Why Blog?

Why am I reluctant to be a homesteader? I love gardening. I love building things. I love working outside. I love almost everything about the homesteader lifestyle. However, I have several problems with becoming a true homesteader.

#1. I don’t live on a homestead. I live in Bakersfield, CA, on a small lot, with a family that is not all that keen on vegetables.

#2. I like my career. I’m a science teacher. I really love the job too much to give it up so I can devote my life to living off the land.

#3. As stated earlier, I live in California. Unless you have a sizeable bankroll, you’re not buying arable land. Heck, you’re not buying desert land without a pretty good sized wad of cash.

So now you know why I call it the “reluctant” homesteader. I won’t be slaughtering my own cows or pooping in a bucket for fertilizer. What I will be doing is working what small property I have, growing things I like to eat (and share) and experimenting with various growing techniques.

My setup so far includes two, large raised beds filled with potting soil, sand and a little native soil. One has been used for several years, one is new this year. I also have several patches of dirt that has been worked in the past and several containers. I make my own compost, but I am not above buying fertilizer from Home Depot when necessary.

I have quite a few books on homesteading, gardening and sustainability. I have a Masters Degree in Plant Pathology (didn’t see that one coming, did you) and a sincere love of the art and science of growing things from seed to seeds. Over time, I will update you on what I am doing on my own little “homestead” and giving you good resources for working yours, now or in the future.