If you are a new homesteader or want to learn more self-sufficiency skills, it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. This homesteading skills checklist has 16 ideas for beginners to start with.
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Why Learn Homesteading Skills?
Times are uncertain. Groceries are expensive. Food is full of un-natural chemicals. Whether you are wanting to learn how to homestead to care for your family, save money, or become more self-sufficient, I can tell you that it is worth the effort.
My family is going on several years of learning how to homestead. It is hard work, especially if you are a complete beginner. But it is rewarding to provide for your family, friends, and community with the work of your own hands.
Beginner Homesteading Skills Checklist
Here are 16 beginner homesteader skills that are valuable for anyone starting their journey:
Garden Related Homesteading Skills Checklist
Here are some garden-specific homestead skills to begin learning.
Gardening
Learning how to grow your own food is essential. Start with what you like to eat and easy-to-grow plants like tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, and herbs. Below are some resources to help you get started with planning and caring for a garden.
- How to Plan a Garden for Beginners
- Cheap Seed Starting Setup
- Basic Gardening Tools
- The Best Way to Organize Your Seeds
- Printable Garden Planner
Composting
Composting kitchen scraps and yard waste reduces waste and provides nutrient-rich soil for gardening. If you are wanting to learn how to make DIY compost bins on a budget, check out this post.
Water Management
Learn how to collect and store rainwater or create an efficient irrigation system for your garden. My husband built a drip line system so that we could water our garden with little effort and keep it watered when traveling.
Soil Health and Fertility
Learn how to test and amend soil to ensure it’s nutrient-rich and healthy for gardening. This includes understanding the importance of crop rotation, mulching, and adding compost or organic fertilizers. Another way to improve soil health is through no-till gardening methods like this.
Food Related Skills
Learning how to cook from scratch and preserve food is an important part of homesteading, especially if you grow your own food!
Preserving Food
Learn how to can, freeze, or dehydrate produce to make your harvest last through the winter. Here are some of my favorite food preservation resources.
Cooking from Scratch
Mastering simple cooking skills, like making bread, cheese, and preserves, will help you rely less on store-bought goods. This cookbook has some wonderful, simple recipes to help you begin to cook from scratch!
Fermenting and Brewing
Start with simple fermenting projects like sauerkraut, kimchi, or homemade yogurt. Fermenting is great for your gut-health, and fermented foods are flavorful and delicious!
Sourdough or Bread Making
If you don’t have a lot of space to homestead, sourdough is a great place to start! This bread is good for gut-health in addition to being delicious! If you don’t have a lot of time to bake bread, I recommend getting a bread maker that will give you the perfect loaf every time with just five minutes of work!
Animal Related Homesteading Skills
Raising and caring for animals is an important part of homesteading and self-sufficiency. Here are some beginner skills to learn.
Animal Care
If you’re planning to keep livestock or poultry, learn about their care, feeding, and shelter requirements. You could also learn about how to butcher animals if that is a skill that you want to bring to your homestead.
The Backyard Homestead has lots of helpful information about taking care of farm animals for beginners.
Raise Chickens for Eggs
My family raises baby chicks every year. Chickens bring joy… and lots of eggs… to our little homestead! Learn all about raising chickens in these posts.
Beekeeping
Starting a small apiary can provide honey, beeswax, and pollination for your garden. Learn about basic beekeeping supplies here.
Homemaking Related Skills Checklist
Homesteading goes beyond the outdoors. Here are some indoor, homemaking-related skills to learn as a beginner homesteader.
Basic Carpentry
Understanding how to build and repair structures like garden beds, sheds, and fences is useful for homesteading. Since moving to our homestead, my husband has learned how to do siding, build a chicken coop, drywall, and more!
Basic Sewing and Mending
Being able to repair clothes or create simple garments will save money and reduce waste. I learned to sew when my son was a baby, and I enjoy making clothing for my children. Here are some of my must-have sewing supplies.
Firewood Preparation
Learn how to chop, split, and store firewood if you’re using a wood stove for heating or cooking or if you have an outdoor fire pit.
Natural Remedies
While I do think modern medicine has a time and a place and can be life-saving in many circumstances, I also think that there are natural remedies that can be used to help build immunity and fight basic colds.
Familiarize yourself with common herbs and plants that can be used for basic health and wellness. This is an area I am just beginning to learn about, but here is a resource to help you learn more.
Stock a Pantry
Part of being able to cook from scratch consistently is having a well-stocked pantry. Here are some must-have pantry essentials that will set you up for success in your kitchen!
Where Do I Start?
I co-wrote The New Homesteader’s Handbook with my friend Jessica from Prairie Creek Homestead. It will walk you through many of the skills above such as basic gardening methods, creating a well-stocked pantry, raising chickens, cooking from scratch, and more.
This digital resource is packed with step-by-step guides, tips for beginners, and ideas for how to homestead without a lot of land. Get it here, and start homesteading today!
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