Backyard Homesteading For Beginners
You’ve finally talked your family into starting a homestead because you want a simpler lifestyle, like growing a garden, raising chickens, making soap, and getting a pet goat.
You know, enjoying all the things you’ve been dreaming about for years.
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It’s going to be Great!
Now what?
Where do you begin? Especially if you have no clue what a homestead lifestyle entails.
A great starting point is learning how to garden. If your space doesn’t allow for a garden in the ground, then begin one in containers on your deck or patio. Heck, you can even start one inside with grow lights.
Let’s say you can grow a good garden depending on the weather, and you’re ready to move out to the country and start your homestead for real.
Start Small
The best advice is to start small. Don’t get in over your head with a big homestead if you have no idea how to run one. By starting small and adding new animals or features each year, you will have the success and the confidence to move on to bigger animals and better homesteading equipment.
Most homesteaders jump in head first and figure things out as they go. You’ll do the same. Learn as you go and if you need to learn about how to raise those cute goats you’ve been dreaming about, then talk to some people that raise them. Go to the county fair and inquire where to purchase one and get any tips you need for fencing and animal care. You’ll learn so much more by asking someone that deals with these animals all the time than you would by reading books about it.
Examples of Starting A Small Homestead
For instance, if you don’t know anything about growing a garden. Then start with tomatoes, regular and cherry, maybe another vegetable you like to eat, rather than a full-fledged garden. This way, you won’t become overwhelmed and give up halfway through the growing season.
When you start deciding on your animals becareful no to go too big. Start small if you have no experience with farm animals. Buying a few chickens is a good start with a rooster. You’ll learn how to take care of them and keep them safe from predators. Maybe you can hatch a few eggs; that’s a fun activity for the family.
Once you learn how to keep the chickens inside the fence and predators from getting in the hen house, you’ll be ready to move on getting a few goats. They will need a much better fence, or your garden will be gone in a day. But they are great for clearing out thorny, overgrown patches of land.
As your homestead grows and you get more animals, you might want to check if there’s a local vet that will come out to the farm to look at all the animals at one time or twice a year for a checkup and worming. This is essential to a healthy herd.
Start small and grow your homestead, little by little. And you’ll be thrilled with your choice of a new lifestyle.
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