Uncommon Ways to Make Money Homesteading

Skip the usual egg-and-jam advice—discover creative, doable ways to make money homesteading, even if you’re short on land or time.

Homemade goat milk soap, dried herbs, and seed packets displayed on a rustic wooden table.

If you’ve been asking yourself how to make money homesteading without selling a mountain of eggs or jars of jam, you’re not alone. Most of us start homesteading to live a little more simply, a little more independently—but that doesn’t mean it can’t support your income, too.

The problem? Most articles on how do homesteaders make money repeat the same ideas: eggs, honey, veggies. Those are great if you’ve got space and volume, but what if you’re working with a small lot and even smaller margins?

Here are some creative, realistic income streams for homesteaders who want to bring in extra cash—without needing 40 acres and a commercial kitchen.

Teach What You Know

You don’t need to be a master gardener or full-time farmer to share what you’ve learned. If you’ve figured out how to can green beans without crying or finally got sourdough to rise, someone else wants to learn from you.

Offer Workshops or Classes

Host backyard canning demos or herbal salve-making sessions.
Teach gardening basics or how to build a raised bed from scrap wood.
Partner with local libraries or adult ed programs to expand your reach.

Create and Sell Digital Courses

Use slideshow-based presentations or voice-over videos.
Keep it casual and beginner-friendly.
Bundle your class with a printable or eBook to add value.

Rent Out Your Homestead Skills

A lot of people want a homestead vibe without the daily work. That’s where you come in.

Hands-On Services

Install raised beds, compost bins, or trellises for neighbors.
Offer seasonal garden cleanup or planting help.
Provide small livestock care while others are out of town.
Offer goat hoof trimming services—many homesteaders are happy to pay someone else to do this tricky, time-consuming task.

Wooden raised garden bed filled with composting leaves against a wood-paneled shed. — Build raised beds or compost bins from scrap wood and offer installation services in your area.

Creative Seasonal Work

Make natural holiday porch pots or wreaths with evergreen trimmings.
Decorate front steps with pumpkins, corn stalks, or homegrown flowers.

Sell Unique Physical Products

Skip the generic roadside egg stand and lean into the weird and wonderful.

Foraged & Wildcrafted Goods

Sell wild herbs like nettle, yarrow, or pine needles (where legally permitted).
Offer dried herb bundles, fire starters, or natural dye plants.

Kits & Starter Packs

Sourdough starter + feeding instructions.
Canning kits with reusable lids, labels, and a how-to guide.
Soap or salve kits made with your own herbs or goat milk. I’ve got an awesome recipe for goat milk shampoo bars that’s always a hit and makes a great addition to homestead gift bundles.

A glass jar of sourdough starter on a wooden board with a parchment paper cover. — Turn your sourdough hobby into income by selling starter kits with feeding guides.

Small Livestock Niche Sales

Fertile hatching eggs or chicks from rare breeds.
Homemade herbal treats for poultry or goats.
Bagged rabbit, chicken, or worm manure for garden use.

Create and Sell Digital Products

If you’ve already built a system that works, turn it into a printable.

Low-Cost, High-Value Downloads

Garden planners and seasonal task checklists.
Egg and produce sales logs.
Homestead budget trackers and inventory logs.

These are perfect for Etsy, your own site, or as subscriber freebies to build your email list. I’ve got a growing collection of homestead printables in my Etsy shop if you want to check out some examples or grab a few for yourself—and you can save 10% with the coupon code HOMESTEADHUSTLE!

Niche Info Products That Solve a Problem

Think about pain points your readers or neighbors bring up—then build around that.

Create a troubleshooting guide for winter seed starting or pest control.
Offer an eBook on how to start a backyard compost system.
Develop a mini-course on creating a backyard herbal apothecary or raising quail in small spaces.

Laptop screen showing The 104 Homestead Printables Etsy shop page with organized homestead printables. — Sell digital products like printables to bring in passive income from your homestead skills.

Grow and Sell the Unusual

You don’t need rows of corn. Just a few square feet can grow something special.

Specialty Plants

Medicinal herbs like calendula, lemon balm, and comfrey.
Unique dye plants like indigo or amaranth.
Cut flowers or rare heirloom seedlings in spring.

Houseplant Cuttings

Sell starter packs of easy-to-root indoor plants.
Package in thrifted jars or compostable pots.

Turn Your Property Into a Seasonal Space

Your backyard might be more photogenic than you think.

Rent Out Your Space

Offer mini photo sessions in your garden, flower beds, or chicken run.
Host pick-your-own herb or bouquet days.

Partner Locally

Work with photographers to host seasonal shoots.
Let local herbalists or chefs host workshops on your land.

Use Your Words

If you like writing (or just have strong opinions about cast iron), put your thoughts to work.

Pitch Local Outlets

Submit seasonal tips or DIYs to regional newspapers or homestead magazines.
Write about your own journey—failures and all. Readers love real stories.

Guest Post or Contribute

Reach out to homesteading blogs that pay for tutorials.
Use writing to lead people back to your own blog, email list, or shop.

Flip Farm & Garden Finds

If you’ve got a good eye and a little elbow grease, you can turn old tools and scrap into profit.

Resell or Upcycle

Clean up cast iron pans or garden tools from thrift stores.
Turn salvaged wood into planter boxes, coops, or signs.
Offer rustic home decor made from barn finds or foraged materials.

Build and Sell Custom Creations

Use your homestead skills to craft functional pieces others want.

Make compost sifters, brooder boxes, or chicken saddles.
Customize signs, seed trays, or homestead-themed gifts.
Use scrap metal or wood to build useful homestead tools you can’t buy at the store.

White chicken wearing a handmade pink patterned saddle in a coop. — Creative crafts like chicken saddles can be both functional and fun to sell at local markets or online.

Got Questions About Making Money on the Homestead?

It depends on your state and what you’re selling. Digital products and informal plant sales may not require licensing, but food items often do.

While it varies widely, many side hustles on this list can bring in $50–$500/month each. Stack a few for solid supplemental income.

Start small and low-cost. Use what you have, then upgrade once you’ve proven demand and earned some income.

Absolutely. Most of these ideas work even on a tiny backyard, front porch, or community garden plot.

Pin now, earn later—these tips could launch your next homestead side hustle.

A bubbly jar of sourdough starter on a wooden board, paired with a rustic loaf of bread below, highlighting alternative homestead income streams.

You don’t have to sell eggs by the dozen to bring in homestead income. These lesser-known ideas are perfect for those with limited land, tight schedules, or just a knack for the creative side of homesteading.

Start with one small idea and build from there. You might be surprised how a tiny project—like selling sourdough kits or offering garden help—can grow into something sustainable.

What’s the most unexpected way you’ve made money on your homestead? Share your story in the comments!