When you think of homesteading, do you picture acres of land, a barn full of animals, and a root cellar stocked for winter? While that’s an amazing goal to strive towards and a beautiful version of the lifestyle, it’s far from the only one! Homesteading isn’t defined by acreage. In fact, homesteading can be defined in a number of ways. Back when people originally homesteaded in the 1800-early 1900s people took a piece of land and created a home and life off the land. Today, I like to define homesteading as a mindset of self-sufficiency, intentional living, and working with what you have.

I get this question all the time. Can you homestead in small spaces? And my answer is always: even with a small backyard, a balcony, or just a sunny window, you can homestead right where you are.

What Does Small-Space Homesteading Look Like?

Here are some practical, doable ways to start homesteading in a small space:

1. Grow What You Can

Even a few pots of herbs on a windowsill count. Container gardening is perfect for patios and balconies, think tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, even dwarf fruit trees! Vertical gardening can multiply your growing space without taking up floor space.

2. Compost Creatively

Small compost bins can fit under the sink or on a porch. It’s a simple way to reduce waste and feed your garden soil at the same time.

3. Preserve the Harvest

This may be the biggest one. You DON’T need a giant garden to start preserving. Even though I grow as much of my own produce as possible, I still utilize this strategy. Buy in-season produce at the farmer’s market or grow a few high-yield plants. Learn to can, dehydrate, ferment, or freeze what you buy and grow (or buy in bulk) to start building your pantry. Buy in season produce when the bounty can bring prices down and preserve away!

4. Cook from Scratch

The kitchen is where the rubber meets the road in homesteading. Homesteading often starts in the kitchen! Bread baking, yogurt making, bone broth, and herbal teas are all skills that don’t require land, just time and a willingness to learn.

5. Keep Small Livestock

A lot of places allow backyard chickens, rabbits, or ducks. If you are able, raise a couple of chickens for fresh eggs. A small flock of even 4-6 chickens can feed a family of 4 pretty comfortably.

6. DIY Things

From handmade cleaning products (I love my natural vinegar cleaner!) to thrifting and upcycling items into household things, the homesteading spirit if about doing it yourself and doing it well. I like to thrift old fabrics to make my own window curtains above my kitchen sink.

*As a side note, my husband is a building contractor and saves a LOT of extra materials that come off jobs or scrap materials from remodeling jobs. Lots of that material returns to the homestead to be used in other ways. For example, on new lots that we build on they have to first be cleared of trees. Most of the time, the trees are turned into wood chips and shavings are brought home to be used as bedding for the chicken coops. Think outside the box to what you can re-use that you come into contact with.

7. Connect to the Seasons

Start noticing the seasonal rhythms even in your environment- what’s blooming, what’s migrating, when the sun shifts, and what foods are in season. Living seasonally is at the heart of homesteading, no matter the square footage.

Start Where You Are

Whether you’re in a city apartment or a suburban home or rental, you can begin your homesteading journey today. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing- every little choice toward sustainability and self-sufficiency adds up.

Although we homestead on acreage, just remember, your space might be small, but your impact can be mighty.