# Recommendations for a would-be homesteader who doesn't have a clue.



## Sarah H. (Oct 11, 2017)

Hello Everyone! 

Just as the title says, I am a hopeful suburban homesteader who wants to start this fall to prep for things in the spring. So that being said...

Where did you start when you began homesteading?
What books did you find most helpful?

I wouldn't mind a few inspirational fiction or nonfiction books as well to get me in the homesteading mood.  


Thanks!


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Do you have a public library close to where you are? That might be a place to find some books to read. That's kinda how I started out many years ago.

Somewhere online, I can't remember where, I got a hold of an electronic copy of "Ten Acres Enough" which I rather enjoy reading through every so often. It's old, and talks about stuff from the 1850's but still an enjoyable read.

In a more modern age, there are tons and tons of YouTube videos on just about anything you can imagine and most any homesteading topic you can think of. If you have the bandwidth and the time, that will keep you occupied for quite a while. 

Good luck!


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## MoBookworm1957 (Aug 24, 2015)

Make a list of wants,needs, start up costs.
Prioritize your list according.
Do you have your land already?
House on land?
Water on land? Well? Off Grid or on grid?
Do you have your garden plans drawn out? 
Just a few things to think about.


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## PlayingInDirt (Aug 2, 2017)

The book that started it for us was Backyard Homestead.

Before that though, we were making cheese, wine, gardening, putting up food, etc. Learning. All these skills have come into play. Helps that hubby and I are on the same page and that we complement each other's skills. Also helps that hubby has been a garage packrat for years. I tried to get him to get rid of so much stuff that has come in handy on our new homestead. 

Coolest book we found is called Yankee Arts. It's like 35765 years old. All kinds of useful knowledge in that one. Even tells how to slaughter. Very helpful!


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

The book that was suggested to me was the Have more plan. And I downloaded for free so bonus!


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## MELQ (Feb 27, 2011)

Carla Emerys Encyclopedia of Country Living, Storeys Back to Basics and John Seymour Self Sufficient Life are good books to read. Remember to start small so u don't get overwhelmed and want to give up. Be patient and stay positive. You will make mistakes and tthen there will be things that happen that are beyond your control . Just keep at it


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

I got thrown into it with no knowledge but this site and these people helped me a lot


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## Southern Forest (May 5, 2012)

For good knowledge, Foxfire books are great.


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## longrider (Jun 16, 2005)

The most useful for me was "The Have More Plan" which gave me the big picture and a plan to work on. It allows for a lot of variation in your homestead.
Carla Emery's book "The Encyclopedia for Country Living" is incredibly useful too.
"The Vegetable Gardeners Bible" by Smith is very important.
"Living With Backyard Chickens" by Rossier is quite useful.
Whatever you do, do something, right , wrong, or killing time....do something and make some progress. Put two seeds in a pot. Plant a peach tree or three. Plant a plum tree. Buy a chicken and learn from the experience. Skills trump tools and toys. Start buying mason jars in pint and quart sizes, save for a canning pressure cooker. Do a little more today than yesterday. Carney


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## Springwood (Mar 8, 2017)

PlayingInDirt said:


> I tried to get him to get rid of so much stuff that has come in handy on our new homestead.


My hubby is the one constantly on me about saving things. Just yesterday we used old wire weld fencing pieces that were too big in my opinion to throw out, but in his opinion not big enough for a job. But they were perfect for the little job we did in the barn because the young goats started sticking their heads through the slats to steal their neighbors grain. Plus we used some wood I garbage picked, new shelving wood probably left over from a project & apparently the wealthy person who threw it out thought the garbage was the best place for it. Cost us nothing to do the repairs but the time it took to gather the tools, supplies and do it. I had to point out to him where these materials came from...he told me to shut up  cause he hates it when I'm right.


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## FoxInTheHenhouse (Mar 26, 2017)

I guess it also helps to know what kind of homesteading you want to do. Are you trying to go off grid or just lighten your footprint? Want to raise animals for food, material or friendship? Want to grow your own veggies? Are you handy, doing this in your own or with a partner? 
Depending on where you live, there might be some beginners classes you can take. Not necessarily for homesteading specifically, but for different skill sets. Like my husband and I started by taking canning and food preservation classes. Master Gardening and composting, etc. then we moved to classes about raising chickens or goats. And recently, we took a class on butchering. 
He watches all the YouTube videos on how to create heat from compost, or ways to use our rainwater. Right now he's trying to figure out the best way to heat water for showers using the woodstove. 

There's a lot of great books out there. Try the Backyard Homestead and any gardening books that are written by folks in your area. We're outside of Seattle, so we got a lot of great info from a book by folks who founded seattle urban farm co


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Some things are universal, some are not. Another resource for rural people are their county extension services. In most states, lots of info in free handouts, electronic or printed. And the recommendations are for your area.


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## Skamp (Apr 26, 2014)

The Ball Blue Book and Machinery’s Handbook. 

Get to be cozy with the county extension office.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I second Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. She was a member here years ago.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

For gardening, there are loads of books, but also some seed catalogs are a wealth of information. Order catalogs, especially from companies in your part of the country. I'm in the Northeast and enjoy "reading" Fedco's catalog as well as Johnny's. Each has its own slant, and some even have a way to communicate with them with questions about raising their seeds if you run into problems. 
ASK your neighbors that homestead or do "parts" of homesteading. If you see a nice garden, stop and chat with the folks. If you seed animals, stop and see if you can start a conversation with them. Most homesteaders/gardeners/animal husbandry people LOVE to talk about their specialty ad nauseum...so be prepared to spend an hour or more when you stop. You may also gain a local friend.


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## coastalhermit (Nov 18, 2018)

Sarah H. said:


> Hello Everyone!
> 
> Just as the title says, I am a hopeful suburban homesteader who wants to start this fall to
> 
> Thanks!


I suppose this is more-than-somewhat self serving but I felt so strongly about the topic I wrote a book. I actually wrote three but only the first two might prove helpful. #1: Our Life Off the Grid (J. David Cox) and the more 'advice-oriented' follow-up: CHOOSING Off the Grid. The first is 'our story' about what we did and how we screwed up doing it... but we persevered and it got done (whew!). Been living on a remote island OTG for over 15 years now. Started late (I was 55). The second one is a bit more conventional - how to get started with no money - that kind of thing. The best part of the books are that I am still a keener and you can write and ask about anything at anytime. I am no expert but my wife and I are doin' OK. We chop wood and grow food and would NEVER go back to the urban rat race.


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## Orchardsmith (5 mo ago)

Since you asked, I have a new homesteading novel out. The title is _Freeman Farm_, and it's been published by LifeRich Publishing. I'm the author, Bruce Smith. I'd be delighted to hear what you think of it. Reviews would be helpful, too. It's about the cycle of the seasons on a homestead farm in Minnesota. It contains much of what I've learned over five homestead experiences. Here's a link. Freeman Farm. Thank you for considering it.


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

Southern Forest said:


> For good knowledge, Foxfire books are great.


Another vote here for the Foxfire books! I saw the entire set on Amazon just the other day. As a summary of them, they cover everything from how to build a log cabin to a violin and from all sorts of recipes to folk lore medicines. Ghost stories to tales of panthers on the prowl. Great resource for general reading and great information.


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

Best book ever for inspiration .. the Bible... I can say that the land I bought was set aside for me by God. Won't bore everyone with that story but here is a great verse:


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

This thread is 5 years old, and the posters in the thread back in 2017 haven't been seen in years.

Why would someone resurrect this old thread, when we already have a couple current threads on the same subject?


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## Orchardsmith (5 mo ago)

Pony, I joined in because I was new and wasn't really noticing the dates. Help me out. Where should I direct my attention?


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

Being rather new to the site I have resurrected a couple old ones by mistake myself. It is easy to miss when a post occurred when new and reading through the many interesting things here and newbies don't really know where everything is at and what all of the threads are current vs. old. Wonder if there is a way to set old threads as unable to post against if we don't want any further replies on them?


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Old and decayed or not, many threads still contain valuable information. I don't have any issue with old timey posts. Someone will usually come along and note that the OP is gone or dead.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The only times I get irritated by old thread ressurection is when someone brings up the thread just to criticize, often with nasty comments, what was posted or to complain about prices. A few times trolls have brought up old threads just to threaten posters. Sometimes spammers dig up old posts just to put ads on the site. I do have a habit of pointing out that a person quoted hasn't been around for a while. Sometimes the poster just doesn't know the person they quoted hasn't logged on in 10 years when an issue in a post wasn't resolved and they want to know how it ended or the poster has a similar issue and asks how the poster resolved their issue.


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