Learn While You Work with the Best Homesteading Podcasts
One of the things I love most about farm life is that there’s almost always something to do with your hands that doesn’t require your full attention, like pulling weeds or shelling beans. I use those hours for learning, and podcasts have become my favorite way to do it.
I’ve been asked enough times what I listen to that it seemed worth putting a list together. These are the shows I actually come back to. There are a lot of homesteading podcasts out there. These 10 are worth your time.
1. Pioneering Today Podcast with Melissa K. Norris
If you’re only going to listen to one homesteading podcast, this is the one I’d point you to. Melissa is a fifth-generation homesteader who covers canning, food preservation, heirloom gardening, from-scratch cooking, livestock, herbs, and natural living, and she’s hard to match when it comes to depth or real-world know-how. Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been homesteading for years, you’ll find something useful here. Look for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and her website at melissaknorris.com.
2. Everyday Homesteading from Homesteading Family
Carolyn and Josh Thomas host this one for the Homesteading Family network, and it’s one of the most listened-to homesteading podcasts for good reason. The focus is on growing, cooking, and preserving real food for your family in a realistic amount of time (not the fantasy version of homesteading where everything’s simple and perfect). Episodes cover everything from soil health to food storage, fermentation, and deep-pantry thinking. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and at homesteadingfamily.com.
3. Living Free in Tennessee with Nicole Sauce
I have a soft spot for this one because it’s right here in Tennessee. Nicole Sauce has been building her homestead and documenting the process for years, and her podcast reflects that. She covers growing and preserving food sustainably, managing time on the homestead, building real independence, and so much more. Episodes run long, which is great for a full day of canning or a long afternoon of garden work. Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as livingfreeintennessee.com.
4. Homesteaders of America with Amy Fewell
Amy Fewell hosts this podcast for the Homesteaders of America organization, and it brings in some of the best voices in the homesteading world for interviews and conversations about everything from gardening and livestock to natural living and food sovereignty. If you’re interested in where the modern homesteading movement is headed, this is a good one for you. The episodes tend to run long, which means you can get deep into a conversation about soil health or heritage breeds during a long canning session. Available on homesteadersofamerica.com, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
5. The Modern Homesteading Podcast with Harold Thornbro and Rachel Jamison
Harold Thornbro and Rachel Jamison cover just about every homesteading skill you’ll need and offer know-how from actually living this life rather than reading about it. What I appreciate about this one is the breadth. If you want a single podcast that covers the whole homestead without narrowing in on just one piece of it, this is a great choice. Episodes run about 50 minutes, which is right in the sweet spot for a long preserving session or a morning of kitchen work. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
6. Tending Seeds: Adventures in Gardening, Homesteading, and Herbalism
This one is for the herb people. Sara Schuster runs an off-grid homestead and a regenerative herb farm in Colorado, and she talks about growing, using, and sharing herbs. If you’ve been following along with our posts on goldenrod, elderberry, and building an apothecary garden, you’ll feel right at home here. She also covers the wider homestead life, including planning, community, DIY projects, and more. It’s a quieter, more contemplative podcast, which is perfect for slow mornings. Find it on tendingseeds.libsyn.com, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
7. The Homestead Challenge Podcast with Brittany Gibson
Brittany Gibson made this podcast for the person who wants to cook from scratch, grow more food, reduce dependence on the grocery store, but who has a full, modern, busy life and isn’t sure how to make it work. That’s most of us, honestly. The episodes are shorter than most homesteading podcasts, which makes this a great option for anyone who’s pressed for time. It’s also one of the best starting points if you’re newer to all of this and want to build confidence without feeling overwhelmed. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
8. Call to Farms with Tim and Sophia Eng
Tim and Sophia Eng are a military family who taught themselves regenerative farming and built a homestead in the Appalachian foothills. They talk about self-sufficiency, sustainability, and building a life on the land as first-generation homesteaders without the benefit of family tradition to fall back on. What they’ve built through research, trial, error, and community is genuinely impressive, and the podcast reflects that. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to come from a farming family to do this well; you just have to be willing to learn. Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as YouTube.
9. She Said Homestead with Sage and Mickayla
Two women running homesteads while working full-time jobs, this podcast is a bridge between the vague dream of homesteading and the real-world thing most of us are actually living. Sage and Mickayla cover soil health, getting started, funny stories from their own experience, and a ton of other topics. If you’ve ever felt like you needed to quit your job and move to 40 acres before you could call yourself a homesteader, this podcast will disabuse you of that notion in the best possible way. Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
10. The Girly Homesteader Podcast with Laura Millat
Laura Millat homesteads on just seven acres in Ohio and hosts one of the most wide-ranging podcasts you’re going to find. She covers beekeeping, backyard chickens, food preservation, canning basics, gardening for beginners, seasonal living, nontoxic homemaking, and holistic health. There’s a good deal of overlap between what she talks about and what we do here at Stoney Creek Farm, which is probably why it resonates with me. Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
How to Make Listening Easier
Listening to podcasts while you’re working isn’t rocket science, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier.
- Keep a pair of wireless headphones in your pocket
- Get a cheap Bluetooth speaker for areas like your barn, shed, or even your kitchen
- Wired headphones make it harder to lose one when you’re digging in the dirt, but the wires can catch on things, so there’s a tradeoff
Kickstart Your Homesteading Journey
If podcasts have you thinking about building new skills, we have hands-on classes here at the farm and online courses you can work through at your own pace. Our Southern Sourdough classes are coming up on November 14th and November 21st, and spots are still available for both. You’ll go home with an active starter, plus the knowledge to build and maintain a starter and to bake your own bread. Register on the events calendar before spots fill.
Our online classes cover the full range of homestead skills, and you can work through them anytime, anywhere. The back porch farm store at Stoney Creek is open from daylight to sunset and carries fresh eggs, sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, and local raw honey. For the deeper philosophy behind all of this, pick up our book Dirt Rich. And follow along with seasonal content and farm life on the Stoney Creek Farm YouTube channel and on Facebook. Drop a comment and tell us what’s on your podcast playlist! We’d love to hear what you’re listening to while you work.
