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The backyard homesteader : how to save water, keep bees, eat from your garden, and live a more sustainable life

2021

Format:	Book
Author:	Candlin, Alison, author.
Title:	The backyard homesteader : how to save water, keep bees, eat from your garden, and live a more sustainable life / Alison Candlin.
Publisher, Date:	Layton, Utah : Gibbs Smith, 2021.
Description:	256 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm
Subjects:	Urban agriculture -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Urban gardening. Home economics, Rural -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Organic farming -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Organic gardening -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Backyard gardens -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Kitchen gardens -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Self-reliant living -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. Food -- Preservation -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Other Title:	Country skills Backyard home-steader
Notes:	"Previously published as Country skills: a practical guide to self-sufficiency"--Copyright page. Includes index. Publisher's Weekly,040521
ISBN:	9781423656784
Other Number:	1196839136
System Availability:	3
# Local items:	1
Call Number:	630.917 Candlin Backyard
# Local items in:	1
# System items in:	2
Current Holds:	0

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Candlin (Country Skills) offers a realist's take on living off the land in this no-nonsense manual. Cautioning to take things "little by little," Candlin outlines the steps required in planning a homestead, starting with abiding by local laws and regulations, clearing land, and improving soil quality. She also offers advice on fencing, greenhouses, starting from seeds, and rotating crops. Her instructions for raising animals are brisk ("Try to remain businesslike--they are not your pets"), and include tips specific to goats, chickens, and bees. Other forms of sustenance come from foraging ("mushrooms may be the most neglected of all free food"), fishing, and hunting. A calendar of seasonal chores supplements other recurring tasks, such as preserving and pickling produce. Charts, photos, drawings, and sidebars add to the wealth of information on offer. Candlin doesn't hold hands or cheerlead, but rather equips readers with solid information devoid of romantic illusions: "The sweat and toil of clearing the land is hard but satisfying work." Readers thinking about taking the plunge into homesteading will find this to be an excellent resource. (Mar.)

Summary

The essential beginner's manual on living a greener, healthier, and more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Absolutely all you need to know to provide you and your family with homegrown food throughout the year. Alison Candlin offers easy-to-follow advice on planning, establishing, and maintaining a small-acre farm, an allotment, or a backyard garden. She also includes essential tips for selecting, housing, and looking after chickens, goats, pigs, bees, and other animals. Learn how to collect and recycle water, compost your leftover scraps, and generate renewable energy for your own home in order to save money and minimize your impact on the environment. With step-by-step instructions and more than 350 photographs and charming illustrations, this book is a practical and comprehensive guide to living off the land.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	p. 6
	Starting Out
	Planning	p. 12
	Clearing Overgrown Land	p. 21
	Improving the Soil	p. 23
	Composting and Amending	p. 25
	Improving Drainage	p. 27
	Digging	p. 28
	Fences and Other Boundaries	p. 30
	Tools and Equipment	p. 33
	The Greenhouse	p. 34
	Greenhouse Management	p. 37
	Cloches	p. 39
	Crop Rotation	p. 40
	Watering and Irrigation	p. 42
	Calendar of Seasonal Tasks
	The Year in the Garden	p. 48
	Spring	p. 49
	Summer	p. 51
	Fall	p. 54
	Winter	p. 55
	Growing Vegetables
	Growing Vegetables	p. 58
	Raising vegetable Seedlings	p. 59
	Growing Cole Crops	p. 62
	Growing Root Vegetables	p. 66
	Growing Beans and Peas	p. 73
	Growing Potatoes	p. 79
	Growing Salad Greens	p. 82
	Growing Tomatoes	p. 87
	Other Vegetable Crops	p. 92
	Growing Asparagus	p. 99
	Greenhouse Vegetable	p. 101
	Growing Herbs	p. 104
	Growing Fruit
	Growing Fruit	p. 110
	Planting Out	p. 111
	Growing Apples	p. 113
	Growing Pears	p. 118
	Other Tree Fruit	p. 119
	Growing Figs and Grapes	p. 124
	Greenhouse Fruit	p. 126
	Growing Rhubarb	p. 128
	Growing Strawberries	p. 129
	Other Berries	p. 132
	Directory of Pests and Diseases
	Preventing Pests and Diseases	p. 142
	Treating Plant Problems	p. 143
	Visible Pests	p. 144
	Leaves with Holes	p. 144
	Distorted Leaves	p. 145
	Discolored Leaves	p. 146
	Distorted or Wilted Shoots	p. 147
	Problems with Stems, Bark, or Branches	p. 147
	Wilting or Withered Plant	p. 148
	Fruit Disorders	p. 149
	Problems with Beans, Peas, and Tomatoes	p. 150
	Root Vegetable Disorders	p. 151
	Keeping Animals
	Keeping Animals	p. 154
	Keeping Pigs	p. 155
	Keeping Goats	p. 160
	Keeping Chickens	p. 166
	Ducks, Geese, and Turkeys	p. 171
	Keeping Bees	p. 175
	Food from Nature
	Gathering from the Wild	p. 180
	Herbs and Plants	p. 181
	Fruit and Nuts	p. 186
	Mushrooms	p. 190
	Fishing	p. 195
	Food from the Ocean	p. 198
	Hunting	p. 201
	Gathering Firewood	p. 202
	Preserving Your Produce
	Preserving Your Produce	p. 206
	Preserving Vegetables	p. 207
	Equipment for Making Preserves	p. 212
	Pickles, Chutney, and Relishes	p. 214
	Preserving Herbs	p. 219
	Preserving Fruit	p. 220
	Canning Fruit	p. 224
	Making Jams and Jellies	p. 226
	Making Wine and Cider	p. 230
	Goat Milk	p. 235
	Preserving Meat and Fish	p. 237
	Water and Energy Conservation
	The Self-Sufficient Home	p. 240
	Conserving Energy	p. 241
	Keeping in the Heat	p. 243
	Solar Power	p. 244
	Alternative Energy Sources	p. 246
	Saving and Recycling Water	p. 247

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