amount of money buying seeds.

All those little packs add up after all!

A useful trick to keep in mind is to try and find large sizes of seed packs.

These can be found online or the mail order sites for the particular company.

Some companies also help you out by sending you a larger size directly to your home.

This turns out to be much cheaper as seeds are much cheaper when bought in bulk.

Find a seed variety that you like and buy it in large quantities.

If you feel that that you do not need these many seeds then you can team up with family members or other friends and order your seeds together so that it turns out to be more economical for the lot of you.

Living Off The Land
Living Off The Land

Of course, you have to be careful and make sure that the seeds last in storage.

Certain crops like corn and onions do not store well.

Homesteaders Living off the land

Living of the land is not only for the adventurous but also for the many eco-friendly people out there.

There are a lot of people who dream of living off the land but have not had the courage or the drive to do so.

Living off the land is not complicated or difficult if we keep a few checklists in mind.

Once we have a rough list of things to keep in mind, the process which will follow will be simple.

Of course, one must do a thorough research before venturing forth.

Also speaking to people who have been successfully living off the land is a good option.

The first and foremost thing to keep in mind when living off the land is a positive frame of mind.

If this is in place, you can achieve anything.

Like any new venture, things may not be smooth in the beginning, but one has to overcome these minor hurdles and learn from the experience to strive ahead.

With a positive outlook, anything can be achieved!

Don’t let any early setbacks put you in a negative psyche.

Work around it and move toward your goal of living off the land.

Homesteading land

When living off the land, the first thing to look into is the land. One must have a comfortable amount of land to live in and grow food to live on. Also, the nature of soil should be checked properly to estimate the crops it will yield.

Water source

The presence and availability of water resource should be checked in advance.

This is of prime importance as water is required for not only drinking, but also carrying out daily chores such as washing and cleaning.

Hence, a lake, river or stream should be present nearby.

Apart from this, when acquiring land, it is important to investigate the safety of the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

Build your Homesteader House

After acquiring the land, the next step would be to build your home.

The design depends from individual to individual keeping in mind their own style.

Ideally, the structure should be simple yet functional and adhering to eco-friendly structure.

Energy sources

Energy should be generated from natural resources such as solar power, wind and hydro power.

This energy would be required mainly for cooking, lighting and heating purpose.

Power conversation is important when living off the land.

Minimal energy should be used for lighting during daylight as maximum advantage should be taken of the natural lighting.

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Other Homesteading considerations

Additional factors to consider may be how close you will be to healthcare facilities and how close to an airport.

Living off the land may not be for the faint of heart, but it is an experience by itself.

To live with nature on a day to day basis and sustain yourself at the same time is a wonderful feeling which very few people get to practice.

Sustainable Living

Generally, a sustainable garden feeds just the people whose home or land it is attached to, but by slightly enlarging the project, one can create a small business.

The great thing about a micro garden is that it is sustainable, and a great way to teach children sustainability.

Experts suggest you need less water than with a conventional vegetable plot and can simply transfer rain water to the purpose of watering your plants.

Many types of plants can be grown, including leafy green vegetables and root veggies like carrots.

Herbs are especially easy to grow. Consider growing basil for seasoning foods and a stevia plant for sweetening drinks. 

All of these are highly nutritious and would be expensive to buy at a supermarket.

You might still have to supplement, but the savings would be enormous.

Another reason this method of gardening is sustainable is that gardeners are recommended to use soil and mulch created from what can be found locally.

Finally, if you are interested in organic gardening and getting away from GMO produce, creating a self-contained garden makes it even easier to prevent cross-contamination from nearby farms or neighboring gardens.

This includes the spread of weeds.

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Reducing Waste

A big part of green living is learning how to be self-sufficient.

When you buy produce, no matter how high quality it is, there is usually packaging around it.

To be really green, one strives to get rid of packaging entirely.

Produce grown at home does not have to be bagged in plastic or paper.

Indoor, Outdoor

Because a micro garden can be set up on a patio or a deck, it can be an indoor or outdoor venture.

The trick appears to be fitting as many tables and buckets into a small area as possible, with just the essential space for moving between plants to care for and harvest them.

An indoor garden is completely feasible where weather is too inclement to maintain an outdoor system or when the growing season is very short.

Moreover, many people only have a balcony at their disposal because they live in an apartment.

If they can get enough sun onto their herbs and veggies, there is no reason to rely on the produce department of the local grocery store.

Urbanites can enter the green revolution.

Sustainable Businesses

Because a sustainable micro garden is typically an independent operation for the benefit of a family or household and is very small, raising a business from this practice seems unlikely.

Yet, add a few more boxes, expand the venture while remaining small, and you could have the beginnings of a green business.

Sell the excess produce you grow, even if there is only a little bit.

Local grocers sometimes buy goods from individuals with green thumbs.

A Green Consulting Business

Besides growing and selling herbs and lettuce, consumers with skills can work as consultants to other householders.

Those with high education, such as individuals holding project management degrees can be of great assistance in starting and maintaining a green business.

Experience is valuable. Hire yourself out as a teacher with the skill of turning a 4-foot-square brown brick terrace into green space.

Act as hired troubleshooter.

People will also pay to get a micro garden growing.

A one-off cost will be quickly justified as the pots flourish for seasons to come.

Many community groups need this kind of help but cannot afford to pay.

Become a volunteer consultant, or apply to organizations that provide funding for green management to low-income families who will make an effort to become self-sustaining if they know where to start.

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