So, recently my wife and I laid out our 10-year plan, the end goal of which being to have bought a couple acres and have built a house and farm on it to manage a good portion of our food (and establish quality assurance).

The kicker, though, is that we will likely have had to move twice before that point (once as I enter residency and once as I finally enter the workforce). We're currently starting off with some potted garden plants and have had some limited successes (hampered largely by unexpected pests). We've since come across permaculture and are thinking of implementing some of those strategies for next season's crops.

What are some ways we can prepare for that ten-year goal (whether by increasing the potted crops, gaining experience, etc) while still balancing a student loan budget (supplementing food efficiently, planning for the future, etc)?

J.R. Davis wrote:What are some ways we can prepare for that ten-year goal (whether by increasing the potted crops, gaining experience, etc) while still balancing a student loan budget (supplementing food efficiently, planning for the future, etc)?

Having a plan is a great start.  Also having a budget that lets you know where every penny is going so you can locate unneeded financial strain.  Live frugally, save as much as you can, and don't eat out. 

Learning to grow in pots is a great start.  What I am learning about pests is to not get overly excited about them.  Read about them and then take the necessary steps to eliminate them or leave them be.

An example:  I got aphid on a plant I was overwintering.  I washed them off, I sprayed them with soap, and nothing happened.  I let the plant die and then in the spring we threw away all the potting soil and replace it with new soil and plants.  Still got aphids.  The other identical plant that I overwintered never got aphids, even when I put them outside.  So I decided to just ignore the aphids and they eventually went away.