8 Ways We’re Making Money From Our Homestead (And Working Toward $4,000 a Month)

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Can a homestead actually help pay for itself?

That’s a question we’ve been thinking about a LOT lately.

Because as much as I love growing food, planting flowers, and building this life at Hummingbird Acres, there’s another side to having a property like this:

It costs money.

There is always another project, repair, load of soil, piece of equipment, packet of seeds, or section of fencing waiting for us.

So we’ve set a goal.

We’d eventually like Hummingbird Acres to bring in an additional $4,000 per month.

We’re definitely not there yet.

In fact, that’s part of why I’m sharing this now.

I don’t want to wait until we’ve figured everything out and then give you a polished list of “proven” ways to make money homesteading.

I want to share what we’re actually trying, what we’re learning, and eventually what works—and what doesn’t.

But there’s one thing we’ve already decided:

We’re not going to make money from our homestead by turning it into a place we no longer enjoy.

And that decision has shaped almost every income stream we’re building.

We’re Not Looking for One $4,000 Idea

When we first started thinking seriously about creating additional income from the property, it would have been easy to start searching for the most profitable homestead businesses.

But I don’t think that’s necessarily the best place to start.

Because what works for one homestead may be completely wrong for another.

Maybe someone makes great money selling eggs—but you don’t want 100 chickens.

Maybe someone has an incredible sourdough business—but you don’t want to spend several nights a week baking.

Maybe a flower farmer makes thousands selling bouquets—but harvesting and arranging flowers every day doesn’t fit your life.

Just because something can make money doesn’t mean it’s a good business for YOU.

Instead, Jamie and I started looking at Hummingbird Acres.

What do we already have?

What are we already doing?

What skills do we already know?

What are people already asking us for?

What can we realistically manage?

And where do we want this property to go in the future?

Those questions led us to eight potential income streams.

The 8 Homestead Income Streams We’re Building

Some of these are already bringing in money.

Some are ready to launch.

Others are still very much experiments.

Airbnb Rentals

Our campers were one of the most obvious places to start because we already owned them.

Once we weren’t living in them anymore, they became assets that could potentially generate income instead of simply sitting on the property.

And that’s exactly what has happened.

Our Airbnb rentals are currently the most established of these eight income streams and have taught us an important lesson:

Before asking what you need to buy to make money, look at what you already own.

Sometimes the opportunity is already sitting in your backyard.

Photography Sessions

We’re also beginning to think of the property itself as an asset.

Instead of offering photography, we’re offering photographers access to parts of Hummingbird Acres for their own sessions.

That might include family photos, maternity sessions, senior pictures, seasonal mini sessions, or photographs in the flower fields.

This one is especially interesting because we don’t have to create a new product for every customer.

The garden can be beautiful for one photography session—and still be there for the next one.

Plant-Start CSA

Gardening is already part of our life, so creating a plant-start CSA felt like a natural extension of something we’re already doing.

Instead of only selling plants, I love the idea of making gardening easier for someone who doesn’t know where to begin.

Because sometimes the value isn’t simply:

“Here’s a tomato plant.”

It’s:

“Here’s what you need to get your garden started without standing in the garden center wondering what in the world you’re supposed to buy.”

That’s a very different experience.

Kids’ Summer Camps and Field Trips

I’m grouping these together because they came from the same realization:

Our property isn’t our only asset. Our skills matter too.

I’m a teacher.

So when we started looking at ways Hummingbird Acres could generate income, creating opportunities for kids to learn here made sense.

Gardening, pollinators, food, nature, and practical skills can all be taught through hands-on experiences.

And this fits a much bigger dream I have for Hummingbird Acres.

I don’t want everything we do here to happen behind closed gates.

I want people to experience this place.

I want kids learning here.

I want families connecting here.

And I want people to leave feeling more capable than when they arrived.

Farmers Markets and Our Farmstand

These two income streams give us places to sell things we’re already making or growing.

Baked goods.

Flowers.

Spices.

Seasonal products.

And whatever else makes sense as we learn.

Farmers markets are going to be an experiment for us.

We’ll have to look beyond how much money comes in and ask how much it actually costs us in ingredients, fees, travel, preparation, and TIME.

The farmstand could give us another way to sell some of those same products without leaving the property.

And that’s where our strategy starts getting much more interesting.

You-Pick Flowers

This is probably the income stream I’m most excited about.

I’ve grown cut flowers for years, and at one point I even sold some of our extra bouquets.

But becoming a traditional cut-flower farm—with us harvesting, processing, and arranging flowers constantly—doesn’t fit our life particularly well.

So we’re trying a different model.

You pick them.

The dream is to create a place where you can come with your daughter, mom, or a group of friends, walk through the flowers, cut a bouquet, take pictures, talk, and simply enjoy being here.

And that flower field could potentially support much more than you-pick flowers.

It could provide flowers for the farmstand.

Flowers for farmers markets.

A location for photography.

A learning space for field trips.

Eventually, maybe workshops or other events.

Which brings me to what I think is the biggest lesson we’re learning from this whole experiment.

One Homestead Asset Can Do More Than One Job

When we first started thinking about eight income streams, I pictured eight separate businesses.

But that’s not really what we’re building.

We’re building an ecosystem.

The flower field is probably the easiest example.

We grow the flowers once.

Those flowers can create multiple opportunities.

The property itself can create multiple opportunities.

My teaching experience can create multiple opportunities.

The products we make for a farmers market could also potentially be sold through the farmstand.

Everything starts connecting.

And that changes the question from:

“How can I do MORE?”

to:

“How can what I’m already doing work in more than one way?”

That’s a question I’m going to keep asking as we build this.

Because the last thing I want is to create eight income streams that require us to work eight times harder.

We’re Looking at More Than Profit

Of course, we want these businesses to make money.

That’s the point.

But we’re also realizing that ROI on a homestead can’t be measured only in dollars.

We have to consider:

Time.

Energy.

Physical ability.

Stress.

Family life.

And whether we actually enjoy doing the work.

If something makes $500 but requires an exhausting week of preparation and takes us away from everything else that matters to us, that $500 might not be as profitable as it initially appears.

On the other hand, something that generates a smaller amount but fits naturally into work we’re already doing might be incredibly valuable.

We won’t really know until we test these ideas.

And I’m okay with that.

Your Limitations Might Actually Point You Toward the Right Idea

This has probably been one of my favorite realizations.

After Jamie’s accident, we had to be realistic about what he can physically do now.

There are business models that simply don’t make sense for us anymore.

At first, a limitation can feel like a door closing.

But sometimes it just forces you to find a different door.

Flowers are a great example.

We could look at the fact that Jamie can’t spend hours bent over harvesting flowers and decide that a flower business isn’t possible.

Or we can ask:

“How could we build this differently?”

You-pick is one possible answer.

The customer gets a better experience, and we create a business model that fits our actual family.

That’s something I want you to remember if you’re dreaming about making money from your own homestead.

You don’t have to ignore your limitations.

Build around them.

How to Find YOUR Homestead Income Streams

If you want your homestead to generate some income, I wouldn’t begin with a giant list of “profitable homestead business ideas.”

Start closer to home.

Grab a notebook and think through these questions:

• What do people already ask me for? What are people constantly saying I should sell or teach?
• What am I already good at? Think beyond homesteading. Your career, hobbies, education, and experience count.
• What assets do I already have? Land, buildings, equipment, gardens, skills, views, extra space—write everything down.
• What do I actually enjoy doing? A profitable idea isn’t very appealing if you dread doing it.
• What are my limitations? Time, money, property size, physical ability, kids, work schedules—be realistic.
• What’s the bigger vision? What do you actually want your home, homestead, and life to look like five years from now?

That final question matters more than you might think.

Our dream includes welcoming people to Hummingbird Acres.

That’s why summer camps, field trips, photography, and you-pick flowers make sense for us.

If your dream is to have a quiet property where nobody comes through your gate, those would probably be terrible ideas for you.

And that’s okay.

You aren’t supposed to build our homestead.

You’re supposed to build yours.

Can We Actually Make $4,000 a Month From Our Homestead?

Maybe.

That’s the most truthful answer I can give you right now.

We’re not making $4,000 a month from these eight income streams yet.

Some haven’t even had the chance to prove themselves.

But I’m actually excited about sharing this stage of the journey.

I want to see what happens when we take the assets, skills, and property we already have and start thinking more intentionally about how they can support themselves.

Maybe the Airbnb continues being our biggest income stream.

Maybe the flower field surprises us.

Maybe the farmers market is fantastic.

Or maybe I decide talking to strangers for hours every weekend requires WAY more recovery time than the profits can justify.

We’ll see.

We’re going to track it.

We’re going to pay attention.

And we’re going to change things when something isn’t working.

Because our goal isn’t simply to say:

“We make $4,000 a month from our homestead.”

Our goal is for this property to help support the life we’re building here.

There’s a difference.

Start Smaller Than $4,000

If you want to make money from your homestead, you don’t need to start with our goal.

Maybe your first goal is $100.

Maybe you sell enough seedlings to pay for your seeds this year.

Then maybe your garden pays for itself.

Maybe the next income stream pays for that fencing project you’ve been putting off.

Then another pays for a new tool.

Those small wins matter.

Small skills create confidence.

And small wins create momentum.

That’s how we’re approaching our $4,000 goal too.

Not by trying to build everything overnight.

We’re going to test.

Learn.

Adjust.

Keep what works.

Let go of what doesn’t.

And build something that fits the life we actually want to live.

Because making money from your homestead isn’t very helpful if you have to sacrifice the reason you wanted this life in the first place.

If you’d like to see the full behind-the-scenes story of the eight income streams we’re building—including why we chose each one—watch 8 Ways We’re Making Money From Our Homestead on YouTube.

And if you want to follow along as we find out what actually works, join the Hummingbird Acres email list. I’ll be sharing new opportunities at the farm along with what we’re learning as we work toward that $4,000-a-month goal.

Grow Well. Live Well. Leave a Legacy.