Timeline

[KeepingItAtHome]

What's your timeline?

When did you start? Where are you at in terms of your homesteading goals and what were the milestones along the way?



We're hoping to close on the land by the end of the month (Man I hate red tape!) By the end of the year we intend to have the grey water system set up, a chicken coop built, two storage sheds set up, the pool installed, 6 fruit trees planted, the garden site prepped, range built and the trash hauled away. Oh and have a baby

Spring 2014 we intend to get 30 layers, plant a garden, get the pond sealed, and more fruit trees planted (I think I have 30 coming in Feb) Fall 2014 I think we'll add meat chickens and a second coop. Build a deck for the pond, plant pond vegetation and get a barn up, possibly add a cow.

Spring 2015 get a cow if we don't already have one, hopefully pregnant. Get the pasture fenced into paddocks and figure out rotational grazing with the cow and the chickens. Add more meat chickens, end goal is 100 a year, we'll have to see how many we can handle at a time. Fall 2015 possibly add another cow, plant more trees.

Spring 2016 Survey home building site. Meet with concrete guys, get bids on digging basement floor, meet with architect get house plans finalized. Draw up a budget for house building. Fall 2016 break ground. Plant more trees.

2017 build house
2018 build house, fall 2018 move into house.
Spring 2019 plant larger garden, hopefully have a system down so we've figured out cow rotation, chicken rotation, some fruit trees producing, grey water system working well.... I'm hoping that by the end of this year we've got the kinks worked out and a system in place and things are chugging along nicely.... pipe dream?? maybe lol

[BlueRose]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I am drawing up a farm plan. I have a lot to study on and plan.

[ChristieAcres]

Yr1 - Small strawberry bed
Yr2- Logging/first garden area (1,250 sq ft raised bed garden & DH fenced it), also moved 16 fruit trees from our other property (all fruit bearing semi-dwarf and dwarf). DH built a chicken house & we got chickens. I also was given rabbit hutches & rabbits.
Yr3- We doubled our garden area to 2,500 sq ft of raised beds, planted more trees, also moved mature grapevines, planted Kiwi vines (Hardy Fuzzy type), perennial berries, too. I began concentrating on adding more perennial edibles and herbs (culinary and medicinal). DH designed and built our wood stove.
Yr4- DH built me two more raised beds outside of our fenced garden area (planted Garlic since Deer don't eat it...). DH modified our wood stove to heat our water, too. I began dehydrating, freezing, and hot water bath canning fruits. We both became a lot more conscious about our diets, nutrition, and fitness. I also began treating myself for almost every issue I had, natural remedies...
Yr5- DH built me two more raised beds, we raised 3 pigs, and DH built a system to heat our master bedroom with a radiator (hot water w/thermostat). I started pressure canning and expanding my food preservation. My prepping goals became more serious. I also started doing a lot more bartering.
Yr6- We got two outdoor sweet ferocious hunting cats. DH built fencing around my newer 4 beds, and our garden grew to 3,000 sq ft.

Our lifestyle has become more self-sufficient.

[am1too]

Originally Posted by KeepingItAtHome

What's your timeline?

When did you start? Where are you at in terms of your homesteading goals and what were the milestones along the way?



We're hoping to close on the land by the end of the month (Man I hate red tape!) By the end of the year we intend to have the grey water system set up, a chicken coop built, two storage sheds set up, the pool installed, 6 fruit trees planted, the garden site prepped, range built and the trash hauled away. Oh and have a baby

Spring 2014 we intend to get 30 layers, plant a garden, get the pond sealed, and more fruit trees planted (I think I have 30 coming in Feb) Fall 2014 I think we'll add meat chickens and a second coop. Build a deck for the pond, plant pond vegetation and get a barn up, possibly add a cow.

Spring 2015 get a cow if we don't already have one, hopefully pregnant. Get the pasture fenced into paddocks and figure out rotational grazing with the cow and the chickens. Add more meat chickens, end goal is 100 a year, we'll have to see how many we can handle at a time. Fall 2015 possibly add another cow, plant more trees.

Spring 2016 Survey home building site. Meet with concrete guys, get bids on digging basement floor, meet with architect get house plans finalized. Draw up a budget for house building. Fall 2016 break ground. Plant more trees.

2017 build house
2018 build house, fall 2018 move into house.
Spring 2019 plant larger garden, hopefully have a system down so we've figured out cow rotation, chicken rotation, some fruit trees producing, grey water system working well.... I'm hoping that by the end of this year we've got the kinks worked out and a system in place and things are chugging along nicely.... pipe dream?? maybe lol

My you're industrious. I guess loads of money can do lots of things.

[Vosey]

Can I be honest? I read your post and felt like I was in a corporate meeting again! Really intense.

But I do understand that when you don't have your land yet all you can do is plan. To me your plan looks overly ambitious, especially if you are working. But, DH and I didn't have to start from scratch. We do not have any written plans, we verbally plan for about 2 years out. So far, so good in achieving our goals.

Remember that many unknowns will come up, being flexible is the key. And don't wear yourself or your family out. I'm guessing you are living in something on the land before building a house?

[KeepingItAtHome]

Originally Posted by am1too

I guess loads of money can do lots of things.

That's a bit presumptuous.

[KeepingItAtHome]

Originally Posted by Vosey

Can I be honest? I read your post and felt like I was in a corporate meeting again! Really intense.

But I do understand that when you don't have your land yet all you can do is plan. To me your plan looks overly ambitious, especially if you are working. But, DH and I didn't have to start from scratch. We do not have any written plans, we verbally plan for about 2 years out. So far, so good in achieving our goals.

Remember that many unknowns will come up, being flexible is the key. And don't wear yourself or your family out. I'm guessing you are living in something on the land before building a house?

Sorry! I am by nature a planner, you'd probably be fully overwhelmed by my actual plan which has steps for each thing to be accomplished, a projected cost and an order in which they need to be done.
I know my plans don't always go the way I want but without a plan we just spin in circles and nothing really gets done. I'm sure that things will get pushed forward several times as time, money and weather dictate progress, but at least we'll have a direction in which to head, and it's nice to see on paper the progress we've made, even if it's just little steps like grading the driveway.
I guess I was wondering what others have done, what plans they made and how they've done in accomplishing those plans. I'd really like to know what obstacles others have faced.

There is currently two home sites on the land, each with septic, electric and well. One doesn't have a building and the other has a mobile home. We'll be living in the mobile home until we can build at the second site.

[GunMonkeyIntl]

Originally Posted by am1too

My you're industrious. I guess loads of money can do lots of things.

Originally Posted by KeepingItAtHome

That's a bit presumptuous.

See, I was going to go with "rude" or "ugly", but "presumptuous" works as well. Either way, definitely a touch of "bitter", too.

[BlueRose]

Keepingitathome: I like making list too. I don't know how many times I have tore-up my list and started over.

As I was once told "dream big plan small, one step will lead to another until one day you look at what you accomplished and say this is what I wanted". Good Luck!

When I get my plan together I will post it.