Comments on: Urban Homesteading: Turn Your City Home Into Country Living

By: neha

neha — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:59:34 +0000

Loved this! Need to make things greener around the house, am booking marking this as step 1.

By: Dona

Dona — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:42:33 +0000

Reading this post really got me thinking about the feasibility of urban homesteading in a cold climate like Atlantic Canada. Here’s what I came up with: http://matadortravel.com/travel-blog/canada/donajolie/urban-homesteading-is-it-really-possible-in-the-great-white-north

Thanks for the inspiration Candice!

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By: Candice

Candice — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:16:04 +0000

Thanks! Me neither to be honest, it was really fun to research.

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By: Candice

Candice — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:15:31 +0000

Amazing, definitely a learning process. I definitely want to jump on the urban homesteading bandwagon, although I think my knitting skills will need some work.

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By: Candice

Candice — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:13:47 +0000

Hah, opposite problem here, frostbite!

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:09:11 +0000

Great advice! One step at a time. Otherwise it can all feel a bit overwhelming.

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By: Leigh Shulman

Leigh Shulman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:06:33 +0000

Great links, Robyn! Thanks!

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By: Theodore Scott

Theodore Scott — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:44:32 +0000

Like many changes, it is easy when taken one step at a time.

I started several years ago with a couple potted tomato plants. Every couple months my wife and I try something new – like planting a fruit tree, or learning to make butter. Eventually it adds up to a large skill set.

I bake every loaf of bread (basic sandwich, baguettes, pita, tortillas, focaccia, pizza, and many others). We make nearly all our food from scratch, including ice cream. Right now, we have five fruit trees and a grape vine. I lined part of our fence with raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry bushes. We grow herbs and vegetables inside and outside. We compost all our kitchen scraps and then feed it to our garden.

It doesn’t seem like a lot, until I look back and realize how much we have learned.

Our first child is due in less than a month – which bring all sorts of new considerations. Cloth diapers? Making our own baby food? Handmade toys? My wife has been knitting baby clothes. I am building furniture for the baby’s room – two years ago I didn’t even own a saw.

And yes, we still travel when we feel like it.

In short, pick one new skill and try it out. Repeat.

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By: Hal Amen

Hal Amen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:42:01 +0000

Victory gardens, baby!

Nice work, Candice. I hadn’t heard of this (at least the Urban Homesteading manifestation).

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By: Carlo

Carlo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:25:18 +0000

Great ideas…we try to keep our own herbs going. Sometimes the rosemary tends to dry out in the 40 deg C heat.

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