Dreadful Mistakes-Homesteading not only improves the work culture and ethics but also increases your knowledge of the practical and real aspects of life. Homesteading is a process through which you can use the available resources and land to create a self-sustaining environment. A homestead provides for economical living and saves on living costs in a multitude of ways. You can produce your fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and even energy. Your efforts will bring to you remarkable savings that can be used for other more important purposes.
But the making of a homestead may also involveDreadful mistakes, if proper planning is not done or if you do not have ample information and knowledge beforehand. Here are 8 of the biggest Dreadful mistakes that we committed while making our homestead. You can avoid making these mistakes, as we have also mentioned the ways through which they can be nulled.
1. We did not have a plan
Foolish as it may sound, we did not have a plan for making or developing our homestead. Therefore there were ample errors (Dreadful Mistakes), and the direction was missing. For instance, if we had a Greenhouse, we would have extended the growing season. Other things such as having only the chickens for the eggs, or a plan to raise the animals for meat would also have been beneficial. Therefore I would suggest that if you are going to make a homestead, try thinking long term.
2. We started many things at a time
Homestead can be a good idea but only if you have the expertise for managing the outcomes. We started many things at a single time and were exasperated when it came to managing them all. For instance, we got our first pig cheap at an auction site. The idea was to sustain our meat needs. But the Pig Pen we had was not efficient enough, and problems such as the pigs escaping the backyards propped up.
Before you would know, the population of the livestock will grow, and you will find hard to manage them all if you do not have the proper areas to contain the growth. Raising of bees was another idea we jumped in right away before having the right plan. Ensure that you have a proper plan and possess the resources and expertise to successfully undertake the tasks you commence on.
3. We made wrong location choices regarding the livestock
Keeping the livestock in a homestead can be a problem if you have not planned it well enough. I had my chickens in the chicken coop, and another boundary (which was the fence of the backyard) also protected them. But as I did not plan any shade for them, I had to grow the sunflowers near the coop to have the benefits. Chickens do require shade during the hottest summer months. While I had the shaded area for the goats, they cried because they were put far away from the house and could not see us or the other livestock. Therefore, I had to change my livestock and goat area.
It becomes imperative to plan the positioning and placement of the livestock in the best way, or you would be doing the recurrent efforts all the time.
4. We did not place the garden well enough
While we had some idea about gardening and raising the tomatoes and beans, doing it on a large scale in a homestead was not the same as gardening a few plants. Large gardens do require more effort so that they are thriving and are weeded plentifully. We used the backyard for our Garden and allocated a much larger area to it than what was required. Looking back, I think a better location for the garden would have been the front yard itself. My kids would have got a much larger play area this way (in the backyard) and we might also have accommodated a swimming pool.
5. We have to redo many things
Homesteading and making a large area productive required lots of effort, which you would not like to redo. Because of improper planning and no forecasting, I had to do to the redo’s many times. For instance, we had to redo our fence to make it stronger. A strong fence not only keeps the predators out but also makes the area more homely for the livestock. Because we were short on funds, our initial fence consisted of pine slabs.
But the fence did not last even after lots of repairing. The activities of the children, storms and other impacts took their toll. A perimeter fence that has the requested features to be strong and powerful in all conditions is not even better but is also necessary. If you have the budget, you should not compromise on these kinds of long-term expenditures. I also had to clear the trees again and again, while clearing them at once would have been a better and cost-saving idea.
we would suggest that you take a more holistic view and instead of doing things, again and again, do them once in the best way so that you can save on efforts and time.
6. got stressed
While making a homestead, people desire all at once, and in the least time. Unless you want to go in major debt, you should have patience, as things will take some time to accomplish themselves successfully. My homestead looked like a junkyard many times, as there were many projects going on all at once. While I wanted functionality, I also wanted my house to look good and pretty. But you should remember that things do take time to happen, and patience is your best counterpart and friend during the development days. While I had my moments of stress, you should avoid it by relaxing yourself and by realizing the fact that it will be all true and fantastic, in due course of time.
7. I did not stress on regular maintenance
When there is so much of productivity and outcomes out there, you may simply forget about maintenance. For instance, I did not maintain the fences, water, light fittings, and other things and attachments on a regular basis. I later realized that not only the negligence proves to be counterproductive, but it also reduces your motivation to improve and work in your homestead. Apart from the livestock and garden, you should also see to it that the homestead has the right and working features, and carry out the maintenance works regularly.
8. We did not have proper storage
One of the reasons why my property was messy all the time was that I did not have adequate storage capacity. For instance, I required extra storage space for the extra gardening tools and equipment I had, but I never planned for it. See to it that you have the storage for wood, tools, equipment and even the produces. This will help you trace your productivity better and you’ll also prevent the messiness.
You will be able to rethink the issues and will have much better outcomes when you keep these 8 points in mind while making and developing your homestead.
