Homesteading, Tiny Homes, and Self Sustenance

What is homesteading, and how many people are really ready to go off-grid? What is off-grid specifically? Is there more than one way to go off-grid?

Homesteading used to be known as moving onto a property and occupying that property, upgrading and maintaining it for a specific amount of time, and then it became yours. Nowadays, homesteading is a lifestyle of living, in which you acquire property lawfully, establish a home on it, and maintain it and live on it. 

Most of the time, people have gone to off-grid, which means they do not use commercially produced utilities and live totally off the land, not connected to modern conveniences. This means they have gone back to the fundamental system of survival, by hunting, fishing, gardening, and having herds of animals to provide the products most people normally go to the store to buy, such as eggs, hamburger, sausage, and the like.

These people learn how to milk their cows and goats, gather eggs, and can butcher their own meat either from cows, hogs, sheep, chickens, deer, rabbits, squirrels, and other wild game. They heat their homes with wood burning stoves, collect water either from a stream, spring, or from rain water, and can generate electricity from homemade devices or store bought items. Most of their internet usage comes from their cell phones, if there is a signal available, otherwise they find other ways of communication.

When raising animals, these people also become knowledgeable to be able to have these animals reproduce, so their steady stream of meat is available for the future. Nine times out of ten, these people live so far away from cities and towns, that rarely do they ever come to town to get much of anything, except medicines, and other things not normally found out in the country. They become their own doctors and nurses and learn how to keep healthy through the use of nature around them. Most of their medicinal products can be found in the wild around them.

Homesteaders tend to eat more healthy as their food is not tainted with preservatives, MSGs, and the like. All of their meat is most usually naturally grass fed and not having to be given the shots as needed or required by the FDA. Homesteaders also tend to be more athletic as more of the work is physical and requires action, rather than getting on the phone and ordering it, or going out to eat everyday. Rarely is there internet and TV, but most of the time, a radio station can be found, provided you have a generator producing your electricity.

Speaking of electricity, most homesteaders purchase solar array systems, wind mills, or build or buy a generator or wind mill, that supplies power to a fairly large battery bank which supplies their home with that electricity.

Without pressurized running water systems, most homesteaders use a compost system or have an outhouse  for use. The composting toilet requires that the waste be dumped into a composting pile, so that it might be used later on as fertilizer for their gardens. The outhouse gets a new hole dug and gets moved when required. Usually both of these systems are not restricted by county ordinances. A sewer system requires that the county approve that system, if it is installed, so it does not contaminate nearby streams or nearby standing water, such as lakes or ponds. Running water may also be required for the sewer system to be effective.

A homesteader will use their bathing water, after it is used, as a grey water system to supply water to their gardens, if there is not much rainfall. Most homesteaders burn a lot of their paper and wood waste and recycle what they can. A Neo - homesteader will still use trash services, provided the trash service has a route out their way. Why they do that is beyond me, as that is not off-grid when you depend on paying for something not needed.

As for the home, a homesteader can live in a home, even with kids, of about 300 square foot to 650 square foot. Needless to say, a lot of the extra stuff you have in a modern home, will not be needed in the off-grid tiny home. There will be no room for it essentially. You will either store it or sell it, because it will not get used near as often.

What will be required are shotguns, rifles, crossbows, and bows, especially if you have meat and produce animals on your homestead. You will need to protect them from predators of the wild, and you need those weapons to hunt with, let alone to protect your home.  A good 22 caliber or 224 caliber rifle are great as critter guns. If you have learned how to trap, then you will need your traps or know how to make them. 

Another good thing to have is a good dog or guineas. These animals will alarm you, if something or someone is close by, that is not supposed to be there. A good dog will scare off most predators except wolves and maybe coyotes, and will hopefully bark as an alarm. If you live in bear country, or moose country, learn how to protect you and your family from those.

As for gardening. Learn your garden produce, how to plant, when to plant, and what to use to prevent garden pests from eating your produce, before you can harvest it. One thing, I have read about, is use of a pyramid style of greenhouse. This structure, for some reason, has certain properties about it, that enhance the garden area to produce extremely well within it. This is a structure that I will try, once I get off-grid myself one day soon. These pyramids need to be built to a smaller scale, but very similar to, the Giza pyramids of Egypt.

One or two other things that the homesteader must know is how to preserve their food for use later. You might have a refrigerator or freezer, if you have electricity. You must also learn how to can produce, so it does not spoil on you either. You must learn how to dress out your game, butcher it, and wrap it for freezing or learn how to smoke the meat for preservation of it.

Other implements you may need for the homestead may or will be a tractor or back hoe, a tiller, shovels, rakes, and hoes. Maybe also a few hammers, drills, and saws. If you live far enough out in the country and off the main road, you may need a four wheel drive truck, an off road four wheeler, golf cart, or a boat with some sort of motor for it, if you live near a river. You may also need a blade for the tractor to build a road and a post hole digger.

Marking your property boundary with fencing is a good idea, unless you don't wish for others to know you live there. Many different types of fencing can be used. You can use the 2x4 or 4x4 metal fence with fence posts, or you can build your fence from trees that are on your property, or you can buy that white or grey picket fence your wife or significant other has always dreamed of. Otherwise, you can mark your property boundaries by spray painting, well seen trees or large rocks or even planting posts in the ground, sticking up at least 4 foot, painting the top 6 inches, with a purple spray paint or any other bright colored paint, but the purple paint is known to all as "No Trespassing". You are the sole protector of your property and marking the boundaries is one step to protection.

Anytime anyone enters onto your property, or you enter onto anyone else's property, it is wise and honorable to drive or walk up the driveway and talk directly to the property owner. You would then ask permission to enter before entering arbitrarily at your own risk. This is common courtesy that is recognized by any neighbor. The least you or they can say is "Yes or No".

These are some of the things I think that will benefit you in your endeavors in your off-grid life. Live in Peace