Episode-25- TSP Rewind – The Profitable Small Acre Homestead
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Today is an episode of TSP Rewind, commercial free versions of past podcast episodes.
Today’s episode was originally, Episode 1379- The Profitable Small Acre Homestead and originally aired on July 1st, 2014.
The notes below are the original notes from that episode.
Homesteading is a dream for a lot of people, a some day idea. Generally it is usually this way. I need a job, so I need to be close to work, so we can’t afford a huge place close enough, so ONE DAY I will have enough saved to make the move.
This can and does work, but one day has a way of becoming a moving target, a carrot before the horse that keeps the cart moving yet never is tasted for many. So my view is for some at least, the homestead can at least in time become a significant income source.
Join Me Today As I Discuss…
- Our basic plan and why it might not be right for you
- Start with eggs, build a customer base
- Sell other nice items, meal worms, candles, etc.
- Begin selling plants, cuttings, fertilizers
- Sell produce as it comes into production
- Possibly at some point sell poultry
- What I think you can learn from our plan and how you should build your design
- Specialize in something that builds a customer base
- Expand slowly over time
- Develop DEEP relationships with your customers
- Let them guide your development
- What I would look for in a property
- Close to a reasonable population center
- Decent internet access
- Good drive buy traffic
- No restrictions (unincorporated if possible)
- Deep soils with pond sites
- Flat to relatively flat
- As always it comes down to water, access, structure
- Thoughts on different revenue elements
- Paddock shift silvopasture poultry (eggs, meat)
- Market gardening
- raised beds of fixed length
- heavy weed blocking
- designed to the sun or shade by climate
- Develop a CSA around it fast
- Small nurseries
- Small “orchards” for produce
- Specialty craft products
- Bees and bee products
- Dairy
- Other stock, cattle, sheep, goats, etc
- Focus on value added products
- Some final thoughts
- It takes time, how much is based on how much you have
- You can’t do everything so don’t even try to, do one thing then another
- It isn’t for everyone, that is great!
- It isn’t easy, but in reality it is simple
- It is hard to do on your own, a multi family approach has a lot to offer
- Making a living is better than working for a living
Resources for today’s show…
- Join the Members Brigade
- The Year 1379
- Join Our Forum
- 13Skills.com
- Join Our Forum
- Walking To Freedom
- TSP Gear
- PermaEthos.com
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This is a fantastic podcast.
I hope I can convince my oldest son to listen to it.
Along with your other similar ones, I envision myself with a garage I can open each day to present a small array of produce – micro greens, pumpkins, potted plants – I have a dwarf peach variety that I will now try and grow plants from seed, and I found 20 or so pumpkin seeds sprouting in my worm farm.- the ideas are great – at the end you mentioned it is good to do this with others – that’s where I would benefit also – the process of bringing it altogether is overwhelming and whilst exciting in the vision in my mind, harder to actually start putting into action.
So I’ll listen again while I can write the ideas down that your podcast inspires in me.
A friend is pulling up their deck and thinking of sending all the old decking to the tip – I’m tempted to take it all – a lot may be rotted, but some would be salvageable – would the rotted wood eventually break down, or just be a waste of time lying around?
Thanks for your podcasts, I love them, I listen while I’m doing my regular job of cleaning – you said one day on a show that cleaning is fine, as long as 10 years later you’ve learnt how to monopolise on that to create a better income… well I haven’t, but I’ve started writing a book on cleaning and other stuff – much as I love the job because it allows me to grow in so many scopes of knowledge, health challenges over the last 2 years are pushing me into a corner to think outside the box – which brings me back to my initial comment, this is a fantastic podcast.
Thanks for all your investments into people’s lives.
I’m from Australia – the only reason I haven’t subscribe is because I don’t know that I’d utilise the Member Support Brigade.. however I probably will anyway.
Thanks and God Bless
~Erin
Jack, I was wanting to email you and tell you about two different very successful market gardeners, Curtis Stone and John Martin Fortier. Since you mentioned in this podcast that some market gardeners make 70k to 150k a year and use 30″ wide beds, I suppose you know of these very successful small scale farmers.
This was a terrific podcast episode. I’m planning to scale up after starting with a quarter acre garden, and definitely on 30″ wide beds that are barely raised.
Yep Curtis is a friend and has been on the show several times. John Martin is a good guy, met him a few times.
Awesome! I’ll look up the episodes with Curtis. Thanks!