“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

– Confucius

This quote embodies my thoughts on homesteading. Many people are overwhelmed by the thought of homesteading and all the work and investments of becoming more self-sufficient. However, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming!

Consider starting with just one or two new things and mastering them before moving on to something else. Learning how to do numerous different things at once can be overwhelming but learning one or two things at a time is easier and can be fun! Then, when you have those down well, learn something else; slowly building on your knowledge and expertise without overloading your proverbial plate!

Where to start? I would suggest that if you plan on having fruit and/or nut trees, start with planting those since they do take several years to produce and once they are planted, they really don’t require a lot of your time so you can focus on learning other things while they are busy growing. Hopefully by the time the trees start producing, you will have several skills mastered and be ready to preserve your harvest! You will likely want to put cages around your young trees to protect them from damage for at least the first few years. Rabbits, armadillos, deer, etc can easily kill young trees in no time without a cage to keep them out.

Do you lack space? Start a window sill herb garden, container garden or learn how to garden vertically. Learn how to maintain a sourdough starter and bake sourdough bread. Don’t let that overwhelm you – sourdough is simpler than you think and fun! Cook from scratch more often. Learn how to preserve food by canning, fermenting, dehydrating or freeze drying. Foster relationships with people in your community to barter with for things you don’t have room to grow for yourself.

Do you lack finances? A lot of edible plants can be wild foraged! If you have some property, start exploring and identifying the plants that are already growing around you. If you don’t have property, find public land such as conservation areas near you and find out if foraging is permitted there. In Missouri, typically foraging is permitted in conservation areas as long as you don’t disturb the dirt (such as digging up plants). Or ask land owners around you if they would permit you to forage on their property (make sure to ask if the property is sprayed with anything).

Once you have land to forage on, explore it throughout the year to identify the different bounties in all the seasons. There is likely more than you would think. In Missouri, spring means morel mushrooms, lots of greens and wildflowers, watercress, etc. Summer is the season for all the berries – gooseberries, black raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, elderberries, in addition to greens and wildflowers; fall is my favorite harvest season – persimmons, paw paws, spicebush berries, rosehips, etc. Even in the winter you can often still find rosehips, nuts, berries, and even some greens. This is nowhere near an exhaustive list – foraging opportunities are almost endless once you start looking.

Foraging can provide food for the present as well as food to be preserved but it can also be more than that. Foraged fruit can provide seeds that you can start your own plants with. Go out when wildflowers go to seed and collect some to start your own. Some of my favorites that are easy to start from seed are wild chamomile (pineapple weed), lemon bee balm and yarrow. Most of my orchard fruit trees were started from seed from wild foraged fruit. Pawpaws, persimmons and wild plums can all be easily started from seed. *Please remember to forage sustainably. This means do not forage rare or endangered plants and do not take all of what is available.

When you do plant things, whether in an annual vegetable garden or perennial gardens and orchards, plant things you know flourish in your area. My lowest maintenance plants are the native ones that I have foraged from the land around me. Plant them in the same conditions they grow in naturally. They already thrive without human intervention so all I have to do is make it easier on myself to harvest them! If you do want to plant things that aren’t native in your area, talk to someone with experience growing that plant in your area and learn everything you can from them. For the least maintenance, look into companion planting food forests using permaculture principles.

What are some other things you can learn as you go?

-Teach yourself how to DIY and repurpose things; thrift stores and yard sales can be a great way to find things you need to be more self-reliant.
-Start eliminating things you buy at the grocery store little by little with homegrown, homemade goods and learn how to preserve them.
-Learn about herbal remedies.
-Start a small compost bin to turn scraps into nutrient-rich soil.
-Build a bartering system within your community.
-Foster friendships within your community with people of like-mind and help each other.
-Learn to add value to whatever you produce at your homestead. For example, you might not be able to make a living selling apples, but maybe you could by selling apple cider vinegar or apple pies with a much better profit margin than if you just sold apples.

Make sure that as you add things to your homestead you do it in a way that makes things as easy as possible to maintain. Whether you are a planner or not, you need to think about water access for gardens and livestock. You will want to have facilities ready before adding any livestock, even something as simple as baby chicks or keets. You don’t want to have unexpected delays in finishing a pen or housing and have nowhere to put your livestock. Chicks and keets grow shockingly fast so have a coop ready before you hatch or buy chicks.

In summary, I suggest starting with just one or two projects and then gradually expand your homestead as your resources and skills increase. The quickest way to get overwhelmed is to think you need to jump in with both feet and do it all at once. If you have the space for it, consider planting a few fruit and nut trees since those will typically take several years to begin producing. And if you plan to start any trees or shrubs from seed, you might consider getting those started as well so they can mature while you work on developing your other homesteading skills.

Most of all, embrace the journey. Homesteading is a learning process, so don’t be afraid to experiment and adapt your approach as needed to fit your lifestyle and desires. Remember that community is key. Make friends with other local homesteaders and learn from them, barter with them, share your lives and harvests. Everyone’s lives will be richer for it.

“There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.”

– Idowu Koyenikan

Share with me in the comments your plans to start your homestead – or if you’ve already started, what were your first steps?