How old is too old to start homesteading?

Are you worried that you might not be able to keep up the place?

I am only 51, but I have Multiple Sclerosis so keeping up the place is not easy. And, DH is a city boy who LIKES it that way!

So, I am MECHANIZING! I had a riding lawn mower already, and my requested gift this year (and I got it) was for a grass catcher for the mower. I never worry about the grass laying on the lawn: I want the mulch and litter for the chickens. I MIGHT go for a tiller for the mower to pull later: we will see. I am using plastic and drip waterers in the garden, and last summer I put in very dwarf fruit trees so that I don't have to climb any more.

NOT homestead? Why would I want to do THAT?

It is good to live next to a good road because I do not wish to go off of an unplowed road when the weather is bad. I am too creaky to want to walk home. But, there are a LOT of places near the good roads!

Thanks for the quick responses. I probably should have provided more information about ourselves. I'm 57, my husband will be 60 in two weeks. We want to continue working for five more years in order to save up money for a good downpayment on a place and to have money to fix it up and for emergencies. We moved from Texas to Washington State two years ago for employment reasons. Unfortunately, housing is unaffordable here (Seattle and surrounding areas) even though I did a lot of research. Things had changed by the time we got here. We are currently renting, saving us much money as we can. We are both in good health, have always gardened and fixed things ourselves.

I was afraid that your message was going to be "Are you out of your mind? You should have started years ago!" Thanks for the encouraging words.

So here is another issue we are trying to figure out. We don't intend to stay here when we retire. It's too expensive and the weather is not to our liking. We miss the warm southern nights. How can we find "our" place in the country when we are living in the Pacific Northwest but want to move back to the south? We could - within reason - afford to buy something now and continue living here. We would rather find something with a house already on it than go for raw land. Obviously, I've looked on line but everybody tells me that being a long distance landlord until we can retire is horrible.

I was 61 last summer when the Cowgirl and I bought our "farm." We will not move there until the Cowgirl's youngest girl graduates from HS, so I will be 63. We were both raised in a large City. We now live in a town with no traffic signals, lined streets and less than 2000 people. We learned how to love farm animals and how to be loved by them. Our farm, which has never before been a farm has 180 acres of hills, hollers, tiggers and chicks, but no close neighbors. When we bush hog a pasture and seed hay this spring, it will be the first for us as well as for the "farm," I am diabetic. I had seven by-passes six years ago. I had five back surgeries two years ago. (The last four without purpose.) In anticipation of our homestead move, I have retired from my profession. I am learning again how to fall. Yesterday, for instance, one of our bucks was out. I caught him and held tightly to one of his massive horns. (There IS a reason to not de-horn.) I lost my footing and had several options. (1) let go of the goat and try to catch my balance. (Not a good option since no matter what I did, I was going to hit the dirt.) (2) Let go of the goat and use that goat holding hand to break my fall. (I would probably hurt my wrist.) or (3) go ahead and fall, but hold on to that goat. I chose option (3). The goat, with his nose in the dirt, just looked at me until I managed to stand. We walked together to his pen and he tried to run the last 50 feet or so. I didn't. I didn't let go either. I fell Wednesday, too, when Jimmy's horse played "tag" with me and tagged me in the head. Though our corrals are "in town," it would have been days before anyone found me had I not been able to get up. I suppose I would just as soon not be found on my 180 acre homestead as to not be found right here in town. I am not too old.

My neighbor is 91 and still farming == busy u r and better shape =- longer life

Sounds like the perfect thing to keep you from being bored. My grandpa is in his late 70's. He has cattle, a couple goats and a garden each year. If he didn't he would go nuts. He needs something to do, you'll need something to do, what better?

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......................I , like alot of others on here , have reached a turning point in my life . I just turned 60 in dec and sold my home and 5 acres because I wanted to remove the hand of my local tax authority from my pocket . I decided I wanted to become mobile so I purchased a used 5th. wheel and I'm starting to miss having a piece of land to "work on" like I did with my 5 acres . So , I'm starting to revise my plans , and I'm looking for someplace that I can start over , in texas or maybe in the south somewhere , that won't tax me to death with property taxes . UNfortunately , those kinds of places , have a relatively static population and few jobs as I do want to work since I haven't won the lotto , Yet . I , think they use to call this.....flying by the seat of your pancs . So , now , I'm flying by the seat of my pancs which is both scary and exciting simultaneously . I , suppose , the Good Lord , will , at his discretion , reveal , too me just which direction I should proceed IN . In the mean time I'm doing research on the net and biding my time . I'm in good health , not lazy and i know what needs to be done when I do find my "next home" . You're never too old to start over in my opinion . fordy...

Farm (40 acres) next to us here in south missouri was foreclosed on a month ago--earth berm house, etc--you could probably find something like this-or this-pretty reasonable, and have it paid for by the time you retire.

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In Life, We Weep at the thought of Death'
Who Knows, Perhaps in Death,
We Weep at the though of Life.

Dreamacres-start by looking at realtor.com for the area you are thinking of moving to.You will find all kinds of available land &/or homes Thats how I found my "little peice of heaven" 3 years ago. I'm 61 & alone,but I do the orchard,gardens & this year will add a beef criter.You are only as old as you feel. I'm about 35! lolI only wish I had found this life earlier so I could live it longer!!

good heavens, you aren't old yet. Go for it...........you are young!!
I am 65 and my husband is almost 68........we moved where we are now just two years ago. There is 6 acres here. We have a huge garden and put up 80% of our food. We raise chickens for the freezer and have a few hens around for eggs. My husband raises, trades and sells beagle dogs. Every morning we are up by 6 and go strong all day.
We both volunteeer and run with our local life squad; I am a certified tech and my husband is a driver. Every day we see people who are in their 50's who have decided that they are too old to live as they used to and have sat down. Believe me - that is when they really get old. You have to keep the body moving and the mind active to stay young.
At least four (and usually more) days a week, my husband is in the woods or fields running his dogs. Sure he could fall out there or I could fall in the chicken house.............but we could have when we were living in town, too. We both carry cell phones with us most of the time and try to watch our step and be as careful as possible. But we don't let the fear of something happening rule our life.
YOu have to jump in there and not waste too much energy worrying about what might happen. It is a great life that I would recommend to anyone of any age..........GO FOR IT!!

Okay, we all know ninety-something year olds who do blah blah blah and whatever. Many can't.

I wasn't trying to be discouraging, just practical. If I have RA as a 40yo, I should be practical in my plans for living as a 65 - 70yo.

What I am saying is to start small, starting now. Do what you can with what you have. Increase from there and stop when you feel you are close to meeting your limit.

Don't plan your whole life around a future that might not happen.

/VM

My 89 year old father-in-law (90 in March) is going strong. He grows almost as much produce as I do but he works on it full time (including hours of irrigating with a garden hose) with a big tractor and attachments and a couple pickup truck loads of chemical fertilizer each year. He chainsaws, splits and hauls all their firewood, their primary source of heat.

He still contract bushhogs and plows other people's driveways and gardens and he can't understand why I won't invite him to plow mine, I merely use a shovel and hoe, although my garden site is fairly steep and could not be safely worked with a tractor, even though he would try (he has little appreciation for the concept of erosion control). We're just across the driveway.

His 87 year old wife still push mows the grass at the level areas right around the house. I mow the sloping sections for them.

I'd rather be old on a homestead than young in the city!

I'll be 55 this year and don't plan to leave except toes up with a toe-tag on. Just do the things you can and find lazier ways to do things. Figure out how to haul stuff with the lawn tractor and hire or barter with someone younger for those things you can't do. You may have less trees than if you started younger or can half as much produce, but if you pace yourself and do things in small batches, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish. Maybe you can start a seniors' group for like-minded folks and spend one day a week at a different member's homestead, with the whole club pitching in to get a project done. It could be fun, especially if you have a pot-luck lunch and fellowship that day. Maybe a horseshoe competition or two and the ladies can sit in rockers on the porch shelling peas or having a quilting bee. Many hands make light work

When you are 6 ft under it's too late to start. Any time before that, GO FOR IT!

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My best,

Melissa

I'd say it would depend on your state of health and desire, along with the area. How remote you would be, etc. If you won't be raising animals, then why not get a large lot on the edge of town? You could plant your fruit trees now so they will start producing in a few years. We have a lady in her 80's who owns a cattle ranch near me. She has a hired hand to do the heavy work, but she still gets out there and works the cattle along side him. A few years ago she shot a bear that was killing her pigs. If you want to homestead, find an area you like and feel comfortable with, then jump in and go for it.

You're only too old when you're six feet under.

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"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." Henri Bergson

As long as it is what you want go for it. Just get into things slowly and don't expand beyond what you can do. We moved here when we retired. Most of our neighbors are well up in years but seem inbetter health than the city dwellers. They are more interested inliving than worrying about being alone if they fall or get sick. Country folks watch out for their older neighbors. You can carry as cell phone with you, as I do in case I fall since we live on a mountain. You can do a lot of real estate searching on the internet, Find anything near your friends on this site and we can check it out for you.Go chase your dreams!
PQ

Go for your dreams....you only go around once in life. Do what makes you happy. I am 67 yy and will start my dream this fall. I already have a small farm in eastern Montana and now want to build a log home and shop in the mt's of Northern Az. My kids always ask...Dad...what are you going do when you grow up??? Make sure you take care of your health..eat right and get plenty of fresh air and excercise. The homestead will not only make you happy, but will make your life more exciting and you will live a lot more years. Go for it...jerry

I think it is a mind thing (age). Start if you want to. What do you have to lose? just start small. a

Since each of us ages differently my suggestion would be to take your current and family historical health into consideration and then plan your retirement as close to your actual dream as you can get. You may need to move slowly or hire a bit more of the hard stuff done but you will not regret following your heart! sis

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www.MontanaSticksAndStones.com at Goshen Farm

Wishing you a happy start when you can. The best time to plant a windbreak was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.

Bret