If you don't have a homestead, but you're dreaming of one, now is the perfect time to start honing skills that will serve you well once you have your own bit of God's country.
Here's a list of invaluable skills that most long-time homesteaders would consider necessary on a regular basis. How many of these can you check off the list?
1. How to plant a tree
One of the first things most careful homesteaders do, is focus on planting fruit-bearing trees and perennials. The sooner you get them planted, the sooner they'll be providing you with food, year after year.
Fedco is a favorite fruit tree supplier for many New England homesteaders, and they have good directions here for planting those first fruit trees.
2. How to build and use a clothesline
A good clothesline is worth its weight in gold. Drying laundry on the line is one of the easiest and best ways to save money when you're living in the country.
Learn how to build (and use) a good sturdy clothesline here.
3. How to put up strong fencing
Some of the biggest problems homesteaders run into, happen because of poorly built or badly-maintained fencing. Learning to put up the right type of fencing for the job will save a lot of homestead heartache.
Here's a good article from last year, all about homestead fencing mistakes to avoid.
4. How to garden
Growing as much of your own food as possible is a huge goal of most homesteaders. If you've never grown your own food before, it's never to soon to start. Even if you're living in an apartment while you're homestead dreaming, go ahead and start a little windowsill garden. Any start is a good start!
This article is a good one to have in mind, when you're ready for planting your first garden. No tiller? No problem. Digging your first garden by hand isn't as hard as you might think. Here's how.
5. Basic animal husbandry
Confidence in caring for animals is an invaluable asset for a new homesteader. If you're still in the homestead dreaming stage, volunteering at a local farm can be a great way to gain valuable experience working with common homestead animals.
It's also a great idea to start reading up about the needs of your favorite homestead critters. In general, the Storeys' guides are a good, reliable source of animal husbandry information, and are a solid place to start.
6. How to start a good side hustle
If your homestead isn't paying for itself, many homesteaders would say you're doing it wrong. Hobby farming can be great, but if you're looking to homestead profitably, it's good to have at least one or two sources of income from your homesteading efforts.
This extensive list of side hustles for homesteaders is a really good place to start.
7. First Aid and simple remedies
Homesteading is hard work, and it's very physical. Injuries can be common, and it's a good plan to know how to confidently react to injuries, stings, and illnesses.
It's a really good plan for any aspiring homesteader to take a first aid and CPR course. And if you'd like to start stocking your herbal apothecary cabinet with simple homemade remedies, this list some great beginner recipes to start with.
8. How to make (and stick to) a budget
Knowing how to run a homestead like a business, keeping track of finances and staying within a budget, is one of the most important ways you can set yourself up for long-term homesteading success.
9. How to shift plans, while not losing sight of your goals
Learning to "pivot" might be another way to put this. In homesteading, every year is going to be different. From rainy summers that drown your gardening plans, to livestock illness, to the changing price of grain...the playing field is always changing when you're a homesteader.
Being able to stay flexible in your plans, while not getting discouraged, is an important part of keeping a sense of fulfillment and joy, while living a homesteading lifestyle.
10. How to use a chainsaw
If you have any amount of wooded property, having a chainsaw and knowing how to use it, is really a handy thing. If you get a chance to learn how to use one properly, from somebody with experience, that's definitely an opportunity worth taking.
11. How to cook from scratch
When you're growing much of your own food, knowing how to cook from scratch is necessary. It's also helpful to learn how to freeze, can, and dehydrate food, to store away for winter.
If you've always cooked from mixes, and takeout is your usual MO, it's ok to baby step your way into this. Get some cookbooks from the library, and try making one meal a week from scratch. You can do this!
12. Making friends
This might be the most important thing on this list. Homesteaders thrive in community. When you have the kind of friends you can call at 5am for help with a sick lamb, or who offer to swing by with their tractor to help you move your mulch delivery down to the back garden...that's the kind of friendship I'm talking about.
Farmer and homesteaders have each other's backs. If you're a bit of a lone wolf, learning to cultivate the art of friendship can be one the best investments you'll ever make toward the success of your homestead. People with close friendships live longer, too!
Best Side Hustles For Shire Dwellers
If you're a hobbit at heart, the idea of a fast-paced urban side-hustle is probably enough to make you skip elevenses. But if you need to make some extra income without leaving the comfort of simple country life, don't despair.
Here are some of the most tried and true ways that homesteaders around the country are making income from home, even from very small pieces of land.
Plant These 12 Vegetables If You Need a Harvest in 60 Days
If you want to grow your own food in a short time, these fast-growing vegetables are your best bets! Here are 12 different vegetables you can grow in just 60 days, or less.
12 Movie Stars Who Ditched Hollywood for Quiet Farm Life
The notion that all actors live in either Los Angeles or New York is easy to follow when we only see them on the red carpet or at glitzy Hollywood movie premieres. But here are some actors who choose to lead quiet, everyday lives away from the glare of the Hollywood spotlight when they're not promoting their next big project or actively filming on set.
This was my biggest mistake as a new homesteader
Many new homesteaders make the same mistakes when they're first starting out. My biggest mistake was a really common one. Here's what I'd do differently if I were starting over.
If you're only raising chickens on your homestead, you're missing out
When it comes to types of poultry you can profitably raise on a homestead, there's so much more to choose from than just chickens or ducks.
Check out this list for the pros and cons of 11 different types of poultry. Some might surprise you!
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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