what do you use and or need for homestead life

this maybe a crazy sort of question but im curious. and I want to try and educate people who have no idea what it takes to grow acres of varied crops or livestock. what do you utilize or need to keep your homestead up and bring in the crops or I guess provide self sufficiency. this is all inclusive including land, buildings or other structures, equipment, livestock. raw materials, resources ect. the reason im asking is maybe not just for myself but also for those who may be just looking for land thinking they are going to make the big move in life to start homesteading and become self sufficient not having to rely on things like people in the cities or suburbs have to.
for me anyway I could  not get along without tractor and implements, chainsaw, mower, many hand tools and a place and tools to maintain equipment and covered storage for all of it.
as we'll as a living, cooking and bath space, with some hot and cold running water makes the basics of everyday life just that much easier.

Not crazy at all Bruce.  Actually I think this is a great question and topic.

I guess I will try by putting my list into categories—some of which will look obvious.

Bare Basics

1.  Land!  Must have water access, decent fertility, reasonable climate (temperate to cold for me).

2. House.
3. Medium sized utility tractor (30-50 hp) + implements (Loader, bush hog, grader blade are absolute necessities.  Others desirable).
4. Some vehicle w/decent cargo capacity


Important but not strictly necessary

5. Extra tractor implements (Flail Mower, Box Blade, additional tractor hydraulics).

6.  Some woods/wild area
7.  Pond
8.  Solar Power would be great!

Odds and ends

9.  Lots of battery powered tools
10.  Hand Tools—mechanical, carpentry, etc.
11.  Long handled gardening tools—Rake, grub hoe, shovels, scuffle hoes, etc.  These should be solid, forged tools, not cheap, big box varieties.
12.  Boots, gloves, and appropriate apparel.


13.  Feel free to add to this list.



Eric

I feel this is a great question.

When we were moving to our homestead the first thing we did was to fence the property.

We were given chainlink fencing so that is what we used for the front of the property as were going to have kids, and dogs and it was free except for the labor.

The back half where the cattle, etc would be was fenced with barbed wire.

Next was the purchase of a tractor as we had the money from the sale of our house and planned a big garden.

We already had most of our tools so other things were bought as needed.

Must haves in my opinion
- a well, piped water or some kind of water body, be it a pond or a river

- a decent shed for storage and workshop. You will need lots of tools and a place for making things, repairing tools and maintenance

- root cellar or food shed. If you try to be even modestly self-sufficient, you will be storing lots of potatoes 😄

- trees for windbreak, shade, firewood, pasturing. Can be planted but better would be to have some already

- greenhouse of some kind unless you live in an area without winters

- fenced pasture, as you will surely have some kind of animals - be it poultry or something bigger. There should be an animal shed with space for feed and bedding.

Great list so far.

I really want a tractor, but our land is so sloped that I will probably have to get a two wheel/walk behind tractor. Only about an eighth of land would be safe for a tractor.

This is likely to be controversial, but actual self sufficiency requires weapons to protect yourself from aggression, whether it be human or animal.  If you can't do this, you are either dependent on someone else to do it for you or you are depending on the situation never occurring to you.

This is different from hunting weapons or slaughtering tools, both of which are optional activities.

I look forward to more entries on this list.

I second Kaarina's item about the root cellar or food shed. I would also expand it to a place for processing your harvest. You would be surprised how much room you need and freezer space for processing meat. Even if its outside, you would need a place and some tables. Drying onions, garlic, and similar takes up room if you have a lot. You need room in your kitchen for freezing/canning/drying. Many times you can use the same space (kitchen) for instance, bu you have to stay organized and often need lots of jars/bags/trays, etc. Then, once its is processed, you need that root cellar/food shed/larder to put things into.

I love everyone's answers so far.  I would add that I think the most important thing to have is a real, deep-felt, to-the-bone desire to live the homestead life.  If you have that, you will figure out how to make the rest work with whatever limitations you have.  Without it, all the tools in the world won't get you there.  Homesteading isn't an easy way of life and sacrifices will be made to do it.  I don't think it's something that should be decided on a whim, or from some romantic idea of how it will work.

As far as a list of more tangible items,

Land
A good source of water
fencing
A pickup
At least one good reliable dog, and more is better.  If I had nothing else on the list, I would want to have a dog.
The same type of tools most anyone that owns a house needs

Land
Water
Water delivery system
Good out buildings.  A couple of years ago I put in a couple of cheap carports for hay storage and a machine shed as well as a garden shed.  They were worth every penny and saved    
       many trips to the barn.
Tractor with a front end loader.
Pick up truck.
Education:  small engine repair and welding
What I find to be a strange combination of patience and drive.  The patience to carefully consider all consequences of each decision and the drive to get things done even if it is new          
         territory.

5.1  A good, large tool shed big enough for my tractor.  Others have mentioned it and I should have listed it in the nice-but-not-strictly-necessary category.  At present I don't have one of these, but I would like to add one in the future.

Out buildings is a good one! I recentley have built a couple (think pole barn but 1/8 size and built by a monkey) and they have been very beneficial. Kicking myself for waiting so long.

I know good the best boots has been mentioned but that is the other thing I am feeling grateful for this fall.

A community - good neighbors if available. "Self-sufficient" is usually a goal, not a reality particularly in the beginning. Being part of a community that you can give to, receive from, barter with, enjoy the company of will likely improve your odds of success.

Yes, I hear the moans from all the introverts in the crowd, but seriously, trying to at least have a "looking out for" attitude fostered so if something bad happens you can get at least a little help, can make a big difference. They don't have to be "best buds".

Hi Jay,

I have often commented on the importance of having good neighbors (hence, being a good neighbor).  Without a doubt, I am on the spectrum. But I pump myself up and make a point of speaking with each of my neighbors twice a year.  

I am surprised at the concept of having tools to deal with aggression, at 74 yeras young, I have never been in a situation where I have not been able to discuss the issues and everybody has walked away.
In Australia we have very tight gun laws which gives us the freedom to go anywhere without fear.

When I purchased my place  it was bare land in a forest.
- I store 500,000L of water in 2 dams [ponds] which have fish.
- It had to be able to accomodate a practise race track for my sidecars and be distant enough from neighbours to run them without complaint.
- North facing block, in your hemisphere a south facing block is best.
- I have built all the items you all have listed.
My house is only 900 sq. ft and that is adequate for us, because we live outside mostly.
My sheds are about 4000 sq. ft which I think is about the correct ratio compared with the house.

One thing I have not seen mentioned is  an iron-clad, unyielding sense of humor.  The number of times that has 'provided' when all seemed impossible and insurmountable I can't even begin to count! :-)

Love this thread!
I am just beginning on my own land (at 71). I did my research. Some of my research has shown a way that would not have been possible before now. Therefore, my plans and strength are more than adequate for completion.
Having lived this life for others for most of my life, I am more than willing and capable to fulfill my dream of off-grid, permacultural living. I know that my tenacity will pay off and, this time, it’s my own land and design.
God is good!

Not speaking from experience, so not necessarily all that valuable.

Like most things permaculture, the answer is "it depends" (and that answer works exceedingly well in other areas of life).

I think an element is that we need to start by looking at what one wants to accomplish.  It will be a different answer for "city folk" who want to move outside the city and have a big garden but keep their job and income than it will be for someone who is looking to unplug from as much as they can and be as self-reliant as possible.  Of course, there will be everything in between on that spectrum.

Another thing I've come to believe is that there is no such thing as self-sufficiency.  There is certainly self-reliance and you could arguably have a fairly self-sufficient community, but being able to do everything yourself is a stretch if not impossible.  

So, I think a good set of goals and plans is probably the best starting point.  From there, one can set priorities and break things down to what is achievable with certain resources (time, money, labour, 8 forms of capital).

Seems to me it can be sequential. First you need land, and if there isn't a shelter on it,you need the materials and tools to build one, so you have shelter. The year you build your house, maybe you don't even bother with a garden (that's how it was for us--altho I did accumulate organic matter for the garden that year). Then you need a garden and I'd say, a chicken coop. You almost certainly need a good fence for your garden; we now have a fenced run for the chickens, but they were free range for years. I've never had a tractor, but am not trying to do commercial farming, just self-sufficiency homesteading, and around here the land is mostly too steep for tractors (or commercial farming) anyway. The second year I put in the main garden, started an orchard and we put in the chicken coop, while mostly my husband finished the house. We then expanded the woodshed, which we built even before the house, to hold boards while they seasoned, and then firewood. At the end of the second year we installed solar panels, and the rest of an off-grid system. Then we added a rootcellar, and is common around here, instead of topping it with soil and concrete, built a garden shed on top. And I started another garden patch. We have a small car for most frequent use and an old, large beater of a pickup for hauling gravel for our lane, sand and manure for my gardens, and occasionally other things. We have a rototiller, used only in the flat garden space where I grow corn and sorghum; I use a shovel in my raised beds. We now have two dogs, who are mixed help/problem. I don't have good relations--or any relations--with my more distant neighbors, but this is a land trust so I have good cooperative relations with one remaining leasehold, but two leaseholds are currently vacant and WE ARE SEEKING PEOPLE TO MOVE IN, WITH ALREADY BUILT HOUSES, AVAILABLE FOR $10,000 AND $9000 FOR the "improvements," which are owned while the land is a lifetime lease (no cost).. If interested, check out Hickory Ridge Land Trust at ic.org in the Directory.
Anyway, my overall point here is that you don't have to assemble everything you need before moving onto the land. And the list of things you "use or need" goes on and on...but about drying stuff like garlic and onions, we now poke the onions through a hanging screen of two-inch-mesh poultry netting, which doesn't take much space--the onions do but they follow the garlic, in July, and are braided and hanging by the time I have other things needing drying space. I spread grains to dry on the window shelf of my greenhouse in June or July; in September I'm likely to have beans, peanuts and sunflowers vying for space there. We're talking about building what my husband calls a barn, for storing hay in the dry, and drying the things just mentioned, and running a wood-fired syrup boiler for maple syrup and sorghum, maybe an outdoor canning kitchen...--fi we ever get to it.

On the aggression thing, merely that I have not had to deal with a situation I couldn't talk my way out of doesn't mean they don't happen. The public record and other sources of information prove out they do happen and happen often.

Consider one of thousands upon thousands of examples, the little kid who took out the scum who broke into his family's home.

He didn't know they had already murdered his immediate neighbors.  Still, reasonable minds know some people can't be reasoned with, and if they broke through your front door while you were home, it's not likely they can be made your friend.  In the end, he solved a problem in a way that kept him and his sisters safe.

On a grander scale, countries that do not or cannot defend themselves often become the property of other people not inclined to have their best interests at heart.

BIG doggies are great deterrents to some problems. They can be a bit like driving with your lights on. You'll never know how many times those lights saved you from calamity.

When I bought my 17 acreas of happiness, I had a party and invited my new neighbors over to explain my vision. That was the best decission. I got so much support in the form of help and advice. We are all friends and still help each other.
As for tools and equipment, if you need it today you'll need it tomarrow, so buy the best quality you can afford.
Stay out of debt. You can never be free if you owe money to others.  I only have two expenses, one property taxes and insurence. I have a water powered generator for electric and a wood burner for cooking and heat. I do home health care for money. I can charge on a sliding scale because I'm self sufficiant on my farm.

Thea Morales wrote:Love this thread!
I am just beginning on my own land (at 71). I did my research. Some of my research has shown a way that would not have been possible before now. Therefore, my plans and strength are more than adequate for completion.
Having lived this life for others for most of my life, I am more than willing and capable to fulfill my dream of off-grid, permacultural living. I know that my tenacity will pay off and, this time, it’s my own land and design.
God is good!

Good for you, Thea! Wishing you everything good and joyful! 😌

My biggest constraint when I was on a budget and moving to 8 acres of land was fencing.   Specifically, perimeter fencing.   I could do quite a lot with portable electronet as far as animals, protection, grazing, etc.  But  it would have removed a HUGE burden of labor and time for me working alone to do that within a perimeter fence structure.    

I didn't need any large power equipment,  the rare times it was needed (fixing the well line, for example) it was more efficient to hire out someone for half a day.   Or when the end of my driveway washed out in a flood.    Same with once a year hay delivery and stacking;  paying for that the one time was a much better use of my time and resources than trying to do it alone/ myself/ with all the equipment that would entail.    

Property came with a small house and barn and functioning well.    I could have (and did for a several years) gotten by quite well with minimal assortment of hand and battery tools,  grazing instead of mowing, etc.   And a small resource pool of "for hire" folks from the community as needed.

Sheep did the grazing/mowing/pruning/orchard clean up,   plus lamb sales paid for hay etc..   Pigs did a lot of digging out.   Rabbits added to fertility and produced meat as well as a small sales product.   Ducks produced eggs and reproduced readily without incubators, etc.   Dogs helped control the stock,  provided protection and alarm system, as well as company.  Cat to control indoor mice (I don't do outdoor cats).  

Awesome thread and question.  Which homestead items are most essential items depends on landscape / location and goals.

As well mentioned above no matter where located #1 is water always (as a resource, faith in God is truly #1). Whether it's a well, spring, steam/river, rain catchment, public - hopefully not  Storage of the water, movement of the water, ease of access to the water.

We're in appalachia mixed woods high elevation w/ some pasture trying to loosely follow a silvopasture type system.   Most of my life is spent chopping, trimming, chipping, shredding, bucking, burning, milling, splitting - endlessly repeated.  Wood management.  

Even being an (often unnecessarily) hand tool nut the chainsaw is still indispensable.  I own a big saw i use for milling and cutting large timber and a few years ago bought a small makita electric lighter work.  When the makita arrived it looked like a toy/joke but honestly it's performed amazing + sharpens up quickly.

My chipper drives me crazy but it is an essential item here.

A good splitter.  I still swing an axe/splitter + maul/wedges.  Nearly all my more-sane neighbors use hydraulic.

A good fire pit to clear out endless piles of brush.

A burn barrel is not essential but it's useful for turning all the weird pieces that are too big to chip but too funky to split by hand (knots, knobs, etc) into charcoal.

A leaf shredder is absolutely not essential.  But it does speed up my leaf composting by at least 1/2.  

Various hand saws, pruners, froe + wedges to aid splitting, cant hook or peavey for moving logs, draw knife.

Much of that list is specific to our situation. It wouldn't make sense for homesteading in the desert or prarie.  The end result of all that work inexhaustible branch forage for the sheep, hardwood chips for .. everything, endless firewood, logs for mushrooms, rich compost from leaves (+ manure),  ash from brush, charcoal from weirdo-pieces, slabs + lumber, some fencing.

Besides that some good shovels - a spade type, a digging type, a hori knife, and a moving type. Some auguring type tools for dirt or wood. A wood wheelbarrow and/or cart.  Even w sheep i still do quite a bit of mowing.  What type of mower depends how much grass one has to mow and terrain.  

Outside of various hand tools for fixing up the home/homestead that's pretty much 99% of what i use day in and day out.

~George

Heather Staas wrote:
Sheep did the grazing/mowing/pruning/orchard clean up,   plus lamb sales paid for hay etc..   Pigs did a lot of digging out.   Rabbits added to fertility and produced meat as well as a small sales product.   Ducks produced eggs and reproduced readily without incubators, etc.   Dogs helped control the stock,  provided protection and alarm system, as well as company.  Cat to control indoor mice (I don't do outdoor cats).  

Spot on mentioning the animals as the essential items.