Johanna and I are thrilled to announce that our new book The Self-Sufficient Backyard: For the Independent Homesteader is available for purchase in both ebook format and/or printed copy. Here is the link to the webpage: https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/my-book/
The Self-Sufficient Backyard: For the Independent Homesteader
We are not aware of any book that has been published that is as comprehensive in its coverage of self-reliant topics. The following is the table of contents.
The Self-Sufficient Backyard: For the Independent Homesteader Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 – 40 Years Homesteading
Where it all Began …………………………………………..
The Beginning – The First Homestead ………………
Time for a Change – A Move to the Wilderness …
The Final Frontier – The Last Homestead …………
Chapter 2 – The Homestead Plan ………………………….
More Questions ………………………………………………
The Sketch ……………………………………………………..
Sketch Details …………………………………………………
Chapter 3 – Site Selection ……………………………………..
One Step at a Time …………………………………………
Homestead Layout ………………………………………….
Chapter 4 – Road Building ……………………………………
Chapter 5 – Homestead Water ……………………………..
Drilled Wells and Hand Pumps ……………………….
Hand Dug Wells and Piston Pumps …………………
Machine Dug Wells ………………………………………..
Well Disinfection ……………………………………………
Homestead Water Filtration …………………………….
Homestead Hot Water ……………………………………
Rain Water Catchment (WS)……………………………
Chapter 6 – House Floor Planning …………………………
Dirty and Clean Areas ……………………………………..
Homestead Kitchen …………………………………………
Chapter 7 – Off Grid Power ………………………………….
Basic Electricity ……………………………………………….
Batteries …………………………………………………………
Solar Panels…………………………………………………….
Charge Controllers ………………………………………….
The Inverter ……………………………………………………
An Example Design…………………………………………..
Wind Turbines …………………………………………………
Chapter 8 – The Orchard (OR)……………………………….
Growing Zones …………………………………………………
Berry Planting (BP1, BP2, SB, T3, T4, T6, T7) ….
Grapes (T4, T7)………………………………………………..
Rhubarb, a Vegetable or a Fruit? (T3)…………………
Fruit Tree Planting (OR) ……………………………………
Controlling Pest and Disease ……………………………..
Chapter 9 – Homestead Gardening………………………….
Your First Garden …………………………………………….
Container Gardening (RC1) ……………………………….
Let There Be Light ……………………………………………
Edible Landscapes ………………………………………….…
Choose Garden System ………………………..
The Shape Our Garden Takes ……………..
Plan the Layout ……………………………………
Crop Rotation (TT) ……………………………..
Soil Building and Preparation ……………….
Organic Fertilizers ……………………………….
Vegetable Seed Selection ……………………..
Let’s Get the Garden Started! ……………….
Ready to Plant ……………………………………..
Succession Planting and Intercropping …..
Mulch and Fertilize………………………………
Insects and Diseases …………………………….
Varmint Control ………………………………….
Season Extenders…………………………………
Plant Protection …………………………………..
The Solar Greenhouse (GH) ………………..
Seven Cash Cow Crops ………………………..
Guide to Common Garden Vegetables ….
Winter Gardening ……………………………….
Culinary Herbs (CH) ……………………………
Medicinal Garden (MG) ………………………
Chapter 10 – Easy on the Back Gardening ….
Hay or Straw Bale Gardens…………………..
A Keyhole Garden (KH) ………………………
Chapter 11 – Seed saving …………………………..
Chapter 12 – Food Preservation …………………
Freezing Fruits and Vegetables ……………..
Freezing Meats …………………………………….
Canning ………………………………………………
Canning Equipment……………………………..
Canning Foods – General Principles ……..
Canning Vegetables ……………………………..
Canning Fruits……………………………………..
Canning Fruit Juices ………………………….…
Canning Jams, Jellies and Preserves ……………………………………..
Canning Meats ……………………………………………………………………
Drying or Dehydrating ………………………………………………………..
Root Cellaring (BRC) ………………………………………………………….
Curing, Smoking and Other Off-Grid Means of Food Storage ..
Storage of Staples ………………………………………………………………..
Making Apple Cider Vinegar ……………………………………………….
Chapter 13 – Busy as Bees (BH) ……………………………………………….
Building the Hive ………………………………………………………………..
Equipment …………………………………………………………………………
Potential Issues …………………………………………………………………..
How to Start a New Bee Colony …………………………………………..
Harvesting Honey …………………………………………………………….…
Chapter 14 – Introduction to Chickens ……………..
Chicken Breeds …………………………………………
The Chicken Coop and Run (CR and CC) …..
Starting the Flock ……………………………………….
Feed and Bedding ……………………………………..
Chicken Processing…………………………………….
Chapter 15 – Composting (CB) ……………………….
Recycling Human Waste (HMC) ………………..
Chapter – 16 You Can Do the Impossible…………
Tools of the Trade …………………………………….
Real World Examples ………………………………..
Safety First! ………………………………………………..
Homestead Fuel Storage ………………………….…
Chapter 17 – Parting Thoughts ………………………..
Until next time, keep the dream alive! We wish you a great day!
Ron and Johanna
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I tried to order, I live in Canada. Can’t complete as no option for Canada address. Please advise
Hi, do you have a chart or guide recommending how much food a couple eats in the course of a year (both canned and fresh) and then how many row feet or square feet of crops that requires in the garden?
Hello Ellen. Great question! Thanks for stopping by and asking. We tried to make this book detailed and comprehensive. Yes, there are 4 charts or lists in the book. One chart lists various vegetables and the yields per plant or square foot, another chart tells how much we plant of each vegetable since we are a family of 2 and a third chart indicates how much of each fruit and vegetable we like to have inventoried each year, either canned or frozen. There also is another chart for fruits giving yields per plant or square foot.
I need to buy this book. I am in Kenya. Is there a possibility of buying it online?
Hello Reuben. Thank you for stopping by. Yes, you can buy the book online. You should be able at this point in time to order the ebook version. Over the next month or so, it is my understanding that it will also be available on Amazon, Ebay and other outlets. The link is in the first paragraph of the book post. Please try: https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/my-book/ Thank you. Stay safe!
Could you please more specifications of the book and the other bonus books the writers of which I am not aware of
Hi Ezgi. Good questions. I have the table of contents on the book purchase page. I think this will help you a lot. http://www.inthewilderness.net/buy-off-grid-and-free-my-path-to-the-wilderness/
We essentially start right at the very beginning for someone who has no idea where to begin on their journey to self-reliance. The book is written both for the complete beginner to those more experienced.
As far as the bonus books, they were included by the publisher as an additional free offer and we have not read them. Thank you for your interest! Stay safe Ezgi
Hello, I live in Canada. Is this book available to order now as I don’t see the country listed in the drop down menu? Thanks
Hello Andrea. Thank you for the support and thanks for bringing this problem to my attention. On Monday, the publisher made the international shipping available to all but I didn’t realize the link had changed. I’ve updated the link. You should be able to buy our book from most anywhere in the world now. Please let me know if you still have a problem with the new link. Happy gardening. Stay safe!
Thanks you so much. The link did appear to work initially, but when I went back to it again, the Canadian option was not available. Also, shipping was showing to be $30. Is that correct?
Hi Andrea. I am not certain what the exact shipping cost is but I can tell you Johanna, I and the publisher regret the higher cost to ship to Canada. I had 11 books that came to me and I paid roughly $125 just in customs duties, taxes and fees alone. At some point in the future, our publisher is hoping to have a Canadian distributor to help get the cost down but there’s no timetable on that. I believe the exchange rate plays a part in this as well. Stay well Andrea. Thank you!
R and J …..
I’m wondering if it’s possible to purchase your bonus e-book ‘projects from the 1900s’ in a printed form. Would like to have something tangible that I can keep on hand with my other prepping books. Thank you for any help. mary
Good Morning Mary, We sincerely thank you for the support. All marketing is done by our publisher. They have created the package of our book along with the downloadable secondary books. We have no say in what the publisher adds as bonus extras. So in this case, I apologize that the extras that are offered with our book purchase are only available in ebook form. We do understand the desire for physical books. We are the same way. Stay safe Mary and thanks for writing.
Hi. I ordered your book a week ago in both digital and physical format. Where is my digital copy? I expect the physical copy to take a bit but not the digital copy.
Hello Kate,
Thank you so much for the book support. I’m sorry you had a glitch with the download part. You are absolutely right that the download should be available. With every order, there’s a confirmation email sent to the customer with a download link. It’s system generated automatically. Perhaps that email went to a spam folder or the email address was inadvertently entered wrong.
On the website you placed your order,( https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/my-book/ ) there’s a “contact” page with an email address for book support. Please go to that link and contact support with the email address you used and/or an order number and they will get this sorted out for you. Please let me know if you have any further issues. Thanks Kate. Stay safe!
Is there an audiobook format I can purchase?
Hello Preston. Thanks for your inquiry. There is no audio book for The Self-Sufficient Backyard and I don’t ever anticipate there would be one since there’s a lot of charts and visual info. My irst book Off Grid and Free: My Path to the Wilderness is on audio as well as print and ebook. Stay well Preston.
Hello Ron and Johannam
I live in Canada. I tried placing an order for your book but there is no delivery option to Canada. How may I purchase this amazing book?
I look forward to your response.
Thank you,
Aida
Hello Aida. Thank you very much for your interest and kind comments. I just went to our link: https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/book-international/ which should be the link I have on this website and it has a dropdown menu with just about any Country on the planet. Could you please try the link again? It should already know you are in Canada but if not, there is a “Country” menu under the “Shipping information.” Please let me know if that worked for you and if not, we’ll try something else. Stay safe Aida!
Do the practices and plant selections in this book work for the climate of upstate NY? Or is it for a more southern climate
Hi Mike. Thanks for reaching out. Our first homestead was in northern Maine. The second homestead was 100 miles in the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan, not too far from the northwest territories. Now we are in Nova Scotia. Our total 40+ years of experience is with northern climates. Having said that, we wrote the book to be of value regardless of where one lives. North, south, east, west, foreign country etc. Many things will apply regardless of one’s location. Stay safe. Ron
Hi Can you ship your book “The self sufficient backyard” to Australia?
Regards,
Martin Braden.
Hello Martin,
Thank you very much for your interest in our book. If you go to the book link ( https://self-sufficient-backyard.com/book-international/ ) it looks like the book can be shipped around the world. However, it’s quite expensive. I know our publisher mentioned Australia as a good market and I’m not sure if they are trying to get a distributor down there. For now, the web address is one way. I will inquire with our publisher and if they are trying to get a distributor down there, I’ll reach back out to you and try to save you some money. Stay safe Martin! Ron
Do you talk about getting rid of gophers and moles? Here in Oklahoma they are a real problem.
Hi Tere5,
On pages 131-133, we talk about various varmint controls. We’ve never dealt with gophers, moles or groundhogs. However, we mention groundhogs and the way to discourage them is to bury a wire fence down in the ground around your garden, then extend that buried fence away from the garden 90 degrees and bury that as well. Thanks for your interest. Stay safe!
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Hi Ron. I live in South west florida. obviously my climate is very differently from yours. Does munch of your info in your book apply to a sub tropical climate?
Hello Scott,
We’d like to think much of the content of our book would be useful regardless of where one lives in the world. There is much more info in our book other than gardening. Please take a look at this post and browse the table of contents. http://www.inthewilderness.net/2020/04/29/our-new-book-the-self-sufficient-backyard-for-the-independent-homesteader/#more-883 Part of self-reliance is adapting to each unique situation or environment. If people understand the theory behind some of the decisions, they are more able to make needed changes for themselves and they can do those changes with confidence. Thanks for the question. Stay safe!
en español esta el libro?? soy de Chile 🙂
Lo siento, solo en inglés. Gracias por preguntar. Mantente seguro