Tips to Homesteading

Posts Tagged ‘land’

So how long before a child starts taking his/her first steps (at about 10 months to a year old) before you expect them to be in the Boston Marathon? Tomorrow?

If you think about it, that’s what we do to ourselves. We take huge leaps past some vital steps that are needed in homesteading. We think we need all the equipment, land, livestock and THEN we’re homesteading.

This is not the case. If we are taking ‘baby steps’ we’re still walking.  If we are doing a little of ‘this and that’ we are still homsteadING. Notice the ‘ing’ – it is a process.

Only if we give up on the process do we cease stepping in the homesteading direction.

Keep walking, taking baby steps and keep working out that dream of homesteading. Don’t be so hard on your self if you’re at least taking steps.

EnJOY the journey!

Best Blessings!

The Millers

Donna Miller is an author, teacher and entrepreneur. Her favorite roles are that of wife and mother to three home-school graduates. Living with a Homesteading Mindset in the country, the city and suburbs has been an adventure! The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House  which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more. Listen to her Radio Show – Live or Archived at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/millersgrainhouse

Technorati Tags: baby steps, equipment, homesteading, land, livestock, tips

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So the economy has turned topsy-turvy and you’re wallet has turned inside out.

The dream of having that large spread of land and the acres of fertile soil to grow and homestead on seems farther out of reach than ever. Don’t give up on the dream, learn some much needed skills (and scratch that homesteading itch) by becoming an urban homsteader.

This is not as new of a twist on homesteading as the recent media may make it seem. Many people who have dreamed of owning a large homestead have learned to make a life of homesteading in a more urban environment.

Here are a few things that can get you started:

• Compost – fruits and veggies can be composted with little annoyance to the neighbors.
• Grow Boxes – or indoor growing gardens like this one turn counter space into garden space.
• Study/learn skills – Libraries, on line, good subscriptions to magazines help keep the dream alive. So does this book – “Making the Best of Basics”
• Practice skills – Contact your local Co-op or Agricultural extention for classes and fairs.

Look at all areas of your urban environment more creatively and you can learn many needed skills that any homesteader needs. From tending small animals (some areas will let you keep a chicken or goat or two) to gaining that green thumb, you can preserve and go back to basics right where you are!

Homesteading on a Sub-urban Scale

Happy Homesteading – no matter where you live!

Best Blessings!

The Millers

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Tuesday’s Tip to Homesteading: “Start Smaller than your Dream” is by NO MEANS a damper on your vision of homesteading! If anything, it is to keep that from happening.

Once you’ve gotten the homesteading ‘bug’ it is almost impossible to get rid of it. We had a short stint in Southern California suburbia that down-right almost killed me! Who mows the lawn with an electric PLUG IN mower? Yikes!

But that ‘bug’ can also make you bite off more than you can chew. Those dreams of land spreading out so far and wide, possibly crops or livestock, rolling hills or wide open prairies, mountains to climb or root cellars in the ground, stream, creek, river or lake, it doesn’t matter, your mind can wander all day long once you’ve gotten the homesteading ‘bug’ – but if you can’t keep up with that land (and yes, any homesteader knows it really doesn’t just SIT THERE) then you will lose sight of your dreams as they give way to tired bodies and aching muscles. So start small.

Our first journey into homesteading was my back yard garden in a quiet suburban neighborhood. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just know I loved the smell of the dirt, getting dirty and then reaping the rewards.

Next we moved to about 7 acres and expanded to some fruit and nut trees, figs, two rows of grapevines, and a much larger and more productive garden. Closer to the house we built a small chicken coup with a run outside (although the chickens roamed freely all day) and a bunny cage with four bunnies (for fertilizer purposes, they were pets). We also managed to have an acre out back for some sheep and goats. This was quite manageable even with small kids and work, this was enough room, yet not too much to manage. It was a very, very productive little homestead.

Currently we are on 15 acres of which about half of it is woods. Don’t let those woods fool you, they too need occasional tending. When they are yours, and a stray cow or neighbor’s livestock wander into your woods, you need to know you can get through there to find it. Also, woods tend to attract ‘wayward’ hunters and their hunting dogs (that will wreak havoc with your livestock if they spy them through the trees). So don’t assume a lot of woods mean ‘care-free’ land.

On what can be utilized we have expanded our fruit and nut trees, have other grapevines and the garden is about 20 times the size what was in the first back yard garden. Our livestock did not make the move here, so we are slowly rebuilding the chickens, bunnies, goats and sheep. The grain business keeps us busy as well.

But I share all this to say it is a process. Don’t shoot for your dream 288 acres right out of the gate! You might just get overwhelmed and give up and regret giving up! Build those homesteading skills like any other skill – with fundamentals and practice.

Take into consideration what you want to do, start small and build on it. Most people who truly want to homestead know the patience of growing things and the seasons it takes for planting, growing and harvesting are in order. So, don’t jump the gun and bite off more than you can chew (how’s that for combining two clichés?) and get overwhelmed!

Two books that I highly recommend are listed below. You can find them online.

Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management by Maurice G. Kains

Ten Acres Enough: The Classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming  

by Edmund Morris

Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!

Donna Miller

 Donna Miller is a work-from-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning to homestead anywhere. The Millers own and operate 

Millers Grain House  which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

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