Foundations of Homestead Planning

This unit introduces foundational backyard homesteading skills including site selection, garden planning, soil management, planting and season timing, basic food‑preservation methods, and introductory small‑animal and pollinator care. Students will plan and prepare a functional garden space, practice safe preservation techniques, and develop basic care and equipment plans that prepare them for hands‑on production and advanced processing in later units.

Learning Objectives

• Design a scaled garden plan that specifies location, size, bed layout, trellis and cold‑frame placement, crop selections (seeds or transplants), and a seasonal planting schedule with calculated plant quantities based on spacing and yield expectations
• Evaluate soil characteristics using simple field tests and analysis results, and recommend specific amendments, composting strategies, mulching/row‑cover approaches, and watering plans to improve fertility, structure, and weed control
• Demonstrate safe food‑preservation practices by classifying preservation methods (water‑bath canning, low‑acid considerations, freezing, drying, fermentation, and cold storage), assembling appropriate canning and preservation gear, and performing a safe water‑bath canning of a high‑acid product and basic freezing/drying preparation
• Apply basic animal and pollinator husbandry principles to develop care plans for backyard chickens, rabbits, and bees that address housing, feeding, daily observation, biosecurity/safety, and regulatory/neighbor considerations