Getting Started

[Lilith]

I have been cruising around these forums for several hours now, waiting for admins to approve my account so I can post. In that time, I have gotten a pretty good look at the sight, and see that there is tons of details on practical homesteading. What I don't see is a place to read up on homesteading in general.

As a child, you could say that my life began in a homesteading situation. We didn't have much if anything at all. It was not a lifestyle that we entered by choice, it was just surviving. Things got better for my parents, and after a while, we left behind the farm life and integrated into normal society. Now, I have children of my own, and want to leave them with the lessons of hard work, dedication, and an understanding of what it really took to put that meal on their plate.

3 months ago, we moved out of town onto a place with 2 acres. It is a wonderful setup, rent is reasonably priced, and we have exclusive rights to purchase the property if we can ever get financing. We have a large river that borders our property to the east that is teaming with game birds that hide at the river's edge. A huge shop that has a hay loft, a large open room to store two tractors in the front, and a 10' x 20' workshop in the back that has benches all around and an old anvil in the center of the room, with an antique forge and hand pump in one corner. The property even came with use of a small bucket loader that needs some light (I hope) mechanical work. Behind the shop, there is a well built chicken coop, pig pen, horse sized wind break, and goat shed all lined up next to one another along the south property line. The east half of the property is fenced with 5' wood pole fence that needed just minimal repairs and steel gates when we moved in.


Here in lies the problem. I have not lived on a farm in over 20 years. I remember some things, but don't have a clue how to get started.


The goal I have is to make this place pay for it's self. The more I can save us by growing our own garden and livestock, the more I will have for a down payment and the kid's college. I just don't see a place on this site that explains how to get started (again). What do I need, what should I consider, where do I start?

[Rosepath]

Try the Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery. Tons of info, easily readable.
And ask around, usually there are some older people in the vicinity of most country places
who are kindly disposed to sharing their experience and suggestions. Beware of discounting
their wisdom because it sounds old-fashioned, they've been there and done it, and you can avoid their mistakes if you listen well. (voice of experience here, wonderful elder neighbors in most places we lived helped us a lot, although I was raised on a farm so we weren't starting over, just that hubs is a city boy who was sweet enough to adapt to the country).
Your place sounds ideal, lots of folks would be green with envy, good luck on your adventure

[Batt]

Welcome to the forum!

You have a well written post with a lot of information. However, a little more information would be helpful....Such as a general idea of where you are located. If you go to the top of the page under "User CP", then "Edit your Details" and fill in where you live (just the general area or state), near the bottom of the page, it will add that detail to your header. We have people from around the world on this board.

If you are planning to hang around where you are for a few years, the first thing I would recommend is get your orchard/vineyard started ASAP. Then spend the rest of the winter studying, getting your garden ready. As Rosepath sated, Carla Emery's book is a great place to start.

As far as this board, there is no "one size fits all" solution, or even a "one size fits most solution". If you have a question, any question, just ask. Someone or more likely several someone's will have an answer for you. You might want to become familiar with the "Search" feature at the top of the page to see if the answer to your question has been asked before, or many times before.

Have fun at your new again lifestyle!!

[Tracy Rimmer]

This isn't so much a site, with instructions, as it is a forum, with lots of people who have done it, are doing it, or have dreams of doing it. There is no real "go here for a step-by-step how-to", you have to find the information based on each thing you want to do.

I would start, as others have said, with the orchard -- that will be the one thing that takes the longest time for return on. Beyond that, start small and work up. This first year, get a few fruit trees (remember, many varieties need multiples for cross-pollination), and get your garden started. Once all that is in, and growing, make a plan for livestock. Again, start small -- chickens rabbits -- and work your way up to dairy stock and larger animals, such as a steer for beef. ALWAYS have your infrastructure (shelter & pens) in place before getting the animals, even before ORDERING the animals. Trust me on this.

First year, don't go any further than chickens or rabbits. Once that is in place, and your breeding program for the rabbits is working, your eggs are coming regularly, and you feel you've mastered it (ha!!), only THEN think about anything larger. Seriously, the urge will be to do EVERYTHING as quickly as possible, but this is, IMHO, a surefire route to failure. It's easy to become overwhelmed and spread too thin, and the next thing you know, nothing is as successful as you hoped, some things are complete failures, and you're putting a for sale sign on the lawn.

Once your livestock is producing and your garden is growing, you need to plan a place to put it all come fall. You'll want to have canning equipment and suitable storage worked out before you're faced with a glut of produce and 40 rabbits that need to be culled.

That takes you through to late next fall... when you can take a break before Christmas and the start of planning the following year's garden

[Terri]

I would start with what you like to eat.

If you like to eat fish, then see where the good fishing spots are. If you do not like fish, then let it go.

If you like vegetables, then put in a garden. Some people spend a lot on their gardens but I always preferred the shovel, hose, and inexpensive seed method.

If you like fruit, you might try the kinds of fruit that produce very quickly, as you are renting. Strawberries, for example.

The thing is, if you try to do a little of everything you are not likely to get good yields. There *WILL* be a learning curve, and it helps if you have the time to work on a project and give it the attention that it needs. That way if you make a mistake, then you can see it and correct it.

My most money-saving venture was the garden. Dimestore seeds raised modest but very profitable yeilds. The second most profitable was the laying hens, but ONLY! while the kids were small! Toddlers waste a lot of food, and every day I had a plate full of half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches and apples and such to give the 3-4 laying hens. Now that I buy all of the feed I take a loss on my eggs.

The third most profitable thing is that it keeps me out of the stores and theaters. I would rather do something outside, and this keeps my recreation costs relatively low. Mind, I do buy daffodil bulbs and such, but that is cheaper than the movies!

[Lilith]

Terri, I find your first bit of advice by far the most helpful! Start with what you like to eat. I am already an avid fisherman and accomplished hunter and trapper. As an added bonus, I have lived in the same county for 28 years so I know the lay of the land very well, I just have lived in town with a small garden / yard. I never could keep more animals than my single dog and cat.


I reside in the high desert plains of the rockie mountains. While there are a few hot spots for vineyards and orchards around here, my house is not in one of those zones. Many young fruit trees freeze solid and split the trunks, and the frosts come long after the blossoms, killing any chances of decent fruit yields. Strawberries are however a good idea as you can usually get 2 to 3 pickings off the plants before the hot summer heat kills them off for the year.


As for the old timers here... they are a wealth of knowledge and gossip. They also think I am absolutely nuts for wanting to do this. I am going to have to make it through the first year or two before they really believe I can make it in this desert. I have however managed to make friends with a large cattle rancher in the area by saving one of his herds from a pack of coyotes during calving last spring. At first, he thought I was shooting at his cows and he was furious, but when he finally arrived in the field and saw me picking up several dead yotes, he grew to like me very quickly. So long as I keep the yotes on his properties manageable during calving season, he has agreed to give us a cut and wrapped beef each fall. He also is now my landlord.


Rabbits are absolutely out of the question. I can't stand the flavor of them, and the hides are near useless next to the other furs I collect throughout the year. Chickens sound like a very manageable situation. I have 5 children ranging in ages from 15 to 7 and I am used to cooking for an army, I literally used to cook for my husband's military unit at least once a month. So leftovers would have a welcome home in a slop bucket rather than the back of my fridge.


Food storage: this will not be a problem. I began accumulating mason jars, lids, rings, pressure cookers, and just about every other canning tool you can think of and I have an underground well house that would easily provide storage space for canned goods. I am already keeping my food storage there anyway because of the stable climate. I also have a very nice propane smoker that I have used for years to cure my game meats into jerky.

I guess I never really thought about it, but even when I lived in town, I still found ways to get started with this homesteading idea. Now, it is time to take it to the next level and expand beyond a small back yard.

So, after I figure out the food .... what next?

[Lilith]

Thanks for the tips! If anyone else can point out something else, I'm all ears.

[rockhound]

I would stay away from tree fruits while renting. They're going to take money, time, and energy away from everything else and won't give you any return for several years. Grape vines and berries will be easier to move if it happens and produce sooner any way. If you are on a suitable road I'd check into setting up a farm stand if allowed. Then you can have a place to use up extra produce. Learn canning, drying and root-cellaring of your produce. Study seed-saving and open-pollinated veggies but don't think you have to do it the first year. Everything takes time. Good luck.

[Whisperwindkat]

Like everyone else said start small and build on what you do. I too would not put trees on a rental property. No matter how solid you feel about the relationship and the deal it can always go sour and then you are out something that can't be moved and you have spent time establishing. I would definitely work on berries, grapes and a garden to start. Then start with small livestock like chickens and rabbits. Get settled into each new addition and adventure before moving onto another big project. Like Tracy said it is easy to try to jump into everything all at once and before you know it you are spread so thin, worn out and ready to go back to town. The very first thing that I would do is to assess where the best place would be for a garden and berry orchard. Then take soil samples and start composting. Design a small garden that can be expanded each year or each season. Then take a look at what property you have left to work with. Then you can start planning on larger livestock and assessing their needs and requirements while you are still building and working with providing for the smaller livestock. Learn skills that will keep your costs down. Cost will also eat you up by jumping into too much at once and that can burn you out just as much as the physical labor of this life can. Since your goal is to make the property pay for itself as much as possible that is obviously a concern. It was ours also and it has taken time to get there, but our groceries now come mostly from our property now and because I planned things slowly and did a little at a time our cost is much lower than our production. Anyway, hope that helps and many blessings in your journey. Kat

[K.B.]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Knowing the area, having a river bordering the property and being an accomplished hunter/trapper/fisherman will be a huge help, IMO

As others have suggested above, I would recommend starting with small animals if you are set on having animals as part of the homestead. Bees are another good option in addition to rabbits and chickens. It sounds like you are in an area that gets lots of sun which is very important to hive health. A bit of shade in the afternoon for hot climates can be helpful, but having sun on the hives first thing in the morning is great.

Regarding rabbits, domesticated rabbit meat is worth trying if you are only familiar with the flavor of wild rabbit. It is a very different "beast"

Fish may also be an option for you if you have access to any water usage from the river... aquaculture/aquaponics is a very interesting art.

Before starting with animals, however, I would suggest more time observing the property. See where the hottest & coldest spots are. Observe where it stays wet after a rain (however infrequent). Which areas drain the fastest and is there a different type of soil there vs elsewhere on the property. Take a look at the weeds. If the property hasn't been used much recently, the weeds that are present can tell you alot about the soil and moisture. What kind of plants are already on the property and do they produce anything you can eat. Are they useful for any animals you may want to keep.

If you can get a chance to observe the property during all four seasons, it can help avoid making more work down the road.

The house is another area to think about during the first year on the property. Since you mentioned saving money through homesteading, see what you could do to reduce your bills. Every house is different and can offer opportunities or challenges to reducing bills, improving comfort and making daily chores and maintenance easier. Extra insulation, repairing/sealing windows and turning down the water heater can be easy ones. If you have the desert sun to work with, maybe some solar projects would make sense (hot water heaters or solar space heaters can have a very quick payback period). Water harvesting for irrigation, animal use or potable water all may be options, as well. Graywater or composting toilet systems can also be easy to try and see how they work for your family - reducing the load on a septic system and giving you useful fertilizer for trees/bushes.

Best wishes on your upcoming projects!

[FarmboyBill]

Theres an old hard bound book, put out by Readers Digest, that will help you if you can find it. I think its called, The Complete Guide to Country Living. Might find it on E Bay.