🥔 Can’t Garden? You Can STILL Grow Potatoes Indoors! + The Truth About New Beginnings 💜

IN TODAY'S EDITION

1. Homestead Tip 🌱

2. Poll Results From Last Sunday 📊

3. All Things Homestead: Grow Potatoes Indoors: Fresh Spuds Without the Garden Space 🥔

4. Personal Development: Starting a New Chapter 💜

5. Today's Top Picks 🛍️

6. Let’s Keep It Reel 🤣

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POLL RESULTS FROM LAST SUNDAY

What do you love most about homesteading?

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Growing my own food

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Raising animals

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Living more self-sufficiently

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ The peaceful, simple lifestyle

via @beehiiv polls

Feel free to participate in fun polls in our next newsletters! 😉

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ALL THINGS HOMESTEAD

Grow Potatoes Indoors: Fresh Spuds Without the Garden Space 🥔 

Homesteaders understand the value of growing their own food, but space and weather don’t always cooperate. Growing potatoes indoors provides a simple and practical way to grow fresh, homegrown food, even if you’re living in a small space or facing off-season conditions.

Potatoes are perfect for this kind of gardening because they’re relatively low-maintenance, nutritious, and can be used in countless dishes—from mashed potatoes to stews to homemade fries.

Why Grow Potatoes Indoors?

Potatoes are a staple food, but they don’t require a lot of space to grow. And if you’re stuck in a smaller living situation or dealing with poor outdoor conditions, growing them indoors is a perfect solution.

• Limited space? No problem. Indoor potato growing takes up much less room than you might think.

• Year-round harvests: Potatoes aren’t just for spring and summer. You can grow them indoors and harvest fresh spuds even in the dead of winter.

• Control over growing conditions: By growing indoors, you can regulate light, temperature, and moisture. This means healthier plants and better yields.

What You’ll Need

• Seed Potatoes: These are potatoes grown specifically for planting. You don’t want to use potatoes from the grocery store because they may carry diseases.

• Containers: You’ll need something to grow them in. This could be large buckets, plastic bins, or even big pots. Just make sure they have drainage holes.

• Soil: Use good-quality potting soil or compost to fill your containers.

• Light Source: Potatoes need a lot of light. You can use grow lights or place them near a sunny window.

• Watering Can: Keep your potatoes hydrated, but be careful not to overwater them.

Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Potatoes Indoors

1. Prepare Your Seed Potatoes

Start by cutting your seed potatoes into pieces, making sure each piece has at least one “eye” (those little sprouts on the surface). Let the pieces sit for 24-48 hours to dry out. This helps to prevent rotting once they’re planted.

2. Select Your Container

Choose a container that’s large enough to give your potatoes room to grow. Five-gallon buckets work great, but anything with a decent depth will work. Make sure there are drainage holes to prevent waterlogging.

3. Add Soil

Fill your container with about six inches of soil. This gives your seed potatoes plenty of room to root and grow. Gently place the seed potato pieces on top of the soil, with the eye facing up.

4. Cover and Water

Once your seed potatoes are in place, cover them with another 4-6 inches of soil. Keep the soil moist, but don’t soak it. Potatoes like it damp, but not soggy.

5. Provide Light

Potatoes need around 6-8 hours of light per day. If you have a sunny window, place your container there. If not, consider using grow lights. Potatoes need this light to produce strong, healthy plants.

Care and Maintenance for Indoor Potatoes

Growing potatoes indoors doesn’t require constant attention, but you do need to check in on them from time to time.

• Watering: Keep the soil moist, but be sure it’s not too wet. Water the potatoes whenever the top inch of soil feels dry.

• Hilling Up: As your potato plants grow taller, you’ll want to hill the soil around the base of the plant. This just means adding more soil to cover the stems, which encourages more potatoes to form.

• Temperature: Potatoes like cooler temperatures, so keep them between 60-70°F. If it’s too warm, they may stop growing or produce fewer potatoes.

Harvesting Your Potatoes

After about 10-12 weeks, your indoor potatoes will be ready for harvest! Here's what to do:

• Check the plants: When the plant begins to turn yellow and die off, it’s a good sign that your potatoes are ready.

• Carefully dig: Gently pull the plant from the soil and check for potatoes. Be careful not to damage the tubers.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Too much light: If your potato plants start to turn yellow or brown, it could be because they’re getting too much light. Try moving them to a slightly shadier spot or lowering your grow lights.

• Too little light: On the flip side, if your potatoes are growing spindly and weak, they might not be getting enough light. Give them more exposure.

• Pests: While it’s less common indoors, pests can still find their way. Check for aphids or other insects and remove them by hand or with a gentle soapy water spray.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Starting a New Chapter 💜

Life has a way of pushing people into new seasons… sometimes expected, sometimes not. Whether it’s moving to a new homestead, changing careers, or simply feeling like it’s time for something different, starting fresh can feel overwhelming.

If you're standing at the edge of something new and wondering how to move forward, here’s how to embrace this season with confidence and clarity.

1. Accept That Change Is Normal (Even When It’s Uncomfortable)

Change isn’t always easy. Even good changes (like finally getting that dream piece of land) can come with stress and uncertainty. It’s okay to feel nervous. The key is to not let that fear keep you stuck.

• Acknowledge the transition: Give yourself permission to feel all the emotions that come with change. It’s normal to feel a mix of excitement, fear, and doubt.

• Focus on what’s within your control: You can’t control every outcome, but you can control how you respond. Shift your mindset from “What if this goes wrong?” to “What if this turns out better than I imagined?”

• Remember past challenges: Look back at tough times you’ve already faced and conquered. You’ve handled big changes before, and you can do it again.

2. Get Clear on What You Want Next

• Define your goals: What do you actually want out of this new season? More time with family? A simpler lifestyle? Better health? Write it down. The more specific, the better.

• Prioritize what matters: Not everything needs to come with you into this new chapter. Let go of old habits, clutter, or commitments that don’t align with where you’re headed.

• Create a vision: If you’re moving to a homestead, picture what that life looks like. If you’re shifting careers, imagine your ideal workday. Visualization helps turn abstract dreams into concrete steps.

3. Take Small, Consistent Steps Forward

A big life change can feel like standing at the bottom of a mountain. But no one climbs a mountain in one leap… it happens one step at a time.

• Break it down: Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, focus on small, manageable steps. If you’re transitioning to off-grid living, start with learning one skill before overhauling your whole lifestyle.

• Create a daily habit: Small actions lead to big results. If your goal is to be healthier, start with drinking more water or taking daily walks before committing to a huge fitness routine.

• Celebrate progress: Every step forward is a win. Acknowledge the progress you’re making, even if it’s slow.

4. Surround Yourself with the Right Support

• Find like-minded people: Whether it’s fellow homesteaders, business owners, or a supportive group of friends, connect with people who understand your journey. Their encouragement will help keep you motivated.

• Learn from others: If you’re diving into something new, seek out mentors, books, or courses that can guide you. Want to raise goats? Follow someone who’s been doing it for years. Need help organizing your home? Find someone who’s mastered simple living.

• Let go of naysayers: Not everyone will understand your new direction, and that’s okay. Surround yourself with people who support your vision, not those who doubt it.

5. Stay Flexible and Adjust as Needed

• Be willing to pivot: Maybe you thought raising bees would be your thing, but now you’re realizing dairy goats are more your speed. That’s okay! Adjust and keep moving forward.

• Give yourself grace: Not every day will be perfect. Some days will feel frustrating or slow. Keep going anyway.

• Trust the process: Every new chapter comes with a learning curve. The mistakes, the unexpected detours (they’re all part of getting where you’re meant to be).

6. Let Go of the Past (Without Forgetting What It Taught You)

Moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting where you’ve been. It means carrying the lessons, not the baggage.

• Release old regrets: Everyone has things they wish they’d done differently. But dwelling on the past won’t change it. Learn from it and let it go.

• Focus on what’s ahead: Keep your eyes on what you’re building, not what you’re leaving behind. The future holds more opportunities than the past ever could.

THE STEADY HOME’S GIGGLE CHAMBER

How do you make a scarecrow fall in love?

Stuff them with compliments!

TODAY'S TOP PICKS

LET’S KEEP IT REEL!

I've put together some fantastic farm videos that are sure to make you laugh. Take a look and enjoy the fun!

1. This is just too good:

@stevefromthefarm

Cow Humor #fyp #stevefromthefarm #funny #humor #cow #foryou #foryoupage #haha #farm #burger #cooking #cook #joke #sunday #tiktok #homestead

2. It's not exactly hilarious, but just a tiny, adorable baby goat bouncing around. Pure cuteness!

@harryemmel

Little smiley boy

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