A Letter to a New Homesteader

Before I get too much into the nitty-gritty, I want to tell you something I wish more people would say:

You do not have to do it all.

In fact, trying to do everything at once is one of the quickest paths to burnout. You can only keep so many pots on the stove before they start to boil over.

When you are first starting out, everything feels exciting. The possibilities seem endless, and it is natural to want the garden, the livestock, the sourdough, the pantry shelves lined with home-canned food, and the picture-perfect farmhouse life all at once.

I want to gently encourage you to resist that urge.

Before we go any further, I think it is important to say that homesteading does not have to look like a farm. It does not require acreage, livestock, or even a backyard.

Homesteading can be a pot of herbs on an apartment balcony. It can be learning to cook a meal from scratch. It can be choosing to support local farmers, preserving seasonal produce, or simply making intentional decisions about the food that nourishes your body and your family.

At its heart, homesteading is less about where you live and more about how you live. It is about stewardship, learning new skills, and taking an active role in caring for yourself, your family, and your community.

You do not need to homeschool, cook every meal from scratch, grow a massive garden, preserve all your food, raise your own meat, bake sourdough, and line-dry your laundry to be doing things "right."

All of those things are wonderful. Many of them are worth pursuing. However, they are also incredibly time-consuming, and trying to do everything at once often leaves little room to actually enjoy the life you are working so hard to create.

Start Small in the Garden

Let’s begin with the garden.

Seed catalogs can be dangerous places.

Those beautiful pictures make it easy to convince yourself that you need twenty varieties of tomatoes and every interesting vegetable you have never heard of. Trust me, you do not.

If this is your first year growing food, choose a handful of crops your family genuinely enjoys eating.

Plant a few cool-weather favorites like peas and lettuce. Transition into summer with a good slicing tomato and perhaps a sauce or canning variety. Scallions and green beans are productive, easy crops that fit into almost any garden.

Most importantly, grow food you will actually eat.

There is no prize for growing the most unusual vegetables. The goal is to feed your family, build confidence, and learn new skills one season at a time.

Also, look to see if your county or land-grant university offers a Master Gardener program. You can learn an incredible amount from these programs and the volunteers who support them.

Choose One Livestock Project

Next, let us talk about livestock.

Before you bring home a single animal, find a veterinarian who works with food animals or livestock, if at all possible. It may take some effort, but having veterinary support established before there is an emergency is one of the smartest things you can do.

I would also encourage you to find a mentor, someone with real experience raising the type of animals you are interested in. Social media should never replace hands-on guidance from knowledgeable producers.

When it comes to livestock, start with one project.

A small flock of laying hens is often a wonderful place to begin. Learn their needs. Learn how to keep them healthy. Learn what works on your property.

You do not need layers, meat birds, a hatchery project, dairy goats, and feeder pigs all in your first year.

Get good at one thing before adding another.

The animals deserve that, and so do you.

Do Your Homework

Read. Research. Ask questions.

Seek information from credible sources.

Extension offices, universities, breed associations, veterinarians, and experienced producers are excellent places to learn. Social media can be entertaining, but it is not always accurate.

The same principle applies when purchasing animals.

A bargain animal is not always a bargain.

Every species has diseases and health challenges that can be introduced to your farm. Some are easily treated. Others are not.

Many livestock diseases are purchased and brought onto a property unknowingly.

Buy animals from reputable breeders whenever possible. Ask questions. Request health records. Learn about testing programs.

We have invested heavily in purchasing healthy animals with years of health and biosecurity data behind them, and we continue those testing programs today because protecting the herd is worth it.

Build a Sustainable Home

A homestead should support your family, not consume it.

Meal prep when you can. Shop locally. Trade with neighbors. Find shortcuts that make life easier.

Perhaps that means baking several loaves of bread at once and freezing them. Perhaps it means buying produce from another local farm when your garden does not produce enough. Perhaps it means asking for help.

Last year, during harvest season, I had enough time to wash our laundry but not enough time to fold it. So I paid someone to help.

And you know what?

I am not ashamed of that at all.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is recognize where your time is best spent.

Do Not Chase the Highlight Reel

One of the hardest lessons for new homesteaders is learning not to compare themselves to what they see online.

Social media often shows the beautiful moments: the fresh bread, the overflowing harvest baskets, the adorable baby animals, and the neatly organized pantry shelves.

What it does not always show are the early mornings, the heartbreak, the muddy boots, the financial sacrifices, the failed crops, the predator losses, the long days, and the exhaustion.

This life is beautiful.

It is rewarding.

It is full of blessings.

It is also hard work.

The goal is not to keep up with someone else's version of homesteading. The goal is to build a life that works for your family, your property, your budget, and your season of life.

Take it slow.

Remember that every experienced homesteader was once a beginner. None of us started with the garden, the livestock, the pantry, and the skills all at once.

Learn one skill at a time.

Celebrate small victories.

Give yourself permission to grow gradually.

The homesteaders who last are rarely the ones who try to do everything. More often, they are the ones who build carefully, patiently, and steadily over many years.

While "slow and steady" does not mean easy, it does mean sustainable.

That is what gives this lifestyle staying power.

That is what allows you to still love it ten years from now.

Because at the end of the day, the point is not to create a picture-perfect homestead.

The point is to create a life you can actually enjoy.

~ LO