My Top 10 Book List on Self Sufficiency

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that the majority of those in the sustainability community that might have a thing for books. I'm not sure why but it just seems they go hand in hand. So as a fellow bibliophile I want to share with you my favorite reading list on the subject of self-reliant homesteading. This certainly isn't a complete list, I'm sure many of you would have several to add to this list but I wanted to make a sort of top 10 books that I have felt gave me a better insight or maybe inspired me in the subject of permaculture. 

These are listed in no particular order. I have provided links to Amazon for each of these but I am making no money if you choose to buy from them thanks to a recent law passed in my state. Hope you enjoy. 

1. Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition. This is a widely well known book and was originally published as a Readers Digest book. This covers a wide variety of subjects regarding family homestead life and even though it doesn't delve deep into each I highly recommend this one. I'm pretty sure this is the book that sparked the self-sufficient fire in me. This one is also recommended by several of my friends. 

2. Country Wisdom & Know How. This book has been around about a decade but is already a classic. It's actually part of a series of books on the subject and covers over 200 topics. This is a great book and series for your library. 

3. One Acre & Security: How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining It. This book was originally printed about 40 years ago by a then well know survivalist and back to earth proponent. This is really a great book for those looking for ideas on living self-sufficiently but yet not primitive survival. The author covers a lot including what to look for in that secluded property that's still not too far from the city. 

4. The Self-Reliant Homestead: A Book of Country Skills. This is one I wouldn't want to be without. It's detailed and yet easy to read much like a text book. This book really covers a lot of info and I highly recommend this one. 

5. The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book. Many consider this the homesteaders bible. This is one of the first books I purchased on the subject. The author updates and comes out with news editions ever few years. There is so much information in this book, I learn something new every time I pick it up. This is a great reference book to have around the house to quickly look up the answer to that homesteading question. 

6. Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management. This book was originally published in 1935 and has been revised several times but don't be dismayed on the age, there is a reason it is still being published. This book is a pretty low cost but important addition to your library. It's interesting because of the age it does give some insight into the old ways of doing things. 

7. Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century. Another great book and with some modern insight. There is a lot of information here and it is good whether you are living in the country of finding your self sufficiency in the city. A great addition to your library. 

8. Homesteading: A Backyard Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More. From the author of Back to Basics this is a more in depth guide in the same series. Great full color illustrations and very practical information. Great for beginners or the experienced. 

9. The Modern Homestead Manual. This was written by a husband and wife team that has many years of experience in building a homestead from scratch. There is a lot of good advice here even how to build relationships with neighbors. A very easy to read writing style. I believe it was published in small numbers so it may be difficult to come by a copy but it's worth it. 

10. Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. This one comes recommended by my friend Jessie. It talks more about the mentality of survival and sustainability and comes highly recommended by her. 

Well that's my top ten book list. I also want to list some magazines I would recommend if you are into subscriptions. There are a growing number out there and many are good but I want to highlight three that I feel are the best. 

1. Countryside & Small Stock Journal. This magazine has been around almost a century and before the advent of the internet it was the best way to communicate and network with others living the country life. This still is probably my favorite. All of the articles are from the readers and unlike a lot of magazines it's mostly articles and not a lot of advertising. I love reading these over and over again. 

2. Mother Earth News. By far the most popular magazine on this subject but still it is one of the best. Lots of beautiful pictures and great, helpful articles. They also put out several special editions every year with tons of great information. 

3. Back Woods Home Magazine. A lesser know publication but a very good one. This is for the serious homesteader. A lot of great information on just about every aspect of living off the land. I love every issue. 

Well that wraps up my lists. I hope they were helpful and maybe a good starting place for you to begin filling up your self-sufficient living library. Let me know what your favorites are. 

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Small Budget Gardening Tips for Beginners

With Spring in full force across most of the country the gardening bug is spreading and probably already infecting you. For those experienced gardeners you probably already have some of your garden in the ground or have at least prepared for your planting. But what about those beginners that haven't yet started. What about those that want to get a garden started but aren't sure you know how or maybe you just can't afford to get it started. Well you need not worry because it's still not too late to get it going and I want to give you some ideas on how to have fun gardening and stay on a tiny budget. For those on a very limited income it can seem a little daunting to get the garden going even if you know it will be an investment with a great payoff. 

Of course your first decision is where to plant your garden. Deciding where it will grow and how to prepare the soil is the most difficult and costly part. If you have yard space to plant in first pick a spot that gets lots of sun. Pick a sunny day and take note of where the sun shines on your yard and where it is shaded. The best sun is from about 10am-4pm so try and find a place that gets the most sunlight during those hours. If you don't have a lawn, say maybe an apartment hold tight because a little later we will talk about gardening out of potted plants. 

Once you have decided upon the area to plant you now must begin to prepare it. Sure it's best to have done this last fall or earlier in the spring but it's still not too late. You'll need to decide if you're going to have a raised bed garden or plant directly in the ground. Raised beds are usually considered the best. The soil is generally better quality and drains better and it's also easier to control weeds. Planting directly in the ground requires less money and resources but it is usually more labor intensive. 

Raised beds: 

Keep in mind that we are doing this on a budget and realize that a raised bed doesn't have to be as esthetic as you see in a magazine. All you need is something to hold the dirt in. You can be creative, it's amazing what I've seen people come up with. Check curb alerts on sites like

Craigslist or yard sales and of course asking around can sometimes help you find what you need for little to no cost. Repurposed lumber that's at least 6" wide, hay or straw bales, concrete blocks, large rocks, bricks and cut up pallets are just a few ideas. I've even seen old metal barn siding or fiber cement siding used. You never know, look around your own house to see what is available. Raised bed plants don't need as much space and traditional gardens so you won't need as much square footage. If you're inexperienced in building things ask around, put a call out to your Facebook friends or check with a local gardening club to see if they would have any volunteers to help. 

Next is the dirt. Please stay away from trying to fill up you're raised beds with bags of dirt from the local big box store. Even if it is cheap it will take far too many bags of dirt than you will expect, trust me. Check Craigslist or go to your local farm and feed store and look for bulletin boards. If you live near cattle farms you could stop by a couple and ask if they sell garden soil that is ready to use or maybe ask at your local nursery. A pickup truck size load shouldn't run much more than $40-50 for a local delivery. If you don't have a truck or small trailer don't be afraid to ask around for some help getting your dirt. Make sure you know what you're getting. You don't want fill dirt or something with a lot of clay or manure that's fresh. The manure needs to be at least a year old or it will be too hot to grow food. For most beginners without a truck this can be your biggest expense. Once you get your dirt in you're ready to plant!

Planting directly in the ground: 

For some this might be your only option. If you're confident you have good top soil with a low amount of rocks this option, although is more labor intensive, is the cheaper option. Depending on the quality of your yard this could be as simple as scraping the sod off with a spade and using a hoe to break up the ground. In my area soil that easy to break up is unheard of. If you live in a subdivision your yard is probably rocky fill dirt with maybe 3" of top soil. You'll need at least 6"-8" of loose soil to plant. You may have to till that garden space. Depending on your situation and knowledge you can either rent a tiller or have your area tilled by a local lawn care business. In my experience a tiller usually rents for about $40 for 6-12 hrs and having it done by someone else should run $40-70 depending on the size you want and the distance they would have to travel. Put in the time after it's tilled to remove as many rocks as you can. Once done you are ready to plant!

Choosing your plants: 

Since this article is for the beginner I would recommend for your first garden to stay with easier, common plants. Things like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, squash, beans and onions are common in gardens because they are easy to grow. Now you need to choose between buying plants or seeds. Again check with Craigslist for plants or ask any experienced gardening friends to see if they have extras for less than what you would pay at the nursery. A lot of experienced gardeners start their plants out from seeds and many times end up with too many starts than they have garden space. Another way to save a few pennies on plants is to check with the nurseries towards the end of planting season. Many times they will mark down what they have left. It's been picked over so you'll likely be getting some sad looking plants but with a little care you can almost always bring them back and grow them into healthy, producing plants. If you're using seeds it won't hurt to make little mini green houses until they get going good. One and two liter clear plastic soda bottles with the

bottoms cut off and the cap removed for air will work great at covering the plants. Once your garden starts sprouting using your lawn clippings between the rows of plants can help cut down on weed growth. 

Planting without a lawn: 

Apartment living? Landlord won't allow gardens? Maybe a disability prevents you from planting a garden. Well no worries because you can still enjoy fresh veggies from your own toil.  Just because you may be surrounded by concrete and asphalt doesn't mean you cannot become a master gardener. Gardening in pots or boxes can produce some really great food. This can also be very cheaply done too. Pots and boxes can be found very cheap and even free. Again start checking classified ads, asking around and check out second hand stores. If you're not too concerned with the looks also ask at your local nurseries if they would sell you their used pots. Flower boxes can easily be made or repurposed from old dresser or desk drawers or from many other kinds of wood, plastic or metal boxes. Since you won't need as much dirt, buying cheap top soil by the bag or by filling up buckets should do the trick. Use the bigger pots for the tomatoes and squash, cucumbers and beans will do well hanging and little boxes will be perfect for lettuce, onions and radishes. I have seen small apartments produce quite a bit of food this way. An average healthy tomato plant should produce up to 10 pounds of juicy red fruit a season!  Here's another trick I learned from a friend. If you live in an apartment don't be afraid to ask the apartment manager if you can turn some of the landscaping into garden space. You'll need to keep it looking good and be willing to turn it back into landscaping when you're done but this is something I've seen work well. It's also an opportunity to create a community garden with your neighbors.

Healthy growing tips: 

Now that everything is planted what's next? Well my first advice is to commit to keeping your hard work organic, meaning no chemicals. Don't worry, even though you may hear it just won't produce enough growing organic remember we've been gardening long before pesticides so there are ways to protect your hard work. Pesticides are not only harmful for you and who ever eats out of your garden but they kill all bugs and there are some good ones you want to keep around. Lady bugs, Lacewings and Preying Mantis are just a few good ones you'll want to keep in your garden. 

Diatomaceous earth is a natural powdery substance that can be purchased at just about any nursery. Food grade diatomaceous earth is just ground up skeletal remains of microscopic creatures. To us it's powder but to little slugs is it like little razors. Just be careful not to breath it in and try to keep it dry. Wood ashes work well too if you have that available. I used to keep all of my ashes from my wood stove in a trash can just for this during growing season. There are also several different homemade spray recipes. Here's one to try. 

Grind 1 garlic bulb and 1 small onion. 

Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to 1 quart of water and steep it all for 1 hour. 

Pour through cheesecloth or coffee filter.  

Add 1 tablespoon of dawn dish soap and mix well but not sudsy. 

Then pour into labeled spray bottle and keep for up to a week while using. 

Keep your garden weeded and watered and then wait for the fun to begin. Look for garden tools at second hand and thrift shops, yard sales and classified ads or better yet search for a possible community tool lending group. As an alternative you might also try is to play soft music or sing to your plants. Some may think this is kooky but there is some hard science behind the positive affects of certain music and plants. Above all have fun! Gardening is addictive and empowering. Even on a very small budget it can be done, just be creative. Learn from the experience and learn love the earth between your toes! 

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Vegan Homesteading

When thinking about living a self-sufficient lifestyle one has to also consider sustainability, the sustainability of your home, your life and really the entire planet. I usually talk about the two as if they were the same thing and that's because to me they really are. Being self-sufficient isn't just being able to go buy your own hamburger at the drive through every day. Being self-sufficient is knowing that the fate of your existence is resting in your hands. It is having the ability to provide for ones self and to be able to do so without the need of the corporate farm, big box discount store and the drive through some-what-a-burger. It is really how most people lived 150 years ago. The beauty of the era that we live in now is that we can live this way and not be forced to live primitively. With a balanced mix of modern advances and natural balance we can live a sufficient lifestyle and still enjoy a life filled with modern conveniences. So how does sustainability fit in this? It's really simple, the best way to be self-sufficient is to also live a sustaining life. A life where you live in balance with the earth. A life where you are not just a consumer but a balanced part of the eco system. This line of thinking played a big role in my decision to take on a vegan lifestyle. Becoming sustainable and leaving a more balanced footprint started making more sense to me when I made the decision to not live dependent upon other animals on my life. 

At this point I would say a good portion of my readers are beginning to roll their eyes and are expecting me to began preaching veganism and telling you how cruel you are of a person to eat meat. Well you are wrong. That is not my intent and that is not the kind of vegan I am. I want to talk a little about my journey becoming vegan and how it can play a big role in making life a little easier on your homestead, whether rural or urban. 

My journey really began, well, about as far back as I can remember. I never was a big meat eater, especially red meat. I always loved my veggies and even as a child I would usually choose them over meat. I can remember going to buffets and not getting any meat at all. People would sometimes make comments but I would still devour my veggies. I can never remember not having a garden growing up which is probably why it's still one of my favorite places to be, playing in that dirt so eating my veggies just came naturally. I began considering going full vegan a few years back and did a lot of research but just kept telling myself I just couldn't do it. Meat wasn't my hurdle. It was milk and cheese. I just couldn't imagine living without it. Of course at the time I was totally unaware of all the plant based options there were out there. It wasn't until February of last year that I finally decided to make a lifestyle change. My 10 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after nearly going into a comma. It was an awakening and life changing experience for him and all of us. It broke my heart to see how my sons life was going to be forever changed.  Diet changes and getting stuck with needles 8 or more times a day is hard for anyone and especially a child. It was then that I decided to do this for him. I thought that of my little boy could handle going through this for the rest of his life then surely I could muster the courage to change mine to a healthier more sustainable life. 

So my original intent on becoming vegan may have been different than others but still I share and understand why others come to the same decision. I am not militant and it's not some kind of religion for me and if you want to farm animals humanly then that is your choice not mine and I'll respect it. It's funny though since then how many times I've been told how I just won't get enough of the nutrition I need but over a year later and I'm still here and still could loose some weight so I must be getting enough to keep me going. Now I know going vegan isn't for everyone and I'm not here to try to convince you of that but I do want to try and get you to think about meat production and consumption on you little modern homestead. If your goal is to achieve some level of self-sufficiency then reducing or eliminating animal from your equation can actually be beneficial to your sustainability. 

Let me just point out a few facts. Farm animals, whether large or small production, account for the largest drain on resources and labor on your homestead. Although this isn't a negative just by itself, it is true that they are expensive to care for and take a lot of time and effort. They require more land. Most would probably be surprised at just how little land it would take to live off of if you stuck to just a plant based diet. There is also an emotional attachment to deal with if you are raising animals for meat. On a small farm it's easy to become attached to the animals, especially for children. We are told it's a circle of life and so we accept it but does it really have to be? Having a plant based diet on your modern homestead can simply make you more sustainable. If you are depending so much on meat production, then it can limit just how sustainable you can be. I know there will be many to disagree with this but how much more sustainable can you be just eating what you grow from the ground. Although this kind of sustainability wasn't what pushed me to finally take on a plant based diet it has definitely become a major part of it now. 

Having a mostly or all plant based diet can have so many benefits especially when it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle so much so that it should be something you consider. It's healthy, it's green and brings only life to the homestead. If more people lived this way this plant would look very different. In fact there are a lot of models showing that the only way for future sustainability of this planet is to switch to a plant based diet. A vastly greater amount of food can be grown on the same amount of land that meat is produced on. So even though a complete change in eating habit may not happen for you, if you truly seek sustainability at least consider how much animal is in your diet and how little you actually need. 

In the end regardless of your choice I want to encourage you to daily try to walk a little lighter on the planet, it's the only one we have and to do a little research into the foods you eat especially the meat and ask yourself if what you eat and how it is produced is really the most sustainable option for you. 

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