You could have waited another ten years to do what you're doing, but you are living the life you want, right now. I think too many people wait to live their dream, and some never reach it. As someone much older than you two, I applaud you both for jumping in and doing it instead of waiting. ❤❤
We feel the same way! And thank you for saying this. It’s a lot to take on but we’d rather give something all of our effort than be wondering “what if” way down the line❤️
I love seeing young couples like you two starting a homestead. My parents did when they were young in 1945 with much less sophisticated tools. My husband and I are in our late 70’s and we have grown vegetables and I have frozen and canned lots in my life all the while each of us had full time jobs. I hope you have great success all things. Your place has beautiful potential.
We started homesteading in East TN in 2020. The main thing I've learned is that in this lifestyle, the work never ever ends. Don't sweat not getting everything done at once because even if you did, more work will just pile up. As soon as I accepted this, nothing was stressful. You're doing great, you're young and strong and living the dream.
Man! Y'all worked your butts off this past year and your property shows it! It's beautiful and y'all have done an incredible job! I look forward to watching what all y'all do over the years to come. ❤
Wow, this is so sweet! Thank you so much! It really doesn’t feel real still when I stare at the property, even when I see how much it’s changed❤️ thanks for being here & for your kind comment!
I see how you two seem healthy mentally, homesteading attributes to a healthy mind. The cost of living and creating a place that nurtures the soul is mute, having peace within is a goldmine in and of itself. I’m so glad I clicked on your channel.
Hi, I'm a long time follower of The Hollar Homestead. You were helping Ben and Meg process their chickens, and was introduced. I figured, I'd come over and check out your vlog. Like you, we've been working on our property, and home. Hang in there, it's a continous project to take care of, and making an old home, and property into a home/homestead takes a while. We've been here 7 years, and were still working on our place to make it what we want. There will always be something that will come up which will in turn cause you to put your life on hold like family events/issues, price of parts/wood/home goods/vehicle issue ect. Remember to make a life long plan with your spouse, set your goals, and eventually you'll see these goals come true. When they're struggles, remember this too shall pass. I look forward to your future videos, and will go back to watch your earlier ones.
First of all, we appreciate you coming to check out our channel! Second, you’re so right! We are very much continually going over big goals & timelines & figuring out what steps we can take to reach them! It’s a lot of work, but so so worth it. We’re very grateful to be entering a season with a tad more rest though, that’s for sure😆 thanks so much for your comment & for visiting our little corner of the internet! ❤️☺️
I envy both of you!! Loved this episode and one day I will be able to make my dream come true! Even if on a smaller scale! You guys are awesome and a true inspiration.
Seriously so proud of you two for taking on such a huge endeavor. You are really an inspiration for everyone who is thinking about homesteading and staying as transparent about everything as you can. I hope everyone views all your content and interacts because it is such a small thing to do on our end but if we all pull together it could help you guys reach your goal.
Found you on Ben & Meg's channel. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy your channel very much! You guys have done amazing things and i look forward to your next year on the homestead! 💜
I love what you are doing. It is so encouraging to see young people homesteading. Things I would concentrate on are building a large compost area to use to amend your gardens. Think about using your chickens to help with composting. As for trees I would get Elderberry established, currants, grapes as well as berries and fig trees. For a survival food start a patch of Jerusalem Artichokes. Jerusalem artichokes are an edible tuber that you harvest in the late fall and winter. Our chickens and ducks love to eat the foliage when they are green as well as the tubers. A small plot of approx. 5 foot by 5 foot can produce up to 100lbs of food. We use the tubers like we do Potatoes. Grow Comfrey which can be used for feed for the chickens and ducks as well as to make fertilizer for your gardens. We built a garden bed around our chicken and duck run of lots of greens like mustard greens, collards, Kale, swiss chard and lettuce as well as amaranth. We allow the chickens and ducks to eat the greens through a fence we put up that allows them to stick there heads through. It's worked great and they love it. Anything the animals can't reach we use for ourselves. Squash and Pumpkins is another great crop to grow. for storing as well as to feed the chickens and ducks. Another great animal to raise are quail.. We live on a half acre suburban lot and have incorporated all of these things and can feed our family of four adults throughout the year with everything we can and raise.
Wow this is all so great. Thank you for all these suggestions. I particularly love the idea of planting around the coop so they can have little snacks! Can't wait to implement more of the perennial crops and permaculture type things like comfrey & jerusalem artichokes. Hopefully next year we can invest in more of that type of stuff! thanks for your comment, its super inspiring!
Glad Ben (from The Hollar) recommended your channel. When young people are passionate and hardworking, there is hope. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Congratulations 🎉 on your wedding 💗 Found you after watching The Hollars chicken butchering video. I give you guys kudos for stepping out and making your dreams come to fruition. You have accomplished a lot already, and even though there's more to do "Rome wasn't built in a day". Keep up the great job you are doing!!!!!!!!
Me too. I am from the Hollers. Congratulations on the adventure. As you will never have more time on your hands...😅😅😅 having young children is easier when you are younger than when you are older.. just saying
Haha you’re right about that! Although it worries me to think I could ever possibly have less time than I currently do😂😂 it’s more a financial decision, honestly. I’d love to have them, but it wouldn’t be wise until we’re a little more stable❤️ we’ll get there!
@@calicocowacres I just sensitive about that because my time passed for the finance and time reasons and now I have given myself a responsibility of telling every young person not to choose like me. Believe me. There are children growing on very much less and they are healthy happy and balanced. I know some consider this topic to be very personal. I am sorry. Just choose wiser earlier. Future is not necessarily easier
It’s okay, no need to apologize. I understand where you’re coming from & agree with you…We’re just barely able to pay our own bills at the moment & we’re working towards being more financially sound. Part of the reason we’re doing UA-cam is to become more financially stable (but we also very much enjoy making videos to share with you guys!)❤️
I don't understand how you don't have more subscribers.... your videos are so good. 😮 How do you do all this renovation work AND also produce these videos?!? Very inspiring.❤
This is so sweet of you! I’m probably biased but I do think they’re decent😂❤️ I love making them so much. It’s a great creative outlet for me & other than tech issues sometimes, it doesn’t feel like work at all. Really hoping to make this a substantial source of income someday - so thank you for watching & supporting that dream!😃 To answer your question…I stay up really late a lot of the time😅 I film everything we’re working on during the evenings/weekend & edit at night!
I came by because of the Hollars, and subscribed for the cats. Mickayla can tell a tale with the best of them. Taylor seems to be a good man, who's smart enough to live by the old chestnut, "happy wife, happy life."
I like your ducks! Try to protect them(and your chickens) from skunks and other critters. I think Jack, one of the Hollar Homestead twins, lost a pet duck from critters one night several months ago! So sad to invest time/love in a pet and lose it like that! Best of luck in your homestead transformation!
Hi Mickayla and Taylor! It looks like you guys have accomplished so much on your property in such a short amount of time! It has been so fun to see your journey and follow along. -Cara
I grew a chocolate pepper this year. Taste just like a red pepper but it comes early so you don't have to wait for the pepper to go through all those colors. Really good! Highly recommend.
I loved having ducks. We had chickens, ducks, and llamas. I loved all of them, but the ducks held a special place in my heart. They are absolutely worth the extra effort.
Yesss that sounds so good! I want to make allll the things, but I don’t think I could manage a cow & I really do love goats! Thanks so much for watching 🥰🥰🥰
I have been following the Hollar Homestead for sometime now and learned of you folks on the chicken processing workshop they just did so had to check you all out and I am glad I did. I commend you and your husband for taking on the task that you have and glad to see you seeing success in it. If I could go back in time I would love to choose the homesteading life, but at our age, both myself and my wife in our mid and late 70's, we just can't do something like that. We went a different direction in life, with me working a career in the auto industry working in maintenance and finally taking my retirement after 35 plus years. We relocated from California to TN when I transferred to a new type of work environment (Saturn Corp) and bought a nice home on a big lot in a subdivision in a small community. We do have a few raised garden beds that I enjoy growing vegetables we both enjoy eating. For several years we had a small (6) flock of laying hens which we enjoyed the fresh eggs from them, but unfortunately some type of varmint got into their pen and that was the end of that. So now I support local egg producers either at farmers market or selling them from their farms. We also did canning (my wife does that) and would buy fruits or vegetables from local growers. Unfortunately getting old comes with some health issues so my wife no longer can do that, but on a bright note, our younger daughter took our canning equipment and now she is doing that so that was good. Anyways, probably have written much more than needed so again wishing you folks the very best in your venture. Have watched many of your videos and enjoy them all and also subscribed to your channel. Blessings to you both.
Wow! Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. We really appreciate you taking the time to come visit our channel! It sounds like you found your own way to do a version of homesteading throughout life so far, and I think that's just as awesome! I very much wish I grew up with family living this lifestyle that could've passed their knowledge down to me, so I'm sure your children are more grateful than you realize to have had that experience. Thanks so much again & thanks for subscribing! Wishing you the best!
Hey... just saw you at the Hollers! I found you last week and I am super excited that you have such awesome neighbors! I love what you're doing. Keep on keepin' on!
I subscribed to your channel today. I wish you all your dreams. Wish that I had known about homesteading when I was younger, 67 years on this earth. Love what you all have done. Can't wait to see what you do.
Cool episode. We are from Detroit and now in southwest Georgia. We have a quarter acre homestead. We have been using raised beds for a few years now. One pepper you mentioned is the Cubanell, I love them. We had an abundance of them two years ago. We finally had to start giving them away. But I like them stuffed with refried beans, cheese and covered with red enchilada sauce and baked. They are fantastic topped with diced onions. Keep up the great work. We look forward to seeing your videos.
Wow that’s cool! We’re both from west MI but we were in detroit for Tay’s job & weren’t big fans of it haha. I definitely would love to grow more cubanelles next year! They were delicious! Definitely writing down to try that recipe next year. Taylor loves stuffed peppers & this sounds so good
Thank you!🥹 you’re welcome literally anytime, even though I know you’re so busy at home, too! We’ll have to pick another date soon after we come visit yours❤️
After seeing you helping at the Hollar Homestead, here I am. Great seeing the progress you’ve made in a year. Best of luck on UA-cam, and in your own homesteading journey.
@@mmurphy2317 I’ll be there tomorrow helping film their class! Not sure I’ll be in the video much haha but I’ll be there behind the scenes hanging out & helping ☺️
@@calicocowacres Iknow Meg and Ben and their crew as well as ya'lls followers appreciate you pitchin' in. I'm sure Meg's cookin' alone is worth the price of helpin' out! Take care and have a great time Hollarin' with the Hollars!
You guys are easily the most realest on UA-cam when talking about the homestead journey. This is so relatable! Welcome to Western NC! We love it there.
Aw wow this is so sweet of you. We try to be as open as possible & are always happy to share anything that might be helpful. Thanks so much for the welcome & for the nice comment!💕☺️
Just found your channel, I absolutely LOVE this and all your diagrams and pictures of your land are so helpful, I see your vision and am like minded. We have a small home, small land and live in the city. This is our forever home while we're here anyway, and it's always been my dream go have like a secret garden full of perennial fruits, flowers, just everything that takes care of itself, and this is yr 4 working on it, what a beautiful blessing it is❤❤
You are an awesome couple and could become my favorite ! as you are hard-working , real, relatable and honest I hate the Leaf-legged bugs who love to hatch babies on tomatoes and demolish them. You are amazing in your vision of knowing what you want and have so many home-steading skills already. You have made so much progress in just one year and you are learning day by day and getting better. You are definitely a power couple who can make your dreams come true step by step.
Hello from Australia 🇦🇺 I came across from the Hollar Homestead after watching the chicken processing. Looks like you two have a great property and I'm sure you will enjoy the journey clearing and developing it and homesteading in general. And good on you for starting as youngsters and not waiting till you had all "your ducks in a row" first. I didn't start till i was a lot older and that's my main regret. Goats are great. They are the focus on my place. Everything revolves around them. I'm looking forward to watching how your journey develops. In Aus we call it Self Sufficiency rather than homesteading but the same principle.
First of all, thank you so much for coming to check out our channel! Second, it really feels so good to hear someone say they’re glad we’re doing this so young. I don’t want to regret big decisions like this & im currently so glad we’re doing it, but I have definitely had doubts at times that we should’ve waited. Overall, I’m very happy we’re here & doing it! Even if it’s stressful sometimes😆 We’re so stoked to get our goats. I think they’ll really be such a great asset here! Thanks so so much for watching & for your comment. It made me smile😊❤️
I love these styles of videos, I think its someone that allows you to reflect and appreciate and learn from whats happened, you should do this as a yearly video!
Aw thank you! I really enjoy these ones, too. They're a lot to put together, but makes me feel so proud of everything we've accomplished! I think we'll definitely make it a yearly anniversary video😊
The Hollar's sent me, i subbed. This has been a great video. Im glad I caught you on their butchering video. This has been fun. Looking forward to checking out more videos.
A lot of farmers work on their own equipment as much as possible and teach their kids skills. This is what makes it harder as a starter out, but you will learn skills over time
Sent by the Hollars! I'm starting out small myself, got 4 chickens 2 months ago, and 2nd yr gardening that I'm expanding a lil each time, added garlic a greenhousr and putting strawberries in the raised beds this weekend. Can't wait to see your journey unfold. ❤ Baker creek has thise pepper seeds you want, I saw them last night in the catalog.
Hi there! Welcome to our channel! It sounds like you have such a lovely little homestead going yourself☺ I'll have to go check Baker Creek again because they have been out of stock on there for so long!!! Thanks so much for watching!
Hubby and I (and the 3 year old) bought 4ish acres in GA this year. Did a complete restoration of a mobile home and I began a teaching career. He started his own business almost two years ago. We did the clearing of the land all summer before we actually moved onto the property. Water lines. Sewer. Plumbing. All the fun stuff. We want to get where the pair of you are! Gardens, animals, and living off the land as much as possible. Your story is inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow what an awesome story you have, too! It's so cool to hear that other people are doing things very similarly to us, but in a way that works best for them. That's what I love most about homesteading! We're definitely just at the beginning of this journey, too, so I'd say youre off to a great start. Thanks so much for watching & for your sweet comment☺
Welcome to the foothills of NC! We built our dream home during 2020 in McDowell County. We have 12 acres and we love it. The internet situation has been our biggest challenge. Congratulations on just jumping right in there because there never is a BEST time. Although, I'm old enough to be your parents, I loved hearing your story. ❤🌻
You’re just a bit north of us! Thank you so much! We’re only a few mins out of town but the internet was definitely a tough one for us, too! The good internet ends at the property right next to us & would’ve been like 2k to extend to our house haha so we settled for the “not so good” one but it’s alright once you’re used to it. Uploading videos isn’t fun but otherwise it’s just fine! Thanks for watching☺️
New sub. You two are amazing. Good for you. I am just now starting a homestead on 70 acres with just me (54 yrs old), a shovel, and a boxtruck. Garden is first priority. Thanks for the inspiration!
Another Hollar fan tuning in to be with you on your journey. I'm somewhat jealous of what you're doing. Wish I was able to to experience what you are experiencing, but 87 years kinda cuts into what I'm able to do. That said, I'm more than happy with the life I have been able to have. My general attitude is to "Let go and let God". Bless you both! ... Live long and prosper!
I've been overwhelmed (in the best way!) with hollar friends today! Thanks so much for checking out our channel & saying hi! So glad you're in a good place & we wish you the best💕
I feel your strength and desire in this blog and know what Michigan roots mean! Blessings always and the Hollars are the best neighbors to have. Build your community well. 💪 🙏
Just watched you with the Hollars. We too have a "field of kudzu" on our homestead in AR - the answer for us was goats. They eat anything and clear a path doing it. And they are lovely pets with the potential for milk, meat, soap, etc down the road. Looking forward to homesteading along with you - I've subscribed.
Thanks for coming on over!! We are SO excited to get our goats❤️ we think they’ll be very fitting for our property & goals with their appetites and milk😆 we’re happy to have you here. Thanks so much for subscribing ❤️
It's Thanks Giving Day. We thank God we saw your show. It was very inspiring. We are on the late middle of our homesteading journey. May the Good Lord bless your effort. It's such a blessing to hear your story, see your plans and to join with you in your hope. Good job.:)
Came over from the Hollar's channel, watched your latest video and subscribed. Looking forward to watching you take on the new challenges. Also appreciated your honesty regarding finances. Now going back to watch your previous episodes.
Hi there! We just discovered your channel and love to see people join the homesteading movement. We began our homestead in 2019 here in North Alabama and now farm for ourselves and also run a blueberry u-pick farm. If I could give you 2 pieces of advice, 1) Get as much done as you can before you have kids. Nothing slows down farm progress like having kiddos 🤪 and 2) just enjoy the process and don’t overcommit financially. You’ve got time to get it all done but don’t less your desire for speedy results get you in debt to the point where it’s not fun anymore 😅 Anyways, we really like your channel and are now subscribed. Good luck, we are rooting for you!
Thats awesome! I'd love to do some U-pick of some sort in the future, probably flowers to start. We're doing things paycheck to paycheck with the extra we have, and that's why we haven't gotten goats etc yet haha we definitely want to take things slowly. thanks for watching and subbing!
Saw you on The Hollars so I popped on over to check you out! You guys have truly jumped into a monumental task but your young and motivated…that’s everything you need! Can’t wait to watch you both grow!..New sub..blessings from a western NC neighbor ❤🙏🎉
Thanks so much for checking out our channel & for subscribing! We appreciate it😊 it’s definitely a huge undertaking, but we’re enjoying the process for sure!
I got indian runners this year & have been struggling with their mess also- I have learnt to turn that struggle into a benefit! I have a large pond for them, which gets incredibly dirty within only a day or two! I ended up coming up with this solution: every night or 2 when I go to lock them up, I put a submersible pump into their pond, this pump has a hose going directly into my compost piles next to the coop! The pile consists of bedding, shavings, straw, grass clippings etc. The poppy pond water fills the compost pile with nutrients! In the morning, about 20 minutes before my automatic door opens for the coop, I have an automatic timer that starts filling up the pool again! And then the ducks have fresh water to swim in in the morning!! Once you have the system set up, it is very easy!!! My chickens also just drink the pool water, so it eliminates their water needs too! Hopefully this can help you with your duck water system!
This is similar to what we'll be doing! We will have a little filtration system & a drain in their pond when we get it in. Our coop and run area is on the hill, so we can easily pipe the water down & out the hillside to collect & use! We're getting so close to being able to set up their pond & permanent water/food systems and I'm so excited. It's going to streamline things a ton.
I had fully intended to watch the live but I put my phone on the charger because I was neck deep in jalapeño’s and tomatoes that afternoon. I loved hearing the story of what you’ve been up too and I sure hope that as you put this video together you were encouraged by your accomplishments as well. It was also nice how both of you shared in the narration of the video. I can honestly say that if we could go back to the time we bought our first house (1984) in the suburbs, and not in a more rural area that was also on the list, we would. Today we are on an acre in a pocket area of the suburbs where many of the houses are on 1/2 acre plus size lots. It feels a little rural with lots of folks having chickens and gardens and some have enough land to raise a pig or a cow. Starting this so late in life has its own problems but when you’re doing what you believe is best for you then you just do it! You definitely need time to rest and to get away so that you maintain your relationship too. You’ve got a great work ethic and plenty of dreams and ideas to go with it. Congrats on what you’ve accomplished in the last year!
No worries on the premiere! We're happy you even had the thought to watch & appreciate it either way! I'm so glad you enjoyed it & I really am loving that taylor took part in it, too! :) And totally agree on the rest time. We're going to try and do a bit more of that this winter, but we really do love working on projects together so that almost feels like date time to us😆 Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
If you haven't watched it already, Living Traditions Homestead did an awesome set-up for their ducks recently. You should check it out for some ideas for you ducks.
I’m a 79 yr. old granny from zone 7 (East Tennessee . Enjoy your videos very much, keep up the good work. I still garden in raised beds. Hope you have a blessed day.
Flexibility is the name of the game! We’ve gotten pretty good at going with the flow haha thank you so much! (I will most definitely give Ricky a few smooches for you - he loves them!😊)
I'm in WNC also. Been offgrid farming since 2016 here. You'll have your hands full with the Kudzu. You have gotten a lot done for such a short time. We pump from a spring and drag hose also. We have rescued horses and dogs on the farm and chickens, guineas and turkeys. I want ducks also. I am also focusing on growing herbs for my chickens and tea. Established Lemon Balm and Echanacea from seed and it has given me a sense of fulfillment. My only regret is that I wish I were younger. It is a great feeling when you collapse at the end of the day and look at your accomplishments. Congratulations and welcome to WNC.. Looking forward to following your journey.
This is amazing. It sounds like you've accomplished a ton! I'm really looking forward to getting a little cottage garden established with flowers, tea, herbs etc this year. And hey, you're doing it! Doesn't matter what age you start, as long as you're following your dreams. Thanks for the comment and the welcome! Happy to have you here!
I enjoy keeping up with the Hollar ~ got to see you learning to be a chicken plucker 😁 Checked on the link they shared ... you now have one more subscriber 👍 Like your content.
Such an inspirational video to see such beauty and nutrients coming from land that would’ve otherwise remained destroyed and neglected without caring and driven owners. Please keep up the awesome work and message
This video was posted Oct 22.2023 my fiance passed away 2 days before this was posted I just came across your channel and the dates r crazy u got married on my birthday and posted this video 2 days after he passed wow I guess I'm definitely gonna keep watching plus maybe I'll learn some things I wanna build my own tiny home .
My husband and I have experienced water seepage in our basement so he layed plastic like a tarp from foundation out but first he built up dirt higher around foundation slopping away from house. We then covered with dirt and landscaping. Didn’t have anymore problems after that in our old farm house. Another home a trench was dug so water that seemed to gather on our land would run to the trench. This was a perimeter drainage a good way from home on two sides. Then in garden area we use raised boxes and that too was on slope. We utilized free manures and wood chips from county fairs after fairs and 4 h events and also local saw mills. Worked great along with chickens waste and compost. God Bless your continued success in homesteading!
❤ exactly! God opened the door and You are where you need to be. Just beautiful! Congrats🎉 on the wedding. Sending warm blessings for many years ahead.
You guys have done such a good job! We are about 18 months into being on our 1 acre place here in Australia. Found it hard to smash things out at fast as we want with working full time as well. You guys have achieved tons! The space you have has heaps of challenges, but it also has a lot of charm! Get yourselves a float valve for the ducks water, so it just refills itself when it drops below a certain level you set it to.
Thank you so much! It's definitely a lot of work, especially with such limited time, as you probably totally understand. We love it here, even if its the definition of a nightmare of a house lol it's OUR chaotic little home😂 We'll be getting the ducks a nice little pond setup soon in their big coop!
Thank you both so much for sharing so honestly. I feel that there are too many channels out there that only give a small portion of their journey. Please keep it up!
Don't get discouraged! It is definitely tiring when the projects never end. Just know this is your life and you have to live this time anyway! You will get there day by day!
Any one with a real plan has starts with a beginning to ten years . Then go for the twenty years . Then the life long starts to take place . Great job everyone appreciate y'all sharing a wonderful story 🙏👏
I'm 72 and how I envy what you are doing at your age! My main regret in my life us that I didn't do this when I was capable of doing it and had the opportunity. I'm so excited for you and to see young people taking an interest in homesteading. Take things one step at a time. You will eventually reach your goal.
I think if you would have waited 10 years to do what you're doing you wouldn't have probably ended up doing what you wanted... So props to you you guys are amazing for doing what you're doing it's what makes America great to do our dreams... So I hope and am praying for your dreams to come true 🙏🙏🙏.... Never stop dreaming.....
When we first moved in our garage flooded as well. My husband got a sealer and painted it on the lower portion of house and we put a french drain in. Its basically a large PVC pipe with holes in it. Voila it worked. Ah to be young with energy! lol
Excellent round up of your year guys, you have been busy!!! Keep up the good work. I enjoy watching young people chasing their dreams. Trust me you will get there way sooner than most. Keep finding ways to inspire.
Thank you so much & thanks for watching!! We’ve realized we don’t know any other way to live than to just go for it😆 it’s a bit hectic sometimes but always entertaining haha
Here from The Hollar Homestead 🏡 Thank you for helping them with their recent butchering! Maybe Ben and the kids could help finish the coop. I think Jason and Loranne are close by, too. A day with all hands on deck could mean that the coop and run are done and you are freed up to do other things 😊
Hey there! Thanks for stopping over to our channel to hang out! Hope you enjoy☺ everyone's so busy! We don't wanna ask that of them, maybe for a bigger job someday we'll have them over to help! It would be fun! we're so close though! Fingers crossed they'll be in within the week!💕
@@calicocowacres words of wisdom from an "older" person: Never answer your question for someone else. Allow them the opportunity to say no or yes. You are and will continue to be a blessing in your new community and you deserve to have help building your farm! Heck, you could probably invite a few of your UA-cam followers to a day or weekend of farm work and I bet several would jump at the chance to help out! Continue to build a beautiful community around you and you will be forever blessed! I also think it's better to ask for help in the beginning so that you don't get burned out a few years in. I feel like that may be part of the reason some people stop farming or homesteading. I already love your beautiful home and wish you many decades of joy and blessings!
I have been told that if you want to get rid of Kudzu for good, you need pigs. They will dig up the roots and it should never come back! Practice rotation grazing the pigs through your Kudzu jungle. It will take time to get it all, but the pigs will do it! Ask the Hollar family on Hollar Homestead UA-cam channel. Get you some Bacon Seeds!!!
We’re thinking we might get some in the future to get rid of the kudzu down in our forest & to root up after the goats in the kudzu jungle. We have some logistics to work out for that first, though. It’s definitely something we’re considering 😁
You guys are doing great in so many ways, we quit our jobs and moved to the middle of nowhere when our boys were young (really young) and some people were negative about our move, the house (double wide trailer on a overgrown homestead) we moved into, the fact that we had no jobs, etc. but our mortgage was cheaper than we could rent, and we were able to start our homestead, our boys were able to grow up roaming our land and learning so many skills along the way, that I don't regret a bit of the move. Sure we could have waited and stayed in the city and our house would have been worth more, but the payoff of raising our children in the country is worth every dollar we may have sacrificed. My only regret was we didn't record more of the journey and like you said the before and after. Your UA-cam channel has grown so fast good for you, I feel like we have been at this for so long and seen only slow growth. Keep up the good work guys, you won't regret owning your own land and living your dream.
This is so reassuring to hear. Thank you for sharing :) our channel growth is exciting and kind of scary at the same time lol so many people watching us! I am so so grateful, though!
one of the best homesteading videos. Tells the back story current story and future story. The video brings you along with them, versus normal homestead video that has you wondering how you, the viewer, got there. Looking forward to your future. thank you.
My fiancé and I started our first garden and I’ve become aware of just how materialistic America is.. it’s actually quite frightening.. I’m 23 and no one around me has ever been interested to do the same things I do.. I’ve always been interested in doing things the ‘harder’ way and learning from those things. We bought a house at 20 years old and almost completely flipped it in just 3 years.. I love coming home and saying I did that.. it’s very comforting. I’m incredibly happy for you two! Keep up the hard work
You could have waited another ten years to do what you're doing, but you are living the life you want, right now. I think too many people wait to live their dream, and some never reach it. As someone much older than you two, I applaud you both for jumping in and doing it instead of waiting. ❤❤
We feel the same way! And thank you for saying this. It’s a lot to take on but we’d rather give something all of our effort than be wondering “what if” way down the line❤️
Amen.
And imagine how more (will)power they have now VS after another 10-20 years 😂❤ . Or after kids ❤
YES 🎉❤
I'm not crying
I love seeing young couples like you two starting a homestead. My parents did when they were young in 1945 with much less sophisticated tools. My husband and I are in our late 70’s and we have grown vegetables and I have frozen and canned lots in my life all the while each of us had full time jobs. I hope you have great success all things. Your place has beautiful potential.
That’s so cool to hear! I hope to be doing this for years to come, too! Thanks so much🥰
How does the canning work? With things going bad?
We started homesteading in East TN in 2020. The main thing I've learned is that in this lifestyle, the work never ever ends. Don't sweat not getting everything done at once because even if you did, more work will just pile up. As soon as I accepted this, nothing was stressful. You're doing great, you're young and strong and living the dream.
You’re so right. The mile long lists gets longer with every thing you check off😆 thank you!
Man! Y'all worked your butts off this past year and your property shows it! It's beautiful and y'all have done an incredible job! I look forward to watching what all y'all do over the years to come. ❤
Wow, this is so sweet! Thank you so much! It really doesn’t feel real still when I stare at the property, even when I see how much it’s changed❤️ thanks for being here & for your kind comment!
I see how you two seem healthy mentally, homesteading attributes to a healthy mind. The cost of living and creating a place that nurtures the soul is mute, having peace within is a goldmine in and of itself. I’m so glad I clicked on your channel.
You have plenty of time. Looks like you’ve got a lot done and the preserved food is impressive. Loved the video.
Thanks so much for watching! We definitely exceeded our own expectations for preserving this year.😌 very exciting!
Hollar Homestead sends their Love. Blessings!
Hello! Happy to have you here🥰
Hi, I'm a long time follower of The Hollar Homestead. You were helping Ben and Meg process their chickens, and was introduced. I figured, I'd come over and check out your vlog. Like you, we've been working on our property, and home. Hang in there, it's a continous project to take care of, and making an old home, and property into a home/homestead takes a while. We've been here 7 years, and were still working on our place to make it what we want. There will always be something that will come up which will in turn cause you to put your life on hold like family events/issues, price of parts/wood/home goods/vehicle issue ect. Remember to make a life long plan with your spouse, set your goals, and eventually you'll see these goals come true. When they're struggles, remember this too shall pass.
I look forward to your future videos, and will go back to watch your earlier ones.
First of all, we appreciate you coming to check out our channel! Second, you’re so right! We are very much continually going over big goals & timelines & figuring out what steps we can take to reach them! It’s a lot of work, but so so worth it. We’re very grateful to be entering a season with a tad more rest though, that’s for sure😆 thanks so much for your comment & for visiting our little corner of the internet! ❤️☺️
Kudos to both of you! So nice to see homesteaders from the US rather than another country. I will continue to keep up with you guys! Best of luck!
Thank you so much! And thank you for watching & following along that means a lot to us🥰
The Holler homestead sent me here and yay! Good to see young people getting back to the land
Well hello! Thanks for coming on over! ☺️
I think I found my new favorite young couple! Y’all are absolutely precious!!!
After seeing you helping the Hollar Homestead with the chickens. I was happy to subscribe. Love the North Carolina homesteading community .
This is so nice of you! Thank you so much☺
I envy both of you!! Loved this episode and one day I will be able to make my dream come true! Even if on a smaller scale! You guys are awesome and a true inspiration.
Thanks for watching! We’re glad you liked it. We’re rooting for you🫶🏼
Seriously so proud of you two for taking on such a huge endeavor. You are really an inspiration for everyone who is thinking about homesteading and staying as transparent about everything as you can. I hope everyone views all your content and interacts because it is such a small thing to do on our end but if we all pull together it could help you guys reach your goal.
Found you on Ben & Meg's channel. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy your channel very much! You guys have done amazing things and i look forward to your next year on the homestead! 💜
Me too!!
Aww so nice of you to say this! Thank you! We're so excited to have you here. Hope you continue to enjoy☺
Me too!😊 I'm super excited to follow you guys on this wonderful journey ❤️
I love what you are doing. It is so encouraging to see young people homesteading. Things I would concentrate on are building a large compost area to use to amend your gardens. Think about using your chickens to help with composting. As for trees I would get Elderberry established, currants, grapes as well as berries and fig trees. For a survival food start a patch of Jerusalem Artichokes. Jerusalem artichokes are an edible tuber that you harvest in the late fall and winter. Our chickens and ducks love to eat the foliage when they are green as well as the tubers. A small plot of approx. 5 foot by 5 foot can produce up to 100lbs of food. We use the tubers like we do Potatoes. Grow Comfrey which can be used for feed for the chickens and ducks as well as to make fertilizer for your gardens. We built a garden bed around our chicken and duck run of lots of greens like mustard greens, collards, Kale, swiss chard and lettuce as well as amaranth. We allow the chickens and ducks to eat the greens through a fence we put up that allows them to stick there heads through. It's worked great and they love it. Anything the animals can't reach we use for ourselves. Squash and Pumpkins is another great crop to grow. for storing as well as to feed the chickens and ducks. Another great animal to raise are quail.. We live on a half acre suburban lot and have incorporated all of these things and can feed our family of four adults throughout the year with everything we can and raise.
Wow this is all so great. Thank you for all these suggestions. I particularly love the idea of planting around the coop so they can have little snacks! Can't wait to implement more of the perennial crops and permaculture type things like comfrey & jerusalem artichokes. Hopefully next year we can invest in more of that type of stuff! thanks for your comment, its super inspiring!
What a fab comment!
Glad Ben (from The Hollar) recommended your channel. When young people are passionate and hardworking, there is hope. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
We’re glad, too! Thanks so much for coming over to our channel❤️
Congratulations 🎉 on your wedding 💗 Found you after watching The Hollars chicken butchering video. I give you guys kudos for stepping out and making your dreams come to fruition. You have accomplished a lot already, and even though there's more to do "Rome wasn't built in a day". Keep up the great job you are doing!!!!!!!!
Me too. I am from the Hollers. Congratulations on the adventure. As you will never have more time on your hands...😅😅😅 having young children is easier when you are younger than when you are older.. just saying
Hi there! So happy you came for a visit😊 thank you for such a nice comment!❤️
Haha you’re right about that! Although it worries me to think I could ever possibly have less time than I currently do😂😂 it’s more a financial decision, honestly. I’d love to have them, but it wouldn’t be wise until we’re a little more stable❤️ we’ll get there!
@@calicocowacres I just sensitive about that because my time passed for the finance and time reasons and now I have given myself a responsibility of telling every young person not to choose like me. Believe me. There are children growing on very much less and they are healthy happy and balanced.
I know some consider this topic to be very personal. I am sorry.
Just choose wiser earlier. Future is not necessarily easier
It’s okay, no need to apologize. I understand where you’re coming from & agree with you…We’re just barely able to pay our own bills at the moment & we’re working towards being more financially sound. Part of the reason we’re doing UA-cam is to become more financially stable (but we also very much enjoy making videos to share with you guys!)❤️
I don't understand how you don't have more subscribers.... your videos are so good. 😮 How do you do all this renovation work AND also produce these videos?!? Very inspiring.❤
This is so sweet of you! I’m probably biased but I do think they’re decent😂❤️ I love making them so much. It’s a great creative outlet for me & other than tech issues sometimes, it doesn’t feel like work at all. Really hoping to make this a substantial source of income someday - so thank you for watching & supporting that dream!😃
To answer your question…I stay up really late a lot of the time😅 I film everything we’re working on during the evenings/weekend & edit at night!
I came by because of the Hollars, and subscribed for the cats.
Mickayla can tell a tale with the best of them.
Taylor seems to be a good man, who's smart enough to live by the old chestnut, "happy wife, happy life."
Hahaha this gave us a good laugh! Thanks for subscribing (the cats say hi!)😊😊 we’re happy to have you here & we hope you like our videos!😸
I like your ducks! Try to protect them(and your chickens) from skunks and other critters. I think Jack, one of the Hollar Homestead twins, lost a pet duck from critters one night several months ago! So sad to invest time/love in a pet and lose it like that! Best of luck in your homestead transformation!
Hi Mickayla and Taylor! It looks like you guys have accomplished so much on your property in such a short amount of time! It has been so fun to see your journey and follow along. -Cara
Hey Cara! Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying our videos. We love yours, too!
I grew a chocolate pepper this year. Taste just like a red pepper but it comes early so you don't have to wait for the pepper to go through all those colors. Really good! Highly recommend.
Looking up chocolate pepper seeds now🤣👀 sounds delicious!
Great job. You two did a ton the first year!
Thank you so much!🥰🫶🏼
I can’t wait to see what you do with the pond, and orchid. Your homestead is coming along and looking beautiful.
I loved having ducks. We had chickens, ducks, and llamas. I loved all of them, but the ducks held a special place in my heart. They are absolutely worth the extra effort.
The ducks are just so darn sweet❤️ I adore them!
This is extremely wholesome and motivating for young married couples like us.
Awesome episode! Thank you for the insight of future plans. Can't wait to see the Chik-Mansion full build episode. Love your channel
Thank you! We can’t wait to see the darn chik-mansion finished either 😂🤣 hopefully soon! Thanks for watchin 😊
The way you explain everything is so clear and easy to understand. Love your videos!
I LOVED this video. Such a cool way to commemorate your one year homestead-aversary! Also...20k views....I see you girl!!! Get it! 👏
THANK YOU! (also yeah I'm totally not-so-secretly freaking out about that view count - so cool!😱)
Goats milk feta - YUM! Well done and thank you for sharing your journey 🙂
Yesss that sounds so good! I want to make allll the things, but I don’t think I could manage a cow & I really do love goats! Thanks so much for watching 🥰🥰🥰
I have been following the Hollar Homestead for sometime now and learned of you folks on the chicken processing workshop they just did so had to check you all out and I am glad I did. I commend you and your husband for taking on the task that you have and glad to see you seeing success in it. If I could go back in time I would love to choose the homesteading life, but at our age, both myself and my wife in our mid and late 70's, we just can't do something like that. We went a different direction in life, with me working a career in the auto industry working in maintenance and finally taking my retirement after 35 plus years. We relocated from California to TN when I transferred to a new type of work environment (Saturn Corp) and bought a nice home on a big lot in a subdivision in a small community. We do have a few raised garden beds that I enjoy growing vegetables we both enjoy eating. For several years we had a small (6) flock of laying hens which we enjoyed the fresh eggs from them, but unfortunately some type of varmint got into their pen and that was the end of that. So now I support local egg producers either at farmers market or selling them from their farms. We also did canning (my wife does that) and would buy fruits or vegetables from local growers. Unfortunately getting old comes with some health issues so my wife no longer can do that, but on a bright note, our younger daughter took our canning equipment and now she is doing that so that was good. Anyways, probably have written much more than needed so again wishing you folks the very best in your venture. Have watched many of your videos and enjoy them all and also subscribed to your channel. Blessings to you both.
Wow! Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. We really appreciate you taking the time to come visit our channel! It sounds like you found your own way to do a version of homesteading throughout life so far, and I think that's just as awesome! I very much wish I grew up with family living this lifestyle that could've passed their knowledge down to me, so I'm sure your children are more grateful than you realize to have had that experience. Thanks so much again & thanks for subscribing! Wishing you the best!
Hey... just saw you at the Hollers! I found you last week and I am super excited that you have such awesome neighbors! I love what you're doing. Keep on keepin' on!
I just found them on the Hollers too!!
Me too!😊
Found you at the Hollars!
Hey everybody! Thanks for coming to our channel☺️ we totally got lucky with some super cool neighbors!
Yes you did, they are very smart and handy in all fields needed for homesteading.@@calicocowacres
I subscribed to your channel today. I wish you all your dreams. Wish that I had known about homesteading when I was younger, 67 years on this earth. Love what you all have done. Can't wait to see what you do.
This is so kind of you! Thank you so much for this lovely comment. We wish you the best!💕☺
This channel offers some of the most informative gardening tips I've ever come across!
Cool episode. We are from Detroit and now in southwest Georgia. We have a quarter acre homestead. We have been using raised beds for a few years now. One pepper you mentioned is the Cubanell, I love them. We had an abundance of them two years ago. We finally had to start giving them away. But I like them stuffed with refried beans, cheese and covered with red enchilada sauce and baked. They are fantastic topped with diced onions. Keep up the great work. We look forward to seeing your videos.
Wow that’s cool! We’re both from west MI but we were in detroit for Tay’s job & weren’t big fans of it haha.
I definitely would love to grow more cubanelles next year! They were delicious! Definitely writing down to try that recipe next year. Taylor loves stuffed peppers & this sounds so good
What a lovely wedding. I think August might be lucky. We married August 19th. Celebrated our 50th this year. Best wishes for you both.
I like to think it is! 😊 thank you so so much! (And congrats on 50!!!) ❤️
Caught you on holler homestead, and was impressed, I'm a full time subscriber now. Best to y'all's adventures ❤
Aww thank you so much! This is so sweet. Glad to have you here 😊❤️
YOU GUYS this was so good! Can't wait to see your property one of these days
Thank you!🥹 you’re welcome literally anytime, even though I know you’re so busy at home, too! We’ll have to pick another date soon after we come visit yours❤️
After seeing you helping at the Hollar Homestead, here I am. Great seeing the progress you’ve made in a year. Best of luck on UA-cam, and in your own homesteading journey.
Hi there! Welcome to our channel! We're really glad to have you, thanks so much☺💕
The Hollar family sent me your way. That was a wonderful education, processing chickens, you got with them. So nice to meet you. I subscribed today.
Agreed! I learned so much from them yesterday! Thank you for coming over to our little channel and for deciding to stick around 😊❤️❤️
same here! :)
Me three! Maybe more Calico Cow/Hollarin' collabz?
@@mmurphy2317 I’ll be there tomorrow helping film their class! Not sure I’ll be in the video much haha but I’ll be there behind the scenes hanging out & helping ☺️
@@calicocowacres Iknow Meg and Ben and their crew as well as ya'lls followers appreciate you pitchin' in. I'm sure Meg's cookin' alone is worth the price of helpin' out! Take care and have a great time Hollarin' with the Hollars!
Love watching your journey. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much!!!
You guys are easily the most realest on UA-cam when talking about the homestead journey. This is so relatable! Welcome to Western NC! We love it there.
Aw wow this is so sweet of you. We try to be as open as possible & are always happy to share anything that might be helpful. Thanks so much for the welcome & for the nice comment!💕☺️
Just found your channel, I absolutely LOVE this and all your diagrams and pictures of your land are so helpful, I see your vision and am like minded. We have a small home, small land and live in the city. This is our forever home while we're here anyway, and it's always been my dream go have like a secret garden full of perennial fruits, flowers, just everything that takes care of itself, and this is yr 4 working on it, what a beautiful blessing it is❤❤
You are an awesome couple and could become my favorite ! as you are hard-working , real, relatable and honest I hate the Leaf-legged bugs who love to hatch babies on tomatoes and demolish them. You are amazing in your vision of knowing what you want and have so many home-steading skills already. You have made so much progress in just one year and you are learning day by day and getting better. You are definitely a power couple who can make your dreams come true step by step.
This is such a nice comment! Thank you so much! We definitely try our hardest to keep our eyes on the big picture & work towards it daily. 💕
Hello from Australia 🇦🇺
I came across from the Hollar Homestead after watching the chicken processing. Looks like you two have a great property and I'm sure you will enjoy the journey clearing and developing it and homesteading in general. And good on you for starting as youngsters and not waiting till you had all "your ducks in a row" first. I didn't start till i was a lot older and that's my main regret.
Goats are great. They are the focus on my place. Everything revolves around them.
I'm looking forward to watching how your journey develops.
In Aus we call it Self Sufficiency rather than homesteading but the same principle.
First of all, thank you so much for coming to check out our channel! Second, it really feels so good to hear someone say they’re glad we’re doing this so young. I don’t want to regret big decisions like this & im currently so glad we’re doing it, but I have definitely had doubts at times that we should’ve waited. Overall, I’m very happy we’re here & doing it! Even if it’s stressful sometimes😆
We’re so stoked to get our goats. I think they’ll really be such a great asset here! Thanks so so much for watching & for your comment. It made me smile😊❤️
I love these styles of videos, I think its someone that allows you to reflect and appreciate and learn from whats happened, you should do this as a yearly video!
Aw thank you! I really enjoy these ones, too. They're a lot to put together, but makes me feel so proud of everything we've accomplished! I think we'll definitely make it a yearly anniversary video😊
The Hollar's sent me, i subbed. This has been a great video. Im glad I caught you on their butchering video. This has been fun. Looking forward to checking out more videos.
So glad you stopped by & decided to stick around! Thank you! We hope you enjoy our channel☺️❤️
A lot of farmers work on their own equipment as much as possible and teach their kids skills. This is what makes it harder as a starter out, but you will learn skills over time
It's more of the cost aspect for us! Taylor knows how to fix all the things!
Sent by the Hollars! I'm starting out small myself, got 4 chickens 2 months ago, and 2nd yr gardening that I'm expanding a lil each time, added garlic a greenhousr and putting strawberries in the raised beds this weekend. Can't wait to see your journey unfold. ❤
Baker creek has thise pepper seeds you want, I saw them last night in the catalog.
Hi there! Welcome to our channel! It sounds like you have such a lovely little homestead going yourself☺ I'll have to go check Baker Creek again because they have been out of stock on there for so long!!! Thanks so much for watching!
Hubby and I (and the 3 year old) bought 4ish acres in GA this year. Did a complete restoration of a mobile home and I began a teaching career. He started his own business almost two years ago. We did the clearing of the land all summer before we actually moved onto the property. Water lines. Sewer. Plumbing. All the fun stuff. We want to get where the pair of you are! Gardens, animals, and living off the land as much as possible. Your story is inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow what an awesome story you have, too! It's so cool to hear that other people are doing things very similarly to us, but in a way that works best for them. That's what I love most about homesteading! We're definitely just at the beginning of this journey, too, so I'd say youre off to a great start. Thanks so much for watching & for your sweet comment☺
Welcome to the foothills of NC! We built our dream home during 2020 in McDowell County. We have 12 acres and we love it. The internet situation has been our biggest challenge. Congratulations on just jumping right in there because there never is a BEST time. Although, I'm old enough to be your parents, I loved hearing your story. ❤🌻
You’re just a bit north of us! Thank you so much! We’re only a few mins out of town but the internet was definitely a tough one for us, too! The good internet ends at the property right next to us & would’ve been like 2k to extend to our house haha so we settled for the “not so good” one but it’s alright once you’re used to it. Uploading videos isn’t fun but otherwise it’s just fine! Thanks for watching☺️
Starlink
New sub. You two are amazing. Good for you. I am just now starting a homestead on 70 acres with just me (54 yrs old), a shovel, and a boxtruck. Garden is first priority. Thanks for the inspiration!
That's awesome! Kudos to you & wishing you luck!
Another Hollar fan tuning in to be with you on your journey. I'm somewhat jealous of what you're doing. Wish I was able to to experience what you are experiencing, but 87 years kinda cuts into what I'm able to do.
That said, I'm more than happy with the life I have been able to have. My general attitude is to "Let go and let God".
Bless you both! ... Live long and prosper!
I've been overwhelmed (in the best way!) with hollar friends today! Thanks so much for checking out our channel & saying hi! So glad you're in a good place & we wish you the best💕
I feel your strength and desire in this blog and know what Michigan roots mean! Blessings always and the Hollars are the best neighbors to have. Build your community well. 💪 🙏
Thanks so much! We agree, they're lovely humans to have in our community!
Just watched you with the Hollars. We too have a "field of kudzu" on our homestead in AR - the answer for us was goats. They eat anything and clear a path doing it. And they are lovely pets with the potential for milk, meat, soap, etc down the road. Looking forward to homesteading along with you - I've subscribed.
Thanks for coming on over!! We are SO excited to get our goats❤️ we think they’ll be very fitting for our property & goals with their appetites and milk😆 we’re happy to have you here. Thanks so much for subscribing ❤️
It's Thanks Giving Day. We thank God we saw your show. It was very inspiring. We are on the late middle of our homesteading journey. May the Good Lord bless your effort. It's such a blessing to hear your story, see your plans and to join with you in your hope. Good job.:)
Awe so glad you enjoyed it! We're so happy to have you here & hope you'll stick around☺ happy thanksgiving!
Came over from the Hollar's channel, watched your latest video and subscribed. Looking forward to watching you take on the new challenges. Also appreciated your honesty regarding finances.
Now going back to watch your previous episodes.
Happy to have you here! Thank you for subscribing! We try to be as transparent as possible about anything we can be❤️ thanks again!☺️
Keep working hard, know that each day you are closer to your ultimate goal
Squash bugs are the worst.
God bless you and good luck
Hi there! We just discovered your channel and love to see people join the homesteading movement. We began our homestead in 2019 here in North Alabama and now farm for ourselves and also run a blueberry u-pick farm. If I could give you 2 pieces of advice, 1) Get as much done as you can before you have kids. Nothing slows down farm progress like having kiddos 🤪 and 2) just enjoy the process and don’t overcommit financially. You’ve got time to get it all done but don’t less your desire for speedy results get you in debt to the point where it’s not fun anymore 😅 Anyways, we really like your channel and are now subscribed. Good luck, we are rooting for you!
Thats awesome! I'd love to do some U-pick of some sort in the future, probably flowers to start. We're doing things paycheck to paycheck with the extra we have, and that's why we haven't gotten goats etc yet haha we definitely want to take things slowly. thanks for watching and subbing!
I am watching this on August 18th 2024, happy anniversary!
Thank you so much!🥰
Saw you on The Hollars so I popped on over to check you out! You guys have truly jumped into a monumental task but your young and motivated…that’s everything you need! Can’t wait to watch you both grow!..New sub..blessings from a western NC neighbor ❤🙏🎉
Thanks so much for checking out our channel & for subscribing! We appreciate it😊 it’s definitely a huge undertaking, but we’re enjoying the process for sure!
I got indian runners this year & have been struggling with their mess also- I have learnt to turn that struggle into a benefit! I have a large pond for them, which gets incredibly dirty within only a day or two! I ended up coming up with this solution: every night or 2 when I go to lock them up, I put a submersible pump into their pond, this pump has a hose going directly into my compost piles next to the coop! The pile consists of bedding, shavings, straw, grass clippings etc. The poppy pond water fills the compost pile with nutrients! In the morning, about 20 minutes before my automatic door opens for the coop, I have an automatic timer that starts filling up the pool again! And then the ducks have fresh water to swim in in the morning!! Once you have the system set up, it is very easy!!! My chickens also just drink the pool water, so it eliminates their water needs too! Hopefully this can help you with your duck water system!
This is similar to what we'll be doing! We will have a little filtration system & a drain in their pond when we get it in. Our coop and run area is on the hill, so we can easily pipe the water down & out the hillside to collect & use! We're getting so close to being able to set up their pond & permanent water/food systems and I'm so excited. It's going to streamline things a ton.
I had fully intended to watch the live but I put my phone on the charger because I was neck deep in jalapeño’s and tomatoes that afternoon. I loved hearing the story of what you’ve been up too and I sure hope that as you put this video together you were encouraged by your accomplishments as well. It was also nice how both of you shared in the narration of the video. I can honestly say that if we could go back to the time we bought our first house (1984) in the suburbs, and not in a more rural area that was also on the list, we would. Today we are on an acre in a pocket area of the suburbs where many of the houses are on 1/2 acre plus size lots. It feels a little rural with lots of folks having chickens and gardens and some have enough land to raise a pig or a cow. Starting this so late in life has its own problems but when you’re doing what you believe is best for you then you just do it! You definitely need time to rest and to get away so that you maintain your relationship too. You’ve got a great work ethic and plenty of dreams and ideas to go with it. Congrats on what you’ve accomplished in the last year!
No worries on the premiere! We're happy you even had the thought to watch & appreciate it either way! I'm so glad you enjoyed it & I really am loving that taylor took part in it, too! :) And totally agree on the rest time. We're going to try and do a bit more of that this winter, but we really do love working on projects together so that almost feels like date time to us😆 Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
Fantastic accomplishments! Great workers! It was fun meeting you over at the Hollars on their video! 🤗💕🇨🇦
Thanks for coming over to our channel! Much appreciated! It was such a neat experience to do that project with the Hollars😌
If you haven't watched it already, Living Traditions Homestead did an awesome set-up for their ducks recently. You should check it out for some ideas for you ducks.
I haven’t yet - thank you for the suggestion! I’ll go watch!
I’m a 79 yr. old granny from zone 7 (East Tennessee . Enjoy your videos very much, keep up the good work. I still garden in raised beds. Hope you have a blessed day.
Smooches to Ricky ❤
Good goals and needed flexibility is what I see. Level head thinking is a must.
Great job
Flexibility is the name of the game! We’ve gotten pretty good at going with the flow haha thank you so much! (I will most definitely give Ricky a few smooches for you - he loves them!😊)
I'm in WNC also. Been offgrid farming since 2016 here. You'll have your hands full with the Kudzu. You have gotten a lot done for such a short time. We pump from a spring and drag hose also. We have rescued horses and dogs on the farm and chickens, guineas and turkeys. I want ducks also. I am also focusing on growing herbs for my chickens and tea. Established Lemon Balm and Echanacea from seed and it has given me a sense of fulfillment. My only regret is that I wish I were younger. It is a great feeling when you collapse at the end of the day and look at your accomplishments. Congratulations and welcome to WNC.. Looking forward to following your journey.
This is amazing. It sounds like you've accomplished a ton! I'm really looking forward to getting a little cottage garden established with flowers, tea, herbs etc this year. And hey, you're doing it! Doesn't matter what age you start, as long as you're following your dreams. Thanks for the comment and the welcome! Happy to have you here!
I live in WNC too!!! 🙌🙌
@@NatureAdventureHomesteadFamily and not far either. I am in Rutherford County.
@joannekreutzer752 oh wow, we are neighbors!!!! Love meeting other homesteaders in my area. 🌱💚
I enjoy keeping up with the Hollar ~ got to see you learning to be a chicken plucker 😁
Checked on the link they shared ... you now have one more subscriber 👍 Like your content.
Hahaha yes! That was me! Thanks so much for coming to check out our channel & for subscribing. We appreciate it! ☺️☺️
This is a great video to show what is really involved in remodeling an existing building. The deeper you dig the more you find.
so true!
Such an inspirational video to see such beauty and nutrients coming from land that would’ve otherwise remained destroyed and neglected without caring and driven owners. Please keep up the awesome work and message
Well said, thanks so much!
I am here from Ben's channel and admire everything you two have done. You are giving the house and property the love it deserves.
Aww this makes my heart happy. thank you so much! 💕
This video was posted Oct 22.2023 my fiance passed away 2 days before this was posted I just came across your channel and the dates r crazy u got married on my birthday and posted this video 2 days after he passed wow I guess I'm definitely gonna keep watching plus maybe I'll learn some things I wanna build my own tiny home .
My husband and I have experienced water seepage in our basement so he layed plastic like a tarp from foundation out but first he built up dirt higher around foundation slopping away from house. We then covered with dirt and landscaping. Didn’t have anymore problems after that in our old farm house. Another home a trench was dug so water that seemed to gather on our land would run to the trench. This was a perimeter drainage a good way from home on two sides. Then in garden area we use raised boxes and that too was on slope. We utilized free manures and wood chips from county fairs after fairs and 4 h events and also local saw mills. Worked great along with chickens waste and compost. God Bless your continued success in homesteading!
❤ exactly! God opened the door and You are where you need to be. Just beautiful! Congrats🎉 on the wedding. Sending warm blessings for many years ahead.
So sweet, Thank you!☺️❤️
You guys have done such a good job! We are about 18 months into being on our 1 acre place here in Australia. Found it hard to smash things out at fast as we want with working full time as well. You guys have achieved tons! The space you have has heaps of challenges, but it also has a lot of charm! Get yourselves a float valve for the ducks water, so it just refills itself when it drops below a certain level you set it to.
Thank you so much! It's definitely a lot of work, especially with such limited time, as you probably totally understand. We love it here, even if its the definition of a nightmare of a house lol it's OUR chaotic little home😂 We'll be getting the ducks a nice little pond setup soon in their big coop!
Thank you both so much for sharing so honestly. I feel that there are too many channels out there that only give a small portion of their journey.
Please keep it up!
Don't get discouraged! It is definitely tiring when the projects never end. Just know this is your life and you have to live this time anyway! You will get there day by day!
Yes! Thank you!
Any one with a real plan has starts with a beginning to ten years . Then go for the twenty years . Then the life long starts to take place . Great job everyone appreciate y'all sharing a wonderful story 🙏👏
Thank you so much! We definitely are in that early stage, but we're glad to be at least in the process and DOING IT!
I'm 72 and how I envy what you are doing at your age! My main regret in my life us that I didn't do this when I was capable of doing it and had the opportunity. I'm so excited for you and to see young people taking an interest in homesteading. Take things one step at a time. You will eventually reach your goal.
Thank you! We're so grateful to be here doing this now!
I think if you would have waited 10 years to do what you're doing you wouldn't have probably ended up doing what you wanted... So props to you you guys are amazing for doing what you're doing it's what makes America great to do our dreams... So I hope and am praying for your dreams to come true 🙏🙏🙏.... Never stop dreaming.....
Very nice video, no drama / acting, nice to see normal people finally lol THANK YOU Two....
Haha thank you! I couldn't act if I wanted to. Just sharing our lives with ya!
When we first moved in our garage flooded as well. My husband got a sealer and painted it on the lower portion of house and we put a french drain in. Its basically a large PVC pipe with holes in it. Voila it worked. Ah to be young with energy! lol
Congratulations on your homesteading journey! I learned about you kids by watching the Hollers! Good luck with your vision!
Thank you so much! And thanks for coming over to our channel! ☺
Excellent round up of your year guys, you have been busy!!! Keep up the good work. I enjoy watching young people chasing their dreams. Trust me you will get there way sooner than most. Keep finding ways to inspire.
Thank you so much & thanks for watching!! We’ve realized we don’t know any other way to live than to just go for it😆 it’s a bit hectic sometimes but always entertaining haha
Your story is awesome 👍 That land looks amazing, great work. Hollar Homestead sent me to your channel. Going to keep watching your journey
Thanks so much for coming over to our channel from the Hollars'! We're happy to have you here. We appreciate your kind comment!☺
Here from The Hollar Homestead 🏡
Thank you for helping them with their recent butchering!
Maybe Ben and the kids could help finish the coop. I think Jason and Loranne are close by, too. A day with all hands on deck could mean that the coop and run are done and you are freed up to do other things 😊
Hey there! Thanks for stopping over to our channel to hang out! Hope you enjoy☺ everyone's so busy! We don't wanna ask that of them, maybe for a bigger job someday we'll have them over to help! It would be fun! we're so close though! Fingers crossed they'll be in within the week!💕
@@calicocowacres words of wisdom from an "older" person: Never answer your question for someone else. Allow them the opportunity to say no or yes. You are and will continue to be a blessing in your new community and you deserve to have help building your farm!
Heck, you could probably invite a few of your UA-cam followers to a day or weekend of farm work and I bet several would jump at the chance to help out!
Continue to build a beautiful community around you and you will be forever blessed! I also think it's better to ask for help in the beginning so that you don't get burned out a few years in. I feel like that may be part of the reason some people stop farming or homesteading.
I already love your beautiful home and wish you many decades of joy and blessings!
I have been told that if you want to get rid of Kudzu for good, you need pigs. They will dig up the roots and it should never come back! Practice rotation grazing the pigs through your Kudzu jungle. It will take time to get it all, but the pigs will do it!
Ask the Hollar family on Hollar Homestead UA-cam channel. Get you some Bacon Seeds!!!
We’re thinking we might get some in the future to get rid of the kudzu down in our forest & to root up after the goats in the kudzu jungle. We have some logistics to work out for that first, though. It’s definitely something we’re considering 😁
You guys are wise beyond your years!!
thank you!
You inspire me. You make me feel confident that I can do it.
Well that's good to hear because you CAN! Cheering you on! :)
You guys are doing great in so many ways, we quit our jobs and moved to the middle of nowhere when our boys were young (really young) and some people were negative about our move, the house (double wide trailer on a overgrown homestead) we moved into, the fact that we had no jobs, etc. but our mortgage was cheaper than we could rent, and we were able to start our homestead, our boys were able to grow up roaming our land and learning so many skills along the way, that I don't regret a bit of the move. Sure we could have waited and stayed in the city and our house would have been worth more, but the payoff of raising our children in the country is worth every dollar we may have sacrificed. My only regret was we didn't record more of the journey and like you said the before and after. Your UA-cam channel has grown so fast good for you, I feel like we have been at this for so long and seen only slow growth. Keep up the good work guys, you won't regret owning your own land and living your dream.
This is so reassuring to hear. Thank you for sharing :) our channel growth is exciting and kind of scary at the same time lol so many people watching us! I am so so grateful, though!
Here from the Hollards. Happy to have found you and follow your journey. Congratulations!😊
Hi there! Thanks so much for coming to our channel. We appreciate it!❤️
one of the best homesteading videos. Tells the back story current story and future story. The video brings you along with them, versus normal homestead video that has you wondering how you, the viewer, got there. Looking forward to your future. thank you.
Wow what a compliment! We’re so glad you enjoyed it❤️❤️
Good to see Young people going this because the way the world is going.. you guys have the right mind set.. congratulations and keep going❤
Thanks so much!
Watched you helping process chickens with the Hollars. Then I subscribed! Enjoyed this video. Keep on the journey.
Thank you so much for coming over & watching! So glad you enjoyed it & thank you for subscribing ❤️😊
Just popped over from The Hollar Homestead. Can't wait to watch your videos!
Hello! So happy to have you here!☺️
Found you because of the Hollars. You’ve done a lot this year! Congratulations!
Well hey there! Thank you for the comment & thanks so much for coming over to our channel!❤️
My fiancé and I started our first garden and I’ve become aware of just how materialistic America is.. it’s actually quite frightening.. I’m 23 and no one around me has ever been interested to do the same things I do.. I’ve always been interested in doing things the ‘harder’ way and learning from those things. We bought a house at 20 years old and almost completely flipped it in just 3 years.. I love coming home and saying I did that.. it’s very comforting. I’m incredibly happy for you two! Keep up the hard work
I just happened upon your channel and am so happy I did. Such a great couple; living their dream. Best wishes. God bless.
I love this! You guys are so inspiring and I literally almost cried watching this