Strategies to Grow an ENTIRE YEAR’S Worth of Food on a Small Homestead

Way to smoothify guys. I like the going after the annoying chores tactics.

Hey Guys, get black chickens such as Australorps. Birds of prey are naturally scared of crows and ravens which they are mistaken for, the have worked great for me. 2 years later and not a lost bird yet

When your freezer isn't full it's less efficient and runs more often. Fill gallon jugs with water to take up the unused space. It keeps your freezer working better and provides another source of backup water.

Awesome video! A tip I tried that worked: I planted a bed of potatoes last fall. They overwintered in the ground and sprouted in the spring. The plants are now twice as big as the potatoes I planted in spring. From now on, I will always plant potatoes in the fall! Plant full potato, cover with plenty of mulch. Zone 5, here.

There are several reasons that my husband and i have been homesteading for the past 34 years (even before it was popular). One: the food we grow on our own tastes sooooo much better than what we get in the store (meat and veggies), two: why would I want to give big business my business, three: it's sooo much healthier to grow our own food.

I am beginning my 8th year of homesteading. I started selling food at our local farmer's market about three or four years after I started farming. I did that for 4 years, eventually transitioning into a flower farmer in my last year. I will tell you what...I totally burned out. Here's what I learned...I care too much about what I do to go pedal to the metal and run myself into the ground. It is more important for me to grow enough food for my own family than it is for me to make money off of my farm. It's a nice idea, but I would rather enjoy what I'm doing and create an environment that my children can enjoy and make beautiful memories than earn an income from it. At the end of the day, I want my children to love this lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, there's still a TON of work that we just have to buckle down and do even when we don't feel like it, but this year, I feel so much more at ease doing it, and we are all enjoying our time working together much more. So many farmers get excited and focus on outward ventures when they start their farms. Maybe some can make a farm business work, but it didn't work for us. So we scaled back. Still growing in the same amount of space, just not selling anything. I'm so glad that I made this decision. Now I have more time and energy to put into preserving food just for us (there were years that I didn't can a single item for us because of how busy I was selling at the market, restaurants and florists), and my children are making beautiful memories, not just watching me stress over everything I have to do. In the end, I decided that to do this for the long haul, I had to slow down in order to go further. I'm learning how to be sustainably self sustainable.

Not just another home steading channel. Great channel. Realistic, honest, informative, and very well done.

Moved out to rural KS and just had a baby on top of work, online school, and a toddler. It's been hard, but we know this is the life we want and want to give to our kids! No garden this year because pregnancy and grad school + toddler = no energy. We have our laying hens and rooster and got great pyr puppies that have guarded them well. Next year we plan to have a real go at a garden and adding broiler chickens and turkeys. The goal is to work towards complete self-sufficency over the next 10 years and be fully off-grid. Wish us luck!

Most people do not realize the absolute dedication and hard work it takes to live "off the grid". This was a great video and man oh man, our ancestors really had to go thru the grind to server.

I really appreciate that you guys didn’t just share what you were doing, you also shared your mindset on why you do things. ❤

I love this for so many reasons! I feel more people are turning back to the way God extended us to live! I never thought I would find my self in this lifestyle but it brings so much peace and it’s absolutely 💯 more healthier than anything else you can do! Thank you for sharing ❤

Really loved your philosophy in the end just like my physics professor once said," There are no perfect solutions, only trade-offs"

If you struggle with powdery mildew, I highly recommend Seminole pumpkins. They’re resistant to virtually all diseases and pests, heat tolerant, drought resistant, don’t need a lot of fertilizer… thrive on neglect basically. And they’re delicious! Can be used as a pie pumpkin or sautéed in stir fries, used in soups etc.

A suggestion. We put our chickens with our goats to free range same 1 acre pasture. They help keep the worm load down for the goats, and we haven't lost a single chicken to a hawk in the last 5 years. Before we were easily losing 5 or more a year when we had them alone and free ranging in their individual pen. I also agree, the motivations behind what and why was a very helpful conversation. Also talking about pain points in self sustainability is hugely helpful too. Thanks for saying what you did wrong and how you fixed the situations. You are helping us all save money and time with our homesteads. Much appreciated!

Hey girl, me and my husband been on the burn out lately... I'm still planting my seeds but doin the water and feed gig has gotten frustrating as all heck. We got 4 lil babes of our own and it is SO great seeing you another young mom doing the homestead hustle with me. I'm sure you know the challenges... Muddy kids from the garden, late dinner some nights, and the dishes on the counter the next day... It can be allot huh?! Aha thank you for the motivation ❤️ I sent my husband a link to your video... I'm subscribing. Definitely cool as heck seeing a young family like ours out there workin a homestead 😊😊💯

I like how they focus on fixing issues by taking a sober look at the problem.

Great editing on these videos guys. Great cuts, transitions, black and white when going to the past, and cutting straight to the next clip. No unnecessary scenes in the editing. Very well done and appreciated! Keep up the great, hard work on the homestead as well as the videos!

Great video. It is so great to see young people getting into homesteading and self sufficiently.

Grapes can be a survival food if you dry raisins and can juice (to drink, ferment, or jelly for later use)😉

All I can think to say is WOW! I just found your homestead. What a lovely garden and the the hard work and wealth of knowledge gained from experience is obvious. The Lord has shined on your hard work and your right minded philosophy of family and self sufficiency.