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