{"id":9138,"date":"2026-10-03T14:42:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T14:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/?page_id=9138"},"modified":"2026-10-03T14:42:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T14:42:56","slug":"start-here","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/start-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Start Here"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"pgamo-hero\" id=\"top\" style=\"min-height:26vh;background-color:#877373;\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-hero-side pgamo-hero-side--left\">\n<span class=\"pgamo-hero-side__label\">New Here?<\/span>\n<h3 class=\"pgamo-hero-side__heading\">Start Free Today<\/h3>\n<p class=\"pgamo-hero-side__text\">Enroll in the Ministerial Bible Study Series &#8212; 66 books, 251 lessons, completely free forever.<\/p>\n<a class=\"pgamo-hero-side__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/courses\/bible-study\/\">Enroll Free &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-hero__inner\">\n<h1 class=\"pgamo-hero__heading\">Start Here<\/h1><p class=\"pgamo-hero__subheading\">Welcome to PGAMO Homestead Living. Here is how to find your way around the site, and a step-by-step path to building a working homestead \u2014 with every step linked to the free tool or course that helps.<\/p><div class=\"pgamo-hero__buttons\">\n<a class=\"pgamo-btn pgamo-btn--primary\" href=\"#setup\">Get Set Up<\/a>\n<a class=\"pgamo-btn pgamo-btn--ghost\" href=\"#steps\">Build Your Homestead<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-hero-side pgamo-hero-side--right\">\n<span class=\"pgamo-hero-side__label\">From Our Authors<\/span>\n<h3 class=\"pgamo-hero-side__heading\">Meet Our Contributing Authors<\/h3>\n<p class=\"pgamo-hero-side__text\">Read devotionals and Bible studies shared by members of our community.<\/p>\n<a class=\"pgamo-hero-side__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/groups\/contributing-authors\/forum\/\">Read Their Articles &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<nav class=\"pgamo-section-nav pgamo-section-nav--sticky\" aria-label=\"Page sections\">\n<ul class=\"pgamo-section-nav__list\">\n<li><a href=\"#setup\">Get Set Up<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#around\">Find Your Way<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#steps\">Build a Homestead<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#keep\">Keep Going<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"setup\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get set up in five minutes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everything here is free. Your records are private: only you, and the people you invite into your household, can see them, and you can download them any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Create your free account.<\/strong> <a href=\"\/ceb\/register-2\/\">Sign up here<\/a>, then <a href=\"\/ceb\/login\/\">log in<\/a>. The trackers, reminders and logs open up as soon as you are signed in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Open your Homestead dashboard.<\/strong> <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/\">Homestead<\/a> is your home base. It shows this week\u2019s devotion, your weather, and a card for every tool you use, with what needs doing today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Put it on your phone.<\/strong> On the Homestead page, tap <em>Add to home screen<\/em> (on iPhone: Share, then Add to Home Screen). It opens like an app, so you can log eggs in the barn and chores in the garden.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bring the family.<\/strong> On <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/household\/\">Household &amp; Helpers<\/a>, invite your spouse, children or a neighbor by username or email as a Helper, a Chore hand or a Viewer. Everyone works in the same records, and the Done lately list shows who did what. Homeschool students get their own sign-in from the <a href=\"\/ceb\/faith-learning\/homeschool\/\">Homeschool<\/a> page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Turn on reminders.<\/strong> On <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/chores\/\">Chores &amp; Reminders<\/a>, start a daily or weekly email digest, or add the private calendar feed to your phone. The Today list gathers due dates from every tool \u2014 kidding dates, rotations, use-by dates, lessons, traps \u2014 so nothing slips.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"around\"><\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"pgamo-feature-cards\" id=\"around-cards\">\n<h2 class=\"pgamo-section-heading\">Find Your Way Around<\/h2><div class=\"pgamo-feature-cards__grid\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Homestead<\/h3>\n<p>The trackers: chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, poultry, bees, garden, orchard and pasture, plus chores, the farm ledger, inventory, equipment, firewood, kids\u2019 projects and Year in Review.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/\">Open Homestead &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Preserving<\/h3>\n<p>Canning, freezing and drying basics and calculators, curing and smoking meats, sausage, cheese making, the recipe box and preparedness planning.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/\">Open Preserving &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Foraging<\/h3>\n<p>A private log of your wild finds, a seasonal guide with look-alike warnings, and safety and ethics before you pick anything.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/foraging\/\">Open Foraging &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"pgamo-feature-cards\" id=\"around-cards-2\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-cards__grid\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Self-Reliance<\/h3>\n<p>Stored water with rotation reminders, the root cellar, fermentation, and a hunting, fishing and trapping log.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/self-reliance\/\">Open Self-Reliance &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Community<\/h3>\n<p>Homesteading, gardening, livestock, food preservation and foraging groups, and the Trading Post and Seed Swap.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/community\/\">Open Community &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-feature-card__body\">\n<h3>Faith &amp; Learning<\/h3>\n<p>Seasonal devotions, free homestead courses with challenges and live Q&amp;A, the Homeschool planner, and the PGAMO Bible college.<\/p><a class=\"pgamo-feature-card__link\" href=\"\/ceb\/faith-learning\/\">Open Faith &amp; Learning &rarr;<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few things that work the same everywhere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tabs<\/strong> across the top of each tool switch between its parts \u2014 for example, a tracker\u2019s records, its calculators and its guide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Costs and sales<\/strong> you enter in any tracker flow into the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/farm-ledger\/\">Farm Ledger<\/a>, so you can see what each part of the homestead really costs and earns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Photos<\/strong> can be added to animals, flocks, hives, garden beds, plantings, foraging finds and more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Download your records<\/strong> with the links at the bottom of each tool. They open in Excel or Google Sheets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calculators<\/strong> for feed, hay, breeding, milk, eggs, meat, canning, drying, curing and more are in the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/calculators\/\">Calculator centre<\/a> \u2014 no account needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"steps\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build a working homestead, step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nobody builds a homestead in a season. Start small, do each step well, and add the next when the last one is running smoothly. \u201cPrepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.\u201d \u2014 Proverbs 24:27<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The first year: feed the family<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pray, plan and count the cost.<\/strong> Sketch your land, your time and your budget before you buy anything. The <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/garden\/?tab=size\">Garden Size Planner<\/a> shows how much garden your family needs, and the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/planner\/\">Barn &amp; Garden Planner<\/a> lays out beds, pens and buildings and checks each animal has enough room; start a budget in the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/farm-ledger\/\">Farm Ledger<\/a>, and set two or three goals for the year in <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/review\/\">Year in Review<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learn your land and seasons.<\/strong> On the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/garden\/\">Garden dashboard<\/a>, enter your town or ZIP in the weather card. Your frost dates are worked out from 20 years of local weather, and the 7-day forecast warns you of frost, heat and dry spells.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secure your water.<\/strong> Water runs out long before food. Store a two-week supply and log it on <a href=\"\/ceb\/self-reliance\/water\/\">Water Storage<\/a>; use the rain calculator to see what your roof can catch for the garden and animals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plant your first garden.<\/strong> Start with a few beds of what your family eats. In the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/garden\/\">Garden tracker<\/a>, add beds and plantings \u2014 the planting calendar follows your frost dates, rotation warnings keep crops healthy, and the seed box tracks what you have.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add a few laying hens.<\/strong> Take <a href=\"\/ceb\/courses\/chickens-101\/\">Backyard Chickens 101<\/a> (free), then log your flock and eggs in the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/chicken-tracker\/\">Chicken Tracker<\/a> to see your lay rate and true cost per dozen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set up daily chores.<\/strong> On <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/chores\/\">Chores &amp; Reminders<\/a>, add the ready-made list for each animal and give the children their part as chore hands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Put food by.<\/strong> Read <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/guide\/\">Preserving Basics<\/a> and take <a href=\"\/ceb\/courses\/canning-101\/\">Canning 101<\/a>. Log jars as you put them up, keep the freezer list in <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/inventory\/?tab=freezer\">Inventory<\/a>, and use the <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/recipes\/\">Recipe Box<\/a> to cook from what you have.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The second year: grow and store<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"8\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Raise your own meat.<\/strong> Rabbits are the quietest place to start \u2014 take <a href=\"\/ceb\/courses\/rabbits-101\/\">Raising Rabbits 101<\/a> and use the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/rabbitry-tracker\/\">Rabbitry Tracker<\/a> for breeding dates and pedigrees. When you are ready for more, add <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/goats\/\">goats<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/sheep\/\">sheep<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/pigs\/\">pigs<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/cattle\/\">cattle<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/ducks\/\">ducks<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/turkeys\/\">turkeys<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/geese\/\">geese<\/a> or <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/quail\/\">quail<\/a>, and move grazing animals with <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/pasture\/\">Pasture Rotation<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plant for the long haul.<\/strong> Fruit trees, berries and asparagus take years to bear, so plant early. The <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/orchard\/\">Orchard &amp; Perennials<\/a> tracker tells you when each should fruit and checks pollination. Add a hive or two with the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/bees\/\">Bee Tracker<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Store for winter.<\/strong> Keep potatoes, roots, apples and squash in a <a href=\"\/ceb\/self-reliance\/root-cellar\/\">Root Cellar<\/a>, ferment kraut and pickles with the <a href=\"\/ceb\/self-reliance\/fermentation\/\">Fermentation<\/a> log, track feed and hay in <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/inventory\/\">Inventory<\/a>, put up firewood in the <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/woodlot\/\">Woodlot<\/a>, and check your stores against the <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/preparedness\/\">Preparedness<\/a> plan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learn more ways to put meat by.<\/strong> <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/meats\/\">Curing &amp; Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/sausage\/\">Sausage &amp; Salami<\/a> and <a href=\"\/ceb\/preserving\/cheese\/\">Cheese Making<\/a> (with <a href=\"\/ceb\/courses\/cheese-101\/\">Cheese Making 101<\/a>) turn a harvest into food that keeps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gather from the wild.<\/strong> Read <a href=\"\/ceb\/foraging\/safety\/\">Foraging Safety &amp; Ethics<\/a> and take <a href=\"\/ceb\/courses\/foraging-101\/\">Foraging Safety 101<\/a> before you pick anything, then use the <a href=\"\/ceb\/foraging\/seasonal-guide\/\">Seasonal Guide<\/a> and your private <a href=\"\/ceb\/foraging\/tracker\/\">Foraging Tracker<\/a>. Log game and fish in <a href=\"\/ceb\/self-reliance\/hunting-fishing\/\">Hunting, Fishing &amp; Trapping<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Every year: steward, teach and share<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"13\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Keep good records.<\/strong> The <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/farm-ledger\/\">Farm Ledger<\/a> shows what pays and what doesn\u2019t, <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/equipment\/\">Equipment &amp; Maintenance<\/a> keeps the machines running, and <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/review\/\">Year in Review<\/a> compares each year with the last. \u201cBe thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks.\u201d \u2014 Proverbs 27:23<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Teach the next generation.<\/strong> Give each child a <a href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/kids\/\">4-H project<\/a> with a record book, plan school with the <a href=\"\/ceb\/faith-learning\/homeschool\/\">Homeschool<\/a> planner and its homestead unit studies, and read the <a href=\"\/ceb\/faith-learning\/devotions\/\">Seasonal Devotions<\/a> together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Share with your neighbors.<\/strong> Trade extra eggs, seed and stock on the <a href=\"\/ceb\/community\/trading-post\/\">Trading Post<\/a>, ask questions in the <a href=\"\/ceb\/community\/\">community groups<\/a>, and join a seasonal challenge or live Q&amp;A at <a href=\"\/ceb\/faith-learning\/homestead-courses\/\">Homestead School<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<section class=\"pgamo-text-image pgamo-text-image--left pgamo-text-image--dark\" id=\"keep\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-text-image__inner\">\n<div class=\"pgamo-text-image__media\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/pgamo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/homestead-chickens-in-coop-1024x683.jpg')\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"pgamo-text-image__content\">\n<h2>Keep Going<\/h2><div class=\"pgamo-text-image__text\"><p>A homestead is never finished \u2014 it grows with your family and your skills. Come back to this page whenever you are ready for the next step, check your Today list each morning, and ask the community when you are stuck. \u201cWhatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.\u201d \u2014 Colossians 3:23<\/p>\n<\/div><a class=\"pgamo-btn pgamo-btn--primary\" href=\"\/ceb\/homestead\/\">Go to My Homestead<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    <div class=\"xs_social_share_widget xs_share_url after_content \t\tmain_content  wslu-style-1 wslu-share-box-shaped wslu-fill-colored wslu-none wslu-share-horizontal wslu-theme-font-no wslu-main_content\">\n\n\t\t\n        <ul>\n\t\t\t        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get set up in five minutes Everything here is free. Your records are private: only you, and the people you invite into your household, can see them, and you can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9138","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9138"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9140,"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9138\/revisions\/9140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pgamo.com\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}