Title:
Backyard homesteading : a back-to basics guide for self-sufficiency / David Toht.
Author:
ISBN:
9781580118170
Edition:
Second revised edition.
Publication Information:
Mount Joy, PA : Creative Homeowner, [2018]
©2018
Physical Description:
311 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 23 cm
General Note:
Includes index.
Contents:
Getting started -- Raising vegetables and herbs -- Growing fruits, berries, and nuts -- Raising chickens -- Raising goats -- Beekeeping -- Harvest home.
Abstract:
"Teaches readers how to raise and process their own homemade food and other goods, from vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees to eggs, goat milk, and soap. Includes tips for designing homesteads and building simple backyard projects"--Provided by publisher.
Subject Term:
Copies:
Available:*
Copy | Library | Call Number | Material Type | Home Location | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Searching... | 631.584 TOH | Book | Adult General Collection | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
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.
Table of Contents
Introduction | p. 8 |
Chapter 1 Getting Started | p. 14 |
Why Backyard Homesteading? | p. 15 |
Municipal Regulations | p. 18 |
Making a Plan | p. 19 |
Planning for Plants | p. 25 |
Water | p. 28 |
Electricity | p. 30 |
Permission to Buy Tools | p. 31 |
Small Shed | p. 34 |
Large Shed | p. 36 |
Chapter 2 Raising Vegetables and Herbs | p. 38 |
Deciding What to Grow | p. 39 |
Timing | p. 41 |
Preparing the Ground | p. 43 |
Improving Your Soil | p. 44 |
Testing Your Soil | p. 47 |
Planting Your Vegetable Plots | p. 48 |
Hardness/Heat-Zone Maps | p. 52 |
Saving Seed | p. 54 |
Preventing Weeds, Pests, Diseases | p. 55 |
Pest-Proofing Your Garden | p. 56 |
Vegetables, Plant by Plant | p. 62 |
Gardening through the Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter | p. 78 |
Herbs | p. 86 |
Common Herbs, Plant by Plant | p. 88 |
Chapter 3 Growing Fruits, Berries, and Nuts | p. 98 |
Fruit Trees | p. 99 |
Planting Fruit Trees | p. 103 |
Pruning Fruit Trees | p. 104 |
Caring for Fruit Trees | p. 110 |
Fruit Trees, Plant by Plant | p. 114 |
Choosing Fruiting Shrubs | p. 121 |
Pruning Fruiting Shrubs | p. 123 |
Fruiting Shrubs, Plant by Plant | p. 126 |
Choosing Grapes | p. 129 |
Pruning and Training Grape Vines | p. 131 |
Grape Vines, Plant by Plant | p. 137 |
Choosing Bramble Fruit | p. 140 |
Bramble Fruits, Plant by Plant | p. 144 |
Nut-Bearing Trees | p. 148 |
Chapter 4 Raising Chickens | p. 150 |
Changing Codes | p. 151 |
Choosing a Breed | p. 154 |
Structures | p. 156 |
Ideas for Coops | p. 160 |
More ideas for Coops | p. 162 |
Getting Started | p. 164 |
Feeding and Watering | p. 167 |
Winterizing a Coop | p. 172 |
Chicken Health | p. 175 |
Gathering Eggs | p. 178 |
Meal-Type Chickens | p. 182 |
Ducks, Geese | p. 184 |
Turkeys, Quail | p. 186 |
Chapter 5 Raising Goats | p. 188 |
Are Goats Right for You? | p. 189 |
Quarters for Goats | p. 190 |
Assessing the Breeds | p. 194 |
Feed and Water | p. 198 |
Breeding and Birthing | p. 200 |
Milking | p. 201 |
Maintenance | p. 206 |
Other Livestock | p. 208 |
Chapter 6 Beekeeping | |
Are Bees Right for You? | p. 211 |
How Bees Make Honey | p. 212 |
Establishing a Hive | p. 222 |
Working with Bees | p. 227 |
Winterizing a Hive | p. 228 |
Diseases and Parasites | p. 228 |
Chapter 7 Harvest Home | p. 230 |
Canning | p. 231 |
Preparing Pickled and Fermented Foods | p. 245 |
Preparing Butters, Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades | p. 247 |
Canning Meat | p. 249 |
Making Sausage | p. 252 |
Drying Fruits and Vegetables | p. 256 |
Packaging and Storing Dried Foods | p. 266 |
How to Dry and Store Herbs | p. 267 |
Freezing Your Harvest | p. 269 |
Smoking Fish | p. 276 |
Smoking Meat | p. 278 |
Brewing Beer | p. 279 |
Making Wine | p. 280 |
Making Apple Cider | p. 282 |
Making your Own Soap | p. 284 |
Root Cellars | p. 290 |
Resources | p. 294 |
Glossary | p. 298 |
Index | p. 306 |
Credits | p. 310 |