Starting a homestead has a ton to do with choosing and then setting up a minimalist lifestyle.
Homesteading lets you grow a variety of fruits, veggies, and livestock on the premises without adding harmful chemicals.
And the best part is that you can grow your own crops, pick when fully grown, bring them straight to your kitchen, and enjoy organic food daily.
You can also preserve most of your crops for months and enjoy them depending on their growth.
And, don’t forget that there could be times when you may need to solely depend on them. For this reason, preserving will be the best idea if there’s massive growth.
So, the most important factor here is the growth, which you need to monitor before harvest.
But, is there any secret to ensure the sustenance of your entire family through harvest?
Yes, there are multiple ways to increase harvest and secure enough food for your family. In good times as well as in hard times.
And here I’m thrilled to share these life-saving tips with all the budding homesteaders out there.
As an expert, I can guarantee that these will definitely bring a change in how you look at self-sustenance.
So, let me reveal the 7 tips to ensure you harvest enough food for your family (especially in hard times)!
1. Figure Out What You & Your Family Eat CONSISTENTLY & Grow That
There won’t be any happiness in growing crops that you don’t eat.
So, make sure what fruits and veggies you and your family eat and grow only those. It’ll help you to become self-sustainable while ensuring proper nutrition in your diet.
For example, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and lemon are staples in almost every house pantry. If you plan to grow them in your homestead, you won’t need to depend on the supermarket anymore.
That’s how you can continue harvesting easily.
2. PLAN Out Your Grow Season
It’s really important for budding homesteaders to know which season is the best to grow which crop.
Otherwise, the entire process of planting may go in vain. You can make a calendar or a chart listing which is the best growing season for your fruits and veggies.
Sometimes, seeds may not even sprout if you sow in the wrong season. Or, the quality of the plant may deteriorate soon and crops won’t grow by sowing out of season.
These are some probabilities that you need to avoid by planning out your growing season.
3. Figure Out How Much SPACE You Have To Work With (to help with #2)
It’s not necessary to find a huge area while starting your homestead.
You can start from a window corner and maybe the small backyard of your house. But, having the option to expand is always better if you’re living with a large family.
So, how much space you need for homesteading mostly depends on the number of your family member. If you have a nuclear family of 2-4 members, 2-4 acres of land will be more than sufficient.
You need to calculate the size and figure out how much space you’re getting.
4. Grow What FLOURISHES In Your Local Area
It’s astonishing to think how plants are connected to the climate of each location all over the world.
And that’s why cultivars that grow in one location may not grow in other. So, you need to be very specific with the crops that flourish in your geographical location.
Choosing what grows the best in your local area will give you the best results when it comes to harvest. Otherwise, the plants will have poor growth from the start, which can upset you.
Plants like potatoes, tomatoes, and onions are common but you need to be specific with others.
5. Grow Crops That You Have Mastered The Art of PRESERVING
Harvest goes hand in hand with preserving when it comes to homesteading.
That’s because you won’t be able to consume the entire batch at once after harvest. And preserving the rest of the crops will let you enjoy them all year long.
So, you need to first learn the art of preserving before harvest time arrives. And growing only the crops that you can preserve well will be the best idea.
Pressure canning, water bath canning, and pickling are some traditional preservation methods that you can explore.
6. Understand What Crops PRODUCE MORE (and take advantage)
There are plants that produce massive amounts of crops whereas others produce only 2-3 per season.
For this reason, it’s important to know which are the highly productive plants that can benefit you. If you want to ensure enough food for your family, it will surely help you.
For example, corn, barley, soybean, and oats are the widely produced crops in the USA. You can choose these plants to ensure enough harvest for the year.
Choosing the best cultivar is essential among fruits and veggies.
7. Utilize the Cut & Come Again Method – harvest early & consistently
There’s a unique technique for harvesting kale and leafy greens alike.
It’s known as cut & comes again and it’s really simple. All you need to do is cut the outer leaves leaving the center ones as they’ll grow further.
This technique will help you to harvest early and consistently. Also, it’ll make sure that you don’t curb the growth of the new leaves from the center.
This way, you’ll have a succession of harvests instead of growing several plants.
BONUS TIPS to Harvest Even More!
Here are some additional tips that’ll help you to harvest more than usual.
1. Try New Strategies Every Year / Branch Out Every Year / Try growing something different every year
A very interesting method of homesteading is to branch out or try the latest strategies per year.
It’ll help you to grow something new and different every year. As you will be adding variety to your crops, your family will also enjoy fresh and organic food.
2. Experiment with Intercropping
Intercropping refers to growing more than one crop in the garden.
It not only helps the growers to grow a variety of plants but also enriches the soil. You can consider experimenting with intercropping to make your journey fun and exciting.
3. Choose High-Calorie Crops
We all need a specific amount of calories in a day to stay active and healthy.
If you want to ensure harvest for your family from the homestead, choosing high-calorie crops will be beneficial. Some examples are bananas, dates, apricots, corn, kale, peas, and so on.
Conclusion
So, these are the 7 tips to ensure you harvest enough food for your family (especially in hard times).
If you are setting your foot on the journey of self sustenance through homesteading, these will save you the most. And since the tips are very simple, following them won’t be difficult.
Though you can grow crops for fun, there could be times when you’d need to depend on homegrown crops only. For example, a bad climate or an emergency won’t let you step out of your home.
In such cases, these tips will surely help you to sustain the family.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
