Checklist for Starting a New Homestead

Do you want to start homesteading? The life of self-sufficiency is fantastic. You can depend less on local stores for essentials while having access to them on your land. If you’re looking forward to growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs, along with caring for some farm animals, you’ll need to create a checklist. Let’s dive into this checklist for starting a new homestead.

Your checklist should consist of all the items you’ll need to start your new homestead and have the most success possible with it. In the beginning, you may need to spend a bit of money to get the essentials, but it’ll be worth it in the long run when you’re running a homestead with your family.

1. Make Sure You Have Enough Land

Before you start a new homestead, you’ll need to make sure that you have more than enough space for it. If you’re currently trying to buy a home with land, make sure the property comes with enough acres for everything you’d like to do.

You’ll need to consider all the plants you’d like to grow and all the animals you plan on bringing to the land before you invest in a specific property. Come up with ideas for what you’ll do with the land before you even start looking. And, when you finally do look at properties with land, visit them in person to get a feel for all the space you’ll have.

Note, I am a true backyard homesteader. I don’t have acres of land but I am able to do what I want for our family with the space we currently have. So keep in mind that you don’t have to necessarily buy a huge property to get started.

Checklist for Starting a New Homestead land

2. Consider Bringing Chickens on the Land

Having chickens on your land is incredibly beneficial. If you purchase the right chickens, you’ll have docile, friendly animals on your property that will lay hundreds of eggs per year. When they’re laying eggs, you can use them at home to make different meals, but you can also begin selling the eggs.

If you have a dozen chickens on your property and each one lays more than a hundred eggs in a year, can you imagine how many eggs you’ll end up with? You’ll notice the eggs produced by your chickens are fresher and taste even better than the ones available at grocery stores.
While it’s good to have chickens for the eggs they produce, they’re also great pets to have. As long as you choose the right breed, you’ll have loveable creatures living on your land that are easy to take care of and are good with children.

Checklist for Starting a New Homestead - chickens

Sure, it requires some work to take care of them, but the effort you’ll put into providing care is worth it.

Backyard Chickens 101
Largest Chicken Breeds
Small Chicken Breeds
Fight Your HOA for Backyard Chickens (great help for those not ready to buy land for said chickens)

3. Put a Chicken Coop Together

If you’re going to have chickens on your property, make sure to invest in a good chicken coop. You might even want to buy the materials and build a chicken coop for these animals. Your chicken coop should offer plenty of space for the chickens to rest and have fun, along with bedding to keep them comfortable when they’re relaxing.

Some chicken coops are pre-built and can hold up to four chickens or more. You’ll need to look at the available options and decide what will work best on the land that you have.

4. Plant Fruit Trees Throughout the Land

Make it a priority to plant fruit trees throughout your property. You can plant trees that produce apples, pears, cherries, and even plums. While it’ll take some time for these trees to grow, it’s a good idea to plant them as soon as possible.

There will come a time when you’ll no longer need to buy these fruits at the store because you’ll be able to harvest them from the trees in your yard. Of course, if you’re going to plant fruit trees, be sure to find out more information on them.

You’ll need to know which steps to take to properly maintain them and keep them thriving for years to come. Not only will they produce delicious and fresh fruit, but these trees will also leave your land looking even more beautiful.

5. Start Growing Fruits and Veggies

Use all the extra land to grow different types of fruits and veggies. Even if you’re a beginner, you can successfully grow various crops, including lettuce, watermelon, potatoes, radishes, strawberries, corn and green beans.

It’s a good idea to start with fruits and veggies that are ideal for beginners.
You’ll get the hang of growing these crops in no time, ultimately gaining the experience needed to grow other crops that require more effort.
Once you’re growing fruits and veggies, you can begin harvesting them, eating them, and even preserving them by freezing or canning some of your crops.
You’ll eventually get to the point that you’ll no longer need to buy any fruits or vegetables from the grocery store because you’re growing them all on your land.

6. Have Space to Set Up Some Birdhouses

While it’s ideal to have space for trees and assorted plants, don’t forget about the birds. You do want to attract birds to your land. They’re willing to eat different types of insects that you’ll probably want to avoid dealing with on your land.

Besides providing more insect control, birds can help pollinate plants and keep weeds at a bare minimum. If you’d like to keep your land in excellent condition, invest in some high-quality birdhouses and place them in different spots.

You can add bird seeds and water to these houses to get the birds to stick around even longer. You have the option of buying birdhouses or making them from scratch using wood and various other materials.

Attracting Hummingbirds and Make Your own Hummingbird Food

After creating your checklist consisting of all the must-haves to run a homestead, you can work on making sure you get everything you’ll need. It takes time, persistence, and effort to make it happen, but you can do it. Once you’re running a homestead, you’ll feel relieved to know that you can live a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

You’ll save much more of your money while you grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other beautiful plants on your land. It’s the perfect way to get in touch with nature and use all kinds of natural resources to your advantage. Becoming a homesteader is a huge deal, and it requires a lot of effort, but it’s something you can accomplish.