Feature Reap What is Sown
now, 22 years later, but that’ s what we were doing. We had such a small yard to do it all in, yet we made it work. There is such an immense pride that comes with hatching your first chick or adding fresh rosemary to the meal you ' re cooking. Don’ t let your current limitations stop you from following that dream.
It Doesn’ t Have to Stick
Another important point that gets lost along the way, if you try something and don’ t like it then it’ s ok to give that up.
I’ ve tried for years to bake my own sourdough bread. I want to love the process of letting the dough rise and kneading it to perfection, but I just can’ t. I see people successfully do it every single day as I scroll through social media. My adult daughter can bake bread like nobody’ s business. For myself, it causes more stress than enjoyment. I’ ve come to the conclusion that it wasn’ t for me; I’ ll probably still try, and I’ ll probably still fail at it, and that’ s ok. You don’ t have to do something if you don’ t love it. That’ s the beautiful part about the whole process: finding what sparks your passion and pushes you to continue.
Let It Take Time
Patience is the least talked about lesson in growing your
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homestead and the most valuable. Starting and maintaining a homestead in any form takes time and patience. We’ re not all born with that quiet contentment that comes from watching things slowly built from the ground up.
The tiny chick you buy from the local feed store will take 16 to 20 weeks to start laying. In the meantime, you’ ll brood and care for it all while dreaming of the fresh eggs that will grace your kitchen counters. You hit that estimated time frame, and your chicken produces... nothing.
Patience. That’ s the only thing you’ ll need at that point. It’ s so simple yet so forgotten.
Go For It
When spring rolls around again, get that raised bed, some soil and started plants. Get your hands dirty doing the things that you love. That’ s where you’ ll find your homesteading dreams getting fulfilled.
As the saying goes, if you do what you love, you’ ll never work a day in your life. This holds true in the homesteading world because there is always work to be done, but it can be so fulfilling.
If you’ re daydreaming of starting your homestead in 2026, then just do it. Don’ t ever let the fear of failure stop you from trying.
January 2026 AcreageLife 7