14 Seasonal Responsibilities For The Self-Reliant
By: Kevin Doyle
Tags: Self Improvement, How To, Home, Responsibility, Gardening

For every season there is beauty. Its something that comes to mind immediately at the thought of that season. Even the cold of winter is highlighted by warm drinks, roaring fires and the holidays. Maybe it’s a means of making the mundane a little more magic or maybe its an appreciation for this life.

If you are a person that lives a prepared lifestyle chances are these seasons mean other things, too. Vital tasks and responsibilities must be handled throughout the year and many are season specific.

What helps more than anything is a schedule for it all! How on earth are we supposed to keep up with all the stuff that we need to keep up with. Its just so much and when you add a full time LIFE on top of that, it gets overwhelming.

Let’s have a high level look at the four seasons and what responsibilities you should prioritize for each.

Spring

1. Home Maintenance and Inspection

After a long winter of being trapped in the house its time to get out, under and around the home. Now is the time to inspect your home for things like:

Of course, spring is a time for planting! This is when the ornery gardener can finally get out and put seeds and seedlings into the soil. Its an exciting time and most gardeners are hungry for that first taste of fresh produce from the garden.

Things like English peas and radish are great candidates to get in the soil early.

Spring is also a time for fishing. A great skill to practice, fishing is both fun and a great way to fill your bell with protein! The big bass come out in spring, when the water is warm enough, but it can be just as fun to spend the day catching bluegills.

4. Baby Animals

Depending on what you have on your property you might also be dealing with chicks, kids, calves and piglets. The spring is a special time that might require extra work for baby animal care.

Summer

5. Hunting Prep

The summer is a good time to spread out your hunting gear and get ready for the coming fall season. Its also a great time to get out and scout hunting areas. Find out where the deer are going to be and where you are going to set up to take that shot!

6. Processing Wood

Its never too early to start splitting wood for the fireplace. The winter will be upon you before you know it and cool summer nights are also great for burning wood. Splitting wood is also a great workout!

7. Managing Pests

If you keep chickens or other small animals, you might find that this time of year you are managing larger and more dangerous pests. Things like opossum and racoon can wreak havoc on your flock. It might be worth investing in some steel traps or a good .22 rifle to keep your chickens safe.

Fall

8. Insulation

Fall is the time to check home insulation. You are going to be combating the cold and you want to be sure your home is up to the task. Good insulation makes all the difference in this. Consider things like pipes doors and windows.

You will also want to bring out cold weather gear like sweaters, boots and coats. Don’t forget your gloves and hats. Get them out and ready because the cold is on its way. This will also give you time to react if you find you need something new.

10. Harvest/Canning

By this point you are going to be consistently harvesting food. You have probably already been canning and preserving at this point, too!

When it comes to this game you might also be thinking about extra storage. Have you ever considered the old root cellar as a means of increasing storage? It could be just what you are looking for. These root cellars are simple to build and if you know how, you can make them very cheap!

Timothy Griffith created a book called The Easy Cellar that describes the whole process from start to finish using affordable earthbags as the base. It’s a must read if you are interested in an underground shelter or root cellar.

Winter

12. Deep Food Storage

Winter always seems like a good time to put up more food. Long term food storage, in particular. You need a good place with a consistent temperature. This is another perk of having a root cellar. You can get that kind of consistent temp underground and it takes some of the food storage out of your home!

13. Organizational Preps

The cold winter days can be depressing. However, organizational projects are a great way to pass the time. Maybe you want to store things differently or in a new area. Its also a great time to clean out old space for new items.

14. Prepare Garden Areas (late winter)

Removing debris and waste from growing areas is one of those late winter tasks that can give you a jump on the growing season. Don’t leave this out of your plans.

Conclusion

A little bit of organization can go a long way. In the wide world of prepping, homesteading and the self-reliant lifestyle, there is a lot to consider. Hopefully we have offered you a few seasonal tasks that will make a difference in what you can accomplish.

You don’t wanna wind up funneling all the hard stuff to the end of the year and must rush through it all.

Also, consider adding a root cellar to your property. Even something small can go a long way. I really like the earthbag design laid out in The Easy Cellar. It might be just the storage answer you have been dreaming of!