Recently I’ve been watching a lot of videos on what to know before starting a homestead. I came across this video (I’ll try to find the link) and thought point three was extremely helpful. You don’t know what you don’t know, until you know.
- Move in! Get fully moved into the new home/site. Get settled in, unpack, get the home in order, as much as possible. Lay a good foundation by starting to create some simple habbits.
- Meet the neighbors, before purchasing the property and especially those with shared fence or property lines and others who share the road. Start to become part of the community. Bringing food can sometimes help.
- Understand the access issues. Are there country roads or private roads? Who maintains the roads? Does your road cut through someone else’s property? Never buy a property that is “boxed in”. If your heart is set on a land locked property get legal contracts with the neighbor whos property you have to pass through or try to purchase a small sliver for your access point. Does it snow? Will there be ice? How does the rain drain off the roads? What about downed trees, power outrages or other things that could delay deliveries or access. What about police, fire and medical access?
- Prepare your preps. Do you need a well dug? Is there a cistern? What about power, water, sewer? Get all your food in order. For power, get backups: generators, solar, batteries. Get back up food stores. Don’t forget medical supplies and know how to use them. Especially if it’s going to take time for medical assistance to arrive if there is an emergency.
- Observe the land for the first year. Find the rhythm of the environment. What are the weather patterns and sun movement like? How does the rain either pool up on or drain from the property. Start dreaming. Think about ho to use the space. Decide on kitchen stations, food storage, etc. Where will the garden go? How will you use the land? Think of permaculture zoning and chaos gardening. Mother nature doesn’t arrange trees and plants into pretty rows.
- Gardens: Plant what you know will grow and you know you will eat. After your first harvest or two then start to experiment. How are the pests in the area? What is the health of the soil? What minerals do you need to supplement with. It could take up to three to four years to have a good, consistent, successful garden.
- Animals: What kind of animals do you want and how many do you have the time, energy and funds to care for?Where are you going to put them? How are you going to keep them safe? Where are you going to store their food and water? Can you get a vet out, if needed? What type of basic medical care can you do yourself? How will you get them through the winter? Or summer, for that matter. Find and get to know a good vet in the area. Ask neighbors or the person you’re buying the animal from who’d they recommend. Ask for references, word of mouth is the best marketing.