The Backyard Homestead: Produce All The Food You Need On Just a Quarter Acre!
As many of you know I was extremely excited when this book and The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals
As such I have struggled for the past week or so on deciding what parts to share with you. I highly recommend checking out the interior parts of the book that they have available for viewing here using the Click To Look Inside feature, especially the table of contents is so artistic and unusual!
As we all know, content is king these days and if you are going to buy a book it needs to be chock full of information that is better organized and more interesting then what you can find on the web. I was extremely impressed by the span of topics covered in this book and the very visual interface it utilized. It is full of drawings and diagrams that are very well done, and has TONS of very helpful charts to help you make decisions on everything from what plants and trees to select for your zone, to what temperature your homemade wines should be served at.
The concept of being able to provide all the food your family needs on a quarter acre is a great one. And I truly believe it is possible as long as you realize that you are bringing in outside feed for your animals. But for many of us that’s a great option so that we don’t have to maintain a huge homestead. I don’t however think that on a 1/4 acre you can grow enough wheat to make it worth your while and do all the other things they mention. So buy wheat for your breadmaking and bring in your animal feed and yes with a bit of work you can most likely provide all or at least most of your food right in your backyard.
As a side note: Most cities however won’t let you do this very thing. Which really started irritating me. Then it started making me very angry. Finally I got so frustrated that I made a petition about it so that we can end this insanity. Please take a minute to sign the petition and share it with your friends.
Back to the book: I am particularly fond of the plant and herb indexes which breaks down tips and hints for each plant in the garden as well as a sketch of each one. This is so helpful! Just this last week I was been asked to help a lady get an overgrown garden pulled back into manageable shape and I will be taking this book with me to help me identify many of the plants in her patch that I am not familiar with.
I also learned about plants I didn’t even know existed, like Jerusalem Artichokes:
They are also known as sunchokes. The roots are edible and apparently they are incredibly easy to grow!
Horehound:
Which is dried for tea and used fresh in candy and cough syrup
And Pennyroyal:
Which is apparently part of the mint family. Very good at repelling insects especially fleas but can be toxic when ingested and can cause abortions and death to the mother. Eek!
Keeping in mind that there is a second book to this series (The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals) the bulk of the information and pages are taken up by the first three chapters. The second three are very concise but not packed with as much detailed information.
The book chapters are as follows:
The Home Vegetable Garden
Includes the individual breakdown of vegetable plants, starting from seed, planting and well as succession planting and plans, harvesting and saving seed.
Backyard Fruits and Nuts
Has very good sections on the different types of backyard fruits and nut trees. As mentioned it has great charts for helping to choose the right plants for your zone and space availability. I particularly appreciated the section on how to prune trees and berry vines. It was clear and concise with good drawings that I can reference out in the garden as I work.
Home Grown Grains
Grains on a mini homestead is an area I haven’t quite been able to wrap my mind around. With as little space as I have available grains seem like a waste to me. They take a lot of space and a lot of effort to get a finished product. But none the less I appreciated the info particularly for future reference when we have more space to garden. There are also great sections with recipes on bread, sprouting and beer and wine making in this section which are very good.
Poultry for Eggs and Meat
She covers a variety of breeds and basic details of raising the birds including coop plans. Nothing too in depth here but all the basic reference material you would want. More in depth info on poultry and the other animals is in the second book so I appreciate the lack of duplication of efforts.
Meat and Dairy
Same deal. She covers the basics thoroughly as well as getting into cheese and ice cream making briefly. A pleasant read.
Food from the Wild
Beekeeping, Foraging and Making Maple syrup get discussed in their own sub chapters here as well as extensive Dandelion recipes which I am eager to try next spring.
All in all this book is a must have for anyone who is exploring backyard homesteading. It is a great reference manual to have on your shelf and is one of my favorite books just to flip through and glean new tidbits in the evening. It’s a pleasant visual and informative experience and I know you will be pleased with your purchase!
Special thanks to Storey Publishing for the supply of our review copies and the giveaway copy!
Be sure to enter for your chance to win a copy of this great book!
Remember: Entries not logged through the Rafflecopter Widget will not count.
Thanks to www.contestgirl.com for help in promoting this giveaway!
I would love this.
Thanks for entering Shannon!
I would love a chance to win this book. I’ve heard wonderful reviews about it.
Thanks for entering Lesli! It’s a WONDERFUL book!
I love Food…have you tried the wholly guacomole salsa???It is to die for!
No I haven’t had a chance to try it yet! I’ll have to give it a whirl here soon
~Dani
I flipped through this book at the library just a few weeks ago and thought it looked awesome!
Thanks for entering Tracy! It’s such a helpful book!
Strawberries – plain, no sugar.
That sounds great Jannie!
Keep rain barrels…they are easy to set up and worth it when it comes to watering your garden!
Thanks for entering Laura! We are definitely planning on doing rain barrels this fall! It’s on our to do list!
I put a little apple cider vinigar in my chicks water to help with fighting desease.
Thats a great idea! My mother in law gives everyone apple cider vinegar and honey and it keeps us all kicking around here
One Rhode Island Red will lay one egg a day. My tip is one backyard chicken for each member of the family. That way everyone gets one egg every morning, for breakfast.
Yum! We have 3 of us and 4 female Welsh Harlequin ducks that should start laying everyday at the end of September! Sooo excited for those eggs!
It’s good to know the plants and shrubs that will deter rabbits (includes Butterfly Bush, Lantana, Lavender, Rosemary and Salvia) and deer (includes catmint, chives, lavender, sage and thyme) and plant some of them around your vegetables.
I didn’t know that Gaye! Great tip!
I dump used coffee grounds in my garden box. It helps in keeping ants out.
If only we had truckloads of the stuff! Our poor little lot is COVERED in ants. I can’t get rid of them!
Always capture rain water to water your plants
Great tip Damian! Good luck!
Fence in the area to keep the animals out so that you can protect what you are growing.
Definitely! Our whole backyard is fenced so we are very blessed in that aspect!
Keep a compost to have fresh, healthy soil.
Great tip Chrystal!
Garlic powder keeps bugs off the eggplant.
Oooh really?! This will be tried out ASAP my poor eggplants look terrible!
For people who would like to have fresh dairy, but don’t know if they can afford to buy and house a cow, there are miniature dairy cows that might be an option
I would LOVE a mini cow….I think the mini jerseys are so cute!
I really like horehound lozenges and I could make them with the herbs i grow
That’s awesome Alison! Would you mind sharing the recipe?
I was just talking about growing more of my own food! My family had a large garden when I was smaller. I swear the vegetables tasted better.
They really do!! We love our veggies they are so full of water and flavor!
I dont have a backyard tip, but I’m interested in growing herbs in my appartment. since I live in an apartment I can only do so much. but since I’ve become interested, I started growing roots from a pineapple, started trying to grow herbs, I was already sewing clothing and quilts from second hand items. I also have been buying alot more whole foods.
Herbs are great! Thats what I started out with too! The next year I added a squash plant and then I finally got to a fuller garden the next year! I’ve found that herbs are one of the harder things to start from seed so if you struggle with it no failure in buying them as starts! Thats what I do for most of them and bring them inside over winter
I’ve had this book from the library and love it, but I’m out of book budget money right now to buy it.
As for tips, I can tell you that we’re reaping the joys of volunteer blackberry plants along our rear fence. I can pick a half pint to a pint a day every day and make jam, berry desserts, or just eat them. We forage for wineberries (wild raspberries) in the neighborhood, and those are even better. I might have to break down and buy a couple of canes to put by the black berries.
Yum! Our volunteer blackberries were so spiky and unproductive we finally lopped them off at the root zone. And a racoon came and snatched all our planted ones this year
but they are SO tasty when we get them!
This is exactly what we’re hoping to do with our half acre!!!
Welcome Jesse! Thanks for entering! I hope you’ll stick around to read about our trial and errors in our attempts at this thing
Hmm… Best tip, Have a good defense system against Rabbits! They wrecked havoc on our carrot crop last year!
I grew up on a farm. My best tip comes from my mother, who saved her coffee grounds and egg shells, and put them on the garden for fertilizer. Her garden always did well. She canned 100 quarts of tomatoes and pickles every fall.
I would love a copy of this book. My husband and I have been living with my partents for the last 2 years on their 1 1/4 acres. We have chickens and a 100′x20′ garden, but I feel like I could do so much more. I really lack herb knowledge. Thanks for the chance to win!
I would love to win this book. I’m new to this blog, but really enjoying it so far. Being fairly new to homesteading, I’m trying to take in all the info I can.
My best backyard homesteading tip is to compost your kitchen scraps. It works wonders in the garden. My zucchini are the biggest I’ve ever had thanks to kitchen scraps and poop from my coop.
Thanks to our friend Martha Waugh, she has really helped to explore more ways to compost and to have healthier chickens and garden. Your tips have helped her help us!!! I hope she wins! I vote for Martha Waugh!! Because of her I am a fan now too !!!
I keep buckets outside to catch rain water for my plants.
My husband has a bad back so we use upside down planters to grow tomatoes so he doesn’t have to bend over.
My tip is to use compost for fertilizer.
Thanks for the giveaway…the strategic placement of trees / landscaping can really help keep your house cool in the summer.
I don’t have any tips, which is why I need this book!
Compost food and scraps.
I am not a great “homesteader” but a good tip is to compost kitchen scraps
I built a pyramid for my strawberry bed. I could really, really use this
book! Thanks for the chance to win!
Our best tip is to have a compost pile. It’s a great way to cut down your trash and help your garden grow!
Use the 2-3 foot strips on the side of your house for gardening, especially if you live in a downtown area like us.
Only water large growing areas when the kids want to run through the sprinkler on really hot days.
I’m very interested in this book. My tip is lame: don’t forget to water!
Mulch EVERYWHERE!!! Keeping an ongoing supply of composting/mulch laid out in all of your walking paths throughout your garden and yard will insure a healthy and abundant supply for your garden all year round.
Using rain barrels instead of water from the hose whenever possible!
Looks like a great book! Thanks for the raffle!
I’ve heard great things about this book! I am just starting out gardening/homesteading, so I don’t have any great tips…however, I got some good tips from the other comments!
Dani,
You’re awesome. The end.
Learn what plants to plant next to each other to help promote growth!
This book looks great! So excited!
Square gardening or container gardening are much more practical for those who have a small backyard, or even just a balcony or deck!
This book as been on my wishlist for months now! My tip is to start slow and add one or two new things at a time instead of several. It keeps the frustration to a minimum.
Ive been learning alot about homesteading, it would be great to have it in a book!
WOO HOO! I am excited to be the winner!
Looks like fun!