Backyard Homesteading

A simple guide to growing fruits, vegetables, nuts & berries, raising chickens, goats, & bees, and making beer, wine, & cider from your backyard.

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.

Inside, you’ll discover 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. You’ll also find the laws and regulations of raising livestock in populated areas, as well as ways to use and preserve the bounty your land produces.

GETTING STARTED

• Benefits of pure food
• Family recreation
• Local regulations
• 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