Starting your first year of homesteading is exciting.

It’s also the fastest way to overwhelm yourself if you’re not careful.

I’ve seen it so many times — and I’ve done it myself. You want the chickens, the veggie garden, the bees, the sourdough, maybe a milk goat… and suddenly you’re knee-deep in half-finished projects wondering why you thought this was manageable.

Here’s the truth: the first year is the hardest. Not because you’re not capable — you absolutely are — but because you’re trying to build foundations while learning everything at once.

So instead of doing all the things, let’s talk about doing the right things. Season by season.

Homesteading without a plan is like:

• Getting animals without fences

• Planting trees without guards

• Building garden beds without fixing the soil

It’s chaos waiting to happen.

I don’t plan by calendar year. I plan by season. Because seasons matter more than dates. What you’re doing in Tasmania is going to look very different to someone in northern Queensland. Same goes for my Northern Hemisphere friends.

When you break the year into seasons, you stop looking at the whole mountain and just focus on the next three months.

That alone will save your sanity.

Autumn is my “set the groundwork” season. Not the “build the empire” season.

Slow down. Think. Prepare.

Healthy soil is alive. It’s full of microorganisms doing the hard work for you. If your soil is thriving, your plants will be too.

In autumn:

• Add compost

• Add manure

• Mulch heavily

• Cover unused beds

Let the soil build strength over winter. Come spring, you’ll thank yourself.

If you’re not planting yet, that’s fine. Prep the beds anyway.

Set up a compost bin or worm farm. If you’re in a cold climate, keep it sheltered and warm.

Compost needs heat to break down properly. An old rug over the top works brilliantly.

It doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to work.

Autumn is great for:

• Garlic

• Onions

• Leafy greens

• Broad beans

• Broccoli

But here’s the key — don’t plant everything.

If this is your first year, aim for:

• One solid garden bed

• One compost system

• Maybe a few chooks

That’s plenty.

You’re building foundations, not chasing perfection.

Winter is slower. Shorter days. Less light. More inside time.

And that’s not a bad thing.

Instead of fighting it, use it.

Winter is ideal for:

• Fixing fencing

• Repairing shelters

• Building feeders

• Tidy-up jobs in the shed

When spring arrives, you want infrastructure ready to go.

Winter is cooking season.

• Make yogurt

• Try your hand at cheese

• Bake bread

• Start fermenting

If you’ve got a wood fire going, even better. Use that steady warmth.

Read. Do courses. Sketch plans.

Winter is when your knowledge grows so your homestead can grow later.

There’s no shame in resting more, either. Nature slows down for a reason.

You don’t have to be flat out all year.

Spring is where it all kicks off.

Everything grows. Everything breeds. Everything demands attention.

This is why autumn and winter prep matters.

Please don’t make the mistake of growing things your family won’t touch.

If your kids smash cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, grow them.

If no one eats eggplant, don’t waste your energy.

Practical beats trendy.

Focus on:

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

• Zucchinis

• Herbs

• Leafy greens

Get one bed thriving before expanding.

Spring is ideal for:

• Baby chicks

• Kidding goats

• Starting bees

But infrastructure first.

Before animals arrive:

• Water sorted

• Shelters secure

• Fencing solid

• Feeders off the ground

Never bring animals home and then figure it out.

That’s stress you don’t need.

Morning and afternoon routines will make or break your homestead.

Know when animals are fed.

Know when water is checked.

Know when eggs are collected.

Routines remove decision fatigue. You don’t stand there wondering what needs doing.

It just gets done.

Summer is when you finally see the reward.

If you’ve been consistent since autumn, this is where it starts to feel real.

Watch your:

• Water supply

• Shade coverage

• Pest management

Birds will absolutely take your fruit if you let them. Ask me how I know.

Stay on top of it.

When produce is abundant:

• Make jams

• Dehydrate herbs

• Bottle tomatoes

• Freeze what you can

If you can buy bulk fruit directly from growers at a good price, preserve that too. It’s practical and frugal.

What worked?

What didn’t?

What will you never bother with again?

Write it down while it’s fresh.

Keep a journal. Track planting dates. Track yields. Track problems.

Year two should be smarter than year one.

You will not be fully self-sufficient in 12 months.

Not even close.

And that’s perfectly fine.

If all you achieve is:

• Enough tomatoes that you don’t buy them

• Fresh eggs every day

• One thriving garden bed

That’s a win.

A genuine, hardworking win. Celebrate it. Homesteading isn’t about proving anything. It’s about taking back control of what you can, bit by bit.

Start small.

Work with the seasons.

Build solid foundations.

You are capable of this. Just don’t try to do it all at once.