My homesteading resolutions for 2018 will be fairly basic because we've only been on this property for a few months and we have very little infrastructure in place.
Finish the pantry: We have a large family but our kitchen pantry is only about 3' x 3' x 6' and that isn't sufficient for keeping more than a few days' worth of food. We've gone through blizzards, floods, and job loss so I know how important it can be to have sufficient food on hand. We have a space in the basement where we will be building shelving units. The lowest shelves on each unit will be made with hardware cloth, mainly for potato storage. I like the design that Jeremy and Jaime of Guildbrook Farm used at their former homestead, as seen in this video, so that will be my basic plan for this.
Build the raised beds: We're planning on building 4' x 4' raised beds. We already have cedar siding panels to use as the sides and I plan to cut 4" x 4" posts for the corner bracing. I haven't decided if I should put weed barrier on the bottoms, leave them open, or even spread billboard tarps under them like I saw Doug of Off Grid with Doug and Stacy do in a recent video. Suggestions?
Build the chicken coop: We want to have a minimum of 10 - 15 hens on the homestead, just to supply eggs for our family. First we need to build a coop. We plan to have the birds confined, with plenty of wood chips on the ground. All kitchen scraps plus scratch and corn will be tossed on top of the wood chips. Twice a year the wood chips come out and spend six months resting before being put on the garden beds. I am open to design ideas! I'd like to incorporate some of the old cedar siding so the coop matches the raised beds. I'm sure someone will comment suggesting that we allow the birds to range freely. We have too many predators here. Someday I'll write about chasing a wolf out of my front yard. ;)
Although the original Challenge Contest post seemed to suggest choosing just one resolution, I have shared three because these must, must, must be done by late Spring 2018. Thank you, 
There is still time to participate! Pop over to the #HomesteadingChallenge #7 post and learn how to enter.
