Suburban Homesteading for Beginners

May 24, 2023

New to the world of suburban homesteading? This article on homesteading for beginners who want to start to live more sustainably might be the right step for you.

What comes to mind when you hear the words “self-sufficiency” and “homesteading”? Acres of pasture? Livestock? Solar panels on top of the quintessential red barn? These can be part of homesteading, but they aren’t requirements. Homesteading is, more than anything, a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency. We can become more self-sufficient regardless of where we live.

If you live in an apartment or townhome, or if you answer to a homeowners association (HOA), you’ll have to think outside the box. You won’t have a herd of goats, for example, but you can participate in a goat share. As you become comfortable homesteading within city ordinances, your confidence and skills will increase and you’ll find yourself becoming an ambassador of urban self-sufficiency. The following 10 areas are just the beginning.

There are so many ways to become more self-sufficient in the kitchen, and you don’t need to be a master chef to take advantage of them. Start with cooking your meals at home instead of eating out. Then, progress to making your own ingredients. Herbal salts are an easy place to begin, as are baking mixes. Making your own extracts is easy, and you can make your own convenience foods for quick family meals and snacks by simply doubling or tripling any recipe and freezing dinner-sized portions. The next time you mix up cookie dough, roll it into a log and freeze it for the convenience of slice-and-bake cookies.

Preserving food has been at the heart of homesteading for a long time. Stocking your pantry with sauces, pickles, vegetables, fruits, soups, and preserves provides food security and helps you control the amount of preservatives you consume. Water-bath canning is simple to learn, and it’s arguably the homesteading skill that gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Buy produce in bulk at your local farmers market and spend an afternoon canning your favorite recipe. Doing this a few times each season will give you the comfort that comes with an unending rotation of your favorite meals.

Dairy is another ingredient close to the homesteader’s heart. Obviously, you can’t have cattle or a herd of milk goats, but you can purchase milk in bulk from local dairy farmers or participate in a local cow or goat share. Once you have access to milk, you can make your own yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and farmer cheese. Making your own dairy products may seem intimidating, but there isn’t an easier kitchen project. Not only are these products nutritious and simple to make, but they’re also inexpensive. They all call for 2 to 3 basic ingredients.

Growing your own food is an important part of homesteading, but it’s easy to feel discouraged if you’re trying to plan a garden for an apartment. Fortunately, it only takes a little creative thinking. While you won’t be able to grow all your food, you may be able to grow quite a lot.

If you live in an apartment or your HOA doesn’t allow food plots, containers are your best option. Containers come in every size and color, making it easy to grow a variety of produce while maintaining the aesthetics of your neighborhood. Miniature varieties of everything from eggplant to pumpkins are available. Use good-quality potting soil — yard dirt will pack too tightly and strangle the roots — and place your pots in an area that gets plenty of sun. Stake or cage tall crops and plants with heavy fruit.

Outside container plants aren’t the only garden you can grow. Leafy greens and herbs are perfect for urban homesteaders. Turn a spare closet into a grow room with a shelf and grow lights. Bathrooms are terrific spaces for humidity-loving plants. Another great option is a countertop aquaponics system, which will allow you to grow greens throughout the year.

You may focus your gardening efforts on herbs that can be used in medicinal remedies for common health issues. Over-the-counter cold and flu medications have been in short supply recently. Not only that, but there’s a certain confidence in knowing what ingredients are being used and how fresh those ingredients are.

Simple and effective medicines to make at home include oxymels, cough syrups, cough drops, and antacids. Relieve digestive upsets, fevers, and even anxiety with specific herbs steeped into a tea. Candied ginger slices can help with nausea, dizziness, and migraines.

You may find you can’t grow all the ingredients you need to create your homestead apothecary. Shopping your farmers markets, ethically and responsibly foraging for the ingredients, or purchasing from a reputable shop are viable options.

Homesteading is not only about being self-sufficient, but it’s also about taking better care of ourselves, our families, and the Earth. These values make us cognizant of and concerned about the chemicals we’re exposed to daily. Global toxicity may feel too big to tackle, but you can certainly tackle the toxic chemicals in your personal space.

Truth be told, soap and water will clean most anything. That said, there are homemade, natural alternatives to every cleaning product in your home. Vinegar is a favorite for cleaning. You can easily and inexpensively make cleaning supplies to tackle the tub and toilet, dishes and countertops, furniture, windows, floors, and carpets. You can also make your own liquid or powdered laundry detergent, fabric softener, and scent beads.

While soap and water will clean most anything, luxurious bath and body products are fun to make, to use, and to give. If you have excess milk, freeze it to use in handmade bath soaps. Successful soap-making requires carefully following directions and observing safety protocols, but it’s a relatively simple process that can be personalized according to skin type and preferences. Here are some tips and tricks for successful soap-making.

If you’re looking for something slightly less intimidating, you have a lot of choices. You can start with bath salts and sugars, bath bombs, lotion bars, whipped body butters, and perfumes. These bath and body extras are nice, but you can also make the basics: wet and dry shampoo, hair conditioner and detanglers, deodorant, toothpaste, and mouthwash.

If you live in the city, you’re likely tied to the electric grid. You may not be able to install solar panels on your roof, but you can lessen your dependency on the grid. Assess how efficiently you use electricity and make adjustments as you see fit. Fill the empty space in your freezer with water bottles and clean out the refrigerator to allow air to circulate freely. Let food cool completely before putting it in the fridge. Turn off the heated drying setting on the dishwasher. Wash your laundry with cold water. While a clothesline may be off-limits, consider a drying rack to cut back on electric usage. Quilted curtains keep cold drafts out during winter and protect from heat in summer.

You can harness the power of the sun with a solar USB charger. See how much your electric usage decreases just by keeping your phone, computer, and other devices charged with solar energy. If you want to increase your solar usage, consider a solar “plug and play.” These devices plug your solar panel into a wall outlet, allowing you to take advantage of solar energy throughout your home.

The only limitation for suburban homesteaders is imagination. You have at least two distinct advantages over traditional homesteaders. First, necessity is the mother of invention and of genius. Narrowing your projects to fit your square footage allows you to become an expert in something you’re truly passionate about. At a time when generalized knowledge is rampant, experts are respected and sought after.

Second, and just as important, traditional homesteaders are generally surrounded by people who think like they do. Self-sufficiency is the way of life in rural areas. As a city homesteader, you’re in the unique position to spread the homesteading message and lifestyle to those who may have never learned self-sufficiency. Remember, the best ambassador wins people over through actions and results, not lectures. When people see your balcony garden or when you gift neighbors a basket of handmade bath products, they’ll want to know more about what you do and why you do it.

Jenny Flores is a freelance writer and urban homesteader who spends most of her time playing with food, either in the garden or the kitchen.

Originally published as “The No-Land Homestead: Get Started on Sustainability” in the August/September 2023 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.