Two Roots Homestead
Where We Began
My husband Justin and I’s homesteading dream began when we were students at Ball State. We craved a sense of freedom and living closer to nature. What’s unfolded since has included a habit of buying fixer uppers, killing a lot of plants, and diving into the next project.
While I grew up in the country, neither of us had experience farming or homesteading prior. Our parents had small gardens, but we didn’t start growing our own until we had our first house in 2014. Steadily we’ve gotten better, and the gardens get a little bigger each year.
Renovating and Growing a Homestead
We moved to our 11.5 acre homestead in 2018 and have been rebuilding it from the ground up since. We’ve taken most of the rooms in our house down to the studs, renovating the bulk of it ourselves. Meanwhile we’ve continued to grow a garden, plant fruit trees, raise chickens and begin beekeeping. Because it takes a lot of tools and equipment to do the work, Justin has also taught himself how to maintain and repair all of it as we go. Our son, Patrick, was about a year and a half old when we moved. While he’s usually more interested in playing than working, he’s been gradually learning alongside us.
Going Wild
From the beginning, we’ve allowed much of our property to go wild. Much of the land was mowed when it was for sale. Now, we only mow a smaller section of yard, around our garden spaces, and trails. At one point in our journey, we discovered a large swath of garden area had bricks about 1-2 feet underneath. We searched for aerial photos of our to figure out where they came from and ended. We were able to find photos dating back to 1956, taken every couple years with some gaps in between. What we saw was a steady decline of trees and increasing development. One of our goals is to see a gradual increase of trees and sustainable habitat for wildlife as time goes on.
Improving and Expanding
Looking ahead, we want to continue improving and expanding our current homesteading ventures while pursuing new ones. We’re learning more about food preservation, permaculture practices, and building a more self-sufficient homestead. We would love to expand our small pond, begin worm composting, and keep trying new things.
Pursuing Self-sufficiency
2022 was the first year we were able to eat meals made entirely from our homestead at least a couple times a week while supplementing the rest of our meals with garden produce. The quality of food and feeling of accomplishment that comes with that isn’t comparable. While we know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, we’ve learned that so much is still possible regardless of where you’re planted. The road to self-sufficiency isn’t one clear-cut path, but it’s an individual path worth taking.
If you’d like to follow along with what we’re up to around the homestead, you can find us on Instagram @tworootshomestead.