Your Complete Guide for DIY Homestead Design

Embden Geese on our homestead

Designing an efficient homestead can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time whether its 5 acres or 50. By using proven homestead layout strategies and permaculture principles, you can create a productive, sustainable farmstead that fits your family’s needs in our sometimes unpredictable Southern climate. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to plan an efficient layout, integrate livestock, grow abundant food, manage water, and even incorporate family fun and ideas for supplemental income. Let’s dive in and start turning your property into a thriving homestead!

A well-thought-out homestead layout is the foundation of success. For purposes of this study we will look at a property of approximately 5–10 acres. While every property is unique this is a great starting-size property on which you should have room to include all the essentials—gardens, animals, orchards, and recreation—but placement is key. Here are tips for organizing your land efficiently:

• Central Hub (Zone 1): Place your home at the center of activity and plan high-use areas nearby. A kitchen garden for vegetables and herbs, a chicken coop for laying hens, and your compost bins should be close to the house. This way, daily tasks like harvesting dinner veggies or collecting eggs are quick and convenient. For example, you might put raised garden beds and herb planters right outside the back door, with the chicken coop just a few steps further. Keeping these areas in daily visibility and in easy reach encourages you to tend them even on busy days.

• Livestock and Orchards (Zone 2–3): Just beyond the immediate yard, designate space for larger production areas. An orchard of fruit and nut trees and a patch for berry bushes can be planted a little further out where they still get care but don’t need daily attention. Likewise, pens and pastures for larger livestock (like goats, pigs, or a dairy cow) can occupy this mid-zone. Organize animal areas by species: perhaps a goat pen and mini-cow pasture on one side and a pig enclosure on the other. Aim to position animal housing so that manure and used bedding can be easily hauled to your compost pile or gardens. Many homesteaders put chicken coops or rabbit hutches adjacent to the garden or compost area, so these animals help fertilize and break down waste.

• Pond and Perennials (Outer Zone): If your land allows, place a pond at a lower elevation or natural drainage spot on the property. Ponds catch runoff (preventing yard flooding) and can provide water for irrigation, fish for food, and a cooling spot for livestock. Surround the pond with perennial plantings or a food forest area – think of a mix of fruit trees, berry shrubs, and beneficial native plants that enjoy the wetter soil. This creates a buffer that filters stormwater runoff and also provides habitat for pollinators and ducks or geese if you keep them. Keep any forest or wild area at the far edge of your property as a Zone 5 (natural zone) for wildlife, firewood, or future expansion.

• Paths and Access: Plan clear pathways or farm lanes to connect your zones. You’ll need to move between the house, barn, gardens, and fields often, sometimes with a wheelbarrow or tractor. Laying out gravel paths or mowed lanes in logical routes (for example, a loop that goes from house to garden to barn and back) will make chores easier and keep you from unnecessarily trudging through mud. Also consider vehicle access: ensure gates and lanes are wide enough for a truck or small tractor to deliver supplies, hay, or to haul out harvests. Good access and sight lines across your homestead also contribute to safety and oversight of your animals and crops.

• Recreation and Relaxation: Don’t forget to map out space for family fun. If you dream of a backyard pool, a basketball hoop, swing set, or just an open grassy area for kids and pets to play, include that in the layout early on. Often, the best spot for family recreation is near the house or in a visible, flat area of the yard, so parents/grandparents can keep an eye on children. You might fence off a yard area separate from the garden to prevent chickens or goats from nibbling the kids’ play space (and vice versa!). By planning recreation areas alongside functional farm areas, your homestead will serve both work and play. For example, you could have a patio and grill next to the garden, so family gatherings can enjoy the beauty of your plants.

Local Tip: Where we live outside Memphis - like the rest of the Southeast - consider the sun and prevailing wind when laying out your homestead. Place gardens on the sunny south or east side of the house for maximum light, and situate animal pens or the compost downwind from the home (our prevailing winds in West Tennessee are often from the south/southwest) so you won’t catch a foul breeze. Hopefully you have a good carbon-to-manure ratio so it doesn't smell but its best to plan for the worst. By thoughtfully arranging your layout, you set yourself up for an enjoyable and efficient homestead life.

Summer days harvesting can be wonderfully rewarding

Embracing Permaculture Principles in Memphis and the Southeast

Designing with permaculture principles means working with nature to create a regenerative, low-maintenance system. The Southeast has a unique climate—hot humid summers, unpredictable winters, and periodic heavy rains—so using permaculture helps you adapt to these conditions sustainably. Here are key permaculture concepts to guide your homestead design:

• Observe and Work with Nature: Before you build or plant anything, spend time watching how water flows on your land, where the sun shines each season, and what wild plants already grow well. For instance, notice if a corner of your property stays soggy after rain (a clue that it might be good for a pond or water-loving plants) or if strong winds hit from one direction (where a windbreak of trees could help). By refusing to get in a hurry and observing first, you can design your homestead to mimic natural patterns – maybe you’ll plant a shade tree where the afternoon sun bakes the house, or use an existing low spot for capturing rainwater. Here near Memphis, you might observe that summers bring drought spells and sudden downpours; a permaculture approach would be to “slow, spread, and sink” that rainwater with swales or rain gardens, so it soaks into your soil for later use.

• Zones and Efficient Energy Use: Permaculture encourages organizing your homestead into zones based on how often you use or visit an area (as we touched on in the layout). Keep daily-use areas (Zone 1) close by, and place things that require less frequent attention (orchard, woodlot) further out. This reduces wasted time and energy. For example, if you’re in North Mississippi dealing with summer heat, you’ll appreciate having the herb garden right outside the kitchen (less walking in the sun). Meanwhile, your pecan or chestnut trees can be along the far fence line (Zone 4), where you only check them occasionally. Zoning your homestead is a principle that maximizes your efficiency and ensures you work smarter, not harder.

• Diversity and Stacking Functions: Another core permaculture principle is diversifying your system and making each element serve multiple purposes. Instead of a huge monocrop field, aim for a polyculture: mix fruit trees with berry bushes and herbs underneath (a classic “food forest” guild). This way, one area yields multiple products (fruit, berries, medicinal herbs) and each plant supports the others (tall trees shade tender herbs, deep-rooted plants break up soil for shallow-rooted ones, etc.). Likewise, integrate animals with plants: chickens can roam the orchard to eat pests and fertilize the soil, or let pigs forage an area to till it up for you. A pond can provide irrigation water, habitat for ducks, and a fire safety reservoir. By stacking functions, you get more output from the same space and build resilience. Diversity also means planting varieties suited to the Southern climate—choose heat-tolerant vegetable breeds and fruit tree varieties that can handle humidity and local pests. For example, in West Tennessee you might grow hardy varieties of apples and also native persimmons or muscadine grapes which thrive in our area, ensuring some harvest will always succeed. Pro Tip: you generally won't find these varieties at the hardware store or most nurseries. The best varieties will come from large online retailers like www.jungseed.com or local small growers.

• Regenerative Practices: Design your homestead so it improves the land over time. Soil

health is paramount: use cover crops, mulching, and composting to build rich soil instead of depleting it. For instance, after harvesting a vegetable bed, plant a cover crop (like clover or rye) to protect and enrich the soil through winter. Incorporate plenty of compost and animal manure into gardens to add nutrients naturally – your chickens and rabbits will literally help feed your soil with their waste. Also, practice water conservation: set up rain barrels or cisterns to catch roof runoff, and use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to water plants efficiently with minimal waste. In the MidSouth, heavy rains can cause erosion, so contouring your garden with gentle berms or swales helps rain soak in rather than run off. Over time, a permaculture homestead becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem – rich soil, ample pollinators, healthy water cycles – that yields plenty of food with less and less input needed each year.

Guineas can help serve as an effective tick and insect patrol

• Biodiversity and Wildlife: Encourage a healthy mix of insects and wildlife on your farm. While it might sound counterintuitive to invite wildlife, a balanced ecosystem keeps pests in check naturally. Plant pollinator-friendly flowers (like clover, sunflowers, or native wildflowers) around your gardens and orchard to support bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that will pollinate your crops and prey on pests. Leave some wild areas or hedgerows as habitat for birds and beneficial creatures (toads in your garden eat slugs, and birds will eat grasshoppers). Select herbs and flowers serve as repellents or sacrificial plantings to protect items such as broccoli in the garden. In West Tennessee, North Mississippi or other rural Midsouth areas, you might have deer or rabbits around – instead of eliminating them entirely, design with them in mind (use fences or protective plantings for your most valuable crops, and perhaps plant a “decoy” food plot at the property edge to keep wildlife satisfied). By working with nature instead of against it, you’ll create a homestead that’s resilient and teeming with life. This can also be a fun place to hunt in the fall for some "free" wild meat.

Incorporating these permaculture principles makes your homestead more sustainable and low-maintenance. The goal is a homestead that reduces upkeep by helping take care of itself through intelligent design – chickens grazing down the weeds, trees shading the livestock, ponds holding excess water, and compost enriching the soil. Permaculture is all about thoughtful planning now to reduce work later - which is perfect for busy families starting out in homesteading.

Livestock Planning: Chickens, Cows, Goats, Pigs, and Rabbits

A 5–10 acre homestead can support a variety of livestock for food, fun, and farm productivity. When planning animals, think about how each species will fit into your land and daily routine. It’s important to give them enough space and consider their housing, fencing, and care needs year-round. Let’s look at some common homestead animals and how to plan for them:

• Laying Hens (Egg Chickens): Chickens are often the first livestock for new homesteaders. A small flock of laying hens will provide fresh eggs daily and act as pest control and composters. Plan a chicken coop near your garden (for easy access and tossing kitchen scraps to them). Allow them a secure run or use a movable pen/tractor so they can forage without getting into areas you don’t want scratched up. In the Midsouth, ensure the coop is well-ventilated for hot summers and predator-proof for nighttime (plenty of raccoons and coyotes around!). Coop'd Up can help get you the perfect coop for your homestead. Tip: Use electric poultry netting (www.Premier1Supplies.com) to rotate chickens around the yard safely. This portable fence lets you periodically move the chickens to fresh grass (fertilizing as they go) and keeps predators out. Read more about choosing the perfect chicken coop.

• Meat Chickens (Broilers): If you plan to raise chickens for meat, you’ll manage them a bit differently. Broiler chickens are usually kept in a chicken tractor or a separate pasture pen

Cornish Cross Chickens on our backyard pasture

that’s moved daily to give them fresh ground. Designate an area of pasture or even orchard for your meat birds to rotate through for a few months. Keep their pen downhill from the garden if possible – the nutrient-rich runoff from their manure can benefit your pasture but

you don’t want too much washing into your veggie patch. With broilers, you’ll also need a setup for processing when the time comes (even if it’s a simple shaded area with a table). In our region, plan broiler raising in spring or fall to avoid the worst heat of July/August, as extremely high temperatures can stress or kill meat chickens.

• Dairy Cow (Mini Jersey): A mini Jersey or a dual-purpose Irish Dexter cow is a popular choice for family milk on smaller acreage. These smaller cows take up less space and produce a manageable amount of milk. Plan on about 1–2 acres of good pasture for a cow and her yearly calf. You can divide the pasture into paddocks and rotate grazing (rotational grazing keeps grass healthy and breaks parasite cycles). Ensure you have a sturdy fence (field fence or electric strands) since even a mini cow is strong; perimeter fencing is often permanent field fence, with interior divisions done by electric polywire. You’ll need a small barn or loafing shed for shelter – something like a 3-sided shelter works well to give shade in summer and wind protection in winter. Also plan where you’ll milk the cow: perhaps a covered area or a stanchion in the barn. A cow will produce a calf each year if bred; decide if you will raise that calf for beef (meaning you’ll need space to grow it out for ~2 years) or sell it to another homesteader. Note: Have a reliable water source for your cow, such as a large trough that can be filled by a garden hose or a connection to your pond. In freezing winter nights (though short in West TN), you may need a tank heater or daily breaking of ice in the water.

• Goats: Goats can be wonderful for milk or brush control (often both!). They thrive in the Midsouth but love to escape fencing. Plan goat areas carefully: use strong fencing, like woven wire or cattle panels, supplemented by electric wire if needed. On 5–10 acres, a small herd of 3–6 goats is feasible. They can share some pasture with the cow, but goats prefer browse (weeds, shrubs) more than grass. If you have wooded corners or fence lines with brambles, goats will happily clear those. Provide a simple goat shelter (even a section of the barn or a three-sided run-in shed) where they can get out of rain – goats hate getting wet. Dairy goats will need daily milking, so plan a milking area and consider keeping them closest to the house among your animals for convenience. Their manure is dry and in pellet form, great for adding to compost or aging for garden use. Guard against predators (coyotes especially) by locking goats in at night or using livestock guardian dogs or secure electric fencing around their paddock.

We celebrated new life

• Pigs: A couple of pigs can turn kitchen scraps into pork and till your garden or new fields. Pigs need sturdy containment as well – electric fencing can work wonders here: two strands of electric wire at nose level can keep pigs in if you train them young. Many homesteaders in our area use a movable pig pen (electro-net fencing) to let pigs till up sections of pasture, woods, or future garden plot. Think about placing the pig pen where you eventually want to plant or renovate the soil – pigs will uproot grass and fertilize as they go. For example, you might rotate pigs through an old weedy patch for a month; afterward, that ground will be cleared and ready for reseeding or planting. Provide a shaded wallow (mud hole) in summer so pigs can cool off, since Southern summers are hot and pigs don’t sweat. They’ll also need a simple hog shelter – even a sturdy lean-to with straw bedding. Keep their area well away from wells or open water sources, as pig manure runoff is potent. A location slightly downhill and downwind from the garden is ideal, so nutrients flow that way but not too fast. Remember, you’ll likely butcher pigs at 6-9 months old if raising for meat, so plan a safe and private area for that process or arrange transport to a processor.

• Rabbits: Rabbits are a small livestock that are easy to overlook, but they’re fantastic for a homestead. Whether you raise meat rabbits or just a few for fun and manure, plan a quiet, shaded spot for their hutches. Rabbits do best in cooler conditions, so under a tree or on the north side of a shed where they get afternoon shade is great (and in winter you can wrap their hutch to shield from cold winds). They can be raised in hanging cages, hutches, or even a colony pen on the ground (with wired buried around to prevent digging out). Rabbit manure is a golden fertilizer – it’s not “hot” like chicken manure, so you can apply it directly to gardens without composting first. Place your rabbit area convenient to the garden so you can easily collect their droppings and bedding to scatter in the compost or around fruit trees. Rabbits reproduce quickly, so have a plan for how many you want to maintain and housing for separating litters. They’re also prey for many animals, so ensure the hutch is predator-proof and consider an extra line of electric wire or a cover if needed to deter raccoons.

When integrating all these animals, also think about grazing rotations and multi-species synergy. For example, you could follow your cow and goats in the pasture with chickens—after the grazers move to the next paddock, let chickens in to scratch apart cow patties and eat fly larvae, improving sanitation. If space is tight, you might alternate grazing areas: cows on one section, goats on another, then swap, while chickens tractor over the garden off-season, and pigs work in a fallow area for you. Aligning livestock with your land capacity is important; avoid exceeding what your pasture can support to prevent mud and overgrazing. With thoughtful planning, each animal will play a role in your homestead’s ecosystem: providing food (eggs, milk, meat), fertilizing the land, and even offering educational fun for the family. Children can learn responsibility by helping with chicken chores or bottle-feeding a baby goat. Livestock truly bring a homestead to life!

Abundant Food Production: Gardens, Orchards, and Beehives

One big reason to homestead is to grow your own food. On 5–10 acres, you can cultivate a variety of annual crops and perennials that keep your pantry full year-round. It’s wise to plan diverse food sources: a vegetable garden for daily produce, an herb garden for seasoning and remedies, fruit trees and berries for seasonal treats, and even honey from bees. Here’s how to organize your food production for maximum yield:

Two of my daughters harvest summer carrots

• Vegetable Garden: Dedicate a sunny area (likely near the house for convenience) to your main vegetable garden. Many homesteaders in Memphis and the South find success with raised beds or mulched rows to combat heavy clay soil and excessive weeds. Plan your garden size based on your family’s needs and your time—better to start with a manageable plot and expand later than to be overwhelmed by a huge garden. Grow a mix of staple veggies (tomatoes, peppers, green beans, okra, squash) and longer-season crops (sweet potatoes, melons, corn) suited to our warm climate. Succession planting and a spring/fall rotation work well here; for

example, plant cool-season greens (lettuce, kale, broccoli) in early spring, follow with heat-loving crops for summer, then plant another round of cool crops in fall. Our Southern growing season is long (you can often harvest from April into November), so take advantage of it. Include an area for root crops and potatoes as well, and consider a small patch for animal feed crops (like extra corn or pumpkins that can supplement your livestock feed). Surround your garden with a fence to keep deer, rabbits, flighty chickens, turkeys, raccoons, opossums, etc out. Within the garden, practice companion planting (planting complementary crops together) to reduce pests naturally; for instance, marigolds and basil among tomatoes can help deter insects. Don’t forget to mulch well (straw, leaves, or wood chips) to conserve moisture and keep weeds down, especially important in the hot summers. Check out www.chipdrop.com for free wood chips.

• Herb Garden and Medicinals: Set aside a corner of your garden or a separate bed for culinary herbs (like basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano) and medicinal or tea herbs (mint, chamomile, echinacea, etc.). These are best placed close to the house (even right by the kitchen door or in pots on the patio) so you can quickly snip what you need while cooking. Many herbs thrive in the Southern climate—rosemary and thyme enjoy our hot summers as long as they have good drainage, and basil will grow like crazy in the warmth. Perennial herbs like oregano, sage, and chives will come back each year; plant them in a convenient spot and they’ll be an easy, reliable harvest. You can also incorporate herbs into your landscape borders for beauty and function (lavender or bee balm, for example, look lovely and attract pollinators). Having an herb garden not only enhances your meals but also provides natural remedies and even pest deterrents (many herbs repel mosquitoes or flies, which is a bonus for outdoor living).

• Fruit Orchard and Berry Patch: An orchard is a longer-term investment in your homestead that will reward you with bushels of fruit in years to come. Pick a well-drained area for your fruit trees and berry bushes, ideally slightly elevated so cold air can drain away on frosty nights. In West Tennessee and surrounding areas, popular fruit tree choices include apples, peaches, pears, plums, and figs, but please do not purchase these at the hardware store. Apples and peaches can be tricky with pests and diseases in our humid climate, so look for disease-resistant varieties and be prepared with organic sprays or interventions as needed. Pears and Asian persimmons tend to be a bit easier around Memphis (they handle heat and pests well). Berry bushes like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are a must-have: blueberries will need acidic soil (you might add peat or pine mulch around them), whereas blackberries grow readily even in wild soils here (thornless varieties are great for families). Don’t forget grapevines or muscadines, which flourish in southern heat and give you fresh grapes or homemade jelly/wine potential. Space your trees adequately (most fruit trees need 15–20 feet spacing; berries can be in rows or patches). To keep your orchard low-maintenance, practice permaculture guilds: plant beneficial companions under your trees, such as clover (a living mulch that fixes nitrogen) or garlic/chives (to repel pests). You can also let your chickens forage periodically in the orchard to clean up fallen fruit and bugs (just not when fruit is actively ripening, or they might help themselves!). A small nut grove is possible too—consider pecan or walnut trees at one edge of your property. They take longer to mature, but a pair of pecan trees can eventually yield a lot of protein-rich nuts and shade for livestock in summer. Protect young trees from deer rubbing or rodents by using trunk guards or a temporary fence around the orchard until they’re established. With a thoughtful mix of fruits and berries, you’ll enjoy a sweet harvest and reduce your reliance on the grocery store for produce.

• Beekeeping: Adding a few beehives to your homestead can boost your garden’s productivity and give you delicious honey. Bees are superb pollinators for your fruit trees, berries, and veggies. In fact, having hives on-site often increases yields because more flowers get pollinated. If you’re new to beekeeping, start with one or two hives placed in a quiet, partially shaded spot (morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal in our hot climate). Make sure the hive entrance faces away from high-traffic areas (so bees aren’t buzzing through where people walk frequently). Bees will forage up to several miles, but you can help them by planting lots of bee-friendly flowers around the homestead—think clover, cover crops, wildflower strips, sunflower patches, and blooming herbs like mint and lavender. Check local regulations or community norms (in case you have close neighbors, you might let them know and share some honey to keep everyone happy). Beekeeping does require some equipment (protective suit, smoker, hive boxes), so do a bit of research or find a local beekeeper as a mentor. The Midsouth has a long nectar flow season from spring to fall, meaning your bees can produce a good honey surplus by end of summer. Not only will you get honey, but also beeswax you can use for candles or balm, and the intangible benefit of improved pollination for everything growing on your land.

By diversifying your food production, you create a more resilient homestead. If one crop fails, others will succeed. Plus, a mix of gardens, orchards, and bees means you’ll harvest something in every season: crisp greens and radishes in spring, juicy tomatoes and peaches in summer, apples and pumpkins in fall, and maybe greenhouse greens or stored root veggies in winter. Preserve your bounty with canning, freezing, or drying so nothing goes to waste. And consider sharing or selling excess produce locally—friends, farmer’s markets, or

a roadside stand are great outlets for extra eggs, tomatoes, or jars of honey. Ultimately, growing your own food on your MidSouth homestead is deeply rewarding; you’ll eat healthier, save money, and build a food-secure lifestyle for your family.

Water Management: Harvesting Rain and Managing Runoff

Water is both a blessing and a challenge around Memphis and the South. Our region gets plentiful rainfall (averaging 50+ inches a year in parts of West Tennessee and North Mississippi), but it often comes in torrential downpours followed by dry spells. Good water management on your homestead will ensure you have water for your plants and animals during dry times and prevent damage from heavy runoff during storms. Consider these strategies for wise water use and control:

• Rainwater Harvesting: Take advantage of the free rain that falls on your roofs. Setting up a rainwater collection system is relatively easy and extremely useful. Start with a few rain barrels at gutter downspouts—each 55-gallon barrel can collect runoff from your house or barn roof that you can later use to water gardens. Be sure to include an overflow hose directing excess water away from foundations for big storms. If you want to store more, look into larger cisterns or even inexpensive DIY options like using recycled IBC totes (275-gallon containers) connected to your gutters. Over the course of a rainy spring, you can fill these and have hundreds of gallons stored for summer irrigation. In designing your system, elevate barrels or cisterns slightly so you can gravity-feed the water with a hose to your garden (saves you from bucket brigades). And don’t forget the greenhouse roof or chicken coop roof – any little structure can fill a barrel! Just be sure to use screens to keep out debris and mosquitoes. Using collected rainwater for your plants not only cuts down your utility bill but also is better for the plants (plenty of Nitrogen, no chlorine, and it’s at ambient temperature). In dry periods, you’ll be glad you planned ahead to catch the rain when it was abundant.

• Swales and Contour Ditches: If your land has any slope, you can employ a permaculture favorite – the swale – to manage runoff. A swale is basically a shallow, level ditch dug along the contour of a slope, with the dug-up soil mounded on the downhill side (forming a berm). Swales slow down rainwater rushing off and allow it to soak into the ground, recharging groundwater instead of eroding soil. On a 5–10 acre property, you might dig swales in a gentle hillside of your pasture or orchard zone to help irrigate fruit trees naturally. Planting the berm with grass, clover, or other cover crops will stabilize it and also take advantage of the moisture. For example, in North Mississippi’s rolling terrain, a series of small swales could distribute rain from a hill above your orchard, providing extra watering to the trees without any pumps or hoses. Even simpler, you can shape your garden rows or raised beds on contour (along the land’s level lines) so that they catch water like mini-swales. The idea is to always give water a chance to sink in where it falls. Not only does this conserve water for dry spells, it also prevents the headaches of flooded driveways or washed-out gullies after thunderstorms. If you have low spots that tend to collect water, consider turning them into features like a rain garden (planted with water-loving grasses and flowers that enjoy occasional flooding) so that you turn a problem into an aesthetic solution.

• Pond Placement and Uses: If you’re planning a pond, choose the location carefully. The best pond sites are often at the lowest point of your property or at a natural drainage collection area. However, you’ll also want to consider proximity: a pond near the garden or pastures can double as an irrigation source or a drinking hole for livestock (with proper safety and filtration considerations). Many MidSouth homesteaders use ponds for catfish or bream farming as well – an extra food source and a fun activity for the family (nothing like a summer

A well-maintained pond can be a beautiful and functional part of your homestead

fish fry from your own pond!). When designing your pond, include an overflow or spillway so that in huge rain events, excess water has a controlled path to exit (perhaps into a swale or wooded area) without eroding the dam. Surround the pond with vegetation; grasses and native wetland plants will secure the soil and also filter runoff. One great tip is to plant a line of fruit or nut trees just below the levee (if space allows) – as the pond slowly leaks or water percolates, those trees will benefit from the extra moisture (some folks call this a “sponge” effect). Also, consider fencing if you have small children or if you want to manage livestock access – you may not want large animals wading in and stirring up the pond except in a designated area. A pond can also be a focal point for recreation (swimming, paddle boating) and wildlife habitat (frogs, ducks, and beneficial insects). By thoughtfully placing a pond, you add beauty and resilience to your homestead’s water system. Let Midsouth Homestead Design help you design the perfect pond for your homestead.

• Irrigation Strategies: Efficient irrigation ensures your plants get water during the hot, dry stretches of summer. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses in the garden are much more water-efficient than sprinklers because they deliver water right to the soil near plant roots (reducing evaporation and keeping foliage dry, which helps prevent diseases). Lay out a simple drip system for your vegetable rows; you can even connect it to a timer to automate watering. For an orchard, consider running a drip line or using deep watering spikes for each young tree, especially for the first few years until their roots establish. If you have a greenhouse, set up a rain barrel-fed drip system or hand-water using collected rainwater to save costs. On the pasture side, think about how you’ll provide water to grazing animals in each paddock: movable troughs that you can fill with a hose are common, or more advanced, install underground water lines to frost-free hydrants or automatic waterers in each pasture segment. Since Memphis and the Midsouth can have surprise drought periods even in our wet climate, some homesteaders use mulch and groundcovers to reduce irrigation needs — e.g., heavily mulching garden beds and around trees can cut water usage by retaining soil moisture. Also, greywater reuse is worth considering: you might channel laundry machine water or dish rinse water to ornamental plants or orchard trees (using eco-friendly soaps) to give them extra moisture. All these methods aim to use water wisely, so you always have enough to go around.

• Stormwater Runoff and Erosion Control: Heavy thunderstorms can drop inches of rain in a single day here in West Tennessee. Without planning, that water can erode gullies, flood barns, or wash-out garden beds. Integrate drainage solutions into your design: simple ditches or buried drain pipes to lead water away from structures, french drains around building foundations, and gravel or woodchip swales along driveways to channel water. If your driveway tends to flood (a common issue if it’s lower than the road or in a hollow), adding a culvert or re-grading may be needed so water doesn’t pool or wash out your access. On sloped land, maintain a good grass cover or plant deep-rooted native grasses to hold soil. Terracing a steep garden slope or using raised beds can also help slow water down. Where you notice water naturally flows, don’t fight it—instead, reinforce that area with rocks (dry creek bed style) or plant a vegetation buffer so it can handle the flow without eroding. Keyline design is an advanced permaculture method to distribute water using gentle plowing of pasture; if you have broad fields, you might look into that concept to improve how rainfall infiltrates your soil. The bottom line is to give every raindrop a purpose: either soak into your soil to help plants, fill your pond, or flow in a controlled way to where it won’t do harm. By managing stormwater smartly, you protect your homestead and make the most of the ample rain our MidSouth region provides.

Infrastructure Essentials: Greenhouse, Fencing, and Farm Buildings

Building the right infrastructure early on will save you headaches and make daily homestead life much smoother. Think about the structures and systems you’ll need to support your gardening and livestock efforts: things like greenhouses for extending the growing season, fences to manage animals, and shelters or barns to store equipment and house critters. Here are some infrastructure elements to consider for a 5–10 acre homestead:

• Greenhouse or Hoop House: A greenhouse is invaluable for starting seedlings, growing winter greens, or protecting delicate plants. Even a small 10x12 greenhouse or a simple hoop-house can allow you to sprout your own vegetable transplants in late winter (ready to plant as soon as frost passes) and keep producing lettuce, spinach, or herbs through the colder months. In West Tennessee and similar climates, a greenhouse can be used almost year-round because our winters are relatively mild (though you might need a small heater or heat mats for truly cold nights if growing tropical plants). Position your greenhouse for good sun exposure in winter (south or southeast facing) and try to shield it from harsh west sun in summer (deciduous trees nearby can help, providing shade in summer but dropping leaves in winter). If a full greenhouse is out of budget initially, consider a low tunnel or cold frame setup – these are season-extending structures that are inexpensive and can later complement a bigger greenhouse. Remember to include ventilation (roll-up sides or windows) because even in February a greenhouse can overheat on a sunny day. With a greenhouse, you can get a jump on spring planting and even grow some veggies year-round, giving your family fresh food beyond the normal outdoor growing season. It’s also a great place to overwinter potted plants or to experiment with plants that need more heat and humidity.

• Permanent Fencing: Good fences make good neighbors and secure homesteads! Permanent fencing is typically used for the perimeter of your property and any fixed pastures or garden boundaries. On 5–10 acres, you might fence the entire boundary with 48" high-tensile or livestock field fencing to keep out stray dogs and predators and keep in any larger livestock (don't waste your money on horse-specific fencing unless you have horses). Gates at the driveway and field access points should be wide enough for tractors or delivery trucks. Plan gate placement for convenience—like a gate directly from the barnyard to the garden area, so you can let chickens in to clean up the garden in the off-season. Use sturdy fence posts (wood or T-posts) and H-braces on corners so the fence stays taut over time. For gardens, a deer fence might be necessary if deer are prevalent; this could mean an 8-foot-tall mesh fence or a clever two-fence system (deer struggle with depth perception, so two shorter fences a few feet apart can deter them as well). If you have a cow or horses, strong fencing is a must since they can push through weak fences to reach greener grass—wood rail, no-climb horse fence, or well-strung electric high-tensile wire are good options. Permanent fences are an upfront investment but provide peace of mind and structure to your homestead (you’ll know exactly where each “zone” begins and ends).

• Electric Fencing (Portable): In addition to permanent fences, electric fencing is the homesteader’s secret weapon for flexibility. Systems like Premier1 electric netting and polywire on step-in posts allow you to create temporary pens or paddocks anywhere you need. For example, you can fence chickens around a specific garden bed to weed and fertilize it, then move that fence to another spot a week later. You can strip-graze your cow and goats through a pasture with just a single hot wire or net fence that you leapfrog ahead every few days. Electric net fences are especially useful for pigs, goats, and poultry, which are all animals that can be hard to contain with just regular fence. As a sidenote on electric-fence-training pigs you'll need a secure fenced pen inside which you'll set the electrical fencing to train them before relying on it solely. Otherwise, they'll barrell straight through your new portable polybraid fence - electrified or not. By training your animals to respect a hot wire (hopefully a one-time lesson!), you gain the freedom to rotate them frequently, which is excellent for pasture health and parasite control. When laying out infrastructure, plan where you might want solar fence charger units (if far from electric outlets) or where you can tie into your main fence charger. Store reels of polywire and spare posts in a handy place like the barn so you can deploy them quickly. Also have a few extra chargers or at least extra batteries, since a dead fence is an invitation for an escape. With a combination of sturdy permanent fencing and movable electric fencing, you get the best of both worlds—secure boundaries and adaptable, intensive grazing or penning setups whenever you need them.

Who doesn't love a red barn?

• Barns and Animal Shelters: Adequate housing for livestock and storage for equipment is crucial. For a modest homestead, you may not need a massive barn, but you’ll want at least a shed or two. Consider a small barn/workshop that can serve multiple purposes: one end could have a couple of animal stalls for your cow or goats, the other end a tool room or feed room, and maybe a loft for hay storage. Most cattle won't need or prefer a barn but Jerseys can be trained and benefitted from a purpose-designed shed. If building new, a pole barn or metal building kit can be cost-effective. Ensure you include a feed storage area that is dry and secure from pests—metal trash cans with lids work well to store feed sacks and keep mice out, or build a feed closet. Each animal type might need its own shelter: a chicken coop (with roosts and nesting boxes), a goat shed or mini barn, a rabbit hutch area, etc. You might cluster these structures together in a sort of “barnyard” near the center of the property to simplify running electricity, water, and your daily chore route. Don’t forget a place to store tools: shovels, hoses, beekeeping gear, lawnmower, etc., tend to pile up if you don’t have a designated spot. If a full barn isn’t in the cards immediately, start with a simple tool shed for garden supplies and a small run-in shelter for each type of livestock (these can often be DIY-built with pallets or simple lumber). Over time, you can expand or connect these structures. The key is to keep your infrastructure organized: when everything has a place (and is protected from weather), your homestead operations will be much more enjoyable.

• Utilities and Access: Plan out water and electricity access around your homestead map. You might install a yard hydrant (water spigot) out by the garden or barn so you don’t have to drag 200 feet of hose from the house. If you have the chance to trench water lines, adding a couple of strategic hydrants will pay off every day when watering animals or crops. Similarly, consider running electric to your barn or greenhouse for lights, fans, heaters, and power

Frost-Proof Hydrant

tools. If you’re off-grid or wanting resilience, think about solar panels on a south-facing roof to power electric fences, aerators for the pond, or even your home. Also think about driveways and deliveries: a load of compost or a truck delivering lumber needs a path. You might create a gravel side drive that goes to your barn or garden for easy drop-offs. If you plan on inviting visitors for farm tours or agritourism, having a small parking area off your drive (maybe reinforced with gravel or grass pavers) will keep cars from compacting your lawn or getting stuck. These little infrastructure considerations make a big difference in the daily ease of homesteading.

By investing time and resources in infrastructure up front, you set the stage for a smoother homestead journey. A reliable fence, a dry place to store hay, a propagation greenhouse, and convenient water spigots can transform hard chores into simple routines. And remember, infrastructure doesn’t all have to be built at once—prioritize based on your immediate needs (perhaps start with the chicken coop and garden fence, then the goat shed, then the greenhouse, etc.). Over the years, you’ll continue to improve and add on as your homestead grows. MidSouth Homestead Design specializes in planning efficient infrastructure layouts, so if you need guidance on where to put that barn or how to fence tricky terrain, don’t hesitate to reach out for expert help.

Don’t Forget Family: Spaces for Living and Recreation

While a homestead is a place of work and production, it’s also home. Designing areas for

Our Family enjoying the hammock

your family’s enjoyment and quality of life is just as important as planning pastures and gardens. After all, one big reason for moving to the country is to enjoy a healthier, happier lifestyle with your loved ones. Here’s how to incorporate family and recreation into your homestead plan:

• Yard and Play Areas: Carve out a yard space that’s safe and free from farm hazards, where kids can run and play or you can just relax. This might be a back lawn or a front yard that’s fenced off from the garden and livestock. If you have children, you could set up a playset, sandbox, or trampoline in this area. By having a designated play lawn, you ensure the little ones aren’t wandering into the goat pen or tomato patch unsupervised. Place seating (like a picnic table or some lawn chairs) nearby so the family can hang out together. A fire pit area for roasting marshmallows and stargazing is a wonderful addition that doesn’t take much space. And consider simple landscaping like shade trees or flower beds around the home — just because it’s a productive homestead doesn’t mean it can’t also look inviting and beautiful. In our Southern climate, an evening sitting under a magnolia or oak tree, sipping sweet tea, and watching the sunset over your fields can be pure magic.

• Sports and Hobbies: If your family enjoys certain sports or hobbies, integrate those into the design. The mention of a basketball area is a great example: you could pour a small concrete pad or use a flat portion of the driveway for a basketball hoop. This gives kids (and adults) a spot to blow off steam and stay active. If swimming is a family favorite, plan where a pool might go—on a 5–10 acre property you might have room for an above-ground pool near the house or even a natural swimming pond. Just be mindful of safety (fencing around pools is wise, especially if livestock or wildlife could wander in). Maybe someone in the family loves golf or frisbee; an open pasture could double as a driving range or frisbee golf course when not occupied by animals. Create walking trails or paths around the property’s perimeter so you can take evening strolls or ride ATVs without disturbing planted areas. On a wooded part of the land, you could set up a rustic campsite or treehouse for the kids. The key is to tailor recreational spots to your family’s interests so everyone feels the homestead isn’t just about chores—it’s about fun and personal fulfillment too.

• Outdoor Entertaining and Relaxation: Homesteads are perfect for outdoor gatherings. Plan a nice spot for summer barbecues, birthday parties, or just relaxing on weekends. This could be a patio by the house, a deck, or a gazebo overlooking your pond or garden. If you envision hosting friends or extended family, maybe build a large picnic table under a shade tree, or keep a grassy area mowed as a “yard games” field (for cornhole, badminton, etc.). Lighting is a consideration too—hang some string lights around the patio or along a fence to create a cozy atmosphere for those warm summer nights. Also think about climate comfort: in our region, that means providing shade and breeze in the hot months and maybe a fire pit or outdoor heater for the cooler months. Planting a line of fast-growing shade trees (like tulip poplar or red maple) on the west side of your yard can make late afternoons much more pleasant in a few years’ time. A homestead can absolutely be your personal oasis: imagine taking a dip in the pool or pond after a long day of farm work, or reading a book in a hammock under a tree on Sunday afternoon. These simple pleasures will recharge you for the hard work that homesteading entails.

• Integrate with the Landscape: One advantage of a larger property is that you can blend recreational areas with the natural landscape. For example, if you have a pond, make a little beach or dock area for fishing and swimming. Landscape around it with pretty plants or a fire pit so it becomes a family hangout spot. If there’s a scenic hill, maybe that’s where you’ll put a picnic table for sunset views. A grove of trees could host a woodland playground or obstacle course for adventurous kids. By using what the land offers, you also keep costs low; instead of building elaborate structures, you’re enhancing the natural features. Moreover, doing fun projects like a treehouse or a wildflower garden can get the whole family involved and emotionally invested in the homestead. When everyone has a space they love—be it Mom’s flower cutting garden, Dad’s grilling patio, or the kids’ soccer field—maintaining the homestead becomes a shared joy rather than just work.

Ultimately, a successful homestead strikes a balance between productivity and liveability. Yes, you want bountiful gardens and well-run farm infrastructure, but you also want a place where your family can thrive and make memories. By intentionally planning for recreation and relaxation, you’ll create a homestead that not only feeds the body but feeds the soul. It’s this blend of work and play that makes the homesteading lifestyle so enriching.

Homestead Hustle: Income Opportunities from Your Land

Beyond feeding your family, your homestead can also provide economic opportunities. Many small farmers and homesteaders in the MidSouth earn supplemental income (or even a primary income) from creative farm-based businesses. With 5–10 acres, you won’t likely be doing large-scale row cropping, but you can certainly find niche markets and agritourism possibilities. Here are some ideas to make money from your homestead while doing what you love:

• Selling Flowers or Niche Crops: One high-value crop for small acreage is cut flowers. A quarter-acre flower garden can produce bouquets for farmer’s markets, florists, or a roadside stand. The MidSouth climate supports a wide range of blooms: sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias, lilies, and wildflower mixes thrive here. Selling bouquets or offering a U-pick flower patch can be profitable and enjoyable (plus it boosts pollinators on your farm!). Other niche crops might include herbs (culinary or medicinal) packaged into teas or spices, mushrooms grown in a shady area, or specialty vegetables like heirloom tomatoes, microgreens, or garlic varieties that fetch a premium. Value-added products are another angle: for example, making jams from your berries, pickles from your cucumbers, or goat milk soap if you keep dairy goats. Always check local cottage food laws for what’s permitted from a home kitchen, but Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas generally have allowances for small producers selling direct to consumers. By focusing on a few specialty products, you can brand your farm and build a loyal customer base at local markets.

• Agritourism and Farm Events: If you enjoy hospitality, consider turning your homestead into a destination. Agritourism is a growing trend where people pay to experience farm life or enjoy rural activities. On a 5–10 acre homestead, you could host seasonal events like a pumpkin patch and hayride in the fall. I have also visited a local goat farm that keeps a booked schedule year-round hosting goat yoga and goat play parties for kids. If you have a scenic property or a classic red barn, farm weddings or photoshoot rentals can be lucrative (imagine brides wanting a country-chic ceremony by your pond or couples taking engagement photos in your wildflower field). Hosting workshops or classes is another avenue: you could teach topics like canning, beekeeping, gardening, or cooking with farm-fresh ingredients. Charge a fee for a half-day class and maybe include a farm-to-table lunch. People in the city, especially around Memphis or Oxford, might jump at the chance for a day in the country learning homestead skills. Just make sure you have some amenities like a clean bathroom, parking space, and perhaps a covered area for rain if you’re doing events. Agritourism can require additional insurance and good marketing, but it can also be extremely rewarding both financially and socially. Please make sure your farm is Instagram-ready and has all of the infrastructure required for such events before promoting yourself as an all-inclusive facility.

• Airbnb or Farm Stays: If you have the ability to create a guest space, consider hosting farm stays. This could be as simple as a finished room over your garage or as adventurous as a glamping tent or small cabin on the back of the property. Websites like Airbnb and Farm Stay USA have listings for working farms where guests can come experience rural life. Travelers might pay to stay a weekend on your homestead, wake up to rooster crows, and even join in feeding animals for fun. Since West Tennessee, North Mississippi, and East Arkansas have a lot of urban population centers within a few hours’ drive (Memphis, Little Rock, Nashville, etc.), you could attract guests looking for a peaceful retreat. Offering a hearty farm breakfast or the chance to gather their own eggs can be a special touch. Be sure to check zoning and regulations about short-term rentals in your area. If allowed, a farm stay can generate significant income and also serve as free promotion for any farm products you sell (your guests could go home with jars of your honey or a bouquet of your flowers, spreading the word).

Farmer's Market

• Farm Stand or CSA: Even on small acreage, you might grow enough excess produce, eggs, or milk to sell to the public. A simple farm stand by the road can move surplus veggies or flowers—just put up a sign like “Fresh Eggs for Sale” or “Tomatoes and Peppers Today” to catch passing traffic. Alternatively, join a local farmer’s market once a week; markets in the MidSouth are often eager for new vendors with unique products. If you have a green thumb and love planning, you could start a small CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program where a handful of families subscribe to a weekly box of whatever is in season from your homestead. For example, from May through September you assemble boxes with a mix of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and maybe a dozen eggs or a bouquet, and your members pay upfront or weekly for that service. It provides steady income and connects you with your community. Keep in mind, consistency is key—only promise what you can reliably deliver, so you might start with just 5 CSA customers and see how it goes.

• Online Content or Products: Don’t overlook the digital world—some homesteaders turn their journey into income by blogging, vlogging, or selling handmade goods online. If you enjoy writing or filming, you could document your MidSouth homestead adventures on a blog, YouTube channel, or Instagram. Over time, this can lead to ad revenue, sponsorships, or a platform to sell e-books/courses on homesteading. Likewise, handmade crafts like woodworking (maybe using timber from your land), knitting wool from your rabbits or goats, or art (paintings of farm scenes?) can find a market on Etsy or at local artisan fairs. This is more about personal talents and interests, but it’s worth considering if you have skills that pair well with farm life.

Generating income from your homestead can help offset costs and even fund further improvements. However, a word of caution: start with just one or two side ventures and see how they fit into your life before expanding. It’s easy to burn out if you try to do a market garden, plus an Airbnb, plus a wedding venue all at once. Pick what resonates most—maybe you love flowers and hosting people, so you focus on a you-pick flower garden and a weekend farm stay; or you’re passionate about teaching, so you host monthly workshops. The great thing is that your homestead can evolve, and you can add income streams as you become more comfortable. The extra money can accelerate your goals (pay for a new barn or pay off the land), and the activities often enhance the homestead’s value (like more gardens, prettier landscaping, or better facilities). MidSouth Homestead Design can help identify lucrative possibilities for your specific location—for instance, if your property is near a tourist route, we might suggest farm stays or a roadside stand; if you’re more remote, perhaps focus on online sales or niche crops. By thinking outside the box, your homestead can be both a lifestyle and a livelihood.

Planning for Success: Goals, Mentors, and Mindset

Embarking on a homesteading journey is thrilling, but it’s important to approach it with a solid plan and realistic expectations. Many new homesteaders feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks and skills to learn. The key is to start smart and steady. Here are some tips to set yourself up for long-term success on your MidSouth homestead:

• Set Realistic, Achievable Goals: In the early excitement, it’s tempting to try to “do it all” in the first year—build a house, plant a 2-acre garden, get 5 types of animals, etc. To avoid burnout, prioritize your projects. Make a 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year plan for your homestead. For instance, Year 1 might be: establish the garden and get laying hens. Year 2: add two goats and plant the orchard. Year 3: dig the pond. And so on. Setting a few main goals each year helps you focus and celebrate progress, rather than feeling like a failure for not accomplishing an unrealistic list. Remember that homesteading is a marathon, not a sprint. Even just getting infrastructure like fencing and water lines in place can take significant time and money. It’s perfectly okay if the big visions (like that perfect barn or a full herd of livestock) take shape over several seasons. Also set measurable goals where possible: e.g., “grow 50% of our vegetables this year” or “produce all the eggs our family needs.” This helps you track success and adjust as needed. By being realistic, you’ll maintain enthusiasm and avoid the common pitfall of new homesteaders feeling overwhelmed and giving up early.

• Find a Mentor or Community: Homesteading doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Seek out a mentor – someone experienced in farming or permaculture in your area who can offer advice and moral support. This could be a neighboring farmer, a local beekeeping club member, or a family friend who gardens. You’ll be surprised how much people love to share their knowledge when they see someone eager to learn. Additionally, connect with the homesteading community in West TN/North MS/East AR. There are often local meetups, Facebook groups, or extension service workshops for small farmers. For example, the county extension office might offer classes on pasture management or food preservation. Your neighbors can be allies too – maybe trade labor or share equipment (you till my garden, I’ll help repair your fence). If you don’t have anyone local, even online forums (like certain Facebook groups or forums like Permies) can provide quick answers to questions like “what’s wrong with my tomato leaves?” or “which chicken breed handles heat best?”. And of course, MidSouth Homestead Design is here as a professional mentor of sorts – we offer on-demand expert help and consultation, so you have guidance tailored to your land. The journey is much easier when you have someone to call for troubleshooting or just to reassure you that, yes, goats really can be that ornery sometimes! Building a support network will keep you motivated and informed.

• Educate Yourself Continuously: Embrace being a student of homesteading. Read books, attend farm tours, watch YouTube tutorials, and ask questions. Some great resources include the classic book “Gaia’s Garden” for permaculture basics, or “The Backyard Homestead” guide for general small-farm how-tos. The more you learn, the more confident and efficient you’ll become. However, also be selective – there’s endless information out there, and not all of it applies to our MidSouth region or your specific situation. Try to filter advice through the lens of local relevance. For instance, a gardening tip from a New England blog about short summers might not fit our long growing season, but something from an Alabama or East Texas gardener might. Take notes on what you learn and observe on your own land (keeping a homestead journal is a great practice). Record planting dates, harvest yields, animal health issues, etc., so you build a personal knowledge base over time. This continuous learning mindset will turn “failures” into valuable lessons. Chicken got sick? Research and you’ll know how to prevent it next time. Garden had pest issues? Try a new companion planting or organic spray you learned about. Every year you homestead, you grow not just food, but also your own skills and wisdom.

• Avoid Overwhelm: Start Small and Build Up: This theme cannot be overstated: start small. We touched on it with goals, but practically speaking, maybe begin with one or two animal species, not five at once. It’s better to have 10 well-cared-for chickens than 50 stressed chickens, goats, and a cow with you running ragged. As you gain experience and find your rhythm, add more elements. The same goes for garden size, orchard size, etc. A smaller, well-maintained garden will produce more (and give more satisfaction) than a large, weedy, struggling one. Homesteading often means wearing many hats (gardener, carpenter, veterinarian, mechanic, etc.); give yourself grace to learn one new role at a time. Maybe focus this season on mastering canning and chicken care, and next season you tackle cheese-making and goat breeding. By layering on skills gradually, you won’t overwhelm your schedule or budget. Also, be okay with saying “not this year” to certain projects. It’s easy to compare to other homesteaders who seem to do everything, but remember they might have years of experience behind them. Pace yourself for the long haul.

• Plan and Organize: Good planning can save you from many headaches. Before the spring rush hits, draw out your garden plan, order seeds, schedule when to start seedlings, and mark on a calendar when to transplant or when chicks will arrive. Use spreadsheets or apps if that’s your style, or a good old whiteboard in the mudroom with monthly to-do’s. Homesteading involves juggling a lot of tasks, so any system to keep track will help—be it daily checklists or seasonal task lists. For instance, plan that late winter is tree-planting time (order your bare-root trees in January for a February/March planting). Mark when to do annual equipment maintenance (sharpen mower blades in March, service the tiller in September, etc.). If you preserve food, plan a weekend for it when the harvest is peaking. Also budget planning: keep tabs on expenses and set aside funds for big-ticket items you’ll need (like saving up for a tractor or a greenhouse kit). While flexibility is important (things will pop up unexpectedly on a farm), having an organized approach means fewer things fall through the cracks. And when you do feel overwhelmed, pause and make a short list of top priorities—that often helps refocus your energy on what truly needs doing now versus what can wait.

Above all, keep your why in mind. You likely started homesteading for a healthier lifestyle, self-sufficiency, or to give your family a country upbringing. When chores pile up or a project fails, remember that even the tough days are part of achieving that dream. Celebrate the small victories: the first egg, the first jar of pickles, the moment the pasture finally grows lush

Teaching Benjamin to drive the tractor

after reseeding. Those are signs of success. And if you need guidance or a morale boost, remember that MidSouth Homestead Design is cheering you on—we’re just a phone call away to help strategize or solve a problem, which leads into the next crucial element: making sure your household is on the same page.

Aligning Your Vision: Spousal and Family Priorities

Homesteading is often a family affair. It works best when all adults (and even kids) involved share a similar vision and are willing to contribute in their own ways. Before diving too deep, it’s important to have honest conversations with your spouse or partner and family about priorities, roles, and expectations. Ensuring spousal agreement and family alignment will prevent a lot of stress down the road. Here are some points to consider for maintaining harmony on the homestead:

• Create a Shared Vision: Sit down with your spouse/family and talk about what you each want from the homesteading life. Do you both picture a large market garden, or is one of you more interested in focusing on livestock? How do you feel about the time commitment—are weekends dedicated to farm projects, or do you still want weekends free for other activities? It’s okay if you each have different interests; in fact, that can be complementary (one handles the animals, another the garden, for example). But you need a unified vision on big-picture questions like: Are we doing this for supplemental food or aiming for full self-sufficiency? Is making money from the farm a necessity or a bonus? How much of our savings are we willing to invest in this? By agreeing on the overarching goals, you’ll avoid conflicts like one person thinking “we must milk cows twice a day no matter what” while the other is unhappy never being able to take a vacation. Maybe your shared vision says: we want wholesome food for our kids, some extra income, but we also value downtime—so perhaps you decide against a dairy animal (since they need daily milking) and choose goats or seasonal projects instead. Write down your vision statement or a list of agreed goals and revisit it annually to make sure you’re both still on board or if something needs adjusting.

• Divide Responsibilities and Acknowledge Limits: Homesteading involves many tasks, so it’s wise to split chores and roles according to interest, ability, and time. Perhaps one spouse handles daily animal feedings while the other does school drop-off and paying bills, then they swap in the evenings. Maybe one loves carpentry, so building the chicken coop is their project, while the other loves plants, so starting seedlings is theirs. Teens or kids can have roles too—like collecting eggs, weeding a small garden bed, or helping with farmers market prep. By dividing responsibilities, no one person feels the entire weight of the homestead on their shoulders. Importantly, also acknowledge each other’s limits. Everyone needs rest or the occasional day off. If one of you is feeling burnt out, discuss it and adjust—maybe hire temporary help for a heavy project or simplify for a season (e.g., raise fewer animals next year, or scale back the garden if a new baby is on the way). There will be times one partner might carry more load because the other is busy (with a day job deadline or family care), and vice versa. Keep communication open and be willing to ask for help or re-balance duties. The homestead should adapt to your family’s life events, not the other way around.

• Support and Understanding: If homesteading is primarily one person’s passion more than the other’s, it’s crucial to find ways for the less-interested partner to still feel heard and involved (or at least not inconvenienced beyond their tolerance). For example, if a husband is gung-ho about pigs but the wife is worried about smell or mess, design the pig operation to minimize odor (perhaps locating it far from the house, using deep bedding to control smell) and agree on a trial period. Or if one of you isn’t as into the manual labor, assign them tasks like managing homestead finances, online research for solutions, or value-added projects like soap-making – contributions that aren’t necessarily sweaty but are equally important. Also, make sure to regularly do non-homestead-related activities as a couple/family so that life isn’t 24/7 farm talk. Go out to dinner in town, catch a movie, or take a day trip occasionally, leaving the farm chores for a short break (this might mean planning ahead to have a neighbor feed animals for a day). This helps prevent resentment and keeps your relationship strong. Celebrate your homestead wins together: cook a special meal with your homegrown food and toast to each other’s hard work. If things go wrong (they will, occasionally), avoid blame. Instead of “you didn’t close the gate and now the goats ate my roses!”, approach it as “well, goats got out; let’s fix the fence and figure out how to protect the garden better next time.” Teamwork and empathy go a long way.

• Family Priorities and Lifestyle: Ensure the homesteading plan aligns with your family’s broader priorities. For instance, if providing great experiences for your children is a priority, involve them in the homestead but also ensure they still get to pursue their own interests (sports, friends, etc.) without always being tied down by farm chores. If saving for college or retirement is a priority, budget your homestead projects so they don’t derail those financial goals (maybe you don’t need the fanciest tractor right away, or you gradually expand to avoid debt). If faith or community service is a big part of your family’s life, factor in time for those alongside farm duties. Homesteading can consume you if you let it; keep a balanced perspective. Your spouse might remind you gently if it’s been months since your last family weekend getaway or date night. Listen to those cues and adjust. The idea is that homesteading should enhance family life, not detract from it. When everyone feels their needs and dreams are respected within the homestead plan, you’ll have a much more joyful journey.

• Reevaluate and Adapt Together: Life changes—jobs, health, kids growing up or moving out—so it’s important to periodically reevaluate your homestead plan as a family. Maybe after a year, you both realize you love the gardening but not so much the pig raising; it’s okay to pivot and say, “Let’s skip pigs next year and try bees instead, since that might be less labor-intensive.” Or perhaps the income situation changes and you decide to scale up one of the farm business ideas for extra cash, which means allocating more time to it or involving the spouse more. Make these decisions together. If one partner feels the other is slacking or overreaching, have a heart-to-heart. The homestead will only thrive if the family running it is united and happy. Sometimes it might even mean bringing in outside help—like hiring a farmhand a few hours a week, or using a homestead design consultant to solve a persistent problem that’s causing friction (e.g., constantly muddy pasture making everyone cranky – a consultant could advise on drainage or rotation to fix it). Being willing to adapt and sometimes compromise will keep your homesteading dream sustainable for the long term.

In essence, communication and compromise are the crops you must cultivate in your relationship to reap the rewards of homesteading. When spouses and family members support each other, the work becomes lighter and the successes sweeter. MidSouth Homestead Design has worked with many families and we’ve seen firsthand that those who plan together and maintain good communication end up with the most fulfilling homestead lifestyle. We even offer to meet with whole families during our consultations, because getting everyone’s input often brings up considerations (like the kids really wanting a play fort, or the spouse needing a workshop for their hobbies) that are vital to incorporate into the design. So make it a family project from the get-go—dream together, plan together, and you’ll grow together on this journey.

Conclusion: Your Homestead Journey Begins

Creating a successful homestead on your 5–10 acres is absolutely within reach. With efficient layout planning, permaculture wisdom, the right mix of animals and crops, and a

Young Dexter Calf

supportive family gameplan, you can transform open land into a thriving, regenerative homestead that feeds your body and soul. Remember to take it step by step: each season you’ll learn and improve. Enjoy the process—there’s nothing quite like harvesting your own food, watching your children play under a tree you planted, or seeing your animals healthy and content on pasture.

As you plan and dream, keep in mind that MidSouth Homestead Design is here to help make it happen. We’re passionate about designing homesteads that harmonize with our local climate and your personal goals. Whether you’re sketching out where to put a garden or figuring out how to manage stormwater, our expertise can guide you to smart solutions (saving you time, money, and trial-and-error headaches).

We invite you to take the next step: schedule a free phone consultation or even an on-site assessment with MidSouth Homestead Design. We’ll listen to your ideas, answer your questions, and help chart a customized plan for your land. With our experience in permaculture and land optimization in the MidSouth, we can provide tailored advice—from the best orchard varieties for your county to the ideal placement of that chicken coop.