Young couple seeks general homesteading wisdom

I have bought used tools for the most part, wrenches, sockets, ect for the last 40yrs. Im not a machanic for anything like engines. I do have to work on large things like machinery, and I use my tools for that. I find that the cheaper they are, the more I can buy of them. All of my garden tools cept my Troy Bilt Tuffy Tiller is used. That includes, a high and low wheel cultivator, Iron Mule garden tractor, 1 wheel, Wards Garden tractor, 2 wheel. Hoes, rakes, long handled cultivators, All used.

ON this 5 acres all my skills have proven valuable. I grew up on a dairy farm. Over the years I have welded professionally, butchered and cut meat in a store, hunted and fished my whole life, built wired, plumbed and lots of other things. (I'm an old man)

I learned a lot by helping others do things. I hung around old guys that knew how to do things you don't learn by reading a book. Just watching others teaches you something.

So start a project and find some old retired guy who knows what hes doing and ask for help. Learn how to do wiring, plumbing, welding, roofing, carpentry, gardening, concrete work, EMT, etc.

This will accomplish several things. First even if you are hiring the work done you understand what they are doing and won't be cheated. 2nd you save money by doing it yourself, 3rd, possible source of income on the side or working with others to trade labor on stuff.

For example I'm a retired welder. I have a good mechanic friend who can fix anything. So when he needs something welded I'm right there. He has saved my hundreds on auto repair.

Used is fine, so long as it's QUALITY used. Most tools from 30-50 years ago are quality, compared to the ChinaMart stuff you get today. I *LOVE* getting a box of miscellaneous tools at a farm auction -- typically handy, useful, QUALITY MADE tools, if a little old and sometimes rusty.

Which is another tip, Femur -- start hanging out at farm auctions, LOTS of good stuff, and if you start collecting what you need now, you won't need to buy "new" when you "have" to have it. Farm auctions are a great way to buy quality, proven tools at little expense -- and when you buy a box full, it's like Christmas morning going through it later

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Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

I was looking for that answer before I added it. Seems kind a sad to me I had to make it down to the 29th post before I saw it.

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"Only the rocks [and really embarassing moments] live forever"

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands..." tick-tick-tick

You have received a lot of sound advice here! I'd like to second Tracy Rimmer's suggestion (get that library goin'), Texican's suggestion (speculators will continue to drive up the price of farm land - get it as soon as you can), and emphatically support LazyJ and Farmer Willy2 (get a ring on your left hand and hold on for the ride of your life!)

My advice? Get connected with homesteaders IRL. It's great to be connected to folk here on HT, but there's nothing like a real flesh and blood connection. Self-sufficiency is not completely self-sufficient. You need your neighbors and they need you - ESPECIALLY in rural areas.

If you're anywhere near NW Illinois, or if you can get there on Father's Day weekend, go to Muller's Lane Farm for their 6th? 7th? Annual Homesteading Weekend. You'll meet great folks, get some priceless hands-on experience, and have a swell time.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

Here's the link to Cyndi and sometimes Paul's place, with all the info for the weekend.

http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/weekend2011.html

You won't meet any better folk than Cyndi and Paul. I love them both dearly, and miss them something fierce.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

I agree dont go cheap on tools. I have a habit of snatching up al lthe old forged hoes I can. I have a 10 dollar forged hoe and new lowes China special. THe china special bends wont hold and doesnt feel right. I farm a couple acres ive built my equipment up I m still a small tractor owner but I have accumulated a large number of implements even built some of them . I have a friend that went out and bought all new stuff and cant fight the payments.

We are working up to farm animals other than dogs. We had chickens but Im out now till the new barn is built. We are looking into hogs and goats. The only things we owe for is the house and one small property and one of my commercial loader. I have a small green house we grow our own tomato and pepper starts in and sell several plants each year that pays for other things like animal care and break down costs.

read everything you can, google things like food forest gardening, edible forest garden, permaculture, etc. you can find good reading material online for free or borrow from the library and then buy those you feel are useful tools.

also if you can purchase a piece of land with a house on it now and pay less than you are paying in rent do it..otherwise your rent $ are just wasted

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

You said you would like to be on the Gulf coast. Plan for and prepare for any disasters common to your location. If you find useful information on the web print it off and put it into a binder. As for first aide training the Red Cross is an excellent choice. Why not expand on your medical training. Many ambulance services and volunteer fire departments offer first responder for free if you agree to volunteer. I agree that if you are able to purchase land now I would do it. You will almost never lose money on real estate unless you buy more than you can afford. Now is the time to buy because prices on real estate are only going to go up now that the bubble has burst. Many of us have blogspot. Read them. Go back to the beginning of the blog and see what challenges or mistakes they made. Good luck, you have been given alot of good advice.

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http://kan-green.blogspot.com/

Femur,
I applaud you guys for focusing on your dream early...that is awesome!!!! My best advice is to pre-plan and prepare every step of the way, but keep your options open. Homesteading requires thinking out of the box and an open mind to deal with issues as they come up, especially with livestock and weather conditions. While you are working your plan now, once you buy your land and move, it is only the beginning. At that point, "they start using live ammo"!!!!!lol. Gulf coast of Texas...good choice! Long growing season, lots of like minded folks, etc.

Again, we are thrilled to see two younger people so focused on a goal. Good luck!!!!

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Hillbilly and Proud of It!

Lot of good advice there. We started homesteading in our 20's and wouldn't have it any other way, check out our blog for ideas...

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http://www.lindsayfarmonsilvercreek.blogspot.com/

I just thought of another great source of learning and info for you two to check out -
if someone already mentioned it on this thread - just disregard my post. Check with
your County Extention Office - they have great free info available on many homestead
related topics, canning, growing fruit trees, other fruit, veggies, preserving the harvest,
how to care for farm animals and so much more. Most also hold regular classes on all of the above topics. I have always found them to be a willing and knowledgeable resource.

Femur:

If wisdom is a factor of age(turned 69 yesterday) and learning by making lots of mistakes(boy, I've made some whoppers), then I could be the wisest man on earth! But learning by listening to others and avoiding some of the mistakes they have made will qualify you for that title without all the pain involved. And this forum is a good place to start.

Here are a few things to consider, from my experience:

1) If you ask here, "How do you define homesteading?", you'll get dozens of answers, all different, because they come from each person's own perspective. So, define your own idea of what your goal is and work to that. If your definition comes from a negative view--avoiding the apocalypse, building your personal fortress and shunning society, doing what you "---- well please on your own land", living on the cheap, and so forth, you may end up as miserable in the country as you are in the city...... Remember, you always take yourself with you. I hope you can go at it with a positive view. We all are members of a society, local and national, and there's no way you will ever get around laws, ordinances, and pesky bureaucrats at any level. Always remember you will have neighbors...... Everybody likes a friendly, cheerful, and positive person--and will cut you a break because of that.....

2) I recommend that, somehow, you learn to evaluate real estate and land. Your land(the soil) will become your primary bank account--you will be trading your cash for the land, you know. So you will need to learn how to look at the dirt under your feet and make sure it will produce what you need to eat and feed yourself and your animals. You will be sinking your roots, literally, into that land you buy. Many, many, on this forum, I'm afraid, have plunked their money down and have found out their dream ain't gonna happen, because their soil won't support that dream--or it has to be drastically altered by all the false starts and stops that the soil throws at them--poor crops, weeds, bad drainage, rocky soil, water table, heavy clay, no fertility. Their dream morphs into a rehab effort, because they jumped too soon without learning how to evaluate their land. SO, start looking at real estate ads now, do drive bys(the good kind, not the city kind), engage a realtor who is patient and won't hustle you--who lets you tour and look at the land (and take a good post hole digger with you to poke some deep holes). Get the grocery store mags with the local ads, learn the real estate lingo, etc, etc. All that will help you set up your goal for when the time comes.

3) Your real estate choice may well involve a compromise or two. There aren't very many turnkey operations. So, you should, through your practice evaluations, make a list of priorities. And then balance them against what you are looking at. Cost, acreage, zoning, water supply, condition of the house and outbuildings, woodlot, water table, soil type, roadway, distance from town and supplies, flood plain, tornado alley, hurricane zone, distractions of a mile or so radius around you(cafe feedlots, county dump, nuclear facility, trashy neighbors, etc), school, taxes, sun exposure, terrain(hilly, swampy, etc.)--let’s see, what else? Oh yes, fire protection, hospital proximity, cultural facilities(restaurants, theaters, libraries, etc, if you like and need that kind of thing). When the time comes, you’ll have a pretty good way to know if “this is the place”.

4) The only reason I’m writing this today is because it rained last night. Otherwise, I would be planting garden. The moral: these forums are interesting, but as you follow them, you may find that a lot of folks are axe grinding. The Monsanto/GMO debate is perpetual, the raw milk and home produced products thing is, too. The ”government has too much control of our personal lives”, is another one. “Hard times are a’ comin’” “My neighbor is violating my rights” . “What kind of gun should I buy?“ These discussions are pretty good for when the snow is blowing and you can’t get out and do anything else, but none of the other forum members nor all their heated opinions will put food on your table or pay your fuel bills….and, to me also, blogs are opinions, not always facts. (Just thought I’d throw this one in….)

5) Find out for sure if you can kill animals.

6) Turn off your electricity and shut off your water for about five days…..

7) Buy two pairs of good gloves.

8) Always disengage the clutch before putting the tractor in gear. Always disengage the PTO before getting off the tractor. (Go to an antique tractor show and you'll see those labels from times past. Everybody had to learn something.) Do not pull stumps with a Farmall M.

9) Check out the book, "The Resilient Gardener", by Carol Deppe.

10) When you do buy your dream estate, save back enough money to immediately get it surveyed with lots of irons and flags. That tells your neighbors you aren't a patsy.

11) (WIHH, where are you?) It’s one thing for two single persons to “sort of” agree on your plans, and it’s fun to make goals and dreams on paper, as you have done, but when the time comes……… So far, all the posts have been yours. This will be a huge life change for both of you.

That’s all the “wisdom” I have for now. Best of luck to you…

geo

I just moved to some land that I have owned for 6 years. There is a very steep learning curve in trying to be self sufficient. Don't try to do everything at once. Start with one or two things, like chickens and an orchard, and learn how to do them really well before moving on to master other jobs.

What you can learn out of books and on the net can be very helpful but what you can learn from the neighbors is most important. They have been living there and know what grows in your soil and climate. They know how to raise chickens and other critters. Go ahead and learn from them. Maybe you can trade some labor and you will wind up learning while they get some help.

Texican reccommends buying land ASAP. I agree. The only way the economy can go is to rampant inflation. The gooberment keeps printing money which results in inflation and the debt load keeps getting bigger. The only way for SS to pay out is if the benifit is paid in grossly inflated dollars. I fully expect that in 10 years my SS benifit check may buy a few loaves of bread. I am investing in things that are easily bartered, like canning jars, ammo, reloading components, cases of motor oil, guns, and chain saw chains. Don't forget preps too.

Good luck with your homesteading.

gloves..... dont forget good gloves!

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

This answer may sound kind of unconventional, but the best thing you can do in my opinion is be a good neighbor wherever you end up and find a good church and get involved. We moved out to our 4 acre minifarm last year, and the biggest difference between rural and urban life is the sense of community. We have learned a great deal by asking questions to people in our area who have gardens and know what works well in that area. People from church have let us borrow equipment and even helped us out on projects. We have been able to be good neighbors by helping others with their projects, picking up their kids from school, etc. There is a lot of talk of what it takes to survive a SHTF scenario, but few of us have had to face one. I was on one of the first rescue teams to respond to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. After 7 days there, I went to the Mississippi Gulf coast to help family. The people in MS were harder hit, but they bounced back much quicker because of a couple of factors;
1) They weren't waiting for a gov't response. They took the bull by the horns and responded to their own emergency.
2)They had a sense of community. They came together and watched each others property and helped each other at every turn.
My advice: Become a person who values and cultivates that sense of community. You will learn more and your homesteading experience will be richer for it.

8) Always disengage the clutch before putting the tractor in gear. Always disengage the PTO before getting off the tractor. (Go to an antique tractor show and you'll see those labels from times past. Everybody had to learn something.) Do not pull stumps with a Farmall M.

Awesome!

I completely agree. I would say the most valuable "homesteading" skills and tools I have are those my neighbors have loaned us when we were in a jam! And you'll find people are ready and willing if they've already seen how committed YOU are to them.

I also agree with this one.
No matter how many good tools you have, how many seed catalogs you collect, or how many trees you plant, you should be firmly committed to each other or you've already got the deck stacked against you...

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Do NOT pull stumps with any wheeled tractor that YOU can afford. Nor push them out with any kind of mounted blade. Thats work for Cats of many makes.

2 books I can THOURGLY recommend is from LR Miller. Haying with horses, and Horsedrawn tillage tools. Yes, hes heavy on useing horses, But he tells you how to mow, and when. How to rake, How to make hay stacks if u dont have a barn. And anything else to do with haying. I dont have horses, but I use a horse drawn hay rake, and hay rack.
Its the useing tillage impliments that I gained a world of information. When to use them. When not to, Types of soils and what you can and shouldnt do with them. How to use tillage impliments, and bunches of other topics. Each has over 350 pages, and likely 500 pics. He also has a book on plows and plowing, im now going to get, AND I think he has a book on planting and drilling and sowing, Ill get also. Give anything for a DVD on the topics, but he has near enough pics for even me to understand. AND, if you DO get into useing horses, he has 2 books on how to learn to work with horses.