🌱 About Me

From Rough Soil to Rich Roots: A Life of Growth, Grit, and Green Living

My name is Carl Riedel, and I believe in growing things—in soil, in life, and in spirit.

I was born in a suburban area, but my life changed forever when I was just six years old. Our family had to move, and we ended up in an old, dilapidated plantation house far from the city—Landhuis Klein Sta. Martha. We had 2.47 acres of land… but no electricity or running water.

For two years, we lived by candlelight and lanterns, hauling water from a government station in buckets and jerry cans. It was rough. It was raw. And it was the beginning of everything.

My father, once a salesman, started planting maize. Soon, we had pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits—even a pet donkey. My mother, an executive secretary, turned her passion for poultry into a vibrant collection of chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. It wasn’t long before our Sunday visitors from "the city" were buying ornamental plants from her gardens and by demand, she founded one of the island’s first landscaping businesses.

We lived at that landhouse for 17 years, slowly turning it into a beautiful and self-sustaining home. I spent my teen years helping my mom with landscaping, learning how to plant, plan, and nurture both plants and people. By 17, I was traveling internationally with her, sourcing plants from Homestead, Florida, and planting for resorts and private clients across the island.

🌍 A Life Well Traveled

After 15 years in the landscaping business, I left to explore the world. I lived and worked in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, The Netherlands, the UK, and Hungary—picking up skills, perspectives, and passions along the way.

In the UK, I studied computer networking and eventually became a Software Technical Analyst for FileMaker (Apple). In Hungary, I lived off-grid on a 4-hectare “jungle farm.” And in 2023, what started as a two-week vacation back to Curaçao turned into something permanent. I came home.

💡 Why Microsteading?

Even though I’ve worked in tech, marketing, and software, it’s planting that always brings me back to center.

After returning to Curaçao, I started helping my younger brother with his nursery, planting seedlings and tending to new growth. The more I did it, the more something reawakened in me—a love for simplicity, for growth, for living close to the earth.

But this time, I didn’t need acres. I had grow bags, buckets, soda bottles, and creativity.

That’s when Microsteading took hold.

🌿 What Microsteading Means to Me

Microsteading isn’t just about growing food in small spaces. It’s about making any space—no matter how tiny—a place of abundance. It’s about freedom, independence, and reclaiming skills our ancestors took for granted.

Whether you have a balcony or a backyard, a rooftop or just a few square feet of sunlit space—you can grow. You can build. You can thrive.

I started Microsteading.org to share what I’ve learned (and what I’m still learning). I want to show that anyone, anywhere can live a more self-sufficient, intentional life—without waiting for land, luck, or permission.

✨ Let’s Grow Together

If you’re curious, starting fresh, or just ready to reconnect with your roots—welcome. You’re not too late. You’re right on time.

This is where the journey begins.
One plant. One bucket. One breakthrough at a time.