How to get started homesteading

Have you ever wondered how to get started homesteading? Have you ever wanted to produce your own food and be more self-sufficient? Thousands of people are slowing down their lifestyle and choosing to grow food on small pieces of land everywhere. You may wonder where to begin or how you can afford to do it yourself.

Two years ago, we had those same thoughts. We knew we wanted to garden and raise a few animals, but we were a one income household living on just a couple of acres. However, we have worked at it and now have what we consider a small homestead of our own. We still have a long way to go. My husband and I started with just two raised beds. From there, the love for this lifestyle has continued to grow. I hope that this inspires you to get started on you own homesteading journey.

So what is a homestead?

The definition of homesteading today is different than what it was over one hundred years ago. Today when someone says that they are a homesteader, it usually means that they are trying to live a self-sufficient lifestyle to some degree. They are conscious of where their food comes from and they want the security that comes with producing as much as they can themselves. Homesteaders want a simple lifestyle outside of the usual hustle and bustle of today’s society. The truth is, almost anyone can homestead if they know how to get started.

You can homestead if you live in the suburbs. You can homestead on forty acres or two. Where we lived in Texas, we had a neighbor a few houses down our suburban street who raised goats in his backyard. Backyard chickens and raised bed gardening have become especially popular recently.

So how do you get started homesteading no matter your budget or where you live?

Learn new old skills to get started homesteading

Even if you are living in an apartment, you can start learning skills such as from scratch cooking, canning and sewing. I think that the first skill I started with was learning to cook from scratch. This was partly due to health reasons, but as we got farther into it, we realized how much cheaper it was to cook from scratch. It also gave us the confidence to know that my husband and I would be able to cook with just the basic staples.

Canning came as a result of our first raised bed garden. I canned pints of tomatoes at the end of the season. Because of that, the next spring I was able to fill our pantry with produce that I had canned myself because I then had the confidence that I could do it myself.

Even if you are not able to have a garden, go to local farmer’s markets, buy produce and learn to can it so that you can have that skill for the future.

Read everything about homesteading topics

Before we got our first flock of chickens, I read books, blogs and watched YouTube videos. After a few weeks of that, I was confident enough in my ability to purchase chicks and keep them alive. Before starting a garden, I read books on how to get started and how to build healthy soil. I have three canning books in my kitchen. I also recruited my mom and mamaw to teach me. There is a wealth of knowledge on just about any subject you can think of to be found out there.

Get to know people who are homesteading

You would be surprised at how many people you can meet at a farmer’s market or co-op. Many love to share their knowledge about farming. If you love something, you probably want to talk about it. You can make those connections and find people who you can go to for advice and help on your homesteading journey.

Start a garden

If you have a balcony, small backyard or just a sunny windowsill, you can plant food. I grew up picking the produce that my papaw grew. As an adult, I realized I had no clue how to actually grow anything. With my husband’s help, we grew loads of food for our family in one season. We now know how to grow our own food for almost the entire year.

If nothing else, you can plant your own herbs for cooking. If you have a tight budget but have a backyard, in-ground garden Till up an area of your yard and eliminate the cost of soil. Seeds can be found at the dollar store. You can grow so much food from one packet.

Start with chickens

I know that this is not something that everyone can do. If you live in an apartment or have city ordinances that forbid them, you obviously can’t have a flock of chickens. However, if where you live allows it, start out with three of four chicks to raise for eggs. Seriously, chickens are the gateway animal for homesteaders. We started out with one small flock. We now have another dual-purpose flock and meat flock one year later. Our family now has plans for cows, goats and pigs. There is just something about being able to go out to the coop and retrieve fresh eggs. It awakened a desire to produce more of our own food. You can read more on how to get started raising chickens here!

While you’re waiting for your dreams and desires to come to fruition, be patient and learn. Building a homestead takes time. Producing your own food and being self-sufficient takes time and work. But in the end, it is so worth it. So, do what you can now, so that you are prepared when that season of life comes to you.

Let me know how you got started homesteading in the comments below or if you have any more ideas on how to get someone started on their homesteading journey.