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The Vision For My Homestead
Planning Ahead
Everyone has the vision for what their ideal homestead will look like. Here are some ideas of what to plan for, and a timeline.
This is my dream list of projects when first starting out with our new property. The priorities could (and will) change as we pivot along the way, and other things become more important, including porches and other additions that are currently on the back burner, but might become strategic for preparing food, as a summer kitchen and so on.
Here are my ideas for what to do first, in no particular order;
- Water source - might just be rainwater catchment, or a new well.
- Worm farm – needs a loafing shed or barn.
- fencing for sheep, goats, alpaca,
chickens, miniature horses, whatever other critters you decide you want to raise.
- ponds for fish, weeds such as water hyacinth to compost.
- sugar bush – maple trees to tap for maple sugar.
- composting – leaves from maple trees, sawdust, woodchips, greenmanure, seaweed and pond weed.
- additions to house (kitchen, bedroom, conservatory), covered porch, mudroom.
- sheds, chicken house, cottages to house workers or visitors, greenhouse, shop, root cellar.
- willows for basket making, trellises, hurdles.
- evergreen shelterbelt.
- potager garden.
- hugelkultur beds for fruit bushes.
- apple and pear orchard.
- pollinator garden.
- Tools and implements to buy or barter.
If you're just getting started, or you haven't found your property yet, there are a few things you might want to look for; most important of all is water. The lack of it will stall your progress quicker than anything else, and nothing will help if you need to haul it, or fill cisterns a truckful at a time.
These types of activities quickly take the joy out of the homesteading journey, so before you get all excited over getting animals, get the water first.
We started simple, as we won't be farming any animals, except maybe a dog, so setting up some rain barrels is the place to begin. 45 gallon blue plastic barrels are a cheap way to go.
They are easy to drill through and screw in a tap at the bottom, which is a lot easier than dipping your watering cans in the top. Make sure you also have a screen over it to keep mosquitoes out.
We now have two, one on the shed, the other catching water off the greenhouse and shed roof. The water we captured from any rainfall took care of all our irrigation needs for the garden for the summer.
Now to winterize and get the barrels put away before the freezing weather arrives so they don't crack. No point in replacing them, if we can protect them for another year.
Decide on which things have to take priority; no point in getting a bunch of laying hens, only to have them start to roost in trees because you don't have a shed to house them.
Safety is always paramount - if you have predators around, don't give them an easy meal. If they have to work for it, they might just decide to go elsewhere for their dinner. Don't count on this scenario for livestock protection; give them a secure, warm place to live, especially at night or during storms, and get a well trained livestock guardian dog.
If you plan to make money homesteading, decide what tools you're going to have to purchase, and how you'll pay for them. Budgeting to buy a chipper or log splitter can mean foregoing some other projects until you get off the ground.
The priorities would be; set up a place to work, with everything in order.
Then buy the tools you'll need.
Finally, get to work so you can pay for all this.
Possibly borrow the seed money for getting started, or go into partnership for a while until the enterprise is a going concern and you can buy out your angel investor.
Only you can predict what your homestead will look like in the future. Write down your vision of all the projects you think you would like to tackle, and give them a priority number.
Stay flexible and nimble; your priorities will change, and new projects will rise to the top, which is totally fine. This list is not written in stone.
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