Homesteading for Beginners: Tips & Resources to Get Started

Homesteading can help you build the life of your dreams and provide fresh food for you and your family. Are you ready to homestead for real? Read tips for starting homesteading here.

I’m sharing more than 50 resources to help those who are learning to homestead. Perfect for beginners – the very basics & tips to help get you started. 

Over the last few years, we have moved a few different times. So to say that we are adept at this beginning homestead thing, is a little bit of an understatement.

This post has been updated from its original publish date of May 19, 2019. It has been updated to provide better photos, additional helpful information, and step by step tips.

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Long story short, we have started our homestead journey, got settled, built structures, created new gardens, set up fencing, etc. Just in time to move within a couple of short years. 

We’ve had our share of building from scratch, trying different things. And then doing it all over again and yet again. It hasn’t been a bad experience, we have kind of gotten the hang of this. 

However, it would be great to finally settle into one place for a bit longer term. And I believe this is our next journey. We have moved onto my husband’s family ranch and the process of building/moving a new home has begun. 

It will be a long road ahead. We need to build all of the animal structures, fencing, and gardens over again. But it will be a joyous road for our family. 

Homesteading for Beginners

Are you a beginner homesteader? Where do you begin when you need to start from scratch? I’m sharing some of my favorite resources for the beginner homesteader. 

Homesteading is the practice of self-sufficiency. Homesteading is not just for farmers, but for anyone living in a rural community or even an urban community.

Of course, you don’t need to have a ton of acres to begin homesteading. I think one of the most important things about beginning any homestead journey is to start small.

To learn a variety of different skills.

Self-sufficiency takes time, a whole lot of effort, and a ton of diy projects.

And it really isn’t for the faint of heart.

Creating your ideal homestead lifestyle will look different from my ideal version and goals.

For us it may look like having an acreage on the ranch, raising animals, and growing a variety of foods on acres of land.

For you it could be totally different. Like growing a small patio garden or herb garden in the kitchen window and food preservation. Or backyard homesteading with bees, gardens, and raising chickens for eggs.

And then for the next person it could be living off-grid and focusing on fiber arts and other trades. 

So, homesteading really is what you can do where you are and within your means, skill level, and ability. And varies so much for different people.

I think if you make a plan to learn a new skill a little at a time, you will really set yourself up to be successful. 

Preparing to homestead

Let’s talk about some things you could do now if you’re preparing to build your dream homestead. Or maybe dreaming up the day when you can raise your own backyard chickens and grow more of your own food.

Before I started homesteading, I grew a few tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and herbs on the balcony of my apartment building.

I didn’t dream of raising my own food for self sufficiency. But I did believe in supporting our local farmers by shopping small and frequenting farmer’s markets.

Beginning Homestead Skills

Before I got married, I was a city girl very focused on my career in Human Resources Management and Business Operations.

I grew up in Los Angeles. And so I knew nothing about country living, or homesteading for that matter. I mean, I was born and raised deep in the heart of the city.

I never ever in my wildest dreams desired to learn how to milk a cow or help a goat during kidding. The closest that I was to homesteading was growing a small container garden on my apartment balcony.

My husband grew up on his family’s cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. So, definitely opposites attracted in this situation.

I literally married a real life cowboy.

The culture shock was real, but I quickly fell in love with the the country life. And when we got married and began raising children, I wanted a more natural & simple life for our children.

This is where I began to learn some of the basic homesteading skills and self-sufficient lifestyle. And over the last decade, we’ve grown to learn more.

So, I get it. I know where you’re coming from as a beginner and I want to share what I’ve learned with you.

Gardening tips for beginners

As homesteaders, we all want to rely less and less on the grocery store. Growing your own food has so many great benefits for healthy living.

In this section, we are sharing our favorite gardening tips to help you get started.

Preserving the harvest

In this section, we are sharing our favorite ways to preserve the garden bounty. So you can enjoy jars of beautifully preserved foods from the garden and fruits from the orchard.

From canning resources (both water bath canning & pressure canning), cold storage, and dehydrating — my favorite method!

Raising livestock for beginners

Do you have goals for raising your own livestock on the homestead, small farm, or family ranch? We’ve compiled our best tips for raising chickens, cattle, goats, ducks, and more to help you get started.

Are you a busy goat keeper?? Learn skills you need for managing your flock and stay organized with this goat management binder.