How to Become an Urban Homesteader: Some Tips and Some Skills You Can Develop Now
This article is about homesteading: specifically, urban homesteading! What is it? How can you get started? What kinds of things do you need to know and do? Let’s talk about homesteading anywhere you live…even in a big city.
Someone made a comment to me a few years ago--that we are not REAL homesteaders. Nor did we REALLY live off-grid. Well, I would argue that "YES," we were homesteaders back then. And we certainly lived off-grid, since we had absolutely no utility bills coming to our place. Good times!
When most people think of homesteaders, they think of chickens. They picture cattle peacefully grazing in a big pasture full of grass. Perhaps they envision a huge garden that feeds the entire family.
Well, these things are all aspirations of most homesteaders, certainly….but you don’t have to have these things to be an actual homesteader. Let me explain:
Do we raise cattle for meat or milk?
Nope.
Do we live completely off the land?
Nope.
Do we live off the grid, rarely take showers, and generally have a hard life?
Nope!
BUT, we are still homesteaders, even on our little 3/4 acre property in an HOA located in a small rural village. Read on to find out why…and just why YOU may be an urban homesteader too!
NOTE: Since I first wrote this article, Mr. V. and I have moved to a 26 acre parcel of pasture and forest in the Idaho panhandle. We are back on the grid, too. But we are still homesteaders, as much as we were while living in the middle of Las Vegas and at our off-grid cabin in the mountains.
In fact, after reflecting on my 55+ years of life, I would argue that I have personally been a homesteader for decades. Not the hardcore 60 acres of land, raising all your own food kind of homesteader—-Nope (even though that was and still is a big dream).
But.
I did what I could with what I had in all the times of my life. I was on a mission to be as self-sufficient as possible.
And that leads to this question:
Can you really be an "Urban" homesteader? In a city?
YES!
I say, "YES" to that question! I personally first identified myself as an URBAN homesteader while living in a huge city of about three million people several years ago.
OK. You can stop laughing now—-
Read on to find out why it is possible to become and to be a homesteader in even a completely URBAN environment——and why I identify with being an urban homesteader.
NOTE: If you’d like to see me talk about my own journey from city homesteader to country homesteader, you can take a look by clicking this link!
What on earth is Urban Homesteading? Is it even a thing? Find out what urban homesteading is, how to become an urban homesteader, and how to live a more self-reliant life no matter where you live. Can you be self-sufficient in the big city? Yes! Find out how to become more independent and inter-dependent! #urban #homesteader #howtohomestead #howtostart #homesteading #healingharvesthomestead
FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered throughout this article, mostly for Amazon. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a very small commission at no extra cost to you.
First Off: What is Homesteading?
1) It’s the “need” you feel about becoming more self-reliant and less dependent on systems: Big Pharma, Big Ag, the American S.A.D. diet (you know: all that processed food), and all the materialism and consumerism so rampant in our world.
2) It’s doing your best to “go back in time” and learn traditional skills. To start doing things yourself and stop relying on stores.
3) It’s about helping your neighbors….and getting to know them in the first place.
4) It’s about supporting your local farmers, saying “NO” to CAFO meat and eating healthier and more sustainability.
5) It’s developing a respect for the land and the plants and animals that live on this earth.
6) It’s about learning skills.
7) It’s about sharing skills you learn with others so they can learn too.
So, Here are Some Things to Know About Urban Homesteading
1) Urban homesteading is by its very nature different than rural homesteading
Yes, people always think of a homesteader as a person who lives in a rural area...maybe even in a remote area. A person with some land and space----
Well, I say this is maybe true.
But only to an extent.
I know plenty of people who live on amazing rural properties who do NOT homestead at all. They are just as reliant on stores and modern ways of living as most of us living in big cities are these days. They have absolutely no interest in applying independent skills to their lives.
Does this make them bad? Nope.
But it sure makes them NOT a homesteader.
Homesteading is a MINDSET.
Of course where you live will impact what you are able to do and not do in terms of homesteading. That's pretty obvious.
So, when I say you can be an URBAN homesteader, what I mean is that if you have or are developing the mindset of self-reliance, independence from commercialism, and either have or are developing the ability to do things/learn things/apply skill sets to solve problems, then you are most definitely a homesteader.
Therefore, if you are homestead dreaming, then perhaps you should reframe your thinking.
Become that homesteader RIGHT NOW---no matter where you live. Do it in your mind, and your actions will follow.
Learn traditional skills like how to ferment your foods, how to sew, how to bake bread, even cool trades like black-smithing! You can start making your own home remedies and plant medicines with just a little effort and a good book.
If using herbs sounds a little “out there” to you, how about starting with essential oils? How about hunting for your food? Or raising chickens or goats, if that is allowed in your town and/or area?
There are TONS of things you can start learning about and actually doing right now that make you a homesteader---even if you are living in a small apartment!
NOTE: You can get my free eBook, How to Start Your Homestead Wherever You Live Plus Tips for Simple Living by completing the form at the end of this article or just clicking here.
Did you know that fermentation is a traditional food preservation skill? And you can easily learn how to ferment your own foods in a city? No more fake foods—you can eat raw, healthy probiotics you make yourself!
2) You will feel empowered about growing your own food---even in containers; even in smaller amounts—-or even just taking charge of your own food by making different choices instead of relying on the grocery store for processed garbage.
It's very true that you may not be able to grow as much food as you can on a larger property with more acreage. However, look at all the examples we are seeing these days of small city lots raising enough food to feed several families!
I know many folks in my home town of Las Vegas who live in a condominium or apartment, and still manage to grow a few tomato and pepper plants on the balcony. Or herbs on the window sill in the kitchen, or sprouts on the counter top.
Container gardening is a "THING." I did it, back when I only had a patio and no yard.
You can do it, too. There is something just primitively amazing about picking your own home grown vegetables, even if they are growing in a pot. It’s a serious thrill, my friend!!!
When we were still living in Las Vegas, Mr. V. and I rented a really nice home in an upscale area at one point. We were there for a year. Well, the property manager had some very strict rules about what we were NOT allowed to do on the property. We could not plant ANY thing. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.
Not even a flower, let alone vegetables. Unreal!
So, we went and bought some large pots, sprinkled these around the rocky areas of the back yard, installed a simple drip system, and grew peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, various squash, and more out there.
We had to make sure those pots didn't dry out in the 120 degree summer heat, and we managed to eat fresh foods for a good chunk of the year. We also grew most of our own herbs: Thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, cilantro, and more---all in pots.
When we moved off-grid (our home after that one last HOA nightmare in the city), nobody had a clue we ever had a lush container garden set-up going on.
Urbanites all over are turning to ways to garden and grow their own foods that work for them.
I call that person a homesteader!
How about making your own home brew? Why buy gluten filled drinks from the store when you can make your own healthy and natural drinks?
3) There are TONS of skills urban homesteaders can and should develop to empower feelings of self reliance
This is closely related to #1, above, but I think it bears more examination in the definition of "urban homesteading."
One of my friends recently invited me to join this Facebook group called the Food and Seed Sharing Swap (or something like that). It's a pretty cool group!
The folks involved in the group are all local to the Las Vegas area and neighboring towns (like our village), and monthly meetings take place in group members' homes in the city who volunteer to host.
Basically, in order to attend, you need to bring homemade, handmade, or home grown items to swap with others! It's pretty open-ended, and everything from traditionally preserved foods, fermented foods, dehydrated foods/jerkeys, to handmade crochet products, herbal tinctures, soaps, tools for various things, and more are shared.
What amazes me about this group is the incredibly wide assortment of homestead skills everyone has and brings to these meetings. And these are people living primarily in suburbia within the city proper of Las Vegas, Nevada--a city of currently close to three million people.
See? YOU can do this too!
Here’s how:
Find a traditional skill you think you can become passionate about, and just start learning, experimenting, and doing it! This will spread to learning and doing even more things, I promise. And this is one way an urban homesteader is born.
Learning to bake your own bread is really quite simple. You’ll have some mistakes in the beginning, but you will learn! Then you can play around with healthy flours or sour dough!
Although I always gardened, I feel my huge homestead growth spurt happened with I began learning about herbalism (using plants for natural remedies and health). It was exciting to create actual remedies and medicines from plants that actually worked BETTER than the ones in the stores! Without the chemicals!
I can honestly say if the grid ever went down, I know enough about the plants in our area now, that I could create useful and beneficial plant medicines and first aid solutions to solve all kinds of issues.
In fact, Mr. V. and I have been able to completely get off ALL the OTC and Rx drugs we were on….and now we make our own. It’s seriously empowering, my friend!
Guess what?
You CAN do this in an urban environment!
My love of plants has helped me graduate into making herbal soaps, body care products, and fermenting foods the traditional way too——besides becoming an herbalist and knowing what to do for common ailments our personal health issues.
That was my thing, though.
What about you?
Are you living in a city and feel frustrated with how things are? Do you dislike having to buy commercial products that are filled with toxins? You can DO something to learn new skills and traditions. Find out what floats your boat and go for it! Even if you're in a town.
Can’t grow your own? I understand. I was there once, too. Did you know you can choose to purchase bulk herbs from quality suppliers online? You’ll have fresh(er), organic herbs and spices at your fingertips for food and medicine. I love to shop at Starwest Botanicals.
4) It is absolutely the coolest thing when you can help a neighbor out because of your special skills
You will be amazed at the people who will appreciate the old traditional ways you can share with them. You will be the most interesting person in the room! I promise!
Yes, there are always going to be people who look at you strangely and even laugh in your face (Yup! It's happened to me!) when you passionately try to explain why you do some of the traditional things you will do.
But. So what?
The BEST thing is when people start asking you about that traditional skill you are learning, and want to know more about it. Or, in my case, my friends, family, and neighbors often call me or stop by to see if I can help them with something herbally health supporting.
Isn't that cool?
To be able to help and share with others, and not be beholden to the commercial, chemical, plastic systems in our modern world.
People are becoming wiser these days, as well as increasingly mistrustful of Big Government, Big Ag (agriculture), Big Business, Big Pharma, and the money/power plays that happen among the above, to the detriment of the citizens. Sadly.
More and more, people are understanding that it is possible and even necessary to take some measure of control over their lives by becoming more independent of the systems currently in place.
Don’t consider yourself a gardener? How about starting with a plant that is medicinal and edible and impossible to kill? The aloe vera plant is perfect! You can use the gel inside for a huge variety of useful things, too.
5) It's real. It can be done. URBAN homesteading is as VALID as what most of us "think" of when we talk about traditional homesteading in a rural setting.
Friends, urban homesteading has become a "thing." It's here. It's valuable. It's amazing. Most of all, it's a valid form of homesteading that has its place in our current modern society. It’s all in your mindset!
I think this is one of the most exciting times in the evolution of the American people! I, like a growing number of others, recognize that our current systems are debilitating and failing the people, and I think more and more are finding out about the dangerous consequences of these systems.
Those who know and understand the issues are starting to take charge of their lives and health by learning old ways and skills. This knowledge and understanding IS spreading, and I predict we will continue to see more and more folks edging into homesteading of one kind or another.
And you know what? Even in a city---if you can use a skill to barter, that's valuable, my friends.
Learn how to make hot process soap! A detailed guide and recipes for how to customize your own soap the way you like it! Or, take a look at my complete soap making course!
Making your very own handmade soap is one of the most fun and rewarding homestead skills you can do! And guess what? You can make soap in an apartment! Yes!
Final Thoughts on Urban Homesteading and Can You Be an Urban Homesteader?
O.K. I know that the friends who are going to bother reading this article are probably the same friends who will agree with me.
And good for you if you are still here and are wondering if you can be a homesteader where you live? You can!
And if you run across someone who is struggling, let's decide to encourage each other to experience more traditional ways. Let's continue to learn and grow and not be so dependent on current systems: Big Government, Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Business.
Let's help each other out. Encourage each other. Guide each other! Support those who are developing skills in the old traditions!
What are your thoughts on urban homesteading and becoming more self-reliant even in a large urban center? Do you think it's possible? What are you learning to do? What are you already doing? I would LOVE if you would leave a comment in the comments section about this topic.
You might also be interested in these articles:
50+ Things to Make Instead of Buy
My 10 Truths About the Homesteading Life,
You Might Be a Homesteader IF...,
Homesteading on a Small Property, the Trials & Joys, and LOTS more on the website! Head on over and browse around!
Also, consider joining my FREE private Facebook groups: Old Time Skills, Practical Herbs with Heidi, and Handmade and All Natural Body. These are great places to learn some new things, meet awesome people, and get your journey going!
AND….check out our YouTube channel! It’s new, and we’re going to be doing a lot of videos on homesteading during midlife, natural home remedies, and making natural body care products!
Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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P.P.S. Here are some of my favorite homesteading resources:
The Pigness of Pigs (and anything by Joel Salatin),
The Beginner's Guide to Medicinal Herbs (and anything by Rosemary Gladstar),
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon,
How to Make Ancient Healing Beers, and there are many more!
Do you have a dream to homestead? But maybe you’re in a city? Or maybe you don’t have much money? Or land? Guess what? You CAN homestead in the city. Start now, expand your knowledge and skills, and when the time comes for you to get that land, you’ll be ready! How to homestead in the city, even in an apartment. #homesteadanywhere #howto #homestead #wheretostart #homesteading #startahomestead #healingharvesthomestead
What is Urban Homesteading? Can you homestead in the city? Find out how to dump the junk in the stores, make your own, be healthier and save a ton of money while you’re doing it! Learn what urban homesteading is and join the club! #urbanhomestead #urban #homesteader #howtostart #homesteading #healingharvesthomestead #selfreliance #selfsufficient