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Do I Really Need a.....? A Convenient List of Useful Equipment for the New Homesteader |
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Congratulations on your new land and your decision to finally get out of the daily grind of urban life and retire to the peace and quiet of the country. For months, you’ve been dreaming of the good life and now that you have finally taken the plunge, you are ready to pack your things and head for the open spaces. But like your pioneer ancestors, you suddenly discover that you really do own A LOT OF STUFF and a great deal of it is probably not going to be very useful on your raw land. It’s a good thing that you actually own an axe and a good gardening spade. You know those will get plenty of use from day one. But is it likely you will ever have a use for that waffle iron you got as a wedding present or Great Aunt Minnie’s silver chafing dish? Do you really need the 6 frying pans languishing in the pantry, when the big black cast iron skillet is the only one you use with any regularity? And then there are all the things you know you don’t own, but that you have heard mentioned on the Forum. All those fascinating gadgets, you have secretly lusted after in the Northern Tool and Equipment Catalog or while browsing the aisles at Farm and Fleet. And like your ancestor with his single covered wagon, you plan on packing everything into one single Ryder truck and the back of your Dad’s old Chevy station wagon. So maybe, we better make a list, several lists actually and then begin the process of selecting and pruning, until you really can move it all in one trip and arrive on your raw land with the essentials for your new life. Let’s set a few basic parameters for our New Homesteading Family. Your situation may be a bit different, but we have to start somewhere. Let’s say our new homesteaders, The Hopewells, are your basic family unit… father, mother, 2 school age children and a dog. The Hopewells have just purchased a nice piece of undeveloped land in Zone 6, maybe a nice little 8 acre paradise. There’s a bit of open ground, but mostly woods and some rolling hills. There is a nice flat spot for the house and garden. The Hopewells lucked out and there is power right on the road and a little year round spring with potable water, so they won’t have to dig a well right away. But town is a good 17 miles away and it only has a gas station and a Mom and Pop grocery and a combination hardware/lumber yard and the nearest Wal-Mart is another 20 miles away, so running back and forth to the store is not going to be an option. The Hopewells figure it will be wise of them to arrive with most everything they will need to get started, short of fresh groceries, heavy equipment and building materials. They plan to move in the early spring, as soon as the good weather has arrived and they figure they can survive the first month or so camping out in their old 6 man tent. The Hopewells plan to build a simple pole house, as a starter home, with an attached shed (see my earlier article, The Simplest House of All - The Dacha Series) and getting that built will be their first priority. Once they have moved into their little house, the Hopewells plan to clear enough ground to plant a simple garden. Nothing too elaborate that first year, but enough to keep them in a few fresh veggies and to learn the basic skills. And if things go well, maybe, they will get a few chickens and Mrs Hopewell would really like to try her hand at a goat or two, if they can manage it. So all and all, the Hopewells are in pretty good shape with power and water on the land and the time, means, energy and motivation to make a start. They just have to get everything sorted and packed and purchase the things they don’t own already and for that they will need THE LIST. This list is not meant to be comprehensive or graven in stone. It is meant as a jumping off point, but will change, in it's particulars, with the specific family. Place and climate will also have some effect on priorities and needs. In the case of our model family, the Hopewells, once they have arrived and set up their tent camp, their first priority will be clearing a building site, so their first list had better be:
TOOLS FOR LAND CLEARING and GARDENING: I won’t presume to lecture on Tractors or the need for one on the Homestead. Frankly, I’ve never owned one and probably never will. On the one occasion, when I needed one, I had no problem convincing a kind neighbor to come round with his own implement of destruction, and for a very reasonable price and a good hot lunch, he cleared away the few trees that were in my way, flattened my building site and augered out all the post holes I needed for my house. It took no time at all, he made a bit of extra cash money and we were both happy with the result and the lunch. I daresay if I ever need similar work done, he will be glad to come to a similar agreement. But every man likes his toys, so I will leave this question to those who know more and feel the need to make their case. However, I could not manage my little acreage without:
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