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The Backyard Homestead
The Backyard Homestead: Produce All the Food You Need on Just a Quarter Acre!
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 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.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2009
1344 people are currently reading
9009 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews
Want to read
November 21, 2019My sister has expressed an interest in "homesteading." Do you have a favorite book about homesteading that I could buy her for Christmas? My sister would like to stead a home. She's gonna farm. She's gonna live off the grid. She's gonna be one of those people who keep chickens for like two months until they realize that it's hard and annoying.
She just announced this recently, that she's into homesteading, particularly with regards to "the camp in Canada," which I've literally never heard of - has she been keeping an entire camp secret from me? What even is a "camp"? Isn't that more of a verb? I thought it was only a noun when it was a thing you had to do during summer vacation because your parents wanted to get drunk in peace. You know what's a fucked up place is summer camp. Older kids made us younger kids show them our penises to "prove we were boys" once on the way to breakfast. You weren't even traumatized about it, you just sortof took it for granted that stuff like this happens at camp. It's decades before you look back and think hey, that was weird.
The thing with all of this is that my sister lives in Wellesley, and when Wellesley people talk about things like "the camp in Canada" they generally mean more of a Camp David kind of thing, with servants' quarters with real servants, and...and waterskiing. But here she is, talking about homesteading, so. Waterskiing and chickens.
The awfulest thing about this is that she'll probably be super good at it. She is generally good at things. We'll go visit her, as soon as we sleuth out the address of "the camp in Canada," and she'll say things like "Homesteading is such a hassle, I barely got the sheep sheared in time to knit these sweaters." She'll be casually waving a cocktail made with home-bathtubbed gin. Strangling a chicken with the other hand. "There was a whole chapter about chicken strangling," she'll say, "in that book you got me for Christmas."
She just announced this recently, that she's into homesteading, particularly with regards to "the camp in Canada," which I've literally never heard of - has she been keeping an entire camp secret from me? What even is a "camp"? Isn't that more of a verb? I thought it was only a noun when it was a thing you had to do during summer vacation because your parents wanted to get drunk in peace. You know what's a fucked up place is summer camp. Older kids made us younger kids show them our penises to "prove we were boys" once on the way to breakfast. You weren't even traumatized about it, you just sortof took it for granted that stuff like this happens at camp. It's decades before you look back and think hey, that was weird.
The thing with all of this is that my sister lives in Wellesley, and when Wellesley people talk about things like "the camp in Canada" they generally mean more of a Camp David kind of thing, with servants' quarters with real servants, and...and waterskiing. But here she is, talking about homesteading, so. Waterskiing and chickens.
The awfulest thing about this is that she'll probably be super good at it. She is generally good at things. We'll go visit her, as soon as we sleuth out the address of "the camp in Canada," and she'll say things like "Homesteading is such a hassle, I barely got the sheep sheared in time to knit these sweaters." She'll be casually waving a cocktail made with home-bathtubbed gin. Strangling a chicken with the other hand. "There was a whole chapter about chicken strangling," she'll say, "in that book you got me for Christmas."
April 17, 2009
I've been reading and playing around with this book for the last month and I really love it. The tone is totally accessible for those interested in gardening, raising grains, or animal husbandry. The author shows how to make the most of small spaces from 1/10 acre up to 1/2 acre. I used her raised bed diagrams to plan my own and suggestions about what things to plant next to each other. I'm thinking about getting a couple of chickens on my city property and she has great advice about that too. This is the perfect how-to guide for beginners.
November 9, 2012
Although not a definitive guide to how to do everything to raise your own food, this book does touch on the basics, and gives you an idea of what to do and what is needed. After that, you can use some of the many other resources that are listed to get into whatever depth level you wish.
That said, this is an eye-opening, very enjoyable book, one that shows just how easy itcan be to grow at least some of one's own food. I recently moved to a more rural area with just that in mind, but had no experience with doing any such activities. While I have been hampered by my work schedule, I have been making progress; we now have chickens, and the garden is laid out, although not yet in use (I have decided to go with actual raised beds, and their construction is not complete; I could have used traditional raised beds that don't require construction, but took a different route).
There is a wealth of information in this book, and while those who were raised in the country may already know much of it, I would suspect that even they could learn something; there is that much in here! If you weren't raised hands-on with gardening, raising chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and/or cattle, if you didn't can, preserve, or brew, if you aren't familiar with growing fruit or nuts, or with keeping bees, then there is something for you in this book, at least enough to get you knowing enough to decide if any or all of those are something you not only would be interested in, but to get an idea of what it could take to do so, and where to go to get even deeper into a subject.
This book is a cornerstone of my homestead library; if you are considering growing some of your own food, at whatever level, this is a great place to start!
That said, this is an eye-opening, very enjoyable book, one that shows just how easy itcan be to grow at least some of one's own food. I recently moved to a more rural area with just that in mind, but had no experience with doing any such activities. While I have been hampered by my work schedule, I have been making progress; we now have chickens, and the garden is laid out, although not yet in use (I have decided to go with actual raised beds, and their construction is not complete; I could have used traditional raised beds that don't require construction, but took a different route).
There is a wealth of information in this book, and while those who were raised in the country may already know much of it, I would suspect that even they could learn something; there is that much in here! If you weren't raised hands-on with gardening, raising chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and/or cattle, if you didn't can, preserve, or brew, if you aren't familiar with growing fruit or nuts, or with keeping bees, then there is something for you in this book, at least enough to get you knowing enough to decide if any or all of those are something you not only would be interested in, but to get an idea of what it could take to do so, and where to go to get even deeper into a subject.
This book is a cornerstone of my homestead library; if you are considering growing some of your own food, at whatever level, this is a great place to start!
March 19, 2023
I need to buy this book to refer back to! It has great directions for which plants to buy, how to lay out a garden, and it also included plans for the chicken coop we are buying!
September 2, 2009
This is a good book for helping you to understand the potential of the lanscape that's available to you. There are some good tips on which vegetables, fruits, and herbs grow best in which climate regions, information on how to utilize space, and other helpful information.
There are also pieces on making your own ice cream, apple cider, beer, wine, maple syrup, and other seasonal treats. However, I felt as though the author didn't go into enough detail or offer alternatives for folks that don't own the tools or machines necessary. For instance, if you don't have an ice cream maker, provide information on alternative ways of making ice cream. Or if you don't have an apple cider grinder, as most people don't, offer a different, creative approach.
I felt as though the book was trumped up to be more than it was. It was helpful as a one-time resource for me, but I wouldn't see a need to reference the book in the future, so reserving it from the library was enough for me.
There are also pieces on making your own ice cream, apple cider, beer, wine, maple syrup, and other seasonal treats. However, I felt as though the author didn't go into enough detail or offer alternatives for folks that don't own the tools or machines necessary. For instance, if you don't have an ice cream maker, provide information on alternative ways of making ice cream. Or if you don't have an apple cider grinder, as most people don't, offer a different, creative approach.
I felt as though the book was trumped up to be more than it was. It was helpful as a one-time resource for me, but I wouldn't see a need to reference the book in the future, so reserving it from the library was enough for me.
April 30, 2009
I'm ashamed to admit it, but graphic design, pretty colors, attention to fonts (type and size), nice line drawings, and boxed quotes in the margins made me eat this book right up.
Funny thing is, the content is not much better than that of Deliberate Life, but I gave it 2 more stars....
Things I learned in this book:
I can get my Brussels sprouts to get bigger by picking the leaves off the plant once the sprouts have developed. *THAT'S* how they do it....
It's too bad I don't drink beer, because making home brew sounds like a lot of fun.
Muscovies are known as "quackless" ducks because they are relatively quiet.
There's tons of information on eggs - determining freshness, how their quality changes with the age of the hen and in relation to molting. And you can *freeze* eggs by cracking, slightly scrambling, mixing in either salt or sugar, and freezing individually. Also, Sex Link breeds of chicken are called that because they are certain hybrids whose chicks can be sexed (you can tell the gender) as chicks by either feather color or some other feature.
I never thought I could actually grow wheat or rye in my backyard, but I could if I wanted.
Landscaping with edibles (fruits, berries, etc) is called "luscious landscaping." Makes you wanna go plant something right now, doesn't it?
Funny thing is, the content is not much better than that of Deliberate Life, but I gave it 2 more stars....
Things I learned in this book:
I can get my Brussels sprouts to get bigger by picking the leaves off the plant once the sprouts have developed. *THAT'S* how they do it....
It's too bad I don't drink beer, because making home brew sounds like a lot of fun.
Muscovies are known as "quackless" ducks because they are relatively quiet.
There's tons of information on eggs - determining freshness, how their quality changes with the age of the hen and in relation to molting. And you can *freeze* eggs by cracking, slightly scrambling, mixing in either salt or sugar, and freezing individually. Also, Sex Link breeds of chicken are called that because they are certain hybrids whose chicks can be sexed (you can tell the gender) as chicks by either feather color or some other feature.
I never thought I could actually grow wheat or rye in my backyard, but I could if I wanted.
Landscaping with edibles (fruits, berries, etc) is called "luscious landscaping." Makes you wanna go plant something right now, doesn't it?
June 24, 2022
While I found the overview general and wide enough for education. I felt it was bit obtuse when going into some types of husbandry. I mean of course if you are going to choose fowl you should get an additional book to this. I just worry that this could be taken as an end all be all because it felt like someone (in parts) going 'This is what I would pick because of (insert opinion here).' This was just enough information to get into trouble. If you do go forward with any of these plans be sure to do your research.
I recommend for those who need help defining their goals when it comes to getting into the homesteader movement.
PS not a homesteader
I recommend for those who need help defining their goals when it comes to getting into the homesteader movement.
PS not a homesteader
February 9, 2024
Seems like all I can think about these days is getting some land and growing some food.
Skimmed through a few books like this over the last week and this was the best of the bunch so I ended up reading the whole thing.
Skimmed through a few books like this over the last week and this was the best of the bunch so I ended up reading the whole thing.
August 15, 2010
I just finished flicking through this one again, and I'm dreaming of a slightly bigger piece of land, no hoa, and miniature dairy goats...
I love this book. It really gets you excited about the potential of your backyard. It works as a quick primer for growing vegetables, making your own wine, cheese, and all sorts of great things, but the information on each of these topics doesn't get too deep. If you really want to know how to make wine, for example, you can read the section in here first to see if it looks like a process you could see yourself dealing with, before you go elsewhere for all the nitty gritty. Also, I'd like illustrations on my how tos, and while there are illustrations in this book, they aren't instructive ones really. But! This IS a great encyclopedia of basic level knowledge for all sorts of homesteading techniques that can be used in your own backyard, it makes you feel like you can really do them yourself, it's very inspiring. So even given its lack of depth, I love this book.
I love this book. It really gets you excited about the potential of your backyard. It works as a quick primer for growing vegetables, making your own wine, cheese, and all sorts of great things, but the information on each of these topics doesn't get too deep. If you really want to know how to make wine, for example, you can read the section in here first to see if it looks like a process you could see yourself dealing with, before you go elsewhere for all the nitty gritty. Also, I'd like illustrations on my how tos, and while there are illustrations in this book, they aren't instructive ones really. But! This IS a great encyclopedia of basic level knowledge for all sorts of homesteading techniques that can be used in your own backyard, it makes you feel like you can really do them yourself, it's very inspiring. So even given its lack of depth, I love this book.
May 6, 2011
This book is awesome. It's just what I needed. This was a gift to me from a friend and it is such a great resource. The second me and my husband picked this sucker up we started making improvements to our property. This book is never on my bookshelf, its outside with us, in my truck or on the kitchen counter. It provides just enough information for you to do it yourself. Many different projects and subjects in this book, but it doesn't leave you wanting - its not a complete encyclopedia on each subject either - there is room for learning experiences, but you'll get the job done. This book is a gold mine for anyone that wants to get more out of their property and be less dependent on "going to town" for everything you need.
Want to read
December 29, 2018A good overview book.
March 14, 2023
A very broad treatment of homesteading principles - enough to get you started, but without a lot of useful detail on many points. There’s some humour, and certain topics got more detailed treatment. For example, I felt confident that I could put this book down and go tap trees for maple syrup or make a home brew, but I’d struggle in some other things, such as keeping animals, based on this book alone. This is a however decent general overview of making a small acreage productive, if a bit benign. It’s necessarily general, since it’s not a huge compendium, and it does provide plenty of online sources and has a decent bibliography. A book of this type must balance between being just too long and simply referring the reader to other sources. It’s certainly worth a read if you aren’t sure where to begin.
August 30, 2022
This was not for me. Not to say it was bad, but this didn't work for me. The information presented was basically like reading it on Google, the format was not the greatest, kind of dull and the images were so basic for lack of a better word... (they looked like the back in the day black and white ugly looking sketches made quicly by someone without experience and weren't so clear, didn't help to pictured the info / instructions)... idk what else to say bc altho some info is helpful the way it was presented was not ... the best as I already said. 🤷🏽♀️ Need to find something that's related to this topic but that works for me. 🤞🏽
April 28, 2019
Really good guide, very informative. Just didn't all apply to our situation (bill wont ket me get chickens and making yogurt sounds smelly) but really enjoyed the gardening aspect!
January 28, 2020
Very informational, great place to start.
March 24, 2020
Great resource for homesteading. Some of the solutions are "ask a local" because everything can vary depending on where you live.
February 10, 2022
I mostly skimmed this one to get a feel for it. I got it at the library but I would love for it to have a permanent spot on my bookshelf so I could reference it.
March 29, 2022
This is a good reference book that I will pull out throughout the year
June 19, 2022
Review pending
July 4, 2022
Super quick , easy read, reference guide for the basics ! Doesn’t go into huge detail , but enough to start the fire towards self sustainment !
January 24, 2023
I’ve used this book several growing seasons in a row. I highly recommend it to any novice gardener.
May 6, 2019
This one is a good starting point for beginning homesteaders and/or gardeners.
December 17, 2021
Without a doubt, this was the best all-encompassing homesteading book I've read so far!
April 24, 2017
Going off the grid is still a pipe dream, but in the meantime, I'm working on learning on all the skills. Great intro level book. Current mission --> convince Morgan that raising our own rabbits for chow mein is a brilliant idea, because well, it is!
February 23, 2023
I will refer back to this book as I begin to plant my garden!
December 7, 2016
The Backyard Homestead is an excellent resource for homesteaders of all stages. If you're a beginner you will definitely appreciate it as there is so much information in it. If you're an advanced homesteader than the book will serve more as a valuable resource for you to occasionally glance over and refresh your memory with. Within the covers lies a well of knowledge. The beginning includes some handy illustrations showing you how much food you can produce on one tenth of an acre, on a quarter acre, and on half an acre. Each map is detailed with where everything should be placed and planted. It's a great visual aid that you could totally get away with copying. And yes you read that right! You really can homestead on one tenth of an acre! Your shown how much you can get from small pieces of land. For example on a quarter of an acre you can get 1,400 eggs, 50lbs of wheat, 60lbs of fruit, 2,000lbs of vegetables, 280lbs of pork, and 75lbs of nuts. Thst's not including rabbit meat, chicken meat, honey, or other wild edibles you forage on your land. See you really don't need that much land to homestead so stop using a lack of space as an excuse. Don't sit around twiddling your thumbs for the rest of your life saying you'll become more self sufficient when you have a lot of land! Do it now! You can do it and The Backyard Homstead is your guide!
The book is divided into seven main sections. They are •The Home Vegetable Garden •Backyard Fruits and Nuts •Easy Fragrant Herbs •Homegrown Grains •Poultry for Eggs and Meat •Meat and Dairy and •Food from the Wild. Each section isn't over the top detailed but there is enough information to get you started. In the section, 'The home Vegetable Garden' many graphs abound such as a visual on a garden layout. That is super handy for those needing a little extra help in planning where to plant things. There's info on planting dates for each part of the US, what grows best where, how to extend the season, helping your seeds germinate, and directions for making your own trellises for plants such as tomatoes. Throughout the book you'll learn how to store your harvest, recieve numerous examples of how to layout your yard so that it is edible and purposeful, how to thresh wheat, information on wheat grinders, how to butcher a chicken and carve it, what to do with the feathers, how to make maple syrup, how to brew beer or wine if you're into that, and even how to milk a goat. With each animal species the different kinds are discussed which will aid you in deciding the one would suit you better. Numerous recipes from jams to vinegars to cheese are shared. The book is a great starting place for beginners and as said earlier is a great resource for the advanced. At the end, tons of resources are shared for places to buy things, websites to check out, and other books to read. It's written in a down to earth style. You won't feel overwhelmed reading it but I do recommend having a journal close by so you can take notes. The layout is fantastic and while it lacks in details as far as how to care for animals and such it makes up for that as excellent guide to get you started. It's not meant to be a 'one stop get it all' book. But it is a 'one stop get more knowledge than you have' book.
The book is divided into seven main sections. They are •The Home Vegetable Garden •Backyard Fruits and Nuts •Easy Fragrant Herbs •Homegrown Grains •Poultry for Eggs and Meat •Meat and Dairy and •Food from the Wild. Each section isn't over the top detailed but there is enough information to get you started. In the section, 'The home Vegetable Garden' many graphs abound such as a visual on a garden layout. That is super handy for those needing a little extra help in planning where to plant things. There's info on planting dates for each part of the US, what grows best where, how to extend the season, helping your seeds germinate, and directions for making your own trellises for plants such as tomatoes. Throughout the book you'll learn how to store your harvest, recieve numerous examples of how to layout your yard so that it is edible and purposeful, how to thresh wheat, information on wheat grinders, how to butcher a chicken and carve it, what to do with the feathers, how to make maple syrup, how to brew beer or wine if you're into that, and even how to milk a goat. With each animal species the different kinds are discussed which will aid you in deciding the one would suit you better. Numerous recipes from jams to vinegars to cheese are shared. The book is a great starting place for beginners and as said earlier is a great resource for the advanced. At the end, tons of resources are shared for places to buy things, websites to check out, and other books to read. It's written in a down to earth style. You won't feel overwhelmed reading it but I do recommend having a journal close by so you can take notes. The layout is fantastic and while it lacks in details as far as how to care for animals and such it makes up for that as excellent guide to get you started. It's not meant to be a 'one stop get it all' book. But it is a 'one stop get more knowledge than you have' book.
November 19, 2013
This book could be the only one that I need for my homesteading project. It is detailed enough to get you started and then I believe that your own experiences would get you through more and more. I was very interested in the goat section as I have only even owned one goat and she was never kidded nor milked. The chicken section was less than my current knowledge but it did raise some good points for beginners. I think this is an excellent book to start with if you have some knowledge but not a lot or you're starting all from scratch and need some information about some things that you want to do. There is also a great section in the back with some recipes that I might be trying out soon anyways.
She also comes at the topic of homesteading wherever you are. It is more of a way of life than a specific place. But, for most of us we want that beautiful farm in our heads. You are only limited by your funds and the amount of work that you are willing to do. Good luck on your journey friends!
She also comes at the topic of homesteading wherever you are. It is more of a way of life than a specific place. But, for most of us we want that beautiful farm in our heads. You are only limited by your funds and the amount of work that you are willing to do. Good luck on your journey friends!
July 15, 2009
What a wonderful reference for living as sustainably as possible on your own land - even if you only have a quarter acre! Although I cannot have livestock or even chickens in my city, this book provided a wealth of information about gardening, preserving, making cheese, growing and processing grains, baking bread, even brewing beer. I purchased this book to learn about gardening, and I was not disappointed. It has a handy reference for planting and caring for many kinds of veggies, fruits, nuts, and grains. If I desired, with the help of this book, I could turn my whole urban yard into a sort of mini-farm, providing my family with an abundance of food all year long. In addition to this, the book expanded my knowledge so that I will experiment with making my own cheese, yogurt, and jam, and perhaps someday consider owning dairy goats or chickens if I ever have the land for it. This book is a very handy guide to feeding your family as naturally as possible.
August 22, 2009
I was disappointed in the Readers-Digest-type format of the book. Just when you get some good information, it's time to move on to something else. Plus, I'm not sure that I trust the accuracy of the information - there are much better guides (especially for animal care) out there. Lastly, I think this book would have been more useful if I lived in Massachusetts instead of in the south. Very little information about southern gardening; tons of info on cold-weather gardening. So, while this was somewhat interesting, it was not nearly as useful as I thought it was going to be.
May 21, 2012
When I think of homesteading, I think of being able to feed myself and of being self-sustaining. If that's your goal, I think John Seymour's "The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" is a better choice.
It's not that this is a bad book, but it covers just the very basics. It's very easy to read and goes quickly, but I would never use this as a reference guide. On the other hand, John Seymour's book is almost all you need.
It's not that this is a bad book, but it covers just the very basics. It's very easy to read and goes quickly, but I would never use this as a reference guide. On the other hand, John Seymour's book is almost all you need.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews