For homesteaders

New here? Start with the homestead tools — not the whole farm platform.

A homesteader lives a self-sufficient lifestyle or settles on land to farm and build a permanent home. This page is your front door: four free tools sized for a few beds or a couple of acres, plus a badge that shows buyers you keep real records — all kept separate from BAU's commercial grower features.

Available now in early access; 2027 pilot participants receive guided onboarding.

Four tools, sized for a homestead.

Everything below is free and works without an account. Your entries stay in your own browser.

One-acre example plan

A pre-filled crop mix with harvest dates and surplus estimates — download it as a PDF and make it yours.

Seed-start & transplant calendar

Enter your frost dates (or pick Zone 7–9) and get sowing, transplant, and first-harvest dates for 21 crops.

Startup cost estimator

What beds, soil, tools, and irrigation really cost for ¼–2 acres — frugal plan or new-gear plan.

Pricing & harvest tools

Price a small contract so the drive doesn't eat the profit, and lay out when each crop comes in.

The badge

Homestead Record-Ready, in three steps.

The badge is a self-checked signal that your records cover the basics buyers typically ask for. It is not an organic certification, food-safety audit, or government approval — and it is separate from the BAU Record-Verified Grower credential for commercial farms.

1

Try the free tools

No account, no card. Everything stays in your browser until you decide it's worth keeping.

2

Pass the records self-check

Eight simple checks on whether your records cover what a buyer would ask — what you grow, when, and how you track it.

3

Earn the badge

Sign up free, complete the check in the Homestead Portal, and get a Homestead Record-Ready number any buyer can verify.

From the homestead

Tips and seasonal planting guides.

Short, practical notes for Zones 7–9 — what to plant when, and the record-keeping habits that make selling easier. Written for a few beds or a couple of acres.

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Get homestead tool updates by email

Occasional notes when we add or improve the homestead tools, planting calendars, and the Record-Ready badge. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

 

Want the full picture first?

The homesteaders page has the complete story — what BAU is and is not at homestead scale, honest scope notes, and the FAQ on licenses and what the badge means.