My Story How I Started Micro Urban Homesteading

From Two Small Garden Beds to Urban Homesteading

I haven’t always been into self-sufficiency and urban homesteading. My journey first began with two small raised garden beds made out of old waterbed frames over 15 years ago. After that, I didn’t garden for at least five years. When we bought our first house, I started gardening again. For several years I only had two small beds that my husband and I made out of cedar boards. At this point it was merely something to do in the summer with my girls.

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Eventually, I got two more raised beds on Amazon for a total of four small, raised beds.

How my Urban Homesteading Began

It wasn’t until 2020 that I really started reevaluating my life and what my plans were for the future. I think for many of us we learned what was important in our lives and also what can happen when everything gets turned upside down. I had dabbled in sourdough and bread baking, but that’s the extent of my “urban homesteading,” if you will. 

When 2020 happened, I was a little over a year into my nursing career and it’s safe to say that I. Was. Scared. Not only did I have no idea what my work life would look like, but I also wasn’t able to get a lot of the food (and toilet paper) that used to be readily available. This is when I began looking for alternative ways to make an income because with the uncertainty, I didn’t want all of my eggs in one basket. I’ve always had at least two streams of income, but I was looking for more ways to make money. I focused most of my free time and energy in 2020 and 2021 growing my small business. Little did I know, urban homesteading was about to take over my entire life.

In the summer of 2021, I purchased a couple flats of tomatoes and canned for my very first time. I started by buying a water bath canner. I was so excited and proud of myself. My grandma had always done some sort of canning and being able to teach myself how to do the same thing made me really proud of myself. I always thought that the simple life that my grandma grew up knowing was so intriguing. My first time canning I used a lot of pre-made seasoning mixes that had easy to read step-by-step instructions. It was a really helpful way to start learning how to preserve because canning was and still can be a little overwhelming.

In 2022, I found out about the homesteading community. I followed a lot of homesteaders on Instagram, but it wasn’t until I heard the term ‘Urban Homesteading’ that I realized I could homestead on a small scale right in my own backyard. 

Ask Permission or Apologize Later?

It took a little convincing, but eventually my husband agreed to creating a large in-ground garden where our four raised beds had previously been. I did 99% of the work that was required for this transition by myself. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Literally! At this point, I hadn’t learned about no-till gardening, (which is what I currently practice) so I rented a rototiller from our local hardware store and got to work. I manually cut the grass out and then tilled and raked the clumps of weeds and grass out of the garden. It was HARD work! At this point I felt like a certified badass and I bought my first pair of Carhartt overalls.

Fail Forward to be Successful

Last year, my dad started my tomato and pepper plants from seeds. I also bought a few starts from the garden center and then direct-sowed the rest. I failed A LOT this year. The squirrels and birds ate a ton of my seeds, especially my sunflower and pea seeds. I killed lavender…again. I also learned that carrots like to be covered so they’ll stay moist and germinate. The reason I’m mentioning these failures is because many of those close to me, and maybe you reading this, think I was born with a bright green thumb. Heck no! My motto is “Fail Forward.” There’s so much to learn through failure.

The Sweet Taste of Victory

Soon enough, I had an enormously successful garden. Despite my failures, we ate so much food out of my garden. I cannot explain how much satisfaction it gave me to watch something grow from seed and bring it to the dinner table or preserve it for later. It was after those first couple months of success in the garden that got me interested in self-sufficiency and learning to do more things myself. I really feel like I can learn most things through books, Google or YouTube.

In addition to my large in-ground garden, I also added several raised beds. I had to haul dozens of bags of garden soil and other amendments through my breezeway and into my backyard. It was so much work and took several trips to the garden center. I will not be doing that again! Next time, which will be this spring, I will be ordering a bulk truckload of soil to have dumped in my yard. If I had known I needed as many bags as I did, I would have opted to have a bulk truckload last year as well. Buying in bulk is one of my new favorite things since focusing on building a micro urban homestead.

Adding Chickens to the Urban Homestead

This year, I finally decided to get chickens. We had been plant based for seven or so years at this point, so it was a big decision to make. Sourcing food locally through farmers and my own garden took priority and the decision was made. I decided that chickens were the right choice for our family. We had a good protein source at our fingertips versus shipping veggie burgers with questionable ingredients from God knows where. Plus, they’re heckin’ adorable!

Final Thoughts

Working full-time and learning to be more self-sufficient has had its challenges. I spent most weekends caring for my garden or preserving my harvest. I have learned so much over the last year including how to raise baby chicks, grow more food and utilize different preservation methods such as canning, freezing and dehydrating. I’ve made it a priority to cook more from scratch, which can be a challenge for me after a long day on my feet working as a nurse.

I have had people tell me that they want to live like I do. You don’t need anything special to start your own urban homestead. Even if you live in an apartment you can grow herbs on a windowsill, cook from scratch, source your food from local farmers at markets or a co-op, learn to mend your own clothes and so much more. I look forward to sharing more of my journey learning to homestead.

I have a lot to learn yet, but I absolutely love the journey.

Thank you for reading. Fail Forward.

-Alyssa