Homesteading Handbook | Homesteading for Life

If you are interested in living a simpler, more tranquil, more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle, you might have considered homesteading. My wife Penelope and I moved out to our own slice of the Garden of Eden on Canada’s east coast in March, 2023 and we love it. It inspired us to create “Homesteading Handbook”.

Homesteading is a way of life that involves growing your own food, raising your own animals, making your own products and reducing your dependence on external sources of energy and water. Homesteading can be rewarding, fulfilling and fun, but it can also be challenging especially for beginners. That’s why we have compiled this homesteading handbook to advise you on some of the basics of starting your own homestead. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Think! Determination, resilience, patience, resourcefulness are personal characteristics which, if you do not possess them, you should perhaps re-think your interest in homesteading. We’re on a well out here so no more twice-a-day showers like back in the city! The lifestyle is physical. There’s never any shortage of work and there will be times when your mental, emotional and spiritual toughness will be put to the test. The rewards are many. For those with whom the lifestyle resonates it is a very fulfilling and gratifying way of life. You will find that, if you invest the required effort, nature will reward you handsomely with her bounty. Another thing we have noticed is that the sense of community out here is much greater than back in the city which is really nice. Nevertheless, my best advice is to make damn sure this is something you really want before you make your choice.
• Start small. Homesteading can be overwhelming if you try to do everything at once. It’s better to focus on one or two projects at a time and learn from your mistakes. You will find that there is never any shortage of things for you to do! You can always expand your homestead later as you gain more experience and confidence.
• Choose the right location. Homesteading requires land, water, and sunlight. You need to find a place that has enough space for your crops and animals, access to a reliable water source, and exposure to enough sunlight for your plants and solar panels. You also need to consider the climate, soil quality, zoning laws and neighbors of your potential homestead.
• Plan ahead. Homesteading requires a lot of planning and preparation. You need to research what crops and animals are suitable for your area, what tools and equipment you need, what skills you need to learn, and what challenges you might face. It is a lot more physical than life in the city so you need to be prepared for that. You also need to budget your time and money wisely and set realistic goals for yourself.
• Be resourceful. Homesteading is all about making the most of what you have and finding creative solutions to problems. You can save money by reusing, recycling and repurposing materials, by making your own products and by bartering with other homesteaders. You can also learn from other homesteaders by joining online communities, reading blogs, books and attending workshops and events. I was surprised to see so many YouTube videos made by people who have chosen this remarkable lifestyle for themselves. If you do not plan on being totally off the grid I would recommend a generator in case you lose power. In our case, we have four freezers full of last season’s produce. Without a back-up source of power, a season’s worth of work may be at risk in the case of a power outage. In our case, we considered solar but were not confident that the investment provided the back-up we required. Solar may be a source of power (or wind or both) as we move forward but, for now, we elected to go with the old reliable. Lastly, you will need a first-aid kit, a good one!
• Enjoy the process. Homesteading is not a destination, but a journey. It’s not about achieving perfection, but about learning and growing along the way. Homesteading can be hard work but it can also be fun and rewarding. You get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, connect with nature and live according to your values. For us, the simplicity, peace and tranquility of the lifestyle and, perhaps above-all, the feeling of self-reliance are rewards we did not originally anticipate.

Our homestead is located in the Upper St. John River Valley of western New Brunswick. We are about 1,000 meters from the Maine border in the northern tip of the Appalachian Highlands. The bush is pretty thick out here and one of the realities of life is ‘bug season’. There are no venomous snakes in New Brunswick and no wolves but we do have black bear, moose, deer, coyotes, bob-cats, cougars and three or four varieties of venomous spiders. Animal attacks are rare but it’s important to be cognizant of their presence. We take our dogs for walks and, though not absolutely necessary, I feel more secure knowing I can defend myself if required to do so.

There are those who are going completely off grid. Homesteading, however, does not necessarily mean living ‘off the grid’. How close you get to completely off grid is a personal choice. For us, we are on a well for our water supply and a septic tank so no water/sewage bills. Power is electric and outages, especially in winter, are not uncommon so one of the first things we did was the investment and installation of a generator fed by two large propane tanks.

That project required an investment of $15,000 CDN but again, for us, that was a required outlay. Another initial purchase was two large rain barrels as we did not want to tax the well to water the garden we dug up in the spring. Other acquired tools included a wheelbarrow, scythe and a chainsaw. The property was a little overgrown when we got here so we did a little clearing around the perimeter just to spruce things up a little.

I took a nasty, and worrisome, spider bite last spring pulling some of the weeds out of the soil that had just been tilled up. So, lesson learned, long sleeves and gloves when working in the garden! Luckily for me, the swelling subsided after awhile so no trip to the hospital (an hour away) required.

The soil is rocky here so, on the advice of a friend, we started building three 20 x 5 ‘hugelkulture’ raised gardens in preparation for next season’s planting. Hugel is the old German word for ‘mound’ or ‘hill’. Watch for a future posts on how our hugelkulture experience. Our goal is to become food self-sufficient over time. While our power source is electricity, ultimately the hope is to go solar and wind as sources of power.

We hope this brief introduction to “Homesteading Handbook” has given you some useful advice and, hopefully, some inspiration on how to start your own homestead. Remember that homesteading is not a one-size-fits-all approach but a personal choice that depends on your preferences, needs, and circumstances. You can customize your homestead to suit your lifestyle and goals. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the adventure!

I do hope you have enjoyed this content. I invite you to leave any questions or remarks in the comments section below. Finally, if you would like to follow us on our journey and be notified of updates please enter your name and best email in the form below. Lastly, here’s a pic of my wife and my boys Elijah and Malachi. Our boys are never on leads anymore and they love all the smells out in the bush and especially their newly-found freedom!