Homesteading Farm Goals for Beginners

I have big dreams guys. Well, actually, I have small dreams. I would love to buy a few acres of land and build an off-the-grid paradise. A tiny house, solar panels, a big garden, etc… I’m starting to plan our homesteading farm, and I have a few homesteading goals I am planning to start with!

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What is Homesteading?

Homesteading is about being self-sufficient. It’s about leading a simple life that leaves a greener footprint, is gentle on the environment, causes less waste, and is eco-friendly.

Homesteading is a lifestyle. A simple and frugal lifestyle that is eco-friendly. I am all about that.

A lot of homesteaders also plan to use their farm as a source of income by selling their produce, eggs, dairy, meat, etc. I can’t foresee this being the case for us, but I won’t completely eliminate this option! It’s just not one of our homesteading goals right now.

Gardening Plans

I built a decent sized garden this year. Using cinder blocks, I made raised garden beds, I also used some old tires. I had tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, zucchini, etc. But I also made a few mistakes in how I planned my garden. For next year, I plan to buy a tiller and plan better, so I get more out of my land. I’d like to start some strawberry and blueberry plants this year too. I want to grow as much as possible on our Homesteading Farm.

Another thing I will be doing this year is collecting rainwater. I’m going to buy rain barrels so I can collect rainwater instead of having to use well water from my hose. This will save a lot of water, plus I won’t have to lug a hose around, instead I can just fill a watering can, right beside the garden.

I will also be starting a compost pile this year, and I’ll be getting a kitchen compost bin as well. This will be a great way to feed my plants and I will be able to use up leftover food and scraps instead of having to toss them in the garbage. I’m planning on having an organic garden, so compost will really help my plants.

I’m planning on learning how to do some canning this year, so I’m going to invest in a good canning kit. We use a lot of pasta sauce, I usually make my own from store bought canned tomatoes, so I may as well can my own tomatoes! I also want to make some salsa, hot sauces, and pickles. I want to be able to preserve as much as possible from my garden, so we can have stuff last into the winter months.

Animals on a Homesteading Farm

While a lot, if not most, homesteaders keep their own livestock like chickens, goats, and rabbits, I don’t plan on keeping my own animals. We don’t eat meat, but we do still eat dairy and eggs occasionally. Our Homesteading Farm will be mostly for growing stuff.

There are a lot of benefits to keeping animals though because not only can you get eggs and dairy from chickens and goats, but you can also butcher them for meat to eat or sell. It’s not something I would want to do personally, but it’s a great option for someone who does eat meat.

There are a lot of homesteaders who use their animals as a source of income, selling wool, eggs, dairy, etc. and also from selling the meat from the animals. This would be great for someone looking to live off their land while earning a living from it too. It’s just not one of my homesteading goals.

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Planning Basic Infrastructure

I’m starting a list so I can plan some basic infrastructure around our homesteading farm. Things like fences to keep deer and other wildlife out of our garden, sheds to store tools in, rain barrel systems to collect water… This will help me plan where the garden, berry bushes, and trees can be planted. I want to make sure I use my space in a smart way so I get the most out of the land.

I’m also trying to look into the future and plan around what we might need in terms of additional storage or garden beds. I want to make sure I have room to store all preserved foods and canned items.

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Being Frugal

One of the things that drew me towards a homesteading farm is the frugalness that comes with it. You don’t buy things you don’t need and you don’t buy things you can grow/fix/make on your own. You become more self-sufficient when you can think of ways to make things instead of buying them.

For example, a garden can save a lot of money on your grocery bill, learning to sew can make your clothes last longer, and you can start learning to cook and bake instead of buying premade food and breads.

Buy things only if you have the cash for them, and don’t put things you don’t actually need on a payment plan or credit card! If you really need or want it, you need to save up for it. This helps to ensure you actually do need/want it, you really have to think about it as you are saving the money for it, and maybe you will decide the money could be better used somewhere else.

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Tiny Living on a Homesteading Farm

Recently I posted about our Tiny House journey. When looking for land to build our Tiny House on, we will be looking for something that will work for our Homesteading Farm too. We want space for a large garden, berry bushes, and a small scale orchard.

I love how our DIY Tiny House and our Homesteading farm goals kind of meld together perfectly. Both of these goals are about being more frugal, self-sufficient, eco-friendly, and leaving a greener footprint. Eventually I would love everything to run off solar panels, but I know that may take a while to get all the solar panels we would need, especially while trying to be frugal. I’m hoping that in the next few years, solar panels will become easier to access for the average person trying to power their home with them.

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