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:
A Lawnmower Even if you don’t
have grass, you will find this a useful tool for clearing away small
brush and weeds from your first campsite. And that nice cleared area is
a great way to instantly boost moral and make you feel as if you have made
some headway against Mother Nature. My old suburban push-mower was
adequate for my needs, but I’m getting old enough that a rider will
probably take its place in the near future. And even the most stubborn
soil will grow grass eventually.
A Chainsaw Again I
won’t presume to lecture, other than to urge you not to skimp on quality.
And make sure you know how to use it properly before you even set foot on
your land.
Axe and Hatchet Learn how to sharpen it and keep it that way.
Pruning saw
Bow saw
Froe
and Wedges
Machete
Sharpening stone
Clam shell posthole diggers (2)
Assorted spades for digging
Shovel
Iron garden rake (2)
Spring rake (2)
Hoes and cultivators
Pitch fork and gardening fork
Hand trowels, rakes and dibblers
Crow bar
Sledge hammer A 12-15 lb one
at least, heavier if you can swing it.
Hand clippers, several pairs
Wheelbarrow that can also be used for mixing concrete
Galvanized buckets
5 Gallon Gas Cans (3)
100 feet of good rope
Ball of gardening twine and real construction stakes
