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An acre is the perfect size for a homestead – large enough to grow plenty of food and rear some livestock, yet compact enough to remain manageable.
Whether you’re expanding from backyard gardening or scaling down from a larger farm, envisioning how to make the most of this space can feel overwhelming.
To simplify the journey, we’ll guide you through actionable steps to create a thriving one-acre homestead, making the process both practical and stress-free.
1. Define Your Goals
I’m a strong believer that no project should ever begin without setting some goals first! Before you get started on homesteading, take a moment to ask yourself what you want to achieve with your acre of land and set some targets for the first six months, a year, two years, and so on.
For us, this helped determine where to focus our initial efforts and ensure our homestead became productive as quickly as possible.
2. Research Local Regulations
Every area has its own local rules regarding livestock, building structures, and land use. For example, some areas limit the number or type of animals you can keep on a small plot of land, while others might require permits for certain structures like chicken coops or sheds.
Before you begin your homesteading project, visit your local government’s website or zoning office to research what’s allowed in your area.
3. Assess Soil and Water Resources
The quality of your soil and availability of water are crucial in determining how productive your land will be. Test the soil to determine its pH, nutrient levels, and texture, and identify the main water sources and how they can be used.
This information will be hugely useful when it comes to planning how you will use your land.
4. Map Your Land
One acre might not seem like an enormous amount of land, but with thoughtful planning, it can accommodate a surprising number of projects.
Sketch out your property and divide it into zones for different purposes: gardening, livestock, living space, and storage.
Remember to consider factors like sunlight, shade, prevailing winds, water flow, and accessibility to make your homestead more efficient and enjoyable to manage.
5. Create a Budget and Financial Plan
Setting up a homestead can be as affordable or as costly as you make it, depending on how rapidly you want to start investing in new infrastructure and equipment.
Create a budget that accounts for essential setup costs, such as tools, fencing, and seeds, as well as ongoing expenses like feed for animals and water bills. This will allow you to identify how much spare funds you have available for investing in larger projects.
6. Plan the Vegetable Garden
When it comes to your new vegetable garden, start small, stick to what you know, and expand as you gain experience. Believe me, it’s better to succeed with a modest garden than to become overwhelmed by a plot that’s too large to manage!
Over time, as you grow more confident, you can increase the size of your plot and experiment with different crops and techniques to diversify your harvest.
7. Select the Right Livestock
One acre of land can support a decent-sized flock of chickens, and rabbits and bees are also well-suited to this compact size of homestead. If you have some good-quality grassland, a small flock of sheep or goats can also be an option.
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8. Build Essential Structures
Prioritize building projects based on your immediate needs and available budget. For example, if you plan to keep chickens, a secure coop should be one of your first projects.
Likewise, a sturdy shed can serve as storage for tools and supplies, and a good compost bin system will be invaluable for producing free organic compost.
9. Implement Water Systems
How water is collected and used should be carefully planned to make the most of this precious resource. You may want to consider installing rainwater collection barrels, a drip irrigation system, or pumped water to top up waterers and troughs for livestock.
10. Consider Off-Grid Energy
Not all homesteads are off-grid, but reducing dependence on external energy sources is a great way to lower utility bills. Solar panels, wind turbines, or micro-hydro systems are all feasible options for generating electricity to power essential systems like outdoor lights or water pumps.
11. Set Up a Composting System
Kitchen scraps, garden waste, and animal manure and bedding can be transformed into nutrient-rich organic compost with very little effort. Set up a compost pile (preferably at least two bays) in a shady corner of the garden that is easy to access.
12. Learn Essential Homesteading Skills
Many of the skills a homesteader requires cannot be learned in advance – this is very much an ‘on the job’ education! Books, online resources, and local workshops can all be invaluable, but it is the hands-on experience that will truly consolidate your diverse new skill set.
13. Plan Ahead for Food Preservation
Our first year of homesteading really took us by surprise, as we suddenly had a whole load of food and no plan of what to do with it! Make sure that for whatever you plant, you have a suitable preservation method on hand, whether it be drying, canning, freezing, or fermenting.
Of course, any excess can also be shared or swapped with friends and neighbors, but there’s nothing quite like storing your very first vegetable glut!
14. Create a Support Network
Homesteading can be a lonely business, so make sure you’re accessing local support networks through social media and word-of-mouth recommendations. Make friends with your neighbors and offer your support with their projects, as shared labor always makes a large job easier.
15. Be Adaptable!
Homesteaders need to adapt, adapt, adapt! This lifestyle is a continuous learning process where we regularly evaluate what’s working and what isn’t.
Keep records of your planting schedules, harvest yields, and animal care routines, and use this information to make adjustments such as switching seed varieties or improving animal enclosures.
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Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
