Hi homestead friends. My family and I have homesteaded (gardens, canning, foraging, herbalism, chickens, falconry, trading, etc etc etc) but always on rented property. A few months ago we bought some land in Vermont (after 15 years dreaming of having a homestead that’s safely ours) and this past weekend we set up our yurt to live on the land full time while we build our house and establish our homestead!
We’ll be heading into autumn soon and being in Vermont, winter will come sooner than later. I am trying to think of all the starter necessities we may need- little things mostly like locking trash cans (bears), heavy duty wagon, solar lights, locking grain bucket for chicken feed, solar panel set up for a small amount of electricity, ample firewood, water filtration system, a good generator. Hoping to get some feedback from the sub about what you would consider a starter necessity heading into the cold season and living off grid on a brand new homestead. Thanks!
by danceypantsdisco
10 Comments
Congratulations!
I’m going to suggest that pretty early you’ll want a covered work/storage area. Stimson Shed type structures are cheap to build and can shed snow and wind. I have one that’s built on a floor platform of pallets, with plastic on the ground under them. The contents make it heavy enough to not blow away. It’s 16×20 and acts as an extra storage barn. A small pole building would be another option. Above ground swimming pool side metal can be repurposed as a basic roof if you can scavenge it. If budget allows, a shipping container would be good for the things you want locked up tight.
If you’re looking at locking trash cans, consider a dead chest freezer with a padlock hasp for grain storage.
I’ve got friends who lived in a 24′ yurt on the downeast coast of Maine for 20 years. It was too comfortable and so they didn’t get the motivation to finish the house. But you’re in a colder area. If you can arrange them, consider old school Nordic box beds, raised well off the floor, or at least use tall bed platforms. Yurts aren’t particularly air tight, and air will seep in where the wall membrane cinches around the deck. Floor level is likely to be cold.
After that, every homestead is different.
I’m thinking a good chainsaw if you don’t already have one. Assume you’ll be heating with wood.
Ha, I knew where the photo was taken before I even read it! Welcome to the area.
Addison County area over here.
Seasoned firewood. Lots of firewood.
Probably the best thing you can do for yourself is think of backups. Maybe a propane heater to back up the wood stove just in case. Extra can of gasoline or diesel for the genny, a plan for backup water supply if your OG method fails. Stuff like that will keep you from a miserable night and not have the immediate chore of running into town everytime you need something.
Funny bc I saw your pictures before reading your post and was immediately like, *that’s Vermont*, even though it could easily be so many places in North America or beyond. Hello neighbor 🙃
About what part of the state are you in? Winters in the valley are much gentler than winter in the mountains. Are you new to the state or have you been here a while and lived through Vt winters before going homesteady?
How are you heating your yurt, firewood only? How much wood do you have stacked? Do you know the approximate R value of the walls/roof/floor? Have you roughly calculated how much wood you’ll need and then added padding? How are you keeping the wood dry before you bring it inside?
If you’re keeping chickens and have little electricity, you will probably struggle to keep their water from turning to a block, you might a dedicated battery for just a bucket water thawer.
Tool shed, firewood or redundant power / heat, bulk foods for snow-in conditions (and accompanying water)
Congrats on finally getting your own place after all those years! Setting up a yurt and starting fresh on raw land sounds incredible, and a little intimidating, haha.
A few things that come to mind heading into a Vermont winter:
* Backup heat source, even if you think you’ve got enough wood. Everyone I know says they went through way more than expected that first year.
* Good snow management tools such as shovels, sleds/wagons with big tires, ice melt. Makes day-to-day life a lot easier.
* Headlamps and solar lanterns, it’s crazy how much of the dark you deal with in winter.
* A reliable water solution that won’t freeze up (insulated barrels, heated hoses if you’ve got power, etc).
* Rodent/bear proofing everything with food. They’ll find it fast.
Honestly though, the first year is usually about just making it through and figuring out what you need most. You’ll probably learn more in one winter than you can plan for now.
Fresh water and waste management that works in deep winter. A life without hot water is tiring. A management plan that not only works for you, but for visitors also. You don’t want a rep as having a dirty homestead. It turns off buyers of your produce.
From my experience as someone who has spent the last six years establishing a homestead (albeit in Alabama where the weather is not the same), if I were starting over somewhere new I would always have good wood processing tools (chainsaw and splitting maul as a minimum) and a good hunting kit. If all my other plans failed, I’d keep my family fed and warm and figure the rest out from there