It’s hard for me to quit things. I always feel like I’ve failed somehow. But I’ve learned that commitment isn’t true commitment if you can commit fully. Eventually, if you spread yourself too thin, all your endeavors will suffer.   I’ve read somewhere that successful people “do one thing at a time and they do […]

As another year draws to an end, it makes good business sense to take some time to reflect on what we’ve done with the past 365 days. Many times as homesteaders we’re used to plowing ahead. This life can be hard at times, so if we quit every time something wasn’t easy we wouldn’t be […]

Let’s face it, many of us can only dream of working from the comfort of our own home. In my case, working from home has been an ongoing process of trying to turn “nothing” into “something”. From writing to marketing and selling products I either make or grow, this is how I would like to […]

Excerpted from Market Farming Success by Lynn Byczynski Scheduling After you have completed the exercise of figuring out how much to grow in order to meet income targets, you can get to work filling in your planting calendar. You can do this with a pencil on a big paper calendar or use a computer. First, […]

Excerpted from Sustainable Market Farming by Pam Dawling Bart Hall once published a very useful table in Growing for Market which works back from your farm’s first frost date, to see what options you have. If you are more than 120 days before frost, you would most likely plant another food crop. If you are […]

Excerpted from Homemade For Sale by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko   Hosting Private Product Parties If your state permits it, another option may be to host a private “product party” along the lines of a Pampered Chef or Tupperware gathering. Invite over your friends, neighbors and other community members in your target market for a private […]

Excerpted from The Farm to Market Handbook by Janet Hurst. Finding laborers is often one of the most difficult obstacles for a farmer to overcome, but there are means to assist with this ongoing problem. Farmers often bring apprentices onto the farm. Although they are usually not paid, apprentices can learn valuable skills from the […]

Excerpted from Bioshelter Market Garden by Darrell Frey Market Surveys Once we had agreed upon a business structure, we began market research. As we completed our bioshelter and began to establish gardens, we distributed samples of our crops. Our initial focus on specialty crops, such as salad mix, herbs and arugula, was met with indifference by […]

Just like major business corporations move into different territories, you too, can expand your homestead. While some businesses add or acquire new products, like Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, the same expansion opportunities are available to homesteaders. While a very different arena than a digital streaming service, agriculture remains the most important industry in the […]