r/Homesteading

Hi all!

I have a 1/2 acre plot of mossy and thickly packed lawn. I want to start a veg garden (leading to meat rabbits, chickens, etc) I was hoping to get the ground prepped and ready for spring, or at least having a plan of action.

I've read through a lot of books and there's conflicting information. Double dig, don't double dig. Use fallen leaves as organic matter, only use aged leaf mulch after 2 years. Use a rototillar, don't your garden will compact and you'll never grow anything ever again (I joke but they do get very dramatic)

We don't have a large budget so can't just buy in tonnes of compost and mulch, but now that we have the space I want to do what i can to supplement our food budget as much as I can as quick as I can.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I'm good at physical labor, I've been around farm animals all my life. I know how to feed sheep, horses, goats, llamas, and chickens. I'm happy to learn more about cows.

How in-demand would a service like this be, for farmers who want to go on vacation?

My soil is reddish and looks/textura like clay. I cant buy manure or worm humus right now (its very expensive here I live) and I would love to have that Black gold soil (everybody's goal, I guess) and dont know how to properly start.

I have 5 chickens in another area (maybe use her poop?) and i've been composting food scraps in a random way. Like, I dig, put the compost and put the dirt again on top.

Would really appreciate any tips

I walk past these gorgeous heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market every weekend. Twenty bucks for a mixed basket. I want to save the seeds. My container setup is just two south-facing windows and a narrow balcony rail. Last year I tried with a store-bought roma and got sprouts that never fruited. Probably a hybrid, I learned later. Too late by then.

My landlady has a proper garden plot three miles out. She lets me use a corner for bigger experiments. Thinking I could start seeds there next spring. But the whole process feels intimidating. Fermenting the goop. Drying without mold in Vermont humidity. Storing through winter in my tiny apartment with no basement.

The sustainability blogs make it sound effortless. My reality is windowsills and limited space. I'm curious if anyone here started with just a few saved seeds and actually got something worth eating. Or if I should just buy a five dollar packet and call it a day. The thrift shopper in me hates that answer though. Forty cent jars and free seeds feel like the same brain circuit.

What was your first seed saving win? Did you start tiny or go all in?