**Disclaimer: This is not for you to follow, compare, or judge. We've done what works for us. I'm sharing this for a realistic perspective that sometimes people start from ground zero and have to build up as they get the resources. Here we are.
2019- mid 2020: I had some flowers, a tomato, and pepper plant on our back deck of our townhouse. Plus the dog (Aspen). We were seriously house hunting from September of 2019 to when we bought the house in July 2020.
Fun Fact: We were our realtors longest clients to date.
July 2020: We were able to get the house for less than list price, which was rare in the market those days. Houses were going for way more than what they were worth, bidding wars were just another step, and you had to drop everything the second a house was listed. We think this was because it had no "curb appeal". The owner had really let the house go and had junk (cars, tractors, materials) laying everywhere. There was no landscaping. The interior itself was outdated, but in great shape when it came to inspection time.
August 2020: We moved in. The old owner had a month to move all of his stuff out (the barn was full floor to ceiling) and then we had a 2 week period of renovations before we moved in which consisted of new LVP flooring downstairs, new carpet upstairs, removing wallpaper, fresh paint on every wall and ceiling, tore out some cabinets, removed trees that were too close to the house, installed the new washer, dryer, thermostat, blinds, and floating shelves.
January 2021: Ordered our first chicks from Meyer Hatchery.
*Disclaimer: we ARE ambassadors for Meyer Hatchery as of December 2022 and this link is our referral link that we earn points for. We loved our experiences with them before we were affiliated. We have a discount code we will be sharing with you soon!
April 2021: Our chicks arrived! We started with 11. This is also when we decided to start our DIY coop journey. 0/10 recommend starting this late.
May 2021: The garden journey began with 4 short raised beds I made. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and cucumber.
June 2021: The chicks moved outside to their coop. But we didn't have a run yet. The run got thrown up in a week (this leads us to August 2022).
August 2021: Harvest season in full swing of our small garden. I start learning about canning and preserving. I get passed down a canner from my grandmother. We got our first egg.
October 2021: Lost our first chicken to a hawk. They no longer free range unless we are home to keep an eye/ear out.
January 2022: Ordered a new batch of chicks. Buff Orphingtons, Swedish Flower Hens, another Olive Egger, and Black Copper Marans.
April 2022: Those chicks arrived as well as our ducks! Ducklings are seriously the cutest thing ever.
May 2022: Lost one of our original chickens to a raccoon. Begin our racoon journey. We finished the duck house.
June 2022: The Radloff Homestead becomes an official business. We harvested all of our garlic. We started filling in low spots in the yard/landscaping with dirt we had delivered. This was done by a good old shovel and flat tire wheel barrel. I also installed a raised garden bed from Vegega. I threw in some flower seeds next to the dahlias in this bed, and to my surprise they grew. We had beautiful zinnias and sunflowers all season long!
*Disclaimer: We are affiliated with Vegega and earn commission when you make a purchase through the link above. You can use our code "RADHOMESTEAD" for 10% off your order.
July 2022: Racoons are spotted on the camera. We tried to take a weekend to visit family at a lake for the 4th... racoons had other plans. We reinforced the run again after seeing them on the camera the night before we hit he road. We thought it would be fine, so we drove the 6 hours. That night at 11pm I get a notification that they're back and trying to break into the duck run to get their food. I was in absolute panic trying to scare them through the camera and our house alarm. Nothing worked. At 1am we drove the 6 hours back. Luke took care of the issue over the course of a few nights. There was 5 of them total, one of them had to be at least 30+ lbs. Let's just say I no longer feel bad when I see a dead one on the side of the road.
August 2022: Our Dahlias start blooming and I fell in love. We moved our coop and rebuilt the run. What a project. Luke did a fantastic job. Our run is now predator proof. Here's a picture of our neighbor coming to help us out when moving the coop.
September 2022: Found a rooster in the middle of the road. Decided not to keep him. He went to a woman who raises hundreds of chickens and pheasants 5 minutes down the road from us. I'm 90% sure someone dumped him. Don't be that person.
October 2022: "Support Your Local Farmers" Collection launched! We have a t-shirt business! We also got our first duck egg.
November 2022: Luke gutted and started the bathroom renovation. Moving to indoor projects for awhile is a nice change of pace.
December 2022: 2023 garden planning has started.
Final Thoughts
There's a lot of advice for beginner homesteaders online. One of the top comments (& a good one!) is "don't try to do it all at once." I'm someone who typically tries to build Rome in one day, on my own. Homesteading doesn't work that way and it forces me to slow down and enjoy what we have currently.
We don't have any big equipment. I have to get creative a lot. Everything I plant and grow is done by my hands and manual labor. Though it is exhausting at some points and causes for cussing somedays, it makes it that much more rewarding. Every renovation/installation has been done by Luke. We're grateful for our families and neighbors helping out with knowledge and equipment.
Some plans for the future of the homestead are dairy goats, meat chickens, pigs, barn, and pasture fencing. These will come one at a time when we have the resources to bring them to life. It took me awhile to accept that- but I'm excited to see what 2023 and beyond brings.