Backyard Farming

by Derek Hall

Backyard farms are often valued primarily for the rural lifestyle that they provide. Often, the owners do not earn their livelihood from their farm. Generally, a small farm offers its owner a means of achieving self-sufficiency as to his and his family's own needs. Sometimes he may be able to gain extra income by selling surplus produce at farmers markets or more permanent shop facilities. This book will give the enthusiast all the information he requires to start up and maintain a small farm.

A backyard farm may be one that is maintained without thought of earning income, or run as part of a lifestyle choice. Alternatively, it may be regarded simply as recreational land, to be enjoyed by the whole family, being a place where a few animals are kept, not only for the pleasure of having them around, but also for the enjoyment of what they can produce, be it new-laid eggs, milk for turning into homemade butter, or even honey.

This comprehensive guide is illustrated throughout with full-color photographs and chapters that explain in detail how to grow vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Instructions on keeping bees, chickens, and livestock, and how to minimize pests, will help with ambitious farm projects. The index helps readers navigate through the book to find just the tips to help them get started with their own backyard farming.

Genres: Reference, Gardening

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2010

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Derek ^5 Hall.

Reviews

[Kellee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad overview for a complete novice, but the book is definitely unbalanced. It would have been better if Hall had decided to just write a book on agriculture and beekeeping. Those sections, (especially the beekeeping!) are informative and fairly detailed, and the livestock ones much less so.

The info on agriculture isn't bad at all for the plants it covers. The info on beekeeping is really much more thorough than anything else in the book, and was a delightful primer for someone who had almost no interest in the topic, but now knows more and has put it in the back of their mind for the future.

However, The entirety of the animal component of this book reads more like an informational pamphlet about raising animals. Cool for piquing interests, but not actually terribly useful.

[Cammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is designed for those individuals considering backyard farming. It is not comprehensive but a great place to start for beginners. The illustrations are very nice. It might be a place to get your creative juices flowing and a basis for further research.