Backyard Homesteading: A Back-to-Basics Guide to Self-Sufficiency
David Toht, Gardening
Paperback
(Creative Homeowner, Dec. 1, 2011)
Backyard Homesteading will help you turn your yard—no matter how small it may be—into a productive area that provides homegrown food, including fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs, milk, and meat! Inside Backyard Homesteading, learn all about: GETTING STARTED Benefits of pure food Family recreation Local regulations for backyard homesteaders Potential yields and savings RAISING VEGETABLES AND HERBS Garden planning/layout Structures/irrigation Vegetable profiles Planting techniques Composting/healthy soil Seasonal gardening GROWING FRUITS, BERRIES, AND NUTS Planting fruit trees and bushes Fruit profiles Organic pest control Grafting and pruning Harvesting methods RAISING CHICKENS The joy of chickens Collecting eggs Care and feeding tips Other small animals RAISING GOATS Benefits of goat milk Structures/fencing Care and feeding tips Other large animals BEEKEEPING Benefits of beekeeping Care and harvesting Building hives Collecting honey HARVEST HOME Canning/drying/freezing Making beer, wine, cider Making jerky, sausage Making jams, jellies Pickling/salting/smoking Building root cellars If you want to take control of the food you eat and the products you use, Backyard Homesteading will help you learn how to do it—even if you live in an urban or suburban house on a typical-size lot. Backyard Homesteading shows homeowners how to turn a yard into a productive and wholesome "homestead" that allows you to grow your own fruits and vegetables and raise farm animals, including chickens and goats. In addition to covering the topics of growing fruits and vegetables and raising common farm animals, this handy and informative guide covers the laws and regulations of raising livestock in populated areas, and demonstrates how to use and preserve the bounty your land produces. Richly illustrated with more than 400 color photographs and artist's renderings, this back-to-basics guide will get you started on your path to self-sufficiency!