Homesteading: Is It a Job, Hobby, or Lifestyle? What You Need to Know

So you are growing food. Maybe you have a garden going, some chickens in the yard. People start asking: “Are you a farmer now?” And you think about it. Are you? Is this a hobby? A side hustle? A whole lifestyle?

This post covers Chapter 3 of Backyard Farming: Homesteading by Kim Pezza (Hatherleigh Press, 2015, ISBN: 978-1-57826-598-5). And the answer to “is homesteading a job or a lifestyle?” is: yes. It can be all three.

The Short Answer: It Is Whatever You Make It

Some people homestead purely for themselves. They grow food, eat it, and that is that. Hobby.

Some people turn it into income. They sell at farmers markets, supply restaurants, and run roadside stands. Job.

But here is what Pezza points out. Farming is a lifestyle by definition. The dictionary says a lifestyle is “a particular way of living.” And once you start homesteading, it changes how you live. Your mornings look different. Your weekends look different. Your relationship with food changes completely.

So even if it starts as a hobby, it becomes a lifestyle pretty fast.

Can You Actually Make Money?

Yes. And some people make a solid living at it.

Pezza notes that some farmers make a living off less than an acre. That sounds unbelievable, but with the right produce and the right market, it is real. High-value crops like herbs, microgreens, specialty peppers, and heirloom tomatoes can bring in good money from a small space.

Many homesteaders consider themselves farmers. They grow a wide variety of things including fruit trees, and they sell what they do not eat.

Ways to Sell Your Stuff

If you want to go commercial, you have options:

Farmers Markets: The classic route. You set up a booth, display your produce, and sell directly to customers. Presentation matters here. More on that in a second.

Front Yard Stands: The low-tech approach. Put a table at the end of your driveway with produce and a cash box. Some people do the honor system. It works better than you would expect.

Restaurants: Local restaurants love local produce. If you can supply consistent quality and quantity, this can be a steady income stream.

Market Gardens: This is when you dedicate your growing space specifically to selling. You plan your crops around what the market wants, not just what you want to eat.

But First: Zoning Regulations

Here is the problem with going commercial. Regulations.

Zoning laws strictly dictate what you can and cannot do. They cover:

• Whether you can keep livestock and how many
• Where you can place your garden
• Whether you can sell from your home
• What structures you can build

These rules vary wildly depending on where you live. What is perfectly legal in one town might get you fined in the next town over.

You absolutely must check your local zoning before you start selling anything. This is not optional. It is the single most important homework you can do.

The Chicken Situation

Good news: many urban areas now allow backyard chickens. The urban chicken movement has been huge over the past several years.

But there are usually limits. Most places cap you at 2 to 4 birds. And almost everywhere bans roosters because nobody wants to hear crowing at 4 AM. Your neighbors will not find it charming.

Check your city ordinances. Some require permits. Some have setback requirements for coops. Some have rules about where you can and cannot keep them.

Selling Prepared Foods: It Is Complicated

Want to sell jams, baked goods, or other prepared foods? That gets trickier.

Traditionally, you needed a commercial kitchen. That means a kitchen that meets health department standards, which is expensive and impractical for most homesteaders.

But here is some good news. Many states have passed Cottage Food laws that let you sell certain homemade foods without a commercial kitchen. Florida is a good example. These laws typically cover things like jams, baked goods, and dried herbs.

The rules vary by state. Some have sales caps. Some restrict where you can sell. But Cottage Food laws have opened the door for a lot of small producers.

Workshops and Classes

Some homesteaders make money by teaching. Canning workshops, gardening classes, chicken-keeping 101.

But be aware: if you are running workshops from your home, your city might classify that as a home business. And that might require licenses and permits. Again, check the rules.

Presentation Matters

If you are going to sell at a farmers market, Pezza emphasizes that presentation matters. A lot.

You are competing with other vendors. The person with the neat, clean, attractive display is going to outsell the person with a messy pile of vegetables on a folding table. It sounds shallow, but it is true.

Know your products. Be able to answer questions about how things were grown. Customers at farmers markets care about that stuff. That is literally why they are at a farmers market instead of a grocery store.

Low-Commitment Options for Beginners

Not ready for the full homestead experience? Pezza suggests starting small:

Container Gardening: Grow food in pots on your patio, balcony, or porch. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, lettuce. All doable in containers. This is the lowest commitment option and a great way to see if you even enjoy growing food.

Raised Beds: A step up from containers. Raised beds give you more growing space, better soil control, and easier maintenance. There are tons of types available, from simple wooden frames to fancy tiered systems.

Both options let you test the waters without major investment.

The Livestock Reality Check

If you are thinking about animals, you need a reality check. Livestock is a daily commitment. Twice daily in many cases.

Animals need to be fed every single day. Milking animals need to be milked every day. In the rain. When you are sick. On Christmas morning. There are no days off.

Before you get animals, honestly ask yourself: can I commit to this schedule for years? Because animals are not something you can just stop doing when it gets inconvenient.

The Bottom Line

Homesteading can be a hobby, a job, a lifestyle, or all three at once. There is no wrong way to do it.

But here is what Pezza keeps coming back to throughout this chapter: do your homework first. Understand the commitment. Know the regulations. Start small if you need to.

The people who succeed at homesteading are the ones who went in with open eyes. They knew it would be hard. They knew there would be regulations to navigate. They knew animals do not take weekends off.

And they did it anyway, because they wanted to.

That is the right reason.

Previous: Homestead Basics: Getting Started

Next: Urban Farm vs. Rural Homestead: A Comparison

This post is part of a 12-part series reviewing “Backyard Farming: Homesteading” by Kim Pezza (Hatherleigh Press, 2015, ISBN: 978-1-57826-598-5).