As a reminder, I organize my week’s accomplishments according to my ultimate goals for this homestead property. Here’s what I got done this week: Food Production The garden dreams are at their peak while the actual productivity is nonexistent. The seedlings that…
Weeks 32 & 33 at Farm 96: Ordering Chicks & New Kitchen Table
To write these updates (mostly for my own records, although I do hope that some aspiring homesteader out there is reading and enjoying these), I keep a list of tasks that I get done on each day – and of…
Week 30 at Farm 96: Spring Orchard Expansion & Planning a Cold Frame
As a reminder, I organize my week’s accomplishments according to my ultimate goals for this homestead property. Here’s what I got done this week: Food Production I placed a very exciting order for spring permaculture additions from Stark Bro’s Nursery. I was…
Weeks 27 & 28 at Farm 96: Sweet Potato Experiment and Overdue Organization
I had a blissful 12 days off from work for winter break. I really needed to relax – I’m a teacher, and the Thanksgiving to Christmas push was particularly brutal this year. But I didn’t spent much time lounging; every…
Week 26: 6 Months of Farm 96
It has officially been six months since I realized my lifelong dream to purchase a farm of my own. The goal is to build this property into a semi-self-sufficient homestead. Naturally, I have been heavily focused on all that needs…
My New Life as a Homesteader | Revisiting the Rules 6 Months Later
While sitting in the comfort of my apartment in anticipation of realizing my lifelong dream, I set a couple of rules for my ‘new life as a homesteader’. Now that it has been nearly six months since assuming the ‘homesteader’…
Week 19 at Farm 96: Fall Harvests from the Cold Frame
I’ve noticed that many people my age talk about wanting to travel the world. My friends from high school go on weekend trips to resorts and AirBnBs, seeking concerts and hiking trails and experiences galore. I’m happy for their joy,…
Week 18 at Farm 96: I bought a Gator UTV
By mid-September, the hemorrhaging of cash had subsided, there had been no significant unexpected expenses, and all of my projects had come in under budget. I was feeling pretty good about my situation, but I was increasingly frustrated by the…
Weeks 16 & 17 at Farm 96: Trash Picking and Preparing for the Frost
For the nearly six months that I was under contract to buy this house, I was certain that I would be the kind of homeowner who had it all together: fully unpacked in the first weeks, decorating decisions made, art…
Week 14 at Farm 96: Solar Panels!
It was a huge week on the farm, so I’m not going wax poetic – I’ll just get right into it: Energy Independence Usually this category comes last – while just as significant a goal as the others, it’s not…
Weeks 12 & 13 at Farm 96: First Harvest, Second Firewood Rack
The weather has been lovely, the leaves are starting to turn, and I am finding a rhythm with the work of the farm. There is a fabulous repetitiveness to it all – novel tasks can only be accomplished in the…
Week 8 at Farm 96: Mini Splits & Yard Sale Treasures
As a teenager, I used to climb through my bedroom window to sit on the roof and look at the stars. I scarcely saw a meteor, but it was one of the rare times my suburban neighborhood was quiet, and…