The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Homestead Gardening: Your Next Step to Self-Sufficiency

By Mila R.S. and Goffredo Righi Schwammer

Sick of the bad quality, high levels of pesticides, and exorbitant prices of the fruits and vegetables sold in your local market?

 

What if there was a way to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables right from your own garden? What if we told you it was much simpler than you expected? It's time to get started cultivating your very own ecologically sound food garden!

 

The never-ending stream of information that is available online may make the prospect of growing your own food seem overwhelming. So, the author has compiled a simplified, step-by-step guide to establishing a sustainable garden.

 

Even if you've never planted a garden before or have no idea what a seed or sapling is, you can still set up your garden like an expert. If your goal is to live a life of total independence and self-sufficiency but don't know how to get started, this all-encompassing guide on homesteading will offer you all the knowledge you need to cultivate and store a sustainable crop of vegetables.

 

Let's dig into the details of planning and planting your space. Take the first step toward self-sufficiency and…

 

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Mila R.S.
• Release date: May 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223461432

Book preview

Introduction

Where you have land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul.

– Spencer W. Kimball

Who wouldn't want to live a life that's less stressful and more self-sufficient? It makes no difference if your home is 50 acres, a corner lot in the suburbs, or an apartment in the middle of the city; all you need is the desire to lessen your impact on the environment and lead a life that is more sustainable. You don't have to live off the grid and give up modern conveniences to be a homesteader. It is not about how much land you have or even how much food you can grow; rather, it is about cultivating self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

The term homesteading originates from the Homestead Act of 1862, which fostered colonization of the Great West by giving away free land to be farmed. In today's world, homesteading is more about adopting a mindset and way of life that emphasizes self-sufficiency and becoming less reliant on the provision of goods and services by others. It also involves acquiring the knowledge necessary to cultivate vegetables, preserve food, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, and raise animals such as chickens and bees. Although the size of a homestead garden is not strictly limited, the primary objective of most homesteaders is to get as much of their subsistence from the land as they can. On the other hand, if you have never planted a garden before, I don’t advise beginning with the more extensive garden layouts. It is preferable to get gardening experience by beginning with a little garden so that there is space to grow later.

Just because you want to become more self-sufficient does not imply that you have to start with an acre farm from the very beginning. It is more vital to just get started with a small garden and choose a size that you will be able to completely maintain and enjoy. The attitude of homesteading is going in the direction of being more self-sufficient, and the first step toward achieving this goal is to actively develop and learn. Beginning with a single flower box or small garden bed is the simplest option for you as you embark on your journey to homesteading. Increase the size of your garden and homestead as you acquire knowledge, experience, and self-assurance.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed while starting a new homestead, but it is possible to do so even when you have a packed schedule and few financial resources. Begin with a little step, make sure you like the process of learning, and reward yourself for even the smallest accomplishments. You won't have to wait long until you have a successful farm! One of the most satisfying, fun, and healthy activities that you can participate in is gardening. It carries with it a plethora of benefits, the scope of which is far wider than what you may at first believe. Along with growing healthy food homesteading may become a way of life for some people, providing them with a means of isolating themselves from the rest of the world in their own little enclave. For this same reason, I believe that you should enjoy these advantages as well. Even if you live in the middle of the city, there are still many important skills that you may acquire and use in your life.

In today's society, there are a great many causes for dissatisfaction and stress; but, should that include the place you call home? There is no reason why you can't learn some classic self-sufficient and satisfying living skills exactly where you are. Begin slowly but begin immediately. It will take some time. To live in a manner that is more self-sufficient, you may practice almost any of these homesteading skills described in this easy-to-follow-through book even whether you live in an apartment, an urban housing, a rural farm, or a suburban house. You will start making progress in the correct way if you do anything that will help you become more self-sufficient, reduce your expenses, and live closer to nature. Grow some of your own food, get proficient in preserving talents, and educate yourself on a variety of other useful skills.

You may start making a difference with your year-round garden as soon as today if you have a complete guide on how to organize, plan, and layout your homestead garden, as well as extensive information on fruits, vegetables, crop rotation, pollinator-loving plants, and, most importantly, companion plants. If you’re a beginner, there are a lot of things that, no matter what stage you're in, you might wish you could go back and tell your just-getting-started self. When you are getting started, it is just as vital to be aware of what you should not do as it is to be aware of what you should do.  So, Let’s Get Started!

Chapter 1. 

Understanding the Basics of Homestead Gardens

Some people are endowed with an innate talent for gardening. The rest of us, though, can't say that we've been that fortunate. One of the attractions of homesteading and living in a modest house is the opportunity to learn how to survive off the land. It’s vital to first have an understanding of the fundamental needs for developing homestead gardens to cultivate your own food supply.

As is the case with most of the recommendations made in this book, I am a strong supporter of taking small steps. In the first year, focus on learning how to care for a small garden but try not to worry too much about its result. See what transpires. The next year, you could decide that you want to take on a more ambitious endeavor. Don't have the expectation that you will be able to live off of your garden right immediately, particularly if you are a beginner; even expert gardeners may have terrible years.

Learn the fundamentals of garden design, including how to lay out your space, plant seeds, and tend to your harvest. Do some research to find out which plants thrive in your region. It is important that you have a good understanding of the soil you are dealing with and the plants that complement one another (I will discuss this more). If you are interested in beginning to produce your own food this year, the following is the basic introduction to homestead gardening that covers the essentials for beginners.

Research the requirements of your homestead garden

When planning the layout of your garden, you should give some thought to a number of different considerations in addition to the kinds of vegetables that you most like eating. The vast majority of us are aware that plants need the following:

Water

Oxygen

Sunlight

Nutrients

Even though it may seem elementary, inexperienced gardeners often make the mistake of overlooking these four fundamental prerequisites. I've seen inexperienced gardeners try to cultivate plants in the incorrect climate or in a location that gets too much shade, which results in the plants not receiving the ideal amount of heat or cold, or sunshine. Or maybe new gardeners think they can grow plants in any old spot of the earth because they are under the impression that the soil doesn't matter. If seeds are planted too closely together, the resulting plants may struggle to get adequate light. There are other plants that have nutritional needs that compete with one another and, if planted together in a smaller area or container, will take nutrients away from one another.

If all of this seems complicated, that's because it often is. If you ask any farmer, they would probably tell you that they spend hours planning for their gardens. It takes a significant amount of planning and labor only to produce enough food to satisfy the requirements of your family. In most cases, hobby gardeners cultivate their favored crops, not for the sake of ensuring their families' sustenance but rather for the sheer joy of gardening itself. Learning and putting in more work is going to be necessities for homestead gardens that double as food sources. Again, take baby steps, and keep in mind that we are on a trip, not at our final goal. To get started, you should make a plan for a garden that is manageable for you.

The cultivation of a large garden that provides one with a plentiful supply of tasty vegetables is, of course, well within one's capabilities. Begin with the veggies that are advised for use in your local location. Take into account the number of days needed to reach maturity, and compare this number to the growing season you have available. Check the plant hardiness zone maps and heat zone maps for your homestead to see which growth dates correspond to which zones. This will provide you with an accurate picture of what to anticipate for the growing season as well as the kind of plants that will do well. Additionally, it will assist you in determining the appropriate time of year to sow the seeds of every kind of vegetable that you want to cultivate.

It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of the number of plants you should prepare for. In general, those who are just starting out in gardening may wish to try their hand at a few different kinds of seeds and seedlings to discover what grows well in their garden plot and what does not. As you learn which plants are successful, prioritize cultivating those species in the years to come (although it may vary from year to year).

Expand Your Gardening beyond Containers (If Possible)

It may seem like container gardening was made for urban dwellers with little space, but in my point of view, container gardening is difficult since the plants eventually get root-bound in their small containers and their development is constrained. Obviously, if you have no other choice than to grow in containers, doing so is preferable to doing nothing at all. However, my advice is to plant in the ground or in a raised bed whenever it is at all feasible.

There are a lot of other methods of gardening besides container gardening, such as vertical gardens and hydroponic setups, that may still work in a small area or if you don't have much planting space on your property, but personally, I find these methods to be more hassle than they're worth. Participating in a communal garden is also a good option for those who have restricted space. People who don't have enough area on their own land may still participate in the maintenance of a garden by using one of the communal spaces. Not only do you have access to more space, but you also receive guidance and assistance from seasoned gardeners. The best part is that most of the time, communal gardens are not that expensive (but that's your choice).

Set Up the Soil for Your Success

The soil is going to play a significant role in determining how successful your homestead garden will be. It does not matter how big the container, raised bed, or plot of ground is; the soil mixture is the most important factor in the success of your plants. Vermiculite, compost, and peat moss are the three components that your soil needs to include at the very least. These supplies may be obtained with relative ease in truckload quantities from a nearby source or at a big-box retailer.

In addition to that, you could want to include some compost that you made from the leftovers of your meals and yard work. You may be amazed, if you have access to a composter, at how rapidly organic waste decomposes into compost after being turned over. Your plants will thrive with the support of this nutrient-dense substance that is high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition to that, I recommend that you incorporate a fertilizer like bone or blood meal. If you would rather not use fertilizer derived from animals, you may use seaweed meal instead.

If you begin with healthy soil, doing a soil test isn't always required, although doing so is always the recommended course of action. If, after the first year or two of growing in the soil mixture you've chosen, you notice that your plants are not reaching their full potential in terms of size or growth, you should get the soil analyzed. The cooperation extension service (CSREES) at your state university is often the place to go to get a soil test, and the tests themselves are not very costly. The CSREES test is more extensive, but you may buy a soil testing kit if you like.

Put the Practice of Companion Planting to Work for You

Planting particular veggies together in a row so that they may sustain and nourish one another is an example of the age-old practice of companion planting. Shorter plants, which thrive best in dappled sunlight, might benefit from the shadow provided by taller plants. Vining plants may be trained to climb up tall plants and use them as trellises. Plants that grow low on the earth will prevent weeds from growing there. Some plants are even able to bring nutrients up from deeper in the soil so that they may be used by other plants whose