When researching many of the topics that might interest a homesteader, I more often than not find more questions than answers. The internet is a great resource, and there are many great videos online on YouTube and other formats that will give you a great deal of information for
free, however more often than naught, that information is not always for me. EIther I live in a different zone than the content provider, or I don’t have the resources available to me here in Georgia that they do in another state, so on and so forth.
I hate giving people advice, because
what works for me might not be the best thing for them. I personally would rather listen to a person walk themselves through a problem, and come up with the solution on their own.
I don'tmind sharing my two cents here or there, or playing the scenario game with them, as long as in the end their decision is theirs, and they are okay with that. Certain things are fairly cut and dry,
and if I am aware of the answers I’m glad to share them. Other things are debatable, again depending on what zone or climate you may be facing, or whether you’re working with a half an acre lot or a sprawling twenty acre complex.
Can I tell you exactly what your soil needs so that it can be amended? No, I can not.
Can I tell you what it took to get our soil useable again? Possibly, because we are still in a process of doing so, but I can at least share our steps and what we are working towards.
Don't’ get me wrong, I hope that I can be a help to you in your journey towards building a homestead of your own. I just want you to understand that doing what we do word for word probably won’t work for you. Half the time I can’t promise that it will work for us, because we are learning and playing the trial and error games ourselves.
This journey isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. Some people have started after us and have gotten further than we have. Some people started around the same time we did, and because they had more resources available to them at the time have surpassed our every wish and dream.
Some people are just starting on this journey, and may be getting ready to cull their first batch of chickens this year. Or maybe you’ve gardened your whole life, but never had the “time” for animals such as goats until now. Wherever you are on this journey, thank you for joining us,
and congratulations for taking up the fight.
It won’t be easy. There will be heartbreak when you lose an animal. There will be remorse when you cull that first chicken. (and rejoicing when you chow down on that first home supplied meal of said chicken)
Don’t put off today. Learn everything you can, from more than one or two sources. Use all the resources you have available to you, but ultimately get out and do it yourself. Learn your own way, mixed in with some of the ways that you've learned about.
Don’t wait until you can afford
that tractor or those 20 acres. Begin now. Start small if you have to. Raised beds on a back porch are a great addition to any yard, no matter how big or small.
