The Backyard Homestead Manual

Save yourself from more than half of the trouble most beginning and advanced homesteaders have to deal with. Homestead gardening has exploded over the last few years. One in three US households now gardens to provide food for their families. There are a variety of reasons why people are getting into gardening in such numbers. At the top of the list is that you can ensure the quality and nutrition of their fruits and vegetables. You also maintain control over where and how they're produced so they know they're safe. Additionally, homestead gardening can save you a lot of money. Did you know that for the required purchases to garden, the average grower experiences a return of investment of over 700 %? Homesteaders also report a psychological satisfaction that comes from working the land to provide for their own food. If you have a garden or are considering one, now is the perfect time to start or take it to the next level. Optimizing your efforts provides superb results that no grocery store could ever compete with. It's also the start of a self-reliant lifestyle because once you get proficient in gardening for food, it has real economic benefits both meeting actual needs and saving money. Are you wondering if this kind of gardening will work in your backyard? The answer is 100% yes, it will work because there are plants and gardening techniques that work for all sorts of living situations. All you need is a basic understanding of particular plants and their needs to make sure you can live a self-sufficient life as a homesteader. In "The Backyard Homestead Manual," you ́ll discover: A gardener's framework for effective planning to ensure your harvest is sufficient Different garden bed options to accommodate your available space Straight-forward ways to improve the quality of your soil Specialty fruits and vegetables that grow in tricky environments 6 easy ways to ensure you eat well throughout the winter 3 things you can't overlook if you want your plants to reliably grow New strategies for getting rid of weeds that minimize your required time and effort And much more. No matter if you are new to homesteading or you are an established farmer, "The Backyard Homestead Manual" meets you wherever you are in your gardening process and helps you to overcome the challenges you are facing right now. Some people are resistant to starting gardening or increasing its scope because of the time commitment. While there are things you need to do on a regular basis, the reality is that when you get a solid system in place, most of the chores can be done quickly and effectively so you can get on with other parts of your day. If you want to increase your homesteading skills and see the results in your garden, scroll up and click the Add to Cart button.

This comprehensive guide to homesteading provides all the information you need to grow and preserve a sustainable harvest of grains and vegetables; raise animals for meat, eggs, and dairy; and keep honey bees for your sweeter days. With easy-to-follow instructions on canning, drying, and pickling, you’ll enjoy your backyard bounty all winter long. Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, and The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

For readers who want to shrink their carbon footprint, save money, and eat homegrown food whenever possible, this large, fully-illustrated guide--and companion to the bestseller "Back to Basics"--provides the basics of living a good, clean life.

Gardeners, small farmers, and outdoor living enthusiasts will love this compilation of 76 rustic DIY projects. From plant supports and clotheslines to a chicken coop, a greenhouse, and a root cellar with storage bins, most of the projects are suitable for complete novices, and all use just basic tools and easy-to-find materials. You’ll find techniques to build whatever your outdoor world is missing, with additional tips to live sustainably, happily, and independently. Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead, The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, and The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How.

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

The Dairy Goat Handbook explains everything goat keepers need to know about their animals, from the best ways to keep them healthy to methods for making delicious goat cheese. The Dairy Goat Handbook is a guidebook for those who would like to raise dairy goats - or dream of raising dairy goats—and want to know how to begin and maintain a successful herd. There are other books on the business of keeping dairy goats, but none quite like this. Written by a dairy goat farmer, this guide combines a deep knowledge of the animals themselves with fifteen years of experience running a successful business. Fully illustrated with photographs of life on a working dairy farm—the goats, the farm, the dairy equipment, and the cheese and milk—this book explains as well as celebrates the life of a dairy goat farmer. The author, Ann Starbard, owns Crystal Brook Farm in Sterling, Massachusetts, where she and her husband raise dairy goats and make fresh goat cheese that they sell onsite, at farmers' markets, and at restaurants. Ann explains the details of raising goats and running a dairy in simple, clear, easy-to-understand language; this is a book for everyone interested in the business of raising dairy goats.