Days 1–90. Soil, water, tools
The foundation block
- 1
Map your patch
Pace it out. Sun direction, slope, wettest corner, prevailing wind. Sketch it on a single page. This sketch will save you thousands later.
- 2
Soil test
RHS or local agricultural college test (£15–25). pH and texture decide everything from no-dig to which fruit trees survive.
- 3
Water audit
Identify every roof you can guttering for water butts. 1m² of roof = ~1L per mm of rain. UK average rainfall makes 1,000L of free water per year easy.
- 4
Tool kit
Sharp spade, fork, hand-fork, secateurs, watering can, wheelbarrow. Avoid power tools until year two. Most jobs don't need them.
- 5
Compost system
Two open bays or a Hotbin/Aerobin. Without this you'll buy compost forever and lose half the kitchen's value to the bin.
Days 91–180. Grow your first food garden
Resist the urge to plant everything. A 3m × 3m bed of high-trust crops will give more food than a 30m² mixed bed of beginner ambition.
- Five no-fail UK starters: courgettes, French beans, lettuce, kale, beetroot
- Two perennials worth planting now: rhubarb crown + 3 raspberry canes
- Two herbs that don't die: mint (in a pot, always) and rosemary
- Sow seasonally. RHS sowing calendar is free and brilliant
Days 181–270. Add one animal system
Pick chickens or bees, not both. Each is a small operating system that demands daily attention until you've internalised it. Doubling up in year one is how people quit.
| Aspect | Chickens | Bees |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | £400–600 | £500–800 |
| Daily time | 10 min | 5 min in season |
| Year-one yield | ~600 eggs | 0–10kg honey |
| Best for | Daily routine + family interaction | Pollination + low daily input |
| UK barrier | DEFRA registration + avian flu rules | Asian hornet vigilance |
Days 271–365. Systems and step out
By month nine you have soil that works, food coming in, animals that don't kill themselves. Now build the systems that take you genuinely off the supermarket and away from the grid bit by bit.
- Preserve your first big harvest. Pickle, ferment, freeze, water-bath jam
- Trial one off-grid system: solar charger for phones, rocket stove for outdoor kettle
- Sort the paperwork. DEFRA flock, water butts logged, insurance reviewed
- Write your year-one debrief. What worked, what to drop, year-two budget
The honest first-year buy list
| Category | Realistic spend |
|---|---|
| Soil test + tools | £140 |
| Seeds + plants (year 1) | £60 |
| Compost system | £80–250 |
| Water butts + diverters | £120 |
| 3 hens + coop + first-year feed | £550 |
| Preserving kit (jars, preserving pan, lids) | £90 |
| Off-grid trial (200W panel + small battery) | £250 |
| Total | £1,290–1,460 |
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Sowing calendar , Royal Horticultural Society
- Asian hornet. How to report , DEFRA
Written by
UK Homesteading Team
Editorial team
The UK Homesteading editorial team, offering UK-specific, evidence-led guidance on growing, keeping, preserving and the law.
