I’ve been interested in homesteading for a while now. I’m starting to research and learn more about it. My goal is to have a homestead mini farm someday. I would love to get off grid with no utilities. Maybe a propane tank since I like a gas cooktop. I definitely want to go solar with maybe wind power. I want to be prepared if something crazy happens. I would love a well and septic system on my property.
Currently I live in a town of about 4000 people. I’m in the town and don’t have a lot of room for a garden. My house is for sale, and I am anxiously waiting for a buyer. I have a contract with another house in a small town of 400 people about 20 minutes south of where I live now. It is in town but on a half-acre of land.
This is my current house that is for sale. I want a much smaller house. This one is 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2600 square feet. It is 2 stories and is close to the big park in town. The new hiking trails will go by the house.
This is the house I’m trying to buy. It is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1400 square feet. It is 1 story so no climbing stairs.
This house has a 15 x 15-foot chicken house and a 30 x 30-foot barn. There are 2 fenced areas for gardens, one that the chickens will have access to.
The back garden where the chickens can roam has a bunch of vines. I’m hoping they are grape vines.
It’s a cute house with a fireplace. I will get this house as long as my house sells quickly. If I don’t get the house then I will change the photos.
I currently have 7 tomato plants in pots that are growing like crazy. 5 of them have tomatoes on them so I will have some small cherry tomatoes soon.
I put them in pots so I can transplant them when I move or put them in a greenhouse. I have lots of flowers to plant at the new house. They are doing well in the pots.
I also have a pot with parsley that is doing well. I love cooking with fresh herbs. I will be adding more.
For the mini farm, I want to raise enough food to survive on. I would love to have a large greenhouse so I can grow a few veggies year-round. Some things that I want to grow year-round are tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, green beans, snap peas, potatoes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, strawberries, watermelon, rosemary, basil, parsley, onions, garlic, and radishes to start. I’m sure I will think of other things to grow.
I plan on having a garden for the items I cannot grow in my greenhouse and to have extra of the items in my greenhouse. I definitely want 1 or 2 blueberry bushes, chickens love blueberries. If I have room, I would love to grow wheat and oats to make my own feed for my chickens. That will take a large amount of land so I don’t expect that to happen soon.
I will definitely get chickens for eggs and down the line, meat. I will have to learn how to cull and prepare chickens for meat. I haven’t decided on goats yet. I’ve heard that goat milk is really good, as is goat meat. Other than that, I’m not sure if I want more livestock.
One of the things I want to grow year-round is herbs. I would love to learn how to make herbal medicines. I would not go off my prescriptions but would love to learn how to make meds for colds, headaches, etc. Maybe even learn to make essential oils from them and of course cook with them.
I love flowers and house plants. I want to make essential oils from some of them as well. I plan on getting a few rose bushes. I have a nice collection of flower bulbs, and they will get planted when I move.
I’m learning more about essential oils. I’ve used them some in the past, but I really want to use them more in my daily life. I’ve found some eBooks online about making cleaning products with essential oils. Body scrubs, skin and face cleaners too.
I love the products that I am using right now from an online shopping club but want to learn more about making them myself should anything happen and to also save money. I will buy my essential oils from my online shopping club.
Follow me on my adventure in learning about essential oils. As I find recipes for products and try them, I will be sharing them here.
Another thing I am learning is to make as much food as I can from scratch. I’ve made sourdough starter and have a recipe for making sourdough bread in a bread machine. I will be trying that this week and will post about it.
The next pandemic may be bad enough that trucks cannot run to make deliveries. If that happens, I want to be self-reliant and make my own products. I will have to have a few things ready, and I am starting to get those.
So begins my homesteading adventure! The homeschool adventure continues. Several people have told me that I am too old to start new adventures, but I disagree. I will be 70 next week and am active and healthy. So, why not start a new adventure? Join and follow me on these adventures!
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