Backyard Homesteading, Second Revised Edition: A Back-to-Basics Guide for Self-Sufficiency

by David Toht

Overview

This award-winning book addresses the needs of people who want to take control of the food they eat and the products they use—even if they live in an urban or suburban house on a typical-size lot. It shows homeowners how to turn their yard into a sustainable and self-sufficient "homestead" for raising livestock and providing homegrown food including fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs, milk, and meat. Backyard Homesteading also provides practical instructions for preserving food, making beer and wine, making soap, and more. Well illustrated with new photographs and illustrations, this revised 2nd edition provides important new information on attracting pollinators, and an expanded section on raising chickens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580118170
Publisher:	Fox Chapel Publishing
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dave Toht, a former contractor with decades of hands-on experience, fondly remembers his first house located in the sometimes frigid, sometimes frying Midwest.  Built in 1854, it was loaded with opportunities for caulking, glazing, weatherstripping and insulating.  He has written or edited more than 60 books on home repair and remodeling.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

Chapter 1 Getting Started 14

Why Backyard Homesteading? 15

Municipal Regulations 18

Making a Plan 19

Planning for Plants 25

Water 28

Electricity 30

Permission to Buy Tools 31

Small Shed 34

Large Shed 36

Chapter 2 Raising Vegetables and Herbs 38

Deciding What to Grow 39

Timing 41

Preparing the Ground 43

Improving Your Soil 44

Testing Your Soil 47

Planting Your Vegetable Plots 48

Hardness/Heat-Zone Maps 52

Saving Seed 54

Preventing Weeds, Pests, Diseases 55

Pest-Proofing Your Garden 56

Vegetables, Plant by Plant 62

Gardening through the Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter 78

Herbs 86

Common Herbs, Plant by Plant 88

Chapter 3 Growing Fruits, Berries, and Nuts 98

Fruit Trees 99

Planting Fruit Trees 103

Pruning Fruit Trees 104

Caring for Fruit Trees 110

Fruit Trees, Plant by Plant 114

Choosing Fruiting Shrubs 121

Pruning Fruiting Shrubs 123

Fruiting Shrubs, Plant by Plant 126

Choosing Grapes 129

Pruning and Training Grape Vines 131

Grape Vines, Plant by Plant 137

Choosing Bramble Fruit 140

Bramble Fruits, Plant by Plant 144

Nut-Bearing Trees 148

Chapter 4 Raising Chickens 150

Changing Codes 151

Choosing a Breed 154

Structures 156

Ideas for Coops 160

More ideas for Coops 162

Getting Started 164

Feeding and Watering 167

Winterizing a Coop 172

Chicken Health 175

Gathering Eggs 178

Meal-Type Chickens 182

Ducks, Geese 184

Turkeys, Quail 186

Chapter 5 Raising Goats 188

Are Goats Right for You? 189

Quarters for Goats 190

Assessing the Breeds 194

Feed and Water 198

Breeding and Birthing 200

Milking 201

Maintenance 206

Other Livestock 208

Chapter 6 Beekeeping

Are Bees Right for You? 211

How Bees Make Honey 212

Establishing a Hive 222

Working with Bees 227

Winterizing a Hive 228

Diseases and Parasites 228

Chapter 7 Harvest Home 230

Canning 231

Preparing Pickled and Fermented Foods 245

Preparing Butters, Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades 247

Canning Meat 249

Making Sausage 252

Drying Fruits and Vegetables 256

Packaging and Storing Dried Foods 266

How to Dry and Store Herbs 267

Freezing Your Harvest 269

Smoking Fish 276

Smoking Meat 278

Brewing Beer 279

Making Wine 280

Making Apple Cider 282

Making your Own Soap 284

Root Cellars 290

Resources 294

Glossary 298

Index 306

Credits 310