Regenerative Homesteading Is Not About Land Size

Welcome back to the Gubba Podcast. I'm Gubba, a first time homesteader following in the footsteps of my homesteading forebears. I discuss everything from homesteading to prepping and everything in between. Today, we are going to be discussing regenerative homesteading. What that looks like, and how you can do it from anywhere. I am a huge advocate of being able to homestead from anywhere, so this topic is very important to me!

One of the biggest misunderstandings around homesteading is the idea that it starts with land ownership. People assume that unless they have acreage, animals, or plans to move somewhere rural, they are locked out of this lifestyle. In reality, regenerative homesteading has nothing to do with square footage and everything to do with how resources move through your life.

Regenerative homesteading is about creating systems that improve over time rather than degrade. It is about learning how to cycle nutrients instead of throwing them away, how to build soil instead of replacing it, and how to work with natural patterns rather than forcing outcomes. These principles apply whether you live in an apartment, a suburban neighborhood, a rental, or a full homestead.

Once people understand that regeneration is a practice rather than a place, it becomes accessible. You stop waiting for the perfect setup and start working with what you already have.

What Regenerative Homesteading Actually Means

Regenerative homesteading means that every action you take on the land has a long-term purpose. Instead of extracting resources and patching problems as they arise, you build systems that feed themselves.

Healthy soil feeds plants. Plants feed animals. Animals return fertility to the soil. Water is slowed down and absorbed instead of rushed away. Waste becomes input. Over time, the system requires less effort, fewer external resources, and produces more nourishment.

This is how land was traditionally worked for generations. Nothing was wasted because nothing could afford to be. Modern convenience broke those cycles. Regenerative homesteading restores them.

How to Build a Regenerative Homestead in an Apartment or Rental

People living in apartments or rentals often feel like they are excluded from homesteading, but these spaces are actually ideal for learning regenerative principles because everything must be intentional.
The first place to start is food waste. Most households throw away enormous amounts of fertility every week in the form of kitchen scraps. One of the most effective ways to reclaim those nutrients in small spaces is through bokashi fermentation.

Bokashi works by fermenting food scraps rather than composting them with air. To do this, you use a sealed bucket with a drain at the bottom. As you cook, you add food scraps to the bucket and sprinkle them with bokashi bran, which contains beneficial microbes. You press the scraps down to remove air, seal the lid, and repeat this process until the bucket is full.

Every few days, you drain the liquid that collects at the bottom. This liquid can be diluted heavily with water and poured into soil or down drains to support microbial activity. After the bucket is full, it sits sealed for about two weeks. The contents will look fermented, not rotten

That fermented material can then be buried in container gardens, added to raised beds, or mixed into soil where it breaks down quickly without odor. Even renters with no outdoor space can store the fermented scraps and add them to planters, houseplants, or community garden plots.

Container gardening becomes regenerative when soil is treated as permanent. Instead of dumping pots each season, you amend them. Old roots are cut at the base and left to decompose. Compost and fermented scraps are mixed in. Soil is kept covered with mulch so it stays moist and biologically active. Over time, container soil becomes richer instead of depleted.

Regenerative Gardening in Suburban Yards and Small Lots

Suburban yards are often managed in ways that actively remove fertility. Grass is cut, leaves are bagged, and soil is left exposed. Regenerative homesteading flips that model.

One of the most practical methods for converting lawn into productive space is sheet mulching. This process requires no tilling and no heavy equipment.

Cardboard is laid directly over grass to block light. Compost, manure, or soil is layered on top, followed by mulch such as straw, leaves, or wood chips.
The cardboard breaks down, the grass underneath decomposes, and soil life moves upward. Within a few months, the area is ready for planting. This method protects soil structure and encourages worm activity, which naturally aerates and fertilizes the ground.

Perennials are especially valuable in regenerative systems because they stabilize soil and reduce labor. Fruit trees, berry bushes, and perennial herbs can be planted once and produce for years. Under those plants, ground covers like clover or herbs protect soil from erosion, retain moisture, and feed beneficial insects.

Instead of separating garden space from yard space, regenerative homesteading blends them. Food grows where it fits. Edible plants replace ornamentals. The entire landscape becomes productive.

How to Build Soil Anywhere You Live

Soil building is the foundation of regeneration, and it is not complicated, but it does require consistency.

Healthy soil is created by feeding microorganisms. This means adding organic matter regularly and avoiding practices that kill soil life. Compost, leaf litter, animal manure, kitchen scraps, and plant residues all feed soil when applied correctly.

One key practice is leaving roots in the ground after harvest. Instead of pulling plants out entirely, you cut them at soil level. The roots decompose underground, feeding microbes and improving soil structure.

Mulching is another essential practice. Bare soil dries out, erodes, and loses life. Covering soil with straw, leaves, wood chips, or even grass clippings protects it and creates habitat for beneficial organisms.

Even people with no land can build soil through container systems, shared garden plots, or donating compost to community spaces. Regeneration does not require ownership. It requires participation.

Using Animals Regeneratively on Any Scale

Animals are not a separate part of a regenerative homestead. They are one of the main ways the land heals, builds fertility, and maintains balance when they’re managed with intention. On my homestead, the animals are not just there for production. They are there to work the land alongside me.

Chickens are one of the easiest places to start, but the key is that they are not allowed to stay in one place too long. When chickens have unrestricted access to the same area, they quickly strip vegetation, compact soil, and create bare ground. Using mobile coops and temporary fencing, chickens are moved regularly so they can scratch, fertilize, and clean an area without destroying it.

When chickens are moved correctly, they become one of the most effective tools for land management. They break up manure left behind by larger animals, eat fly larvae and pests, and distribute nutrients evenly across the ground. After harvesting garden beds, chickens are rotated through to clean up leftover plant matter, eat insects, and deposit manure before the beds are rested and replanted. In this system, food scraps become eggs, garden waste becomes feed, and fertility never leaves the property.

Goats play a very different but equally important role. I have an in depth podcast of how to care for goats you can check out if you are interested in the pros and cons of goats. Goats are browsers, not grazers, which means they prefer brush, weeds, shrubs, and invasive plants over grass. This makes them ideal for land clearing and restoration. On my land, goats are used to manage overgrown areas, reduce invasive species, and open up space for grasses and native plants to return.

You can rotate through specific areas using portable fencing wher they are allowed to browse an area briefly and then moved before plants are stripped down too far. This encourages regrowth instead of destruction. Over time, areas that were once choked with brush become productive pasture or usable land without machinery or chemicals.

Sheep complement goats beautifully because they graze differently. While goats focus on brush and higher vegetation, sheep prefer grasses and lower-growing plants. When managed together or rotated separately through the same areas, they help maintain balance. Sheep graze grass down evenly, which encourages thicker regrowth and healthier root systems when given proper rest periods.

Sheep also contribute steady manure that feeds soil life and improves pasture fertility. By rotating sheep through paddocks and allowing land adequate recovery time, the pasture improves year after year. Grass becomes denser, soil structure improves, and erosion decreases. This is especially important on small acreage, where land must stay productive without being pushed too hard.
The real key to using animals regeneratively is timing and movement. Animals are not meant to stay in one place indefinitely. They are meant to impact land briefly and then move on. That movement mimics natural grazing patterns and gives plants time to recover, deepen roots, and build resilience.

Even on small properties, this can be done with portable fencing, smaller paddocks, or simple rotation schedules. The land tells you what it needs if you pay attention. When plants start looking stressed, animals move. When regrowth appears strong, they return later.

Every animal fills a role when placed intentionally. Chickens clean and fertilize. Goats restore overgrown land. Sheep build pasture. Together, they create a system where fertility increases instead of being depleted, and the land becomes healthier the longer it is worked.

This is what regenerative homesteading with animals looks like in practice. The animals are not separate from the land. They are part of how the land heals.

Regenerative Water Management and Rain Collection

Water is one of the most overlooked aspects of homesteading, yet it determines whether land thrives or struggles. Most modern landscapes are designed to move water away as quickly as possible through gutters, drains, and hard surfaces. Regenerative homesteading slows water down and allows it to soak into the soil.

Rain collection is one of the simplest ways to support this. Gutters can be directed into rain barrels or storage tanks rather than storm drains. Even a single barrel can collect a surprising amount of water from one rainfall. That water can be used to irrigate gardens, trees, and containers.
For people in apartments, rain collection might look like placing containers on balconies or patios to catch runoff. In yards, overflow from barrels can be directed into garden beds or tree basins so excess water benefits plants rather than flooding areas.

Mulch plays a critical role in water management. Covered soil absorbs and retains moisture far better than bare ground. Healthy soil acts like a sponge, holding water during dry periods and releasing it slowly.
On sloped land, planting along contours and creating shallow channels helps slow runoff and prevent erosion. Even small adjustments, like shaping soil around trees to catch rain, can dramatically improve water efficiency.

Food Preservation as Part of Regeneration

Growing food without preserving it creates a gap in the system. You put time, energy, water, soil fertility, and care into producing food, but if that food is only usable for a short window and the excess goes to waste, the cycle is incomplete. Regenerative homesteading looks at preservation as the bridge between seasons, because abundance is only useful if it can be carried forward.

Preservation allows the work you do during the growing season to continue feeding your household long after the garden has slowed down. It reduces dependence on outside food sources, smooths out seasonal fluctuations, and honors the resources that went into producing that food in the first place. Every traditional food culture understood this. Preservation wasn’t optional. It was how people survived and thrived year-round.

Canning is often the backbone of a regenerative pantry because it allows you to preserve complete meals, broths, meats, vegetables, and fruits in a shelf-stable form. When you can food properly, you are essentially capturing the harvest at its peak and locking it in. Tomatoes become sauces. Bones become broth. Meat becomes ready-to-use meals. Instead of relying on a freezer or last-minute store runs, your pantry becomes a working extension of your homestead.

Fermentation plays a slightly different role, but it’s just as important. Fermenting vegetables, fruits, and even drinks preserves food while also transforming it. Through fermentation, beneficial bacteria break down sugars and starches, making food easier to digest and extending its shelf life naturally. Vegetables that might spoil quickly, like cabbage, cucumbers, or carrots, become foods that last for months while supporting gut health. In a regenerative system, fermentation is another way nutrients are protected rather than lost.

Drying is one of the oldest preservation methods and works beautifully for herbs, fruits, and even some vegetables and meats. Herbs that would lose potency when left fresh can be dried and used all year. Fruits can be sliced and dehydrated for snacks that don’t rely on packaging or refrigeration. Drying concentrates flavors and nutrients while requiring very little equipment, making it accessible at almost any scale.

Freezing is often used alongside other methods, especially for things like berries, chopped vegetables, or prepared meals. While it does rely on electricity, freezing still plays a role in reducing waste and extending harvests. Many homesteaders use freezing as a temporary step before canning or fermenting, especially during peak harvest times when everything comes in at once.

Root storage is another method that often gets overlooked but fits perfectly into regenerative homesteading. Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, and squash can be stored for months in cool, dark conditions without processing at all. This method preserves food in its most natural state and requires almost no energy input beyond proper storage conditions.

What all of these methods have in common is that they allow abundance to be honored instead of rushed through. They turn peak harvest seasons into steady nourishment. They reduce waste. And they make the homestead more resilient.
For many people, canning is the piece that feels the most intimidating. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, and modern kitchens rarely teach these skills anymore. That’s exactly why I created The Homestead Prepper’s Guide to Canning. It walks through canning in a clear, practical way, covering water bath and pressure canning, safety, equipment, and how to confidently preserve the foods you’re actually growing and raising.

Canning isn’t just about filling jars. It’s about understanding why certain foods are preserved certain ways, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to build a pantry that actually supports your homestead and your family. When you know how to can properly, it changes how you grow food, how you harvest, and how you plan your seasons.

Preservation completes the regenerative loop. The soil feeds the plants. The plants feed the household. The excess is preserved. And the preserved food feeds you when the land is resting. That rhythm is what makes homesteading sustainable long-term, not just productive in the moment.
If someone is serious about building a regenerative homestead, preservation isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

Community and Shared Regeneration

Homesteading has never been a solo activity. Historically, communities shared tools, labor, seeds, and knowledge. Regenerative homesteading still thrives in community.

Community gardens allow renters to grow food. Seed swaps preserve plant diversity. Bartering eggs for produce or labor for land access keeps resources circulating locally.

Regeneration extends beyond soil. It strengthens relationships and creates resilience at every level.

Start Where You Are

Regenerative homesteading does not require perfection, ownership, or a timeline. It begins the moment you stop wasting resources and start cycling them.

You can build soil in a pot. You can ferment scraps in a bucket. You can catch rain in a barrel. You can grow food where grass once sat. You can work with animals on small scales. You can preserve what you grow and share what you have.

The land responds when it is supported, no matter how small the space. Over time, systems build on themselves. Effort decreases. Fertility increases.

Confidence grows.

That is regenerative homesteading, and it can begin anywhere. I hope that you enjoyed this, and thank you for listening!