Start your first homestead: A complete guide
For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to a lifestyle closer to nature, without ever realizing it was actually possible (and that people were living like this).
In recent years, this dream has been shared more and more by individuals and families who long for the same thing.
Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about your ideal homestead?
A place where you can grow your own food, live in harmony with nature and enjoy a simpler way of living.
It sounds pretty appealing, doesn't it?
If you're nodding along, thinking, "That's exactly what I want," you're in the right place.
When I talk to people, I hear a lot of reasons why getting started with homesteading is so difficult.
For good reason.
As appealing as the journey to homesteading looks, it comes with its share of challenges.
It goes beyond the peaceful sunsets and abundant gardens and food forests.
Behind every successful homestead are stories of early mornings, late nights, confrontations with the elements, and even moments of doubt.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you're just starting.
You might find yourself asking, "Do I have what it takes?" or "Where do I even begin?"
These questions are the foundation of your homesteading vision.
Whether you're dealing with a lack of know-how, balancing a job alongside homesteading dreams, or simply feeling swamped by the work it takes to build a self-sufficient life, this is for you.
My goal with this guide is to walk you through the early, exciting (but scary and overwhelming) stages, to a point where you begin to see your vision of an abundant lifestyle come to life.
So, let's take that first step.
Chapter 1: What is homesteading?
In a fast-paced world, where meals are more often microwaved than made and where we’ve disconnected ourselves from nature, the idea of homesteading stands out as a way back to the basics and a more fulfilling way of living.
But what exactly is homesteading?
Is it a return to the past, a lifestyle revolution, or something in between?
At its core, homesteading is about creating a self-sufficient lifestyle that minimizes dependence on commercial systems of production and consumption.
A lifestyle choice that redefines independence in the modern world.
It's a practice as old as humanity itself.
This can include growing your own food, raising livestock, preserving your harvest, and even producing your own energy.
Having said that, nowadays, there's no single way to homestead.
Today's homesteading movement is as diverse as the people who go for it.
For some, it means transforming their suburban backyard into a productive garden that provides fresh vegetables for family meals.
For others, it's about learning the ins and outs of preservation, from canning and fermenting to dehydrating.
And then there are those who take it a step further, aiming for complete off-grid living and self-sufficiency.
It’s a lifestyle that values creating a life on your own terms.
A conscious choice to step away from the consumerist culture and create an abundant life worth living.
The great thing about modern homesteading is that it's adaptable, fitting into various spaces and lifestyles.
Whether it's a container garden on an apartment balcony, a few chickens in a suburban backyard, or a fully operational farmstead.
The essence of homesteading is the same: it's about making conscious choices to live more simply, self-sufficiently, and in tune with the cycles of nature.
In this journey to understand homesteading, remember that there's no one-size-fits-all approach.
It's a personal journey, defined by your goals, capabilities, and the unique approach you choose to follow.
So, that brings us to the next question: Is homesteading for you?
Chapter 2: Is homesteading for you?
When we think of "homesteading," we often picture wide-open fields, abundant food sources, and a life far removed from today's chaos.
Many see it as a deep dive into self-reliance and living off the grid.
Though this is true for some, homesteading is really about a wider, more accessible concept for many of us.
Homesteading is about independence.
It involves taking steps, however small, to reclaim control over how you live and what you eat.
It's not necessarily about cutting ties with society or achieving 100% food self-sufficiency, though, those are admirable goals.
It's really about knowing the source of your food and feeling good about the effort you put into it.
It means making sure your daily life reflects your core beliefs.
Think about the satisfaction of picking vegetables and fruits you've grown yourself.
That's what homesteading is all about.
It creates a strong, fulfilling link between you, your food, and the land, giving you a sense of achievement that’s truly unique.
Now, you don't need a huge amount of land or a lot of experience to get started on this journey.
What you really need is the eagerness to learn, a bit of readiness to give it a go, and preferably a community for support.
Homesteading begins with a single step, maybe with a plant in a pot on your windowsill or a tiny compost bin on your balcony.
Personally, we started with a small worm bin in a 40m2 apartment.
We didn’t even have a garden yet.
So, ask yourself, what does homesteading mean to you?
Is it a call to return to simpler times?
A way to ensure your family eats healthy?
A way to reduce your reliance on the system?
Your idea of homesteading is personal and completely yours, whether it's ambitious or simple.
If the thought of growing your own food and building out an abundant lifestyle excites you, then yes, homesteading could very well be for you.
Before we go any further, take a moment to reflect on your motivations and the realities of homesteading life.
This understanding will help guide you on this journey of creating your homestead.
Chapter 3: Where to start your homestead?
Just like when you're getting ready to start a garden, the first thing to figure out isn't which seeds to plant.
You’ll first want to know where to put your garden so it grows well, thinking about how much sun and shade it will get and what the soil is like.
The same can be said for starting your homestead.
The "where" lays the foundation for everything that follows.
After you've spent time reflecting on what homesteading means to you, and you’ve decided this is something you want to do, the next step is to figure out where you want to do this.
As I mentioned before, the journey towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle doesn't require a huge amount of land or a rural setting.
It can begin right where you are, at this very moment.
No matter if it’s a backyard in the suburbs or just a windowsill in a city flat, your place has possibilities you might not have thought about yet.
Urban homesteading has gained momentum for a reason.
It's entirely possible to grow herbs, vegetables, and even keep bees or chickens in smaller spaces with a bit of creativity and dedication.
Of course, you might be dreaming of larger projects that require more land than you currently have access to.
Maybe you’re thinking about food forests, large vegetable gardens, livestock, or all of the above.
If so, looking for a new place that fits your homesteading plans might be a necessity.
This doesn't have to mean moving to the most remote location you can find.
Many successful homesteads are situated on the outskirts of towns, where they can enjoy the best of both worlds: access to community resources and enough space to grow and expand.
Regardless of where you decide to plant your homesteading roots, remember that each location will have its unique challenges and opportunities.
So, with this in mind, where will your homesteading journey begin?
Chapter 4: Define your homestead vision
It's easy to get excited and jump right into homesteading, wanting to do everything all at once.
I've been in that spot, full of energy but not really sure where to start.
What happened?
A bunch of projects that never got finished, feeling let down, and really tired.
I learned the hard way that having a clear plan is crucial.
Imagine setting out on a journey without knowing your destination.
You might have the best equipment, and the strongest desire to explore, but without a direction, where do you end up?
Everywhere and nowhere, all at once.
The same goes for homesteading.
If you don't have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, you risk ending up going in circles.
You’ll overextend your resources and wear yourself out.
On my own journey, I used to think making it up as I went was part of the fun.
I tried to install everything at once.
Gardens, chickens, food forests, collecting rainwater, making compost, everything.
The result was overwhelming, to say the least.
I spread myself too thin and couldn't really get good at any one thing because I was weighed down by my own ambitions.
It was a valuable, if exhausting, lesson.
From that lesson, I learned that having clarity on what you want from your homestead, will help you in the process of going from dream to reality.
So, ask yourself, what do you truly want from your homestead?
Get really to the core of what you’re trying to achieve, and more specifically, why.
This will guide you through the options and decisions ahead.
Once you're clear on that, you can turn your broad ideas into specific things you want to achieve.
Here’s where you start to turn your vision into tangible elements like food forests, herb gardens, or water systems.
This will provide you with a list of things that you’ll need to install, to realize the vision that you have in mind.
This is the real value of having a clear vision: It turns the overwhelming idea of 'everything' into a clear plan for 'something.’
You get to build your ideal place bit by bit, carefully and thoughtfully, without getting lost or letting go of the happiness it brings you.
Chapter 5: Get to know your land
Once you have your vision in place, the next task is to get to know your land on a deeper level.
The main job is to learn about the opportunities and limitations it presents.
Every plot of land has its own story, from the way water flows on the ridges and valleys to how trees block the wind.
Understanding this isn’t just for the sake of knowing.
It will help you see what you can do with the land and what limits you might face.
This will tell you how you can match the vision you have with the real opportunities and limitations of your land.
To help with this, we need to get to know our land as much as possible.
Here, we’ll have to take a deep look into things like climate, water, topography, soil, and much more.
Actually, I've covered this topic in depth in another article.
To keep things fresh and avoid repeating myself, you can find more detailed information on this topic here.
Basically, analyzing your site helps you figure out, "Based on what I've learned, how can I make my vision happen?"
Once you've gathered all this information, you can start making data-driven decisions.
You'll see how your plans fit with what your land can offer and where you might need to change things up.
Chapter 6: Design your homestead
Now that you have a better understanding of the opportunities and limitations of your land, it’s time to design your property.
If you’ve ever felt stuck on where to place your garden, chicken coop, or water systems, you're not alone.
One of the most common challenges in homesteading is figuring out how to lay everything out in a way that makes sense, feels right, and works efficiently.
The solution?
Designing from patterns to details, guided by the Scale of Permanence.
Now, you might be wondering, what exactly is that?
The Scale of Permanence was introduced by P.A. Yeomans, an Australian engineer and inventor, who sought a systematic way to plan and improve agricultural land.
The scale prioritizes elements of the landscape based on how changeable they are, from the most permanent features (climate) to the least (soil).
This order of design helps in creating a design that works with the land's natural characteristics, rather than trying to go against them.
This is the step-by-step process we use for designing a homestead:
1. Design your water systems: We always start with water in our design. This might include ponds, swales, terraces, and typically earthworks.
2. Design access roads: Once the water framework is in place, we can now fit in the access on your property following the pattern laid out by your water systems.
3. Include essential structures: With water and access taken care of, now is the time to decide on the best placement of your main residence and essential structures. Placement should consider sunlight, wind direction, and proximity to water and access routes. Of course, if you already have a home, this won’t count for you.
4. Establish zones: After addressing water, access, and essential structures, your land will naturally be divided into functional sections, or what is also called subdivisions. Now we use the design principle of zones to designate areas of your land based on frequency of use and care needs.
5. Stack functions: Once your land is divided into zones of use, we can use the principle of “stacking functions” to come up and think about how elements can serve multiple purposes. Here we look for ways to design the elements in such a way that the output of one element becomes the input for another. A perfect example is placing your chickens next to your garden. All the weeds, spoil, etc. can be a source of food for the chickens, while the manure from the chickens can provide your garden with needed fertilizer. In fact, your chickens can even create your compost.
6. Place remaining elements: With your wishlist in hand, derived from your vision, start placing each element onto your layout. Consider the relationships between elements, their needs, and how they fit into your zones. The goal is to position everything in a way that supports your daily routines and the efficient operation of your homestead.
7. Create detailed designs for each zone: After laying out the broad structure of your homestead and placing key elements, the next step is to zoom in on each zone to design in detail. This involves deciding on the specific plants, pathways, structures, and systems for each area based on its intended use and the elements it contains. Consider the interactions between components in each zone and how they contribute to the overall ecosystem of your homestead.
Many people struggle with not knowing where to start or how to organize their homestead for efficiency and ease.
By following this adapted Scale of Permanence and focusing on design from patterns to details, you can overcome this.
This approach ensures you make strategic decisions that lead to a well-organized, thriving homestead.
For more detailed guidance on creating an efficient homestead layout and to dive deeper into the design process, check out my article on “How to create an efficient homestead layout” or consider joining the waitlist for Abundance by Design.
These resources are designed to walk you through each step of the process, from big-picture planning to the finer details of homestead design.
Chapter 7: Create a homestead implementation plan
With your vision clearly defined, elements identified, a thorough land assessment done, and a design in place, the next step is to translate our design into a realistic implementation plan.
This is often where many new homesteaders get stuck: facing the tough question, "Where do I start?"
To get through this, we need to break down your design into a step-by-step implementation plan, focusing on what needs to happen first, second, and so on.
The key to moving forward without feeling overwhelmed is to categorize your projects based on their urgency and importance.
Sorting things this way lets you concentrate your efforts and resources on the most critical tasks first, making sure the basics are covered before you add any extras.
1. Urgent and important:
These are projects that need immediate attention for other aspects of your homestead to function effectively. Without these, you might find yourself at a standstill or redoing work. Examples could include securing a clean water source, setting up basic fencing for protection, or building a home.
2. Urgent but less Important:
Tasks in this category need to be addressed soon but might not be critical to the overall functioning of your homestead. This could be building smaller outbuildings or setting up initial garden beds that don't require immediate irrigation.
3. Less urgent and less important:
These are the projects that, while beneficial, can wait until the more critical infrastructure is in place. Think of these as improvements or optimizations, like expanding your garden or adding specialized structures for convenience.
What to include in each of these categories is unique to everyone.
Your priorities will differ based on your specific goals, the condition of your land, and personal circumstances.
The aim is to install components in a logical order that builds towards your vision without creating unnecessary work down the line.
The order in which you implement your projects should mirror the logic and necessity of building a house: you wouldn't start with the roof before laying the foundations.
The same goes for your garden or food forests.
You wouldn’t want to start a garden in a high deer-pressure area, before building a fence.
Or getting chickens before you build a coop.
You get the point.
By organizing your implementation plan with clear priorities and logical steps, you transform the overwhelming into the achievable.
Once you’ve categorized your projects, it’s just a matter of picking the top 2 to 3 projects you want or need to start with.
This you can then break down further into smaller steps, plan for budget, and create a timeline.
By focusing on just the first 2 or 3 projects, you allow yourself the space to learn and adapt without the pressure of an overwhelming to-do list.
This approach also offers the satisfaction of completing tasks and seeing real progress toward your larger vision.
It’s a straightforward, yet effective, step-by-step approach that simplifies the process of turning your homestead design into reality.
Chapter 8: Research, learn, try, fail, adapt, and repeat
With your homestead implementation plan laid out and your first projects selected, it's time for the cycle of learning and doing.
The truth is, no matter how much you plan, there will always be gaps in your knowledge and skills.
And that's perfectly fine.
It's in these gaps that the real growth happens, both for you and your homestead.
Homesteading is a diverse field that includes everything from agriculture to carpentry and much more.
Trying to master all these areas before starting any project is simply impractical.
The most effective way I’ve found to build my skills is to learn as I tackle each new challenge.
This hands-on approach not only makes the learning process more relevant, but also helps you retain what you've learned.
Here’s how I do it:
Homesteading naturally follows a cycle of research, action, reflection, and adaptation:
1. Research: Every project begins with gathering information. Whether it's building a chicken coop or planting a garden, look for resources that can offer guidance in what you want to do.
2. Try: With a bit of knowledge under your belt, it's time to take action. Dive into your projects with an open mind and a willingness to experiment.
3. Fail: Yes, failure is a step in the process. Every mistake is a lesson, teaching you what works, what doesn't, and why. The key is not to view failures as setbacks but as valuable feedback.
4. Adapt: Use what you've learned from your failures to tweak your approach, adjust your plans, and try again. This step is crucial—it's where growth happens.
5. Repeat: With each cycle, you'll gain more knowledge and skills but also confidence. Then, it's back to the start with the next project and you repeat the cycle over again.
As you move through this cycle with each project, you'll find that your abilities expand and your confidence grows.
Skills that once seemed out of reach become second nature, and tasks that were intimidating become manageable, even enjoyable.
Takeaway
The path to creating a self-sufficient homestead is filled with big dreams but also significant challenges.
You might have felt overwhelmed, unsure of where to begin, not sure of the skills you need to learn, and stretched thin by the time and resources at your disposal.
These feelings are common in the beginning, and they’re valid concerns that can make your goals seem out of reach.
This guide is written with those very obstacles in mind.
By breaking down the process into manageable steps, I hope it can help guide you through the complex process of getting your homestead off the ground.
It’s important to keep in mind that the journey doesn’t stop at planning.
It's all about learning by doing, seeing failures as teaching moments, and constantly tweaking how you do things until you see success.
Thank you for reading this article.
I hope it was helpful.
See you soon,
Moreno
Whenever you're ready, and if it's the right fit, here are 4 ways I can help you:
1. Join Abundance by Design: Abundance by Design teaches you exactly how to plan, design, and start your homestead in 2 weeks or less using Permaculture. Learn how to achieve a level of self-sufficiency that gives you peace of mind, along with a well-structured plan that lays out the 'do this, then that' to get your homestead up and running smoothly.
2. Year-Round Vegetables - The Garden Planner: Learn how to turn your garden into a year-round grocery store. This course will teach you step-by-step how to create a garden plan for year-round vegetables that are aligned with your climate, food preferences, and garden size.
3. The Reconnected Newsletter: Sign up to receive my free weekly newsletter where I share practical tips to grow your independence & freedom from first seed to self-sufficiency, directly to your inbox.
4. The Homestead Startup Checklist: Download our free, step-by-step checklist you can use to plan, design, and start your homestead from scratch (following our ‘Abundance by Design Framework’).
