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How to Start Homesteading

You might live in the city or the country. Your homesteading plans might be pie-in-the-sky dreams or you may be ready to start right this minute. Wherever you are right now, you should know that you can take a step toward your homesteading dreams today.
It can be hard to figure out where to start. You may wonder what to do first, especially if you know nothing about owning land, farming, or going off-grid for energy.
I'm hoping to demystify this a bit, and give you some concrete first steps to take that will begin your homesteading journey right where you are.

Start Now

You can start homesteading right now, today. Even if you live in a studio apartment in Manhattan. So, banish the thought that you have to wait until you buy land in the country.
Pick one or two projects that you can start in the next month or so. For example, if you live in the suburbs, you might want to get a few laying hens to keep for eggs. You'll need to research how to raise chickens, find out your local laws to make sure it's legal, plan for a chicken coop and then buy or build one, and order baby chicks or buy older pullets or hens. That's enough to keep you plenty busy for an entire season!
If that seems like too much, start smaller. Have a fireplace? Consider putting in an insert for wood heat. Have a sunny windowsill? Grow some lettuce and herbs for salads and cooking.
Have a nice-sized backyard? Put in raised beds and plant a veggie garden this season.

Read and Learn

Besides starting a small project or two this season, take the time to read up about homesteading skills. You can go with a compendium-style book like The Encyclopedia of Country Living, or something more focused like Root Cellaring.

List Your Priorities

Once you've soaked up as much information as possible about how to homestead, you'll be itching to start planning your homestead. But you've got to get your priorities in order. There are many facets to homesteading: growing and preserving your own food, raising animals (or not), and producing your own energy are among the bigger goals that most aspiring homesteaders have. You'll want to consider which of these is most important to you, so you can focus your energies appropriately. For example, if energy sufficiency is at the top of your list, you might choose to convert a diesel car and begin running it on waste vegetable oil, or outfit your suburban home with solar panels, before even buying land. If you know your heart is with raising animals for meat and egg production, and you're okay living on-grid for a few years while you do that, this information is going to dictate your next steps.

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