Homesteading can be a wonderful way to live a more frugal, self-sufficient life, but let’s be honest, it sure isn’t free.
Between seeds, feed, soil, tools, fencing, garden supplies, and animal care, a backyard homestead can cost real money. The good news is that your homestead can also help pay you back.
You do not need acres of land to make a little extra income from homesteading. Even a small backyard can produce food, supplies, products, or skills that other people may be willing to pay for.
Whether you raise chickens, grow a garden, keep rabbits, make homemade goods, or simply have extra produce to share, there are several practical ways to make money from your backyard homestead.
Make an Income From Your Backyard Homestead – Livestock
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead With Livestock
Chickens, Ducks, and Quail
If your backyard homestead includes chickens, ducks, or quail, there are several ways they may be able to help pay for themselves. Before you start selling eggs, chicks, ducklings, or other livestock products, be sure to check your local city, county, state, HOA, and farmers market rules.
Eggs for Eating
One of the simplest ways to make money from backyard poultry is by selling extra eggs. You may be able to sell eggs to friends, family, neighbors, or at a local farmers market.
Farm-fresh eggs are always popular, and you may be able to charge more for free-range, pastured, or specialty eggs, depending on your area.
I wrote more about that here: Selling Eggs from Your Backyard Homestead
Fertile Eggs
If you are allowed to keep a rooster on your property, fertile eggs can be another income option. Some people buy fertile eggs to hatch in their own incubators, especially if they are looking for specific breeds.
Rare, heritage, colorful, or popular breeds may bring in a higher price, so it is worth doing a little research to see what people are looking for in your area.
Day-Old Chicks, Ducklings, or Quail
Some homesteaders do not want to deal with incubating eggs, but they are happy to buy day-old chicks, ducklings, or quail for their brooders.
If you have a good setup and healthy breeding stock, this can be another way to earn money from your backyard homestead. You may also want to check with local feed stores to see if they ever work with small local breeders or if they know what breeds are most requested in your area.
Just remember, selling live animals comes with extra responsibility. Healthy parent stock, clean brooders, proper care, and honest communication with buyers matter.
Rabbits
Rabbits can be a great addition to a backyard homestead, and depending on the breeds you raise, they may offer several different income options.
Before selling rabbits, rabbit meat, pelts, fiber, or manure, be sure to check your local laws and any rules for your city, county, state, HOA, or farmers market.
Meat Rabbits
Meat rabbits continue to be popular with backyard homesteaders because they do not require a lot of space compared to many other livestock options.
If you are not raising them already, you can read more here: Getting Started with Meat Rabbits
Personally, I was often torn between selling kits and growing them out for meat. We had good success selling kits when we wanted to, especially because we chose a heritage breed and invested in good breeding stock from the beginning.
If you plan to raise meat rabbits, I do recommend doing your research first. Good housing, clean conditions, healthy breeding stock, and a clear plan matter.
Fiber Rabbits
Fiber rabbits are another option, especially as more homesteaders become interested in spinning their own yarn and learning traditional skills.
You can sell fiber rabbits, or you may be able to sell the fiber itself. Unlike meat rabbits, harvesting fiber does not require dispatching the animal, but it does require proper care and handling.
If you are interested in this route, I highly recommend finding a mentor who can show you how to properly groom, harvest, and prepare the fiber for sale.
You can read more here: Raising Fiber Rabbits
Pet Rabbits
Even though I was pretty set on raising meat rabbits, I still got talked into a little pet Lionhead, and I have to admit, they are sweet.
Pet rabbits can be popular with families, especially those who may not be ready for a cat or dog. Breeds like Lionheads are especially appealing to kids because of their fluffy coats and gentle personalities.
If you decide to sell pet rabbits, be honest with buyers about the care rabbits need. They are cute, but they are still a real commitment.
Rabbit Droppings
Yep, you can even sell rabbit poop.
Gardeners love rabbit droppings because they can be composted or added directly to the garden as fertilizer. If you have rabbits, you already know how much just one rabbit can produce.
You may be able to bag and sell rabbit manure to local gardeners, especially during planting season.
How to Use Rabbit Poop Fertilizer for a Better Garden
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead With Worms and Compost
Not every homestead income idea requires a large animal or a big garden. Worms, compost, and even mealworms can be practical ways to make a little extra money from a small backyard setup.
Mealworms
Chickens and quail love mealworms as a treat, and many backyard poultry owners are happy to buy them fresh or dried.
Raising mealworms is fairly simple once you have the right setup, and you may be able to sell them directly to people who keep chickens, quail, pet birds, or reptiles. You could also check with local pet stores to see if they are interested in buying from a local source.
Red Wigglers
Red wigglers are great for vermicomposting, and they are also popular with gardeners and people who fish.
You can raise red wigglers for your own composting system and sell the extras when your worm bin starts producing well.
You can read more here: How to Get Started Raising Red Wigglers
Compost and Worm Castings
Good compost is always useful, especially for gardeners who do not have the space, time, or patience to make their own.
If your homestead produces extra compost, worm castings, or composted manure, you may be able to sell it by the bag or bucket to local gardeners.
Worm castings can be especially popular because they are easy to use in gardens, raised beds, seed starting mixes, and container plants.
Check Out: Worm Factory Composting System
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead With Herbs
Herbs are one of the easiest backyard homestead products to start with because they do not require a lot of space. Many herbs can be grown in garden beds, containers, raised beds, or even on a sunny patio.
Fresh Herb Plants or Cuttings
If you have the space to grow herb transplants in small pots, you may be able to sell them to local gardeners in the spring and summer.
Popular herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro, lavender, and chives can be useful for cooking, tea, pollinator gardens, and natural living.
You can also sell fresh herb cuttings for people who want to dry their own herbs or use them right away in the kitchen.
Dried Herbs
If your herb garden produces more than you can use, drying and packaging herbs may be another way to make money from your backyard homestead.
Dried herbs can be sold for cooking, tea, homemade salves, natural cleaning, or craft projects, depending on the herb and how it is packaged.
Before selling dried herbs, be sure to check your local cottage food laws or any rules that apply in your area.
Herbal Tea Blends
If you enjoy making your own tea blends, this may be another way to use herbs from your backyard homestead.
You can create simple blends from herbs you grow yourself or combine your homegrown herbs with ingredients you purchase from reputable sources.
Just make sure you understand the rules for selling tea blends in your area, especially if you are packaging them for sale. You will also want to be careful with health claims. Keep the descriptions simple and do not promise that your tea will treat or cure anything.
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead Garden
Your garden can do more than feed your family. If you grow more than you need, or if you are willing to plan ahead, your backyard garden may be able to bring in a little extra income too.
Before selling seeds, plants, produce, or anything grown in your garden, check your local rules, farmers market requirements, and any regulations for selling plants or food in your area.
Seeds
If you already save seeds from your garden, you may have a market for selling some of them.
Heirloom, open-pollinated, organic, or hard-to-find varieties may be especially appealing to other gardeners. Just make sure you label them clearly and only sell seeds you are confident about.
You can read more here: Seed Saving
Transplants
I always seem to have more pepper and tomato seedlings than I actually need. If you do too, you may be able to sell the extras.
You can also grow transplants on purpose as a small seasonal business. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, cucumbers, squash, flowers, and other garden starts can be popular with people who want a garden but do not want to start everything from seed.
Spring is an obvious time to sell transplants, but depending on your growing zone, you may also be able to sell starts for fall gardens.
Fruits and Vegetables
If your garden produces more than your family can eat, selling extra fruits and vegetables can be a practical way to make money from your backyard homestead.
You may be able to sell to friends, neighbors, local groups, or through a small roadside stand if allowed in your area. If you have enough produce, you may also want to consider a booth at your local farmers market.
Fresh, local produce can be very appealing, especially when people know it came from a backyard garden in their own community.
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead From Your Kitchen
If you are skilled in the kitchen and have the time to make extras, you may be able to sell homemade goods from your backyard homestead.
Before selling any food items, check your state and local cottage food laws. Rules can vary depending on what you are making, how it is packaged, where you sell it, and whether the food needs refrigeration.
Jams, Jellies, and Canned Goods
Homemade jams, jellies, fruit butters, pickles, relishes, and other canned goods can be popular, especially if you use fruit, herbs, or produce from your own backyard.
However, canned goods may have stricter rules than baked goods or dry mixes, so make sure you understand what is allowed in your state before selling them.
Instant Pot Strawberry Jam Recipe
Jalapeno Jelly Recipe
Fresh Baked Breads
Fresh baked breads can be a wonderful homestead product to sell if your cottage food laws allow it.
Simple breads, rolls, muffins, quick breads, and other baked goods can be especially popular at farmers markets, local events, or through word of mouth.
Mastering the Skill of Homemade Bread Baking
Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipe
Pumpkin Ale Bread with Hatch Green Chiles
Sourdough, Kombucha, Kefir, and Other Starters
If you already make sourdough, kombucha, kefir, or other fermented foods at home, you may be able to sell starters to people who want to make their own.
This can be a great way to share a useful homestead skill, but again, check your local rules first. Fermented foods and drinks may have different regulations than simple baked goods.
Artisan Cheeses
Homemade cheese is another skill many homesteaders are interested in, but selling dairy products can come with strict rules and regulations.
If you make artisan cheese, you may be able to teach a class or share your process online, even if selling the finished product is not allowed in your area.
Beginner’s Guide to Making Chevre
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead With Crafts
Handmade items could easily be an entire post on their own. They can sell well locally, at farmers markets, at craft fairs, through word of mouth, and even online.
If you enjoy making things by hand, your backyard homestead may give you plenty of materials and inspiration for a small handmade business.
Homespun Yarn
If you raise fiber animals or enjoy spinning, homespun yarn can be a beautiful product to sell.
Knitters, crocheters, weavers, and other makers often appreciate unique yarns for special projects, especially when they know where the fiber came from.
Candles
Homemade candles can be a great craft to sell, especially when they are made in pretty jars, tins, mugs, or other cute containers.
If you keep bees, you may also be able to make candles from your own beeswax. Beeswax candles can be especially appealing to people who love natural handmade products.
Mason Jar Candles
How to Make Candles
Soaps, Lotions, Salves, and Balms
If you enjoy making handmade soaps, lotions, salves, or balms, this could become a wonderful small business.
You can make these products feel even more special by using herbs, flowers, beeswax, oils, or other ingredients from your own homestead when possible.
Just be careful with product claims. Keep your descriptions simple and avoid promising that a soap, salve, lotion, or balm will treat, cure, or heal a medical condition.
Simple to Make Creamy Calendula Salve
How to Make Melt and Pour Soap
Melt and Pour Coffee Soap
Needlecrafts
If you sew, knit, crochet, quilt, or embroider, there are many ways to turn those skills into income.
You could sell handmade dishcloths, washcloths, scarves, baby blankets, aprons, tote bags, quilts, mending services, or custom orders.
Smaller items can be easier to sell at markets because they are more affordable, while larger projects like quilts may work better as custom orders.
Woodworking
If you or someone in your family is gifted in woodworking, there are many products you could make and sell.
Garden signs, raised bed markers, chicken coop signs, cutting boards, shelves, small stools, herb drying racks, planters, and simple farmhouse-style decor can all fit well with a homestead audience.
For better profits, look for free or inexpensive wood, scraps, pallets, or reclaimed materials when it is safe to do so.
Make Money From Your Backyard Homestead With Your Knowledge
Your backyard homestead does not only produce food, animals, compost, or handmade goods. It also gives you experience, and that experience can be valuable to someone who is just getting started.
If you have learned how to raise chickens, start seeds, grow a garden, can food, bake bread, compost, make soap, raise rabbits, or manage a small homestead, you may be able to teach those skills to others.
Teach Classes at Home
If you have skills in any of the homesteading arts, consider offering small classes from your home.
This could be a simple backyard chicken class, a seed-starting workshop, a soap-making class, a sourdough class, or a beginner gardening class.
The overhead can be fairly low, especially if students bring some of their own supplies or if you include the cost of materials in the class fee. You may only need a few handouts, basic supplies, and a simple plan for what you want to teach.
Teach Classes Locally
You may also be able to teach classes through local rec centers, libraries, homeschool groups, garden clubs, feed stores, or community centers.
Feed stores can be a great place to ask because your class may also help them highlight products they already sell, such as chicken feed, garden supplies, seed-starting trays, or livestock equipment.
Start a YouTube Channel
If you enjoy teaching but do not want to host in-person classes, you could start a YouTube channel.
You can share simple tutorials, garden tours, animal care tips, product reviews, seasonal homestead chores, or “what I would do differently” videos.
A YouTube channel may not make money right away, but it can help you build trust, grow an audience, and eventually earn through ads, affiliate links, digital products, sponsored content, or your own classes.
How to Make Money from Your Backyard Homestead
Making money from your backyard homestead does not mean you have to turn every part of your life into a business.
Start with what you already have, what you already enjoy, and what people around you actually need. Maybe that is extra eggs, a few bags of rabbit manure, garden seedlings in the spring, handmade soap, or a simple class for beginners.
Given a little time, passion, and ability, your backyard homestead can begin to pay you back in more ways than one.
Just do not try to take on all of these ideas at once. Choose one simple place to start, learn what works, and build from there.
More Money Making Ideas
- Ways for Kids to Make Money
- How to Make Money with Chickens
- How to Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits
This post was originally published on February 24, 2017. It has been updated with fresh ideas, current tips, and additional ways to make money from your backyard homestead.
