The Story Behind The Florida Homesteader Magazine

Abigail Mercer
Jul 17
2 min read

Born out of a love for Florida farming and family, discover how a simple homesteading journey turned into a statewide magazine connecting growers, makers, and dreamers across the Sunshine State.

Our Story

When our family began this homesteading journey, we were full of questions, curiosity, and a lot of trial and error. We leaned into every resource we could find—books, podcasts, videos, forums. But what we quickly realized was that many of those resources weren’t designed for Florida.

Florida gardening zones, pests, hurricanes, humidity—it’s a different world down here. What grows beautifully in one state might not survive the summer heat here. Animal care looks different in the sandy soil and summer rains. And yet, there was no central voice, no single source focused entirely on what it means to homestead in Florida.

So we built one.

The Florida Homesteader Magazine was born out of a deep love for self-sufficiency, family, and the unique rhythms of life in the Sunshine State.

Our goal is simple: to create a resource, a connection point, and a community space for Florida families who are growing gardens, raising animals, making sourdough, starting farmstands, preserving food, and learning as they go.

Each issue is packed with real stories from real homesteaders—your neighbors, your fellow market vendors, your friends from the feed store. We feature everything from seasonal planting guides and food preservation tips to interviews with Florida-based makers and small farms.

This magazine is for the backyard grower with a few hens, the multi-acre family farm, and everyone in between. Whether you're just starting out or you’ve been living this way for years, we hope this magazine feels like home.

A woman bottle feeding a calf — Bottle feeding a calf

Why Florida?

Because our challenges and blessings are different. Our growing seasons are longer, our pests more persistent, and our weather can go from sunshine to storm in 30 minutes flat. But our community? It’s strong, resourceful, and resilient—and worth celebrating.

We believe in:

Supporting local farms and businesses
Encouraging generational knowledge-sharing
Creating a community for Florida families who want to live a little closer to the land
And highlighting the honest, hard, beautiful work of homesteading

From our family to yours, thank you for being here. We hope you’ll subscribe to the magazine, sign up for our newsletter, and share your own story with us—whether it’s about your very first harvest or the old family recipe you just canned.

Because together, we’re growing something pretty special in Florida.

— Jamie & The Florida Homesteader Team