We had this trip planned for over a year and as it got closer. I realized I was way more stressed about my garden than the flights lol. My neighbor meant well but watering usually turns into a few days of effort and then it kind of falls off.

About a month before we left, I put together a simple NDS drip setup using parts including rain drip tubing and a basic battery timer. It was just enough to cover the front beds, lavender strip, and a few porch pots. Setting it up was kind of fun once I stopped overthinking it and just ran the lines, came back from Italy expecting damage control but everything was fine.

If anything the garden looked better than when we left. Meanwhile my neighbor’s tomato's had that “left in summer heat” look. Did I just get lucky with timing and weather or am I overthinking how hard it is to keep plants alive for a couple weeks? I felt guilty for about five seconds and then went straight to sleep for half a day.

I do run a 20-acre family farm with sheep, poultry and bees, alongside a smaller kitchen garden. I grew up around farming, but I’m still working out what I want my own version of it to look like.

A few photographs from our place: the roughly 150-year-old family brick oven, saffron I grew and still cook with, cauliflower and carrots from the backyard pickled with apple cider vinegar, and my truck earning its keep hauling firewood.

These are parts of the life I enjoy, but they all take time. It’s easy to picture vegetables, fruit trees, animals and a cupboard full of preserves. Deciding what you can realistically look after alongside work and everything else is another matter.

For anyone starting out—or still thinking about it—what would you begin with? A few vegetable beds, fruit trees, chickens, learning to preserve? What attracts you most, and what makes you hesitate?

If you’re already doing it, what made the biggest difference to everyday life? I’d be interested in something you simplified or stopped doing, as much as something you added.

I’d particularly welcome women’s experiences of starting and running a place, whether on your own or sharing the work. Most of my farming conversations are with other men, and I’d like to hear outside that usual circle. Everyone’s welcome to weigh in.

My own temptation is usually to add another project. I’m trying to get better at asking whether it will still seem like a good idea when it needs attention on an ordinary Tuesday.

What did you start with—and would you make the same choice again?

How many water tanks should I link. Have a garden and small orchard.using rain/snow run off from shop roof.

I live in a Mediterranean dry land (according to Google and some usgs maps) which is just northern sac valley. I want to grow some perennial pasture for grazing but I’m unsure what seed I should use? I’ve seen Fescue is good but I’ve read on other forums that “flecha fescue” is a seed that’s pretty hardy for my area and doesn’t need much irrigation other than rainfall. Has anyone tried this Ky-31 fescue for grazing? Or where is a good place to get my hands on this “flecha fescue”?

Total rookie mistake yesterday. I was punching 1/4 in barb holes into my main 1/2 inch drip line, missed my measurement by like 6 inches and punched a hole right where I didn't need one. Now I’ve got a tiny water geyser spraying my fence. Do those plastic goof plugs actually seal a mispunched hole for good when the line is under pressure? I saw some NDS and Raindrip goof plugs at HD. Do they ever pop out when the line pressurizes or should I just cut the tube and put a straight coupling in?

Hi there! I am new here. My sister, brother, and I are looking into homesteading. We are at least a year out from purchasing any kind of land. We are looking in the Washington State area. Just wondering if anyone has advice on reading materials that can help us prepare or, besides obvious things like research and finances, is there anything we can do now to prepare??

We have always had a garden at our house since we were young so we know some basics there. We have 25 chickens and built a coop and run a couple of years ago and learned many things from that project. One of our main dreams is to raise bees and harvest honey to make mead to sell. We are currently working on small batch mead at home to at least learn about that process and try to nail down some solid recipes. Unfortunately we can't get bees in our current location since they are not allowed here in our city. We already have way more chickens than we are supposed to lol.

Long story short, I'm looking for ways to fill my current free time with learning skills that will be beneficial later on. If you read this far, thank you! Any ideas are welcome.

Hello! Moved to 10
Acres in the high desert of Southern California at about 4200 feet elevation. All the cleared pasture land got covered in foxtails after last winter’s rain. I don’t know what the nutrient value is but my dogs get them stuck everywhere.
Wondering if there’s a cover crop I can seed before this year’s rainy season that could smother them. Then in the spring when we add livestock they could also eat the crop. Claude suggested this to
me but wanted to ask folks who might have actually dealt with this before. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I've not started homesteading yet due to my lack of ability to own a property or find chill enough land lords, but I hope to start as soon as possible. I plan to become a nurse soon which means most of the time 12-24 hour work shifts but 24 hour shifts followed by a day or two off. I'm worried about what animals I can actually get and property take care of with such limited times. My plan was chickens and either meat rabbits or fish. I've also heard of dairy goats but I have no idea how much time they take and I've heard they can make up to a gallon of milk a day, something I as one person would never be able to finish even if I was making it into cheese and butter I don't think.

Hey everyone!

I’m a homesteader in Alberta, and I’ve been building some software to make my own job easier and spend less time keeping track of everything. I’d love to hear what other hobby farmers and homesteaders would find useful.

If you could pick three things you’d want homestead software to help with, what would they be?

What’s something that takes more time than it should, gets forgotten, or has you digging through notebooks and spreadsheets? It could be a small everyday annoyance or something you’ve always wished there was an easier way to manage.

I’m just looking for suggestions and to understand what matters most to others. Feel free to share how you handle things now and what you wish worked better.

If anyone’s interested in trying it out down the road and helping shape it, let me know. I’d be happy to offer free early access but you don’t need to sign up for anything to share your ideas!

Thanks for sharing your ideas!

I dont know if this counts as homesteading as I am not really trying to produce anything.

It seems like theres too many rules and regulations to actually homestead anyways. Guess the gov doesnt want us producing anything! Or if we do - certainly can't be trading or selling it.

Anyways, rant over. Instead of focusing on profit or productivity I am just aiming for a beautiful wildflower oasis with wildlife ponds. I want hummingbirds, dragonflies, bees, etc.

I am in michigan and my fenced in back yard has 4 large trees and is about 1/3 of an acre.

I figure several small ponds connected into one larger deep swimming pond, not many fish. Surrounded by wildflowers. Ive been getting an idea of which areas have more sun and more shade. Its about 70% partial shade.

My plan for this fall is to start a small wildflower patch in the back along the fence where it is full sun.

Next spring I plan to make raised beds and dig trenches for the pond system and encourage rain to drain toward that so all the excess water that pools up on our heavy clay soil will be directed into the pond.

Idk why I made this post im just excited!

Im a 22 yr old starting a homestead in just over a month and I’m feeling pretty confident in the growing & raising aspect of homesteading but I’d love to hear if you have any advice or book recommendations on the business/management side of homesteading?

Homestead workloads can change a lot from one week to the next. A workout might feel easy during a quiet week, then a feed delivery, fencing project, long digging day, or animal-care problem suddenly adds a lot more physical work.
That’s why one easy workout isn’t necessarily a reason to increase everything.
A useful rule is to keep the same exercise and weight until you reach the top of your rep range for every set on two separate workouts. You should also feel back to normal for your usual chores by the next planned session.
Then change one thing: add a small amount of weight and return to the lower end of the rep range. Don’t increase the weight, reps, and exercise difficulty all at once.
For carries, build the time first. Once that feels controlled across two sessions, add a little weight and shorten the time again.
It’s a slower approach, but it accounts for the fact that homestead work is part of your total workload—even when it isn’t written into a workout plan.

How do you adjust your workouts when planting season, harvest, animal care, or a big property project suddenly makes the week more physically demanding?

I’m wanting to stop my family’s chickens from getting into the deck I built and pooping all over it lol. They recently started getting over the railing I installed. Any ideas?

I’m open to structural changes, repellents (if there are any that actually work), or anything else any one can think of .

So I’ve ripped out some old dead shrubs and trees in our south facing front yard and would love to put fruit trees in. I know this is probably like a very beginner ask but I’m looking for very hardy, easy, fast growing fruit trees that would do well in zone 5a. Is the is a thing? Will I have lush green leaves at a minimum next summer (not expecting immediate fruit just leaves)? Am I completely naive?

So I'm thinking ahead, and one of my family members hates the idea of potentially slaughtering animals on our new property for ourselves. I was trying to brainstorm ideas or if anyone else has run into this problem, what are some potential remedies?

BTW this all hypothetical no animals are owned at the moment, just thinking ahead. Animals i'm considering rabbits, poultry, goats. Nothing MASSIVE.

Addirional note i'm hoping to learn the skill of butchering so i'm trying to find a way where I can participate.