As fall arrives on the homestead, I find myself energized by the season’s unique rhythm. The garden’s harvest is winding down, and certain animal routines – like goat milking – slow their pace. Meanwhile, new projects gain momentum, and long-held intentions to tackle various tasks finally come into focus.
As an experienced homesteader, you might be familiar with this phenomenon.
Perhaps, in contrast, if you’re newer to the homesteading lifestyle, you may find that fall serves as a catalyst for tackling lingering projects. After all, come January and February, it’s natural to want to retreat indoors and focus on planning for next year’s garden and seed selection.
But during this autumnal window of opportunity, I believe it’s essential to seize the moment and make progress on those tasks that have been lingering on your to-do list.
The crisp air, vibrant foliage, and promise of a new season ahead all serve as potent motivators for getting things done.
Fall Projects For Your Homestead
As the seasons transition into autumn, the crisp air and golden light offer an ideal backdrop for embarking on various homesteading projects. To help spark your creativity, we’ve curated a list of ten delightful initiatives that are tailor-made for this time of year.
Start Your Spring Garden
As the seasons transition from summer to fall, it’s the perfect time to set the stage for a thriving new garden in the spring. One key aspect is giving soil amendments ample time to take effect. By conducting a soil test in the fall and applying necessary adjustments, you allow the amendments to transform your soil chemistry, setting the foundation for a healthy and fertile growing environment.
Additionally, incorporating a layer of cardboard over the soil, followed by a layer of compost and mulch, not only suppresses weeds but also kick-starts the soil’s natural fertility. This preparation will have your garden ready to thrive when spring arrives. Moreover, the cooler fall weather makes building raised beds or digging mounded beds a more enjoyable and less strenuous task. By starting early, you’ll reap the rewards of your hard work next year.
Build Your Chicken Coop
To successfully raise eggs in the summer, it’s crucial to place orders for chicks as early as possible in spring. Alternatively, if you’re planning to construct a chicken coop and run, fall is an ideal time to start building. This allows you to work on the project at your own pace, tackling small tasks each week without feeling overwhelmed.
As the foliage dies back during this season, it’s much easier to complete tasks such as installing fencing or digging underground barriers for predator protection. Moreover, you’ll have the opportunity to assess how your coop withstands winter weather and make any necessary adjustments before the arrival of chicks.
The same principles apply if you’re preparing for other types of livestock, such as pigs, rabbits, ducks, or goats, giving you a head start in getting everything ready for their arrival.
Prepare for Bees
As the seasons change and fall approaches, it’s an ideal time to start preparing for your honey bees or expanding your existing hive. Bee packages, which are essentially new hive starts, tend to sell out quickly, especially those raised naturally or organically. To avoid disappointment, place your order now for a spring shipment.
While you’re at it, take the opportunity to ready your bee spaces by applying paint or wood protectant before the cold weather sets in, allowing any fumes to dissipate harmlessly. It’s crucial to do so, as bees are sensitive to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emitted by paints. Additionally, if you’re concerned about predators like bears, fall is an excellent time to install your fencing and electric fencing, ensuring a safe environment for your new hives.
Inoculate Mushroom Logs
As the seasons transition from autumn to winter, tree sap flow gradually subsides, creating an ideal opportunity to process logs for mushroom inoculation. This period also presents a unique advantage: many competitive fungi species become less active, reducing the likelihood of unwanted colonizers taking hold in your logs. Following a couple of weeks that allow terpenes to leach out, you can initiate drilling and inoculate with your preferred mushroom spawn.
For beginners, cultivating shiitake mushrooms on hardwoods like red oak is an accessible and rewarding experience. Inoculating in the fall can even lead to a first harvest as early as late spring or early summer, provided logs are kept consistently moist.
Prepare Perennial Planting Areas
When preparing to plant new trees and perennial plants during fall, it’s essential to consider the condition of your soil first. If it’s subpar, it may be necessary to wait until spring or the following fall to plant. However, if you’re willing to put in some effort, fall is an excellent time to improve your soil structure through sheet mulching.
This natural process works harmoniously with the seasons to transform your soil, making it ideal for supporting the growth of fruit trees, shrubs, herbs, and flowers. For those living in areas with heavy snowfall, sheet mulching in the fall can yield remarkable results with minimal physical exertion.
While moving materials like manure, straw, and wood chips to your planting location may require some manual labor, this process also provides an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and get in shape for the winter season. So, take off your coat, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to reap the rewards of your hard work as you prepare your soil for a thriving spring.
Start Using a Composting Toilet
It’s time to rethink the way we handle human waste! Flushing toilets is not only wasteful but also inefficient. By implementing a simple composting toilet system, you can turn your poo into safe and usable ‘humanure’ that can fertilize your plants without compromising food safety. The key lies in allowing the filled buckets to age for at least one year before applying them to non-food plant zones. This process not only eliminates any unpleasant odors but also minimizes the risk of pests.
To ease into this new practice, consider starting in fall when aromas are less potent and pest activity is reduced. With a little effort and patience, you can harness the natural resources on your homestead and create a more sustainable living environment.
Build a Greenhouse or Cold Frame
To give yourself an edge in the spring growing season, consider investing time and effort into constructing a new greenhouse or assembling cold frames during the winter months. While many cold-hardy plants like arugula, spinach, and mustard can germinate at temperatures as low as 40ºF, providing minimal protection can even yield good results.
By taking advantage of these conditions, you may be able to start your spring garden earlier than usual, potentially as early as February in USDA planting zones with sufficient daylight. Preparing your infrastructure ahead of time will give you a head start on next year’s food production.
Create New Paths
Many beginners in gardening or homesteading overlook a crucial aspect – leaving sufficient pathways to access all planting areas. This oversight can lead to soil compaction and stunted plant growth when frequent foot traffic is not staggered. As plants enter dormancy in the fall, the landscape reveals itself more clearly, allowing for thoughtful planning of walkways that protect the soil. In some cases, relocating plants may be necessary to accommodate reasonable pathways.
As long as the root ball is fully excavated and plants are staked on the opposite side, they should recover from the relocation without significant harm. Ultimately, sparing plant roots from repeated foot traffic will prove beneficial for their long-term health.
Dig a Pond
As fall and winter approach, the soil becomes surprisingly more accessible. Insects burrowing beneath the surface add moisture and create pathways, making it easier to work with. Additionally, the demise of annual plants causes their roots to dry up, further loosening the earth. While this doesn’t instantly transform the dirt into a buttery consistency, the difference is still noticeable. This advantage persists from when weedy areas die back to the onset of your first ground freeze.
If you’re planning to construct an underground feature like a pond or walipini, autumn and winter are ideal times to get started. The milder temperatures also make manual labor more manageable if you choose to work by hand, as I do.
Install Trellises, Arbors, and Pergolas
When preparing to start a vineyard in the spring, it’s essential to set up your trellises beforehand. Grape vines can be finicky about soil disturbance after planting, and training them begins right from year one. By installing posts, anchors, and lines in the fall before the ground freezes, you’ll gain a significant advantage come spring. Additionally, this is an ideal time to create arbors for supporting vining edibles like hops, kiwi, and other plants.
If your vision includes a picturesque pergola covering your outdoor dining area, now’s the perfect opportunity to get started and enjoy the fruits of your labor come spring.
Fall Homestead Projects are Fun!
As the seasons transition into autumn, there’s no shortage of creative pursuits to indulge in. From tending to your root cellar, where the bounty of the harvest awaits, to nurturing a plant nursery that will flourish come spring, and even building an outdoor kitchen where the warmth of the season can be savored, fall offers a multitude of opportunities for hands-on fun.
Inspired by the rustic charm of pallet projects, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to get your homesteading projects underway, despite the shorter days. By working diligently now, you’ll set yourself up for a more bountiful and enjoyable homestead come spring and summer, when the rewards of your labor will be in full bloom.
