The Self-Sufficient Garden: A Beginner's Guide for Turning Your Garden into a Backyard Homestead and Growing Food at Home

By Catherine Westwood

What if I told you we would have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of vitamin C our grandparents received from just one orange?

Fruit and vegetables are picked when slightly unripe, sprayed with chemicals, waxed, boxed, stacked on pallets and kept in a cold store for up to 12 months. So when you think you’re eating healthily and buying ‘fresh’ food, you are possibly buying fruit that was picked over a year ago. The longer produce is in storage the more its nutritional value deteriorates. Comparing the nutritional data of produce over the last 50 years shows a reliable decline in the amount of protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins and other micronutrients.

Additionally, overseas shipping causes air pollution, affecting the health of humans, animals, and the environment.
The recent pandemic showed us that in uncertain times, grocery stores may not have everything your family needs.

But what if there was a way to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables right from your own backyard garden and lessen your dependence on corporations? And what if it was surprisingly achievable? The ability to use the Earth’s natural resources is indispensable.

In The Self-Sufficient Garden, you’ll learn:
- The process of planning a garden even if you don’t live in an ideal climate, don’t have enough space or have no money to spare
- Different types of gardening, and their pros and cons, so you can determine what fits your lifestyle and needs
- The importance of soil science and why healthier soil creates healthier people
- The little-known basics of gardening, how to maximize your yields, extend your growing season and set up an irrigation system to benefit your garden and save you time
- Organic pest control techniques to keep your plants safe and grow healthier crops
- How to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and trees and the process of crop rotation and remineralization to further help the environment
- How to start your own seeds, conserve natural resources and make your own compost – all things that reduce your carbon footprint.
Plus much more.

Even if you’ve never made your hands dirty, don’t know how to hold a trowel or only have a balcony or a patio, you can still create an abundant garden and make a difference.

You can grow your own food and start your self-sufficiency journey today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vespertine Publishing
• Release date: Apr 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781915775016

Book preview

Introduction

Life begins when you start a garden is an ancient Chinese proverb that has inspired gardeners for centuries. When you think deeply about the words, you’ll understand the true meaning behind them. You’ll see that, in a literal sense, something is created each time you plant a seed. Gardening, homesteading, and using the resources that are provided by nature are not only beneficial for the environment and your budget, but for your emotional health as well. You are using the earth as naturally as possible.

The world we live in has been molded around the concept of convenience. It is easy to forget there have not always been grocery stores with unlimited supplies of vegetables. Before the invention of transportation, product preservation, and the economy as we know it, people had to be, for the most part, self-sufficient. As society advanced, so did technology and convenience. However, with the erasure of old problems comes the arrival of entirely new ones.

The increase in shipping of fresh food requires chemicals to preserve said food. Overseas shipping causes air pollution, affecting the health of humans, animals, and the environment. Not to mention, the convenience of having frozen meat readily available puts us at risk of ingesting harmful hormones given to the animals, as well as eating pesticides that are currently sprayed on fruits and vegetables. These are only a limited number of examples. While it’s unavoidable in some circumstances, lessening the amount of reliance on corporations is surprisingly achievable. In uncertain times, grocery stores may not have everything that your family needs. So, the ability to grow your own food and to use the Earth’s natural resources is indispensable.

However, not everybody lives on a farm, in an ideal climate, or has money to spare. This is enough to discourage hopeful beginners. These obstacles are not as large as they seem. Even those who live in perfect conditions face issues, but they always find ways to work past them. For people who live in urban areas, making use of their limited gardening space can be a creative and fulfilling project. Challenges with climate can introduce gardeners to innovative methods of plant-care and different varieties of crops. As for budgeting, becoming self-sufficient, and growing your own food may actually save you more money than you spend. The first chapter, The First Steps, will explain the process of planning a backyard garden that fits your specific lifestyle and needs.

As you learn, keep notes on everything applicable to your lifestyle. Remember, before you build a house, you need to have the blue-prints detailing what the house will look like. The same can be said of a garden. Decide what you can do before-hand. Clarify your goals and priorities before taking any large actions. Keep in mind that you should stay realistic. This is an exciting adventure to go on but biting off more than you can chew will only end in stress. So, if you have no room for animals in your backyard or no time to take care of them, then don’t try to squish them into the plan. You can avoid disaster by setting boundaries for yourself ahead of time.

In fact, the best way to do this is to understand all aspects of what you’re doing. Chapter two will help you to do so by considering the many different types of gardening. You’ll learn about the pros and cons of the varying types of garden beds, then decide what kind works best for your lifestyle and yard. This is important if you’re looking to start your self-sufficiency journey in the most efficient way possible. Once you’ve decided, chapter three will delve into the maintenance of a garden, easily one of the most important aspects of this subject. Many people believe that simply watering plants is enough, and while that often shows good results, if you’re looking to maximize your garden space and produce as much as possible, there’s much more involved. Don’t be intimidated though, soil health isn’t as difficult to understand as it may seem.

Chapter four will consider the little-known basics of gardening. Here, you’ll begin to get your hands dirty by setting up the miniscule details of your garden. You’ll learn about crop rotation in order to receive the maximum usage of your yields, and even how to set up an irrigation system to save yourself time. Practical guidance for the every-day chores of a garden will be provided, such as pest control and the maintenance of your fields. With each small innovation found in this chapter, your crops will grow healthier, you’ll save more money, and you’ll save more time.

On the subject of saving important things, chapters five and six will go over the conservation of natural resources. It would be a waste to not use what is so generously provided by the environment, and it often produces better quality crops than anything bought from a store.

That’s the point of self-sufficiency, isn’t it? You want to avoid buying from third parties as often as you can. Another way you can do this is by starting your own seeds and seedlings. You’ll learn how to do this, then apply it alongside the information found in chapters seven and eight - where a vast amount of available vegetables, fruits, nuts, and vines are discussed.

As you near the end of the book with chapters 10 through 11, you’ll have grown as a gardener. This book intends to help you be prepared for whatever nature throws your way. Our lives are constantly changing, and sometimes our garden needs some changes as well. You may experience an unexpected drought one year, so having the knowledge of the proper structure to protect your garden plot will come in handy for those times. After the drought, what if it begins to rain for days without end? That will also require some changes in your structure as well. There are so many possibilities that you may face, but if gardening teaches you anything, it’s how to be resourceful.

While reading, keep track of what guidance works for you, personally. In the end, the feeling of picking a ripe vegetable from a plant you’ve grown is incomparable. I grew up doing exactly that on my family’s farmland. Working alongside nature for so many years has taught me valuable lessons about life, science, and nature – as well as a deep appreciation for the environment. I’ve seen for myself the satisfaction that comes from a successful harvest, and that’s a joyous feeling I hope to pass onto my readers. It can be difficult to get started with self-sufficiency, though; I would know from personal experience. My intentions are to prepare you for the ups and downs of homesteading and to help you have a blueprint of your building before you begin construction. Whatever your reason for picking up this book may be, my desire is to provide information on gardening methods, composting, food preservation, and survival for whatever problems come your way.

There are more benefits to homesteading than the food and satisfaction of hard work. Making the choice to become self-sufficient means that you’ll be contributing to the preservation of the environment. I grew up amongst nature and have a deep passion for flora and fauna, and I believe that once you take up gardening you will love it too! In the world we live in now, large industries have no concern for their carbon footprint nor how that affects the environment. Our part may be small, but at least we’re trying. Practicing self-sufficiency is one of the best ways to show you care about the world we live in.

Everyone conducts themselves differently, but I deeply respect those who would like to use the resources we have been given by the Earth. While gardening brings many benefits to your life, it can also seem daunting. My goal is to simplify that journey. Thank you for making the choice to begin your self-sufficiency dream.

As stated earlier, life truly does begin when starting a garden. That’s simply because you’re creating life, and I think that’s something to be proud of.

Chapter One: The First Steps

If you have a backyard, you have the ability to build a backyard homestead. This can be done in both urban and suburban areas, no matter the size of your property. The first step in beginning your homesteading journey is to evaluate your landscape and decide what can be done with the area that you have available. Keep in mind the type of crops you're looking to grow and the type of gardening beds that you intend to use.

To begin, consider how to evaluate your yard. This is simple and doesn't require any prior landscaping or gardening experience. All you need to do is take note of what your site looks like. For example, if your backyard is relatively flat, with one shady tree, you're already halfway done evaluating. This is because you can clearly discern between the shady spot in your yard, the tree, the sunny spot, and the rest of it. Once that’s established, if possible, look for a flat site that receives sun all day long. For many gardeners, this may look like a large site in the middle of their backyard. Unfortunately, not every property affords this kind of garden. There are other factors that weigh into the evaluation, such as the type of soil within the area, if a site dips too low into the ground and grows too cold, or whether a site is hit by wind more frequently than other