Homestead Prep

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Happy spring, everyone! 

Okay, where I am in PA, it feels like spring despite the average temperature still indicating it's winter.  I guess we're in that false spring transition, when it suddenly gets warmer and you have hope for a solid 4 minutes before it gets cold again.  And we're due for snow this weekend? 

Actually, it's okay if we get more snow.  Living on this farm, I always hope for a good snowy winter as the ground needs good nourishment.  While the soil is great for growing produce out here, a decent amount of snow certainly enriches the ground.  

Last year was a learning experience in growing and harvesting.  The one thing that did the best, besides the peas and onions, was the potato crop! As I was digging them out, I had an epiphany: establish a potato farm! While that's easier said than done, I've been able to attend training through the SBDC in PA, and they've been so helpful with everything.  It's always been my dream to run a business, but I never had the right avenues or connections to get there.  My first venture was to crochet hand warmers and other accessories to sell.  That bottomed out.  I tried advertising to teach music lessons from home.  That went nowhere.  I write books (under a pen name of course) and am struggling to reach potential readers. 

I began wondering what else I could do.  Before we moved out here, I was working a low-end music job and would have had another job - however, the cost of living versus whatever salary came my way would not have been sustainable.   

Being out here helped me reevaluate how I would go about getting into business.  And here's where my reflections and musings brought me:

- Address a need

That's the core of how I'm approaching the homestead - because here's the thing: produce prices are so expensive anymore! And not only that, I'd like to grow my own food in the unfortunate (and hopefully far off) event that the system crashes and you can't buy anything at the grocery store.  So, the plan is to start small and expand.  Make hay while the sun shines!

Here's what to look out for this summer into fall, and I'll make sure to add this to the blog: 

- I'm looking to invest in a farmstand 

- I will also be attending farmer's markets in Somerset County

The fun part will be the prep work! There's a bit to do yet, but I've noticed the path gradually opening up for me to pursue farming full time.  I obviously can't go big right away due to limited funds.  It's hard enough figuring out where to cut costs and hoping my paycheck doesn't get taxed to death - that, and covering the cost of all my kitties' medical care gets pretty troublesome.  

While I'm not one to ask for extra financial help unless it's absolutely needed, I will go ahead and include a fundraising link in this blog post!

A good farm stand isn't cheap, let's be real.  I'm browsing different websites to see what's available.  If we can reach a goal of at least $200, even that would help with the investment.  You can click this link here ---> Help invest in the farmstand  Buy Me a Coffee is a great funding website, and I also try to add my blog posts there too whenever possible.  Any assistance is greatly appreciated! 

Thanks for trucking along with me in this latest update! I'm still growing my potatoes indoors and there's not much to post yet about the final bedroom as we're in the process of removing the wallpaper from the walls and the ceiling.  Yikes! We're trying to do what we can when we can due to our busy schedules.  

Hope you all have a lovely day, and I'll see you in the next post!  

~Gigi         

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