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You’ve got the vision. You’ve got the dream. And everything in you wants to pull out all the stops and get started — now.
I understand that feeling more than you know.
In 2019, I didn’t plan to become a homesteader. A small in-ground garden and some tomato cages inherited from my grandmother quietly became our family’s primary food source when our income dropped significantly. What started as necessity turned into a way of life I never want to give up.
But I also made almost every mistake in this post. So pull up a chair, because I want to save you some of the hard lessons.
Start With the Big Picture
Before you spend a single dollar or dig a single hole, sit down with a piece of paper (or your homesteading planner — [grab mine on Amazon here]) and answer these questions honestly:
- What does your homestead look like at its best? What animals are on it? How big is the garden? What are you growing and raising?
- Who’s doing the work? Are you managing this solo, or do you have a partner, kids, or help coming alongside you?
- What do you actually know how to do right now? Can you grow the crops you’re dreaming about? Do you know how to care for the animals you want? Do you know how to preserve what you produce?
That last question is the one that trips most beginners up. We fall in love with the idea of a homestead — and it’s a beautiful idea — but the gap between dreaming it and doing it is filled with skills that take time to learn.
That’s not a reason to wait forever. It’s a reason to be intentional.
Map Your Journey (Not a Timeline — A Sequence)
Once you’ve got your big vision and an honest picture of where you’re starting from, it’s time to map the space in between.
This isn’t about creating a rigid five-year plan. Homesteading doesn’t work that way — life doesn’t work that way. What you’re building is more like a sequence of readiness.
Think of it like this:
Once I’m comfortable with A, I’ll begin B. Once B feels manageable, I’ll look at C.
Start by writing down your end goal at the top. Then write down what you already know at the bottom. Now fill in the middle — and be generous with the space you give yourself to research, practice, and learn before moving forward.
The Big DON’Ts
Don’t Add Everything at Once
If you want chickens, pigs, and a milk cow but you’ve never raised any of them — pick one.
Just one.
Learn that animal. Get comfortable with its rhythms, its needs, its costs, and its quirks. Build the routines around it until caring for it feels natural. Then look at what’s next.
I know it feels slow. But adding too many things at once doesn’t just overwhelm you — it means nothing gets done well. The animals suffer, the garden gets neglected, and you burn out before the first frost.
Don’t Plant a Huge Garden and Start an Orchard in the Same Season
Annual gardens and perennial systems are two completely different things with two completely different learning curves. If you try to establish both at once, you’ll be stretched thin trying to keep everything alive.
If you’re more comfortable with annual vegetables, start there. Get your systems in place — your watering routine, your pest management, your preservation schedule — until that garden practically runs itself. Then think about perennials.
I learned this one the hard way, and honestly, I’m still learning it. Seven years into this life, I’m making a significant change: this year, for the first time since I started, I’m actually reducing the size of my annual garden. I’ve converted some of my raised beds to perennial beds — strawberries and chamomile that were out in the orchard are now closer in, in beds I can manage more easily. This fall, I may move more herbs from the orchard to the raised beds around the pond, depending on how the summer goes.
It took me seven years of doing this to have the confidence to make that shift — to recognize which systems were working and which ones needed to change. That’s not a failure. That’s the homestead growing up with me.
Don’t let comparison or impatience push you to grow too fast. The goal isn’t the biggest homestead. It’s a sustainable one.
The Big DOs
Do Build Systems Before You Scale
The secret to a sustainable homestead isn’t doing more. It’s building systems that make the work manageable — routines, setups, and habits that reduce the decision-making and physical effort required each day.
Before you add anything new, ask yourself: Is what I already have running smoothly enough that I could add something else without it falling apart?
If the answer is no — that’s your next project. Not a new animal. Not a new garden bed. Fix the system first.
Do Keep Your Big Vision in Sight
This is the one I don’t want you to skip.
Your big-picture vision — the one you wrote down at the beginning — needs to stay visible. Put it somewhere you’ll see it. Review it a few times a year. Ask yourself: Am I still moving toward this? Does this still reflect what I want?
Sometimes the vision evolves, and that’s okay. What started for me as survival became something I chose — intentionally, joyfully — every single day. But I only got here by staying tethered to the why behind it all.
Keep your big picture in front of you. It will carry you through the hard seasons.
Quick Reference: Beginner Homesteader Dos and Don’ts
| ✅ DO | ❌ DON’T |
|---|---|
| Start with a clear vision | Try to do everything at once |
| Be honest about your current skills | Assume you’ll figure it out mid-season |
| Build one system at a time | Add animals or garden space before you’re ready |
| Establish routines before scaling | Launch an orchard and a full garden in the same first season |
| Revisit your vision often | Lose sight of why you started |
Ready to keep going? Browse the rest of the Homesteading Habits: Old Skills, Modern Life series for practical, from-the-heart guidance on building a homestead that lasts — one skill at a time.
As I’ve grown as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So, I MADE MY OWN. You can look at it on the link below and buy it on Amazon.
Don’t want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Thriving Through Farm Life: Wife’s Support Network! In our community, we embrace the challenges of farm life and provide a supportive space for wives facing the complexities of managing a family farm. Whether you’re navigating financial pressures, day-to-day operations, or seeking ways to create a thriving home, we’re here for you. Explore garden and preservation tips for cultivating your oasis, share insights on animal care, and discover practical family budgeting strategies. Together, let’s grow through challenges, flourish authentically, and sow the seeds for a resilient and thriving farm life. Join us on this journey of resilience and abundance!