How to start a homestead with no money and no land
Where to begin?
Since the time I was a young girl, I've always loved the idea of a simple life. I read books from the 1800s (Austen, Dickens, etc.) and learned about life in a time when things were done in a simpler and much different way than they are now. 150 or even 100 years ago, people didn't have the luxuries we do now and they had to grow their own food, raise their own animals, or buy milk and meat fresh from local farms. Unlike today where everything is mass-produced. While there are some benefits to our lives today (access to adequate medications, etc) there are also many downsides to living in a world that never sleeps. This is why I have always dreamed of a simpler life, a life much like they had 100, 150, or even 200 years ago. But just because I've always had this dream, doesn't mean I've had the option of raising chickens, goats, or even having a large garden. So where did I begin this homesteading journey and how can you if you have only a small yard or even no yard?
Start a porch garden
When I was living in a small townhouse in Minnesota, surviving the harsh winters, I needed a hobby to keep me sane. My children were small and the winters were cold and snowy, so one of the projects I started was a porch garden. I started seeds indoors and then transferred them to our porch once it was warm enough outside; this was a way I was able to have herbs and vegetables even without a yard to grow them in. Some of the vegetables and herbs we grew were tomatoes, peppers (any variety works well), and beans. All of these are easily grown in pots on a porch with some sunlight and watering. You can also plant some fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley, which will grow nicely in a pot garden.
Learn to cook from scratch
A large part of the homesteading way of life is not what you buy, but what you do not buy. So, even if you haven't purchased your own home with 10 acres, or even if you only live out of a small apartment, you can have the homesteading mindset by learning to make recipes from scratch. Foods like bread, pasta, butter, etc. can all be made from simple ingredients at home and will not only teach you the skills of a homesteader but will be healthier for you and might just save you some money as well. Follow my blog and TikTok to learn some new recipes.
Start a Small Flock
Chickens are a great way to have access to meat and eggs without requiring much space at all. Plus, purchasing chicks is incredibly cheap! Local farm stores sell chicks in the springtime for only a few dollars each! There's no need for an expensive coop. Chickens don't need lots of space. My flock lives in an old gardening shed that we turned into a chicken coop with very little money. (Pictured below) We attached an outdoor run and made some necessary indoor changes (nesting boxes and a perch). Voila! A chicken coop. Sure there are a lot of pretty chicken coops on Pinterest, but it isn't necessary. My chickens are happy and healthy, and produce plenty of eggs. In fact, I plan on adding more chickens to my flock this spring. You only need a small amount of space for chickens. Even the smallest of yards can hold a coop, and if you keep them in a run like I do, you never have to worry about losing them to your neighbor's yards! *Do be sure to check with city and township ordinances for chicken laws, or if you live in any type of subdivision* Be creative with how you raise chickens. If you have very little space, put a chicken coop on your back porch. You can buy a small coop for as little as $100! You could easily fit several chickens in these small coops on a back porch.
Homesteading is about a way of life, not how much land or space you have.
-Meg
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