Homesteading On Small Acreage

A homestead and a farm could be described in many different ways. No matter how you view homesteading or farming, you are able to grow a good portion of food without living on twenty acres. Raising your own chickens is a great place to start. Keeping a few hens to start is easier to maintain.

If your home has landscaping, you can replace some shrubbery with a few tomato plants. Many recipes can be created using tomatoes, for example, ketchup, salsa, tomato soup, chilly soup, and pizza sauce, to name a few. Peppers and sweet corn are also some easier plants to start with. If you live in an apartment and are unable to plant a larger garden, you can plant in pots. Set them on your balcony or south-facing window for natural sunlight in order to flourish.

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Big red barn syndrome

‍We all think we need a big red barn in order to have a farm or homestead, however, this is not the case. Start small and grow. If you are wanting a horse or cow, provide a run-in shed with an enclosed area for a stall for them. A tack room may also be added to the run-in shed to house your feed and tack. If you are starting with pigs, sheep, or goats an A-Frame shelter is a great fit for your smaller animals to escape the elements. Chickens are easy to keep, by adding a small coop and outside run. You can build your homestead one shelter at a time, without having to break the bank with one big barn. This also allows you to be flexible in your homesteading adventures. If you start with a certain animal and it turns out that it is not a good fit, you are able to better move on to something else without the worry of the amount of money put into your barn. 

Homesteading is more than just raising your own food, but also networking with your local community. Find other like-minded individuals you can trade and barter with, alongside buying certain local items that you are unable to raise.