Homesteading

“So for a week, I would fill my wheelbarrow, push it for about an acre, dump it on the bed, spread it out, push the wheelbarrow back and start the process again. Thank God I’m a no-till gardener or the work would have been that much more back breaking. Talk about a workout! [...] I’m not in the great shape I used to be, and I think my body got a shock at this level of physically demanding work. That being said, I was impressed with how much my body COULD do after dealing with back injuries and chronic pain for years. It felt good to know that my body could do this work that would feed my family. The feeling of accomplishment after finishing a task like this is pretty epic. It is hard work that feels really good to do.”

“Even so, the number one lesson I learned this past year is just how hard homesteading is, and I’ve barely gotten started. This lifestyle is not for the weak. Originally, I intended to chronicle my (mis)adventures on the homestead here on my blog, but truth be told, I barely had time to get everything done let alone document it. Fail. My goal for the first year was to set up our garden, can our harvest, and get started with a small flock of chickens. These were manageable goals. The year was a success, but man am I tired at the end of the day.”

“I bought 6.5 acres and immediately built a massive garden with 6 x 50ft rows and a bunch of raised beds. I grew an insane volume of food that year that I couldn't efficiently processes, and then late August it got overrun with weeds because it was 100+ outside and impossible to work enough to keep it managed. I abandoned that garden, switched to just raised beds for my annuals and focused more intensely on my food forest area for my perennials and things are MUCH more manageable / enjoyable. A well managed garden is enjoyable to work in. An overgrown messy garden is very stressful.”