Homesteading For Beginners

Share ideas which can helpful for Newbie homesteader.

Hi Ray! Can you help us out and tell us what sorts of homesteading things you're interested in? Homesteading can mean many different things to different people. Do you want to garden annuals and perennials for yourself? Do you want to have a market garden? Do you want animals such as chickens or ducks? Do you want livestock such as cows, sheep and pigs? Do you want to tan cow hides or harvest wool from those sheep? Do you want food bearing trees or to propagate fungi and grow mushrooms? Do you want to live off-grid or on grid? Do you want to heat your home with wood? Do you want to capture rainfall? Do you want to preserve your own food via canning, dehydrating or curing meats? Homesteading encompasses many activities and skills and we'll be better able to offer advice if you let us know what you're interested in!

As Janes said, homesteading can mean different things for different people. Plus location makes a big difference. I homestead on 20 acres and have come up workable solutions. But if I tried to homestead 10 miles down the road, I'd have to come up with dramatically different methods.

Ray, if you ask specific questions, I'm sure people will respond. If you don't know where to start, you could try browsing my own blog in order to give you some ideas.           www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Hello Ray.  I don't know your circumstances, but I believe this thread might possibly be useful to you.  Erik Ven started it, topic being 'why you don't want a job', though many articulate & experienced Permies members disagreed with the notion in the thread title.  In my opinion, the substantial discussion in the thread sheds light on many facets of homestead financing & income.

https://permies.com/t/62005/don-job

My advice to a homestead beginner is to save as much money as you can so you can pay cash for everything.  Also like the thread Joel posted:  Don't have a job.  If you have to have a job then have one where you work at home.

Plants and animals require constant care.

Next go slow and plan.  Lots of planning.  If you have experience with gardening then you are ahead of the game.  

If not then grow some thing before you get the homestead.  If you are in an urban setting and you can have chickens, try that before you get the homestead.

Ask lots of questions.

Number one thing I've learned in my short time is that you have to accept that you will fail before you start to learn.

Cash saved exponentially makes things "easier" for you, if that's what you're going for.

Take your time but strive for constant progress.