Have you ever thought about Homesteading?

Have you ever thought about Homesteading?

     There are many reasons to start your homestead. First you can be more sustainable in how you live off the land. Second no matter whether you live in the suburbs or in the country you can still use homesteading as a secondary source of income. I know that Suburban living will limit what you may be about to do but you can plant fruit trees and a garden.

So where do you start?  

     For those who live in the suburbs you many choose to raise chickens*. Maybe you are thinking of buying property in the country just to get started with your homestead. Just keep in mind you do not need a hundred acres to have a small homestead that you can survive off of. That includes one acre of land. Things to think about when buying land; what are you going to do with it? Are you going to farm the land or raise animals or possibly both? Will you build a house or will it have buildings already? You may find a piece of land with a house on it and maybe an outbuilding or two or you may want to build a new house. Just make sure they are all in good condition for future use.

 For land you will be purchasing undeveloped do you have access to water on the property you are looking at? Will you have road access to it or will you have to share road via easement? Will it be something that may be cleared of some of the trees? You know that using the lumber from your land purchase is a big help when saving money not only for lumber but for fuel and possibly food. Some things to think about when you do purchase the land is what it will cost you? Will you have money to pay down, and what will the land tax be? Will you have the options to have gas electric, county water or well, sewage or septic, and internet? Is the soil a good soil for growing?  Does your area support solar power? This will be something to think about for sustaining your homestead.  Think about where the winter sun will be when you build. Will you need pasture area?  What you can do if you have a rocky area to clear, these rocks can be used in so many ways such as building, marking of small flower beds, etc. Once you have found that piece of land don’t just scoop it up right away, if you can, think hard on it. Will it serve all the plans you may have even in the future. This is a big decision that takes great thought.

     Once you have bought your property have a survey done to make sure where your property starts and finishes so you are not infringing on your neighbors land. Something to think about as far as fencing and pastures go is what is the best area for them and where will it be in reference to the house and barn. Use your land to your advantage. Make a map to design what and where you will place each area. Now days you can download a map of the property from Google Earth to have a good look at the Arial view and use it to decide some of your plans. It even gives you tools to show property ends and the measurements of the land to help get a good idea of scale.

     Plans may take a while to sort out but in the end researching is your best friend. I can say this we came into our property because we lost our house in town and we had a friend that was willing to sell it to us since he had another place to live at that time. We didn’t get to choose the setup of where we wanted out house or anything back then. We ended up with about 7 acres and it was up the hill from the road (700 feet straight up) and despite the fact we ended up with an old trailer that was falling apart I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We have a large area of oak trees for wood. We have a 90 foot long patch of blueberries and a few fruit trees. Enough yard to enjoy a pool and patio with the family. There is plenty of space for pastures for our animals and more. I could only wish the well was still intact but it quit before we moved here, but we do have county water with septic. The driveway has a lot to desire as every time it storms we have a washout. That is a lot too it is about ¼ a mile long. We also have a ravine that runs through the upper part of it that was once part of the original wagon trail in the county. I have a view of the area for miles and that makes it so special to me it is like my own paradise. The flowers help too; down both sides of the property runs a row of yellow bells and daffodils crepe myrtle and azaleas dot the property. We have made a lot of progress to making it our homestead. We have built a garage and barns, Fenced in pastures and I even have plans for a pond in one part of the ravine for my Goldfish and Koi. This year we are going to build a small house using the ravine as part for a basement so we have a storm shelter. More on this in the future.

     Now if you think homesteading is something you would like to do in the future, I hope this helps you make up your mind. Making a decision takes a bunch of thought and planning. I know we never thought we would be living on the farm but now we produce our own meat and eggs and have a garden every year for food and fruit trees to supply us with sweet treats. When the house is built it will be a very sufficient house with geothermal heat and cooling and solar power. We are using recycled materials to help cut cost. Dream, plan and do it if you choose.

     Today’s quote:

She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes.
–Lord Byron (1788–1824)

Scripture of the day:

Is. 65:21 They will build houses and live in them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. 21 They will not build for someone else to inhabit, nor will they plant for others to eat.

 Today’s Weather:

Here in Banks County we get to enjoy the warmth of the day and no flooding. For those less fortunate keep that umbrella close and grab an oar or two to keep afloat. It’s all downhill from here.

* Raising chickens posted yesterday if you missed it.