As I prepare to close on my very own 10-acre farm, I’ve been revisiting some of the materials I have collected over the past ten years of working towards this purchase. I’ve read hundreds of books and watched thousands of…
Spring Greenhouse Update: 2.5 Months Out from the Homestead Dream
I am just 10 weeks away from closing on my 10 acre farm!!! This is by far my busiest season at work – I am a teacher, I coach a spring sport, and I’m finishing up my Master’s degree, so…
Getting Ready for Farm Life: 3 Months To Go
After a lifetime of planning and dreaming, it’s hard to believe I’m less than 3 months away from owning my own farm. I’ve been finding myself recognizing the little things I’m really looking forward to, things I greatly enjoyed but…
Gardening Doesn’t Have to be Expensive (18 Tips)
The recent barrage of TikTok shop ads for beginner gardening tools – grow lights, raised beds, you name it – is overwhelming. While these items have value, the aggressive marketing preys on the prevalent concerns surrounding food insecurity and inflation,…
My Gardening Philosophy: Prioritize the Microherd
The same thing happens every year: we have one rogue 45 degree day, the sun comes out, the snow begins to melt, the air smells like mud, and I get the overwhelming urge to order 98 seed packets from every…
My Simple Sourdough Routine: Bread, Pancakes & No Waste
My mom loved bread; she once told me that the happy place in her mind was the center of a warm loaf of bread. In one of my favorite pictures of her, she has a warm dinner roll pressed against…
5 Months from the Homestead Dream: 5 Tasks to Complete
The closing date for my dream farm is just under 5 months away – it’s a perfect 10 acre blank slate that will allow me to build the homestead dream I’ve been working towards since I was a kid. While…
13 Useful Ideas for My Homestead from Self-Reliance Magazine (2023 Issues)
For the past couple of years, I’ve had Self-Reliance magazine delivered to my apartment mailbox every quarter. Flipping through the articles in my third floor city(ish) apartment, I couldn’t help but feel far-removed from ever putting these ideas for my…
Designing An Orchard for a (Semi) Self Sufficient Homestead
In approximately 4.5 months, I will close on my new 10 acre farm, and the race will be on to get as much done as possible before summer comes to an end. I’m excited to hit the ground running, but…
Customizing a Coat for an Ungrateful Goat
I think the most important part of being a homesteader is adopting the homesteading mindset – the ‘do it yourself’, problem-solver, make-use-of-what-you-have approach to life. After all, that’s self-sufficiency, isn’t it? Relying on yourself before you rely on corporations? Meet…
Buying a Farm: Process Update 3
Earlier this week, we got our second significant accumulation of snow – a welcome contrast from last winter, when it felt like it didn’t snow at all. The seller sent along beautiful photos of the farm in the snow. While…
Books for the Future Homesteader: Stay Motivated with 6 Great Reads
It was the summer before my junior year. Being 15 years old is a formative and tenuous experience in and of itself, but to add insult to injury, my mom had just been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. I…