In 2020, the world faced an epidemic the likes of which had not been seen in 100 years.
This changed the world as we know it.
A longing for certain aspects of the old days has had a revival, growing your own and homesteading have come back into our vocabulary. Out of sheer necessity, this (old) idea of growing your own food and living in a sustainable environment resurfaced.
And you can have all that in under 500 square feet.
Let’s dive into how!
The ‘Right’ Small Space
Your home would become your ‘homesteading’ headquarters, so design and durability were important to this kind of lifestyle. While options like tiny houses on wheels exist, park model homes offer distinct advantages for the serious homesteader.
Built to ANSI code standards, they are inherently more robust than recreational RVs, design style for stationary, long-term living.
Key features to look for:
- Include superior insulation for four-season comfort.
- Metal roofs for rainwater collection.
- Customizations to the layout.
If you live in an area where there are huge shifts in temperature and the climate isn’t ‘ideal’ (e.g., very hot and humid summers or freezing winters), it’s best to check with a contractor to see if your property is properly built.
Builders who work in your area will know how to best equip a property to stand against your specific weather patterns. What you want is a home that you don’t have to worry about when outside conditions get tough.
Zones
On a compact homestead, every square foot outside must be intentionally designed. Think in terms of zones, a concept popularized by permaculture.
- Zone 1: This is your immediate living area. Place your most frequently accessed elements here: a small herb spiral right outside the door, a basket for kitchen scrap compost, and perhaps a few container plants with ready-to-harvest greens like lettuce and spinach.
- Zone 2: Your main raised garden beds, a small greenhouse, and your compost bins. This area should be a short walk from your door.
- Zone 3: Your larger staple crops (e.g., potatoes, corn, winter squash) and small livestock like chickens or ducks.
- Zones 4 & 5: For larger properties, these are for foraging and wild areas, left mostly undisturbed.
This zoning idea will help with flow. And once your body and mind get accustomed to these newly established zones, you’ll start saving so much more time, and the ‘flow’ while moving throughout the space will be so much smoother and methodical.
‘Small-Space’ Gardening
When people picture growing their own food, they usually picture acres of farmland. Well, you don’t need that.
What you want to focus on is maximizing yield, which means that even if your gardening space is severely limited (which it likely is – that’s why we’re here), you’ll still produce enough to sustain yourself.
Here’s how.
- Succession Planting: As soon as one crop is harvested, plant another.
- Vertical Gardening: Instead of relying just on the soil you have on the ground, use your walls or roof.
- Choose Your Crops: Prioritize foods that are (usually) expensive at your local store, plus you can go with plants that taste great once freshly picked such as tomatoes, berries, herbs – things like that.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (U.S. Department of Agriculture) is a helpful tool for any gardener because it allows you to see exactly which plants will thrive in your specific climate and when you’re supposed to plant them.
Water
Collecting and conserving water is non-negotiable. It’s mandatory for life, plus you need it for your homestead (garden and/or animals).
- Harvesting Rainwater: Use a 50- or 100-gallon rain barrel and then use a simple system of gutters to fill the barrel whenever it rains..
- Drip Irrigation: This method delivers moisture directly to the roots of your garden plants; it is the most efficient way to water garden beds.
Adding (Small) Livestock
If you bring livestock to your homestead, it can benefit you in more than just one way.
- Chickens: The ‘gateway’ livestock! They provide eggs, help till the soil with their scratching, and are excellent compost creators. Plus, they can also be used as food themselves, and/or bartering items.
- Quail: They require less room than chickens, lay nutritious eggs, and mature more quickly – great alternative to chicken.
- Rabbits: A great source of manure (fantastic if you have a garden); it can also be an excellent source of food.
Always check local ordinances for restrictions on keeping livestock.
Four-Season Kitchen
Your kitchen is the hub of your homestead. In a small space, it needs to be multifunctional for all seasons.
- Preservation Station: Dedicate a shelf for canning jars, a corner for a dehydrator, and freezer space for blanched vegetables. Learning to preserve your harvest is what allows you to eat from your land all year.
- Compact Tools: A good food processor can chop, shred, and slice, replacing multiple unitasker gadgets. A large stockpot for canning and making broth from kitchen scraps is essential.
- Storage: Use vertical space with wall-mounted racks for pots, pans, and utensils – pretty much any items which are often used and usually take a lot of space.
Community Mindset
The most resilient homesteads are connected ones, and you can ask around for others who are living the way you are and become a member of that community.
- Barter & Trade: Swap your excess zucchini for your neighbor’s eggs. Trade your homemade jam for help building a fence.
- Tools: You don’t need to own a powerful/expensive chipper or shredder or a cider press if you can borrow one from a community tool library or a fellow homesteader. Invest in one and share such tools. It’s not like you use them daily anyway.
- Learn & Teach: Join local gardening clubs or online forums. Share your successes and failures. Teach others what you’ve learned in practice.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether your house is small or big, having some form of self-sufficiency is a HUGE plus to have. Especially so if your outdoor living space is severely limited.
It’s a conscious choice to invest in your home and in your skills to create this lifestyle one small (but important) step at a time.
