2023 To-Do List

I know! I know! It’s already into February but articles take time to write up and I do a fair amount of research for not only myself but for you as well, but let’s get into things we need to get started. These items are in no particular order, I’m just throwing them out as I look around my own homestead.

• Track how much food you eat in a year for the whole family and break down how much each family will need in calories for difficult times.
• Find a lab and get your soil tested. Ace Hardware and other local stores in your area should have contact information for this type of testing.
• Map out the shade, partially sunny and full sun areas of your yard. You must do this for one full years cycle because during winter, this will look different and you want to put plants in their most optimal locations.
• Build Bug Out Bags (Bobs) for every member of your family. Check out my article here. You will do wise to get these in your first hurricane season of living in Florida.
• Get a functioning set of walkie talkies and get in the habit of attaching them to your hip when you are working in the yard. If you have young children, teach them through repetition how to use them and change out the battery pack for charging.
• Get a well-stocked first aid supply before it’s too late. You can find my article with a list here.
• Take your home security seriously and start getting things put up outside that will keep the looters and trespassers at bay. Check out my article on the subject here.
• Purchase a journal and start keeping a log of insects, birds, plants and other interesting tidbits that you take notice of in your back yard eco system.
• Spend less time watching the news, spend more time in peaceful environments.
• Once you have mapped out your property and set up your garden area, get your victory garden planted out so that you can get an early start before the Florida heat kicks in. You can check out the February, “What Can I Plant?” infographic from UF to determine what works best for this month in your area here
• Stock your car with emergency supplies in case a natural disaster hits and you need to flee. Check out the article I wrote here.
• Determine if you have the legal ability to set up a gray water filtration system that runs out onto your fruit orchard area.
• Set up rain barrrels and drip hoses to reduce the amount of time you spend outside watering.
• Purge your closets! If it wouldn’t overwhelm you to have a garage sale, now is the time when it’s not too terribly hot. Take that money you make and reinvest it into getting the supplies that you need for your family.
• Research the laws in your area regarding keeping fowl and see if it’s possible for you to have a backyard chicken or duck coop.
• Research and learn how to raise worms so that you can produce your own natural plant fertilizer
• Research keeping rabbits in your area and see what legal requirements there are.
• Visit a local plant nursery and learn what plants are native or safe for your area, then you can slowly proceed to start your own family orchard or perennial vegetable garden. If you are in Central Florida, consider stopping by Maggies Herb Farm in St Augustine or Scrubland Farmz in Fort McCoy.
• Determine where in your home is the best location for you to keep your preparedness foods. Please do not use an outbuilding (unless it’s air conditioned) or the garage as both will get incredibly hot during the summer. The best locations for food storage would be a spare bedroom, an empty closet or underneath any beds.
• Sign up for chipdrop to get free deliveries of mulch dropped at your home and begin by collecting all the cardboard you possibly can. Ask your neighbors or church friends!
• Determine where you are going to purchase your seeds and get them ordered before they run out. Baker Creek, Territorial Seeds, Florida Seeds (flseeds.com) and Botanical Interests are all great companies.
• Purchase any paper or hardback books on homesteading and start your own library. Ask around local gardening and homesteading farms for ideas or get in contact with me on FB or other social media.
• Research on how to take care of rabbits and see if you have the space to do it. Check out my article here to get your started.
• Research how to do dry your extra garden vegetables and purchase a reputable dehydrator.
• Purchase that second or third chest freezer to store extra meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables.

Every family is different and so is each homestead, so feel free to add or remove any of these things off the list that wouldn’t work where you live.

Oh, and just an absolute shameless plug for my services —

• Hire a consultant to help you determine where you are currently and where you need to get to before things get really difficult. ^_^ I can assist you over the internet or in person if you live close by. Check out my website here!