Backyard Homesteading All-in-One For Dummies®

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019936496

ISBN 978-1-119-55075-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-55079-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-55077-8 (ebk)

Backyard Homesteading All-in-One For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Backyard Homesteading All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Introduction

About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here

Book 1: Creating a Garden

Chapter 1: Planning Your Garden
1. Determining Location and Size
2. Deciding On a Layout
3. Thinking Outside the Garden Bed
4. Keeping Critters Out
5. Assembling Tools
Chapter 2: Deciding What to Grow
1. Understanding Veggie Varieties
2. Deciding How Much to Grow
3. Succeeding with Vegetables
4. Planting Other Small-Scale Crops
5. Growing Herbs for and in the Kitchen
Chapter 3: Preparing to Plant
1. Razing Your Garden Spot
2. Analyzing and Improving Your Soil
3. Turning Your Soil
4. Looking Ahead at Watering Options
5. Fencing It In
6. Planning for Pathways
Chapter 4: Planting
1. Timing Your Planting Wisely
2. Choosing Seeds or Transplants
3. Deciding on Your Seeding Method and Decoding a Seed Packet
4. Starting Seeds Indoors
5. Transplanting Indoor Seedlings and Starter Plants
6. Sowing Seeds Directly in Your Garden
7. Planting Guidelines
Chapter 5: Growing Your Garden
1. Introducing Your Inner Gardener to the Watering Basics
2. Digging Into Composting
3. Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden
4. Keeping Your Plants Cozy and Weed Free with Mulch
5. Surveying Some Cool Farmer Techniques
6. Knowing When to Harvest
Chapter 6: Dealing with Weeds and Pests
1. Fighting Weed Wars
2. Keeping Good Bugs Nearby
3. Battling Bad Bugs
4. More Methods of Attack
Chapter 7: Extending Your Season
1. Covering Your Rows
2. Using Cold Frames
3. Going with Greenhouses
4. Getting Your Feet Wet with Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Aeroponics

Book 2: Preserving the Harvest

Chapter 1: Canning Basics
1. Starting Successful Canning
2. Gathering Your Canning Gear
3. Putting Safety First
Chapter 2: Water-Bath Canning
1. Water-Bath Canning in a Nutshell
2. Gearing Up for Water-Bath Canning
3. Water-Bath Canning Step-by-Step
4. Adjusting Your Processing Times at High Altitudes
5. Canning Fresh Fruit (Yes, That Includes Tomatoes)
6. Fresh Fruit Canning Recipes
7. Jam, Chutney, Relish, and Salsa Recipes
Chapter 3: Pressure Canning
1. Understanding the Fuss about Low-Acid Foods
2. Choosing a Pressure Canner
3. Pressure Canning Step-by-Step
4. Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes
5. Canning Vegetables
6. Vegetable Canning Recipes
Chapter 4: Pickling
1. Perusing Pickling Ingredients
2. Brining Education
3. Adding Crunch to Your Food
4. Pickling Equipment and Utensils
5. Pickled Vegetable Recipes
Chapter 5: Freezing
1. Focusing on Freezing
2. Giving Fruit the Freeze
3. Frozen Fruit Recipes
4. Blanching Perfect Vegetables
5. Frozen Vegetable Recipes
6. Freezing Fresh Herbs
Chapter 6: Drying
1. Opening the Door to Successful Food Drying
2. Choosing a Drying Method
3. Protecting the Life of Your Dried Food
4. Snacking on the Run: Drying Fruit
5. Dried Fruit Recipes
6. Drying Vegetables for Snacks and Storage
7. Dried Vegetable Recipes
8. DIYing the Drying of Herbs
Chapter 7: Root Cellaring and Storage
1. Finding the Perfect Place for Cold Storage
2. Following Simple Storage Rules
3. Preparing Foods for Cold Storage

Book 3: Making Your Own

Chapter 1: Brewing Beer
1. Setting Up Shop to Brew
2. Getting to Know Your Ingredients
3. Brewing Your First Batch
4. Taking Hydrometer Readings
5. Bottling Your Brew
Chapter 2: Fermenting
1. Getting Familiar with Fermentation
2. Fermenting Essentials
3. Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Sterilizing
4. Fermenting Vegetables (including Sauerkraut and Kimchi)
5. Starting Sourdough
6. Mooving On to Dairy
7. Raising a Glass to Fermented Beverages
Chapter 3: Baking Bread
1. Understanding Yeast Breads
2. Mixing and Kneading Breads
3. Encouraging Bread to Rise
4. Shaping and Baking the Loaves
5. Yeast Bread, Quick Bread, Muffin, and Biscuit Recipes
Chapter 4: Making Candles and Soap
1. Igniting Your Candlemaking Hobby
2. Rolling Beeswax Candles
3. Making Molded Candles
4. Taking a Dip with Tapers
5. Cleaning Up with Homemade Soap

Book 4: Raising Animals

Chapter 1: Introducing Beekeeping
1. Breaking into Backyard Beekeeping
2. Choosing the Right Hive
3. Gearing Up for Beekeeping
Chapter 2: Caring for Your Bee Colony
1. Busying Yourself with Bee Activity
2. Holding Out for Honey
3. Harvesting Your Honey
4. Swarming and Absconding
5. Playing Doctor: Fighting Disease
6. Battling Varroa Mites
7. Colony Collapse Disorder
Chapter 3: Introducing Backyard Chickens
1. Thinking Through Chickenkeeping
2. Chicken Breeds
3. Analyzing the Anatomy of a Coop
Chapter 4: Raising Your Chicken Flock
1. Feeding Your Flock
2. Raising Baby Chicks
3. Pests and Predators
4. Expecting Eggs (for Eating)
Chapter 5: Opting for Other Animals
1. Raising Rabbits
2. Getting Your Goats
3. Figuring Out Fowl: Ducks, Geese, and Turkeys
4. Goin’ Fishin’

Book 5: Building It Yourself

Chapter 1: Starting Small with Garden Projects
1. Making an A-Frame Trellis
2. Crafting the Ultimate Tomato Cage
3. Building Raised Garden Beds
4. Constructing a Cold Frame
5. Elevating Your Rain Barrel on a Stand
6. Organizing Made Easy with a Tool Wall
7. Creating a Compost Bin (or Two)
8. Whipping Up a Walk-In Hoop House
Chapter 2: Building a Backyard Beehive
1. Choosing Materials
2. Protecting Your Hive with Paint and More
3. Building the Kenya Top Bar Hive
Chapter 3: Building a Chicken Coop
1. Choosing Materials
2. Selecting the Right Coop for Your Flock
3. Constructing the Alpine A-Frame Coop

Index

About the Authors

Advertisement Page

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Book 1 Chapter 2

TABLE 2-1 Types of Herbs and Their Uses

Book 1 Chapter 3

TABLE 3-1 Pounds of Limestone Needed to Raise pH (per 1,000 Square Feet)
TABLE 3-2 Pounds of Sulfur Needed to Lower pH (per 1,000 Square Feet)

Book 1 Chapter 4

TABLE 4-1 First and Last Frost Dates
TABLE 4-2 Planting Guide

Book 1 Chapter 5

TABLE 5-1 Critical Watering Periods for Vegetables
TABLE 5-2 Deciding When to Side-Dress Your Vegetables
TABLE 5-3 Succession Planting for Different Seasons
TABLE 5-4 Harvesting Fresh Vegetables

Book 1 Chapter 6

TABLE 6-1 Crop Rotation Ideas

Book 2 Chapter 2

TABLE 2-1 High-Altitude Processing Times for Water-Bath Canning
TABLE 2-2 Sugar Syrup Concentrations

Book 2 Chapter 3

TABLE 3-1 High-Altitude Processing Times for Pressure Canning
TABLE 3-2 Vegetables Not Recommended for Pressure Canning

Book 2 Chapter 5

TABLE 5-1 Syrup for Freezing Fruit
TABLE 5-2 Headspace Guidelines for a Dry or Wet Pack

Book 3 Chapter 1

TABLE 1-1 Beginner Brewing Equipment and Its Cost

Book 3 Chapter 4

TABLE 4-1 Types of Wicks and Their Uses
TABLE 4-2 Sizing Your Wick
TABLE 4-3 Common Soapmaking Additives

Book 4 Chapter 2

TABLE 2-1 Estimating Honey Yields

Book 4 Chapter 4

TABLE 4-1 Figuring Out Whodunit

Book 5 Chapter 2

TABLE 2-1 Nominal Dimensions versus Actual Dimensions

List of Illustrations

Book 1 Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: A sample yard with possible (and impossible) sites for a vegetable g...
FIGURE 1-2: The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map indicates each zone’s expected ave...
FIGURE 1-3: Raised beds can be made with soil alone, or with wood, stone, or mas...
FIGURE 1-4: An A-frame.
FIGURE 1-5: Example of a modular planter wall.
FIGURE 1-6: Different types of straddling containers.
FIGURE 1-7: A wall hanging pocket garden.
FIGURE 1-8: A slanted fence is the best design to keep deer out of your garden.
FIGURE 1-9: Buried fencing is the safest and most effective way to deter digging...
FIGURE 1-10: Covering seedlings with a portable bird tunnel is a sure way to kee...
FIGURE 1-11: An oscillating hoe.
FIGURE 1-12: A broadfork uses body weight to efficiently break up garden soil.
FIGURE 1-13: A wagon with a seat and storage space is useful in the garden.
FIGURE 1-14: A minitiller is perfect for smaller home gardens.

Book 1 Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: Creating a no-till layered garden.
FIGURE 3-2: Squeeze your soil to find out what type you have.
FIGURE 3-3: Watering with a sprinkler.
FIGURE 3-4: Watering with a soaker hose.
FIGURE 3-5: Watering with drip irrigation.
FIGURE 3-6: A rain barrel.
FIGURE 3-7: Use stringlines to align fence posts and mark them for trimming.
FIGURE 3-8: After the concrete hardens, attach the fence rails to the posts.
FIGURE 3-9: A kickboard secures the bottom of the fence and is relatively easy t...
FIGURE 3-10: Installing pickets is less tedious if you use a spacer to align eac...
FIGURE 3-11: For a simple board fence (not pickets), trim the top of the fence a...

Book 1 Chapter 4

FIGURE 4-1: Seed-starting flats and lighting that plants love.
FIGURE 4-2: Thin seedlings at the soil line with scissors.
FIGURE 4-3: Plant vegetable seedlings at the correct depth.
FIGURE 4-4: Straight single rows versus wide rows.
FIGURE 4-5: Broadcasting seeds in a raised bed.
FIGURE 4-6: Sow vining crop seeds in hills.

Book 1 Chapter 5

FIGURE 5-1: Commercial composters.
FIGURE 5-2: A fertilizer bag is labeled with nutrient content.
FIGURE 5-3: Ways to fertilize vegetable plants.
FIGURE 5-4: Planting in black plastic mulch.
FIGURE 5-5: A sample plan of succession plantings.

Book 1 Chapter 6

FIGURE 6-1: Control aphids with insecticidal soap, neem oil, or hot pepper spray...
FIGURE 6-2: Handpick the cabbageworm caterpillars that are noshing on your plant...

Book 1 Chapter 7

FIGURE 7-1: Floating row cover.
FIGURE 7-2: A clear plastic grow tunnel.
FIGURE 7-3: Cold frames are a good way to extend the growing season in spring an...
FIGURE 7-4: A typical glass greenhouse.
FIGURE 7-5: A hoop house is an inexpensive alternative to a greenhouse.
FIGURE 7-6: A vertical aeroponics system.

Book 2 Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: Jar lifters.
FIGURE 1-2: A foam skimmer.
FIGURE 1-3: Varieties of canning jars: wide-mouth, regular-mouth, and jelly jars...
FIGURE 1-4: Two-piece caps: lids and screw bands.
FIGURE 1-5: A lid wand.
FIGURE 1-6: A thin plastic spatula for releasing air bubbles.
FIGURE 1-7: A wide-mouth canning funnel.
FIGURE 1-8: Headspace.
FIGURE 1-9: Releasing air bubbles from your filled jars.

Book 2 Chapter 2

FIGURE 2-1: A water-bath canning kettle with the rack hanging on the edge of the...
FIGURE 2-2: Testing your jar seal.
FIGURE 2-3: Peeling soft-skinned fruit and tomatoes.
FIGURE 2-4: Getting a pouch of liquid pectin ready.

Book 2 Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: A pressure canner.
FIGURE 3-2: A lock-on cover and rubber gasket.
FIGURE 3-3: A metal-to-metal cover with wing nuts.
FIGURE 3-4: Pressure canner gauges.
FIGURE 3-5: A vent tube.
FIGURE 3-6: An overpressure plug.
FIGURE 3-7: A rack for holding jars in the bottom of your pressure canner.
FIGURE 3-8: Removing the ends and strings from green beans.
FIGURE 3-9: A trimmed beet ready for precooking.

Book 2 Chapter 4

FIGURE 4-1: Seeding a cucumber with ease.
FIGURE 4-2: Packing raw beans into a jar.

Book 2 Chapter 5

FIGURE 5-1: Wrapping herbs for freezing.

Book 2 Chapter 6

FIGURE 6-1: Two examples of electric dehydrators.
FIGURE 6-2: Cutting apple rings.
FIGURE 6-3: Preparing and rolling fruit leather.

Book 2 Chapter 7

FIGURE 7-1: A hydrometer for checking temperature and humidity.
FIGURE 7-2: A stairwell converted into a cold storage area.
FIGURE 7-3: Straw-bale storage.

Book 3 Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: Many homebrew shops sell this basic equipment as a start-up kit.
FIGURE 1-2: Some of the different ways that brewers process hops.
FIGURE 1-3: A hydrometer displays your brew’s liquid density and helps you calcu...
FIGURE 1-4: Correct bottle fill level.
FIGURE 1-5: You can attach a bench-type bottle capper to a work surface for easy...

Book 3 Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: Kneading bread dough by hand.
FIGURE 3-2: Preparing dough for a loaf pan.

Book 3 Chapter 4

FIGURE 4-1: Making a beeswax candle is as simple as adding a wick and gently, bu...
FIGURE 4-2: Dipping a taper.
FIGURE 4-3: Hand-milling soap.
FIGURE 4-4: You can use a microwave to melt your soap chunks. Then you just need...

Book 4 Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: The picture-perfect bee yard. Not always possible, but an admirable ...
FIGURE 1-2: This is a ten-frame Langstroth hive, showing a bottom board, two dee...
FIGURE 1-3: The Kenyan top bar hive is likely one of the oldest beehive designs,...
FIGURE 1-4: The Warré hive is a top bar hive without foundation that allows the ...
FIGURE 1-5: The Warré hive is a top bar hive without foundation that enables bee...
FIGURE 1-6: A nuc hive is a small hive with a few frames of bees.
FIGURE 1-7: This beekeeper uses a veil-and-jacket combination, leather gloves, a...
FIGURE 1-8: Although not needed for routine inspections, it’s a good idea to hav...
FIGURE 1-9: Two styles of smokers.
FIGURE 1-10: A frame lifter (top) and a hive tool (bottom).
FIGURE 1-11: This commercially available hive stand is weatherproof and includes...
FIGURE 1-12: A frame rest is a handy device for holding frames during inspection...
FIGURE 1-13: Use a soft bee brush to gently remove bees from frames and clothing...

Book 4 Chapter 2

FIGURE 2-1: On a summer evening, the bees are cooling off on the exterior of a h...
FIGURE 2-2: Wrap your hive in tar paper to protect your colony from harsh winter...
FIGURE 2-3: This cutaway illustration shows the winter cluster’s position.
FIGURE 2-4: Reversing hive bodies in the spring helps to better distribute brood...
FIGURE 2-5: This hand-crank stainless-steel extractor can extract up to six shal...
FIGURE 2-6: An electrically heated uncapping knife makes short order of slicing ...
FIGURE 2-7: A double stainless-steel honey strainer (like this one) is an effect...
FIGURE 2-8: A frame of comb from a Langstroth hive (top) and honeycomb from a to...
FIGURE 2-9: Here’s a typical setup, left to right, for extracting honey.
FIGURE 2-10: Shaking bees off a Langstroth frame.
FIGURE 2-11: If you have a friend to help, a hive carrier like this makes carryi...
FIGURE 2-12: Remove wax cappings using an electric uncapping knife.
FIGURE 2-13: Place the uncapped frame vertically in the extractor.
FIGURE 2-14: This box makes it easy to protect and transport comb.
FIGURE 2-15: This is one style of honey press that is used for extracting honey ...
FIGURE 2-16: A useful way to provide a colony with ventilation is to drill wine-...
FIGURE 2-17: Varroa mites can seriously weaken a hive by attaching to bees and f...
FIGURE 2-18: This jar’s lid has been modified for a powdered-sugar-shake mite in...

Book 4 Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: Common dual-purpose breeds — Barred Plymouth Rock (left) and Wyandot...
FIGURE 3-2: Common breeds that lay white eggs — Minorca (far left), white Leghor...
FIGURE 3-3: Common brown-egg layer breeds — Australorp (left) and Rhode Island R...
FIGURE 3-4: Common colored-egg layer breed — Araucana.
FIGURE 3-5: Common meat breeds — Jersey Giant (left) and Cornish X Rock (right).
FIGURE 3-6: A simple roost is a chicken’s master bedroom.
FIGURE 3-7: Nest boxes are critical if you’re encouraging egg production from yo...

Book 4 Chapter 4

FIGURE 4-1: Examples of typical chick feed and water containers.

Book 5 Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: Techniques for supporting vegetables.
FIGURE 1-2: The ultimate tomato cage.
FIGURE 1-3: A raised garden bed built from stacked 2 x 8 lumber.
FIGURE 1-4: A sample cold frame.
FIGURE 1-5: A simple rain barrel stand.
FIGURE 1-6: An outdoor tool wall.
FIGURE 1-7: Shipping pallet compost bin.
FIGURE 1-8: A wood and wire three-bin system with a fiberglass lid.
FIGURE 1-9: Align corners to butt end nail them together.
FIGURE 1-10: A walk-in hoop house.

Book 5 Chapter 2

FIGURE 2-1: A rabbet cut is shaped like an L.

Book 5 Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: Popular sheet goods for coop construction include plywood and OSB.
FIGURE 3-2: The anatomy of a typical shingled roof.
FIGURE 3-3: Corrugated roofing panels are lightweight and economical, but do req...
FIGURE 3-4: Chicken wire is a very lightweight run option. Hardware cloth is str...
FIGURE 3-5: An A-frame coop gets an A for small-scale simplicity and efficient d...
FIGURE 3-6: A hoop coop’s well-rounded design is a cinch to assemble.
FIGURE 3-7: A chicken tractor is meant to be moved around on wheels or skids.
FIGURE 3-8: An all-in-one coop puts the shelter and run under one roof.
FIGURE 3-9: A walk-in coop is generally considered the “coop de ville” of chicke...

Introduction

Feeding your family with what comes from your little piece of land. Making your own. Doing it yourself. Buying less. Being more self-sufficient. That’s what backyard homesteading is all about.

A lot goes into backyard homesteading. It’s a hobby for some, and a lifestyle for many. And it’s increasing in popularity, as people from all types of backgrounds feel an urge to reconnect with a simpler time, the earth, and their roots. There was a time when families who grew their own vegetables, preserved their own food, and raised their own chickens weren't the least bit extraordinary. But those activities fell out of favor as society continued its never-ending search for bigger, faster, easier. Now these activities are returning to a mainstream society that lost sight of their value.

If you’ve considered joining that growing movement — even with just the smallest of steps — Backyard Homesteading All-In-One For Dummies is for you. Here, you learn how to get started, how to succeed, and how to make the homesteading spirit an integral part of your everyday life.

About This Book

Backyard Homesteading All-In-One For Dummies breaks down the various components most often associated with backyard homesteading: growing food, preserving the harvest, making your own food and other products, raising animals, and building items that help you keep doing those other things. The goal is to walk you through each topic step by step so you can start from scratch if you’re a newbie, or brush up with a quick reference if you already have some experience.

As you read, you’ll find the following:

Background information and special considerations to factor in before you embark on a new aspect of homesteading
Recommended tools, equipment, and gear to do the job correctly and safely
Potential problems to look for and how to avoid or resolve them
Assembly instructions and building plans that give you a solid baseline for a project, but can usually be adapted or modified to suit your unique situation
Recipes that help you get started in the kitchen, but are by no means the extent of what you can do with what comes out of your garden

This book is your entry guide to the world of backyard homesteading, a launching point for a lifelong adventure that will evolve along with you the longer you pursue it.

Foolish Assumptions

In compiling the content for this book, some general assumptions have been made about you, the reader:

You have enough property to make homesteading a worthwhile endeavor. You can homestead on acres of rolling pasture or in a small backyard in a suburban neighborhood. If you live in a high-rise apartment with a tiny balcony, though, you can adapt bits of information in this book, but “backyard homesteading” might be a stretch.
You have some experience with gardening and are interested in growing food beyond a single potted tomato plant or one modest vegetable bed.
You know your way around the kitchen and can follow the basic conventions of recipes, even if more advanced techniques such as pressure canning, pickling, and fermenting are new to you.
You have an interest in being more self-sufficient by utilizing your own property and skills to produce things you and your family will consume.
You are at least modestly handy or willing to become so. No one expects you to be able to build your own pole barn after reading this book, but homesteaders are typically resourceful folks who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and tackle whatever is required to do the job.

Icons Used in This Book

The Tip icon marks tips (duh!) and shortcuts that you can use to make your efforts as a homesteader easier.

Remember icons mark the information that’s especially important to know. To discover the most important information in each chapter, skim through these icons.

The Technical Stuff icon marks information of a highly technical nature that you can normally skip.

The Warning icon tells you to watch out! It highlights important safety information or marks other details that may save you considerable headaches.

Beyond the Book

Often, you’ll need to recall a specific piece of information at a time when this book isn’t handy. An accompanying cheat sheet online can be accessed anytime by any Internet-ready device.

You can go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/backyardhomesteadingaio for a comprehensive planting guideline, perfect for when you’re planning or laying out your garden at the beginning of the season. You’ll also find a quick step-by-step refresher on the steps for both water-bath canning and pressure canning, easy to call up when you’re in the kitchen ready to get to work on a batch of tomato sauce. And a convenient chicken coop checklist helps you ensure that the structure you’re either looking at purchasing or thinking about building will fit the needs of your flock.

Where to Go from Here

Instructions for various homesteading techniques and projects can be found throughout the book. If you’re starting a garden from scratch, though, Book 1, Chapter 1 is the best place to begin. If you already have a garden up and running and want to start canning and preserving, go right to Book 2.

Book 3 is loaded with recipes that help you expand your homesteading horizons to fermenting food, brewing beer, and baking bread. Considering backyard bees or chickens? Book 4 has you covered with no need to read the previous minibooks.

Book 5 details miscellaneous projects and step-by-step building plans for a few larger specialty builds, too.

Book 1

Creating a Garden

Contents at a Glance

Chapter 1: Planning Your Garden
1. Determining Location and Size
2. Deciding On a Layout
3. Thinking Outside the Garden Bed
4. Keeping Critters Out
5. Assembling Tools
Chapter 2: Deciding What to Grow
1. Understanding Veggie Varieties
2. Deciding How Much to Grow
3. Succeeding with Vegetables
4. Planting Other Small-Scale Crops
5. Growing Herbs for and in the Kitchen
Chapter 3: Preparing to Plant
1. Razing Your Garden Spot
2. Analyzing and Improving Your Soil
3. Turning Your Soil
4. Looking Ahead at Watering Options
5. Fencing It In
6. Planning for Pathways
Chapter 4: Planting
1. Timing Your Planting Wisely
2. Choosing Seeds or Transplants
3. Deciding on Your Seeding Method and Decoding a Seed Packet
4. Starting Seeds Indoors
5. Transplanting Indoor Seedlings and Starter Plants
6. Sowing Seeds Directly in Your Garden
7. Planting Guidelines
Chapter 5: Growing Your Garden
1. Introducing Your Inner Gardener to the Watering Basics
2. Digging Into Composting
3. Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden
4. Keeping Your Plants Cozy and Weed Free with Mulch
5. Surveying Some Cool Farmer Techniques
6. Knowing When to Harvest
Chapter 6: Dealing with Weeds and Pests
1. Fighting Weed Wars
2. Keeping Good Bugs Nearby
3. Battling Bad Bugs
4. More Methods of Attack
Chapter 7: Extending Your Season
1. Covering Your Rows
2. Using Cold Frames
3. Going with Greenhouses
4. Getting Your Feet Wet with Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Aeroponics