Page by Page | The Weekend Homesteader: A 12 Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency | Chapter One - Part One

For a new homesteader or gardener, it can feel incredibly overwhelming trying to search for reputable resources and accurate information. Many times the plethora of offered information can paralyze you into a form of inaction. But I recently purchased the perfect book for beginners like myself - The Weekend Homesteader: A 12 Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess.

The Weekend Homesteader is organized by month—so whether it’s January or June you’ll find exciting, short projects that you can use to dip your toes into the vast ocean of homesteading without getting overwhelmed. If you need to fit homesteading into a few hours each weekend and would like to have fun while doing it, these projects will be right up your alley, whether you live on a forty-acre farm, a postage-stamp lawn in suburbia, or a high rise. - SOURCE

Chapter One - April

Chapter one is all about April (or “October Down Under”). It explains the introductory steps you will need to take in the spring in order to begin your homesteading journey, including:

1. Finding Room to Homestead
   • Lawns
   • Container gardens / house plants
   • Beyond Your Yard
   • Rooftops
2. Surveying Your Site
   • Map of Your Yard
   • Sunlight
   • Soil Quality
   • Nodes and Paths
   • Map of Your Community
3. Plan Your Summer Garden 
   • Garden Size
   • Garden Location
   • Garden Layout
   • Record Keeping
   • Simple Vegetables and Herbs
   • Vertical Gardening

I spent the past few days perusing the pages of part one even though it is the “wrong time.” I don’t think it is ever the wrong time to begin leading the lifestyle you want.

Part One - Finding Room to Homestead

Finding room to grow your own food and raise your own animals can be tricky unless you are lucky enough to live on a large plot of land in the countryside. But urban and suburban homesteaders have to get creative. These modern day homesteaders are required to bring the country to the city!

Author Anna Hess writes about four main locations to look for to begin future homesteading endeavors - lawns, container gardens / house plants, beyond the yard (ie. community gardens), and rooftops!

Each topic is fairly straightforward and self-explanatory so the only difficult part of this activity is to actually look at the space you have and envision utilizing it in a drastically different manner. Unfortunately I live with family at the moment so I am unable to dictate the use of the yard. Though they do have their own small garden, I am unable to plan and create any personal spaces. I’ll leave that for Wild Rose Acres (for now)!

So the main area I will be able to begin homesteading is right in my own room! People underestimate how useful container gardening is and how beneficial your house plants can be.

Therefore, I need house plant suggestions to begin accumulating. I have already began my “scrap garden” which currently includes lemon seeds, celery, and an avocado sprout, but I would like to keep these separate as I may relocate them to the homestead. House plants are something that I would like to surround myself with wherever I move to.

My requirements for house plants are fairly straightforward: I would like them to serve a purpose whether that be nutritional, medicinal, cleaning/beauty product creation, etc. I would also prefer slightly hardy plants as I am still cultivating my green thumb!

What plants do you keep in your house? Why did you chose them in particular? Let me know in the comments below!

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First photo (modified by @kiaraantonoviche) and third photo from Pexels and used under the CC0 license. Second photo from Amazon. Information and quote(s) from The Weekend Homesteader: A 12 Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess. Footer badges created by @daddykirbs and @allforthegood.

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