Homesteading – The how and why
Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes of inspiring insights.
Homesteading has gained popularity in recent years due to various reasons. One of the primary reasons is a desire for a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle. Many people are becoming more aware of the impact that their consumption habits have on the environment and are seeking ways to reduce their ecological footprint. Homesteading provides a way to do this by growing your own food, raising your own livestock, and producing your own energy.
Another reason for the popularity of homesteading is a desire for a simpler way of life. Many people feel overwhelmed by the fast-paced and high-stress nature of modern society and are seeking a more peaceful and meaningful existence. Homesteading offers a slower pace of life, where people can connect with nature, live off the land, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Also, homesteading can also be a way to save money and reduce expenses. By growing your own food and producing your own goods, you can significantly reduce your monthly expenses and become more financially independent.
10 reasons to start homesteading
1. Self-sufficiency: Homesteading allows you to become more self-sufficient by growing your own food, producing your own energy, and making your own goods. This can help reduce your reliance on the grid and the traditional economy.
2. Connection to nature: Homesteading provides an opportunity to connect with nature and the natural world, by growing your own food and living in a sustainable way.
3. Health benefits: Homesteading can improve your overall health by providing you with fresh, organic food and opportunities for exercise and physical activity.
4. Environmental impact: Homesteading can help reduce your environmental impact by using sustainable practices, such as composting, rainwater harvesting, and reducing waste.
5. Financial savings: Homesteading can help save you money by reducing your grocery bills, lowering your energy costs, and reducing your reliance on the traditional economy.
6. Education: Homesteading provides a great opportunity for hands-on learning and skill development, such as gardening, animal husbandry, and food preservation.
7. Resilience: Homesteading can help build resilience in the face of economic, political, or environmental disruptions by providing a more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle.
8. Community building: Homesteading can help build strong, supportive communities around shared values and interests, such as sustainability and self-sufficiency.
9. Creative expression: Homesteading can provide opportunities for creative expression, such as through art, crafts, and DIY projects.
10. Personal fulfillment: Homesteading can provide a sense of personal fulfillment and satisfaction from the work and lifestyle choices involved in living a self-sufficient and sustainable life.
How To Get Started With Homesteading
Homesteading refers to the practice of self-sufficient living on a piece of land. Here are some steps you can take to get started with homesteading:
1. Assess your land: Start by evaluating the piece of land you have or are planning to acquire. Determine the soil quality, availability of water sources, climate, and zoning laws in the area.
2. Define your goals: Decide what you want to achieve through homesteading. Some common goals include growing your own food, raising livestock, generating your own electricity, and becoming more self-sufficient.
3. Plan your homestead: Create a homesteading plan that takes into account your goals, available resources, and limitations. Consider factors such as what crops to grow, what animals to raise, and how to manage waste.
4. Start small: Homesteading can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. Start with a small garden, a few chickens, or a compost pile and gradually build up from there.
5. Learn new skills: Homesteading requires a variety of skills, from carpentry to animal husbandry. Take courses or workshops, read books and articles, and learn from experienced homesteaders.
6. Connect with others: Join a homesteading community, attend local events, and connect with like-minded people. Networking with other homesteaders can be a valuable source of information and support.
Remember that homesteading is a journey, not a destination. Be patient, persistent, and willing to learn, and you will soon reap the rewards of self-sufficient living. We at Yvy Sy Food Forest can help you with the design and/or the installation of your complete homestead, or a portion of it. To learn more, book a strategy session with one of our experts!
Food Forest plants arrangements
Are you thinking about planting a food forest? While you may already have an idea of the plants you’d like to include, it’s essential to design your food forest with an informed approach. How do you arrange a food forest, and what are some of the plants required for a healthy ecosystem? Keep reading to learn more.
What is a Food Forest?
A food forest is a cultivated forest garden that attempts to imitate nature. In contrast to traditional farming, where a single crop is planted, food forest design emphasizes growing a wide variety of complementary plants.
The goal of food forests is to create an ecosystem where plants benefit each other instead of competing for the same resources.
Arrangement & Planning
Food forests require variety in both plant species and arrangement. Unlike field cultivation, where planning rows of crops is relatively straightforward, food forest design requires creativity and flexibility.
Most importantly, the design should minimize disturbing natural features and maximize the use of beneficial resources like freshwater springs or natural slopes.
Food forest design requires careful planning and a detailed understanding of the land: climate zone, energy inflows and outflows, then comes water cycle restoration, and other several aspects to take into account while planning.
the basic arrangement of a food forest can be boiled down to eight different layers. To be successful, a food forest should have plants in each category.
What Are the 8 Layers?
In order from the top to the bottom, the layers of a food forest include:
• Canopy Layer (Large fruit and nut trees).
• Low Tree Layer (Small fruit trees).
• Vertical Layer (Vines).
• Shrub Layer (Berries).
• Herbaceous Layer (Herbs, comfrey, beets).
• Soil Surface Layer (Ground cover, clover, strawberries).
• Rhizosphere (Root vegetables).
Which Plants Make for a Healthy Food Forest?
A healthy food forest requires multiple layers of trees, shrubs, perennials, and self-seeding annuals. There’s an endless variety of plants you can select depending on your particular climate and personal goals. Do you live in a tropical or temperate climate? Do you wish to prioritize fruiting trees or fresh herbs and vegetables?
To understand what plants will work well in your food forest, try taking a walk in some nearby woodlands. While the woods near your house may not have the most plant variety or exotic species, they can give you an idea of how plants naturally grow in your climate. It also gives you a better spatial understanding for designing your own forest.
Below, you’ll find some general suggestions for different plants often used in food forest design.
Canopy Layer
These large trees require full sun and may grow higher than 50 feet.
– Pecans
– Walnuts
– Chestnuts
Vines
These plants can climb up the trunks of medium or large trees and bear fruit. Since they don’t take up much horizontal space, they boost your food forest productivity.
– Passion fruit
– Chayote
– Kiwis
Groundcover
Many of these plants tolerate shade and help suppress weeds in the undergrowth. They also attract beneficial organisms and accumulate nutrients.
– Clover
– Nasturtium
– Sorrel
– Watercress
Roots
Plants in the rhizosphere also have above-ground parts, but the root area is just as important. Here, microorganisms and fungi play important roles in feeding and cleaning the forest foundation.
– Sweet potato
– Garlic
– Carrots
– Onions
– Yacon
You can also incorporate plants that have specific functions such as Nitrogen Fixers, Dynamic accumulators, pollinators. These plants perform functions like capturing nitrogen from the air and releasing it below ground for other plants to absorb through their roots. As a result, these plants can be vital components of food forests;
Nitrogen-fixing trees for temperate climates:
– Acacias
– Alders
– Autumn Olive
– Mimosa
– Mesquite
Nitrogen-fixing herbaceous plants:
– Beans (Soybeans, Garden Beans, Runner Beans, etc.)
– Peanuts
– Licorice
– Clover
– Alfalfa
Need help building your own food forest? Explore our food forest landscape blueprints and let us assist you!
