Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 2
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Book 1: Creating a Garden 5
Chapter 1: Planning Your Garden 7
Determining Location and Size 8
Deciding On a Layout 15
Thinking Outside the Garden Bed 19
Keeping Critters Out 26
Assembling Tools 33
Chapter 2: Deciding What to Grow 41
Understanding Veggie Varieties 41
Deciding How Much to Grow 43
Succeeding with Vegetables 45
Planting Other Small-Scale Crops 58
Growing Herbs for and in the Kitchen 62
Chapter 3: Preparing to Plant 65
Razing Your Garden Spot 66
Analyzing and Improving Your Soil 69
Turning Your Soil 77
Looking Ahead at Watering Options 79
Fencing It In 86
Planning for Pathways 94
Chapter 4: Planting 95
Timing Your Planting Wisely 96
Choosing Seeds or Transplants 102
Deciding on Your Seeding Method and Decoding a Seed Packet 103
Starting Seeds Indoors 104
Transplanting Indoor Seedlings and Starter Plants 112
Sowing Seeds Directly in Your Garden 116
Planting Guidelines 120
Chapter 5: Growing Your Garden 125
Introducing Your Inner Gardener to the Watering Basics 126
Digging Into Composting 128
Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden 135
Keeping Your Plants Cozy and Weed Free with Mulch 140
Surveying Some Cool Farmer Techniques 145
Knowing When to Harvest 151
Chapter 6: Dealing with Weeds and Pests 155
Fighting Weed Wars 156
Keeping Good Bugs Nearby 158
Battling Bad Bugs 159
More Methods of Attack 164
Chapter 7: Extending Your Season 171
Covering Your Rows 172
Using Cold Frames 173
Going with Greenhouses 175
Getting Your Feet Wet with Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Aeroponics 178
Book 2: Preserving the Harvest 181
Chapter 1: Canning Basics 183
Starting Successful Canning 183
Gathering Your Canning Gear 185
Putting Safety First 191
Chapter 2: Water-Bath Canning 197
Water-Bath Canning in a Nutshell 197
Gearing Up for Water-Bath Canning 198
Water-Bath Canning Step-by-Step 200
Adjusting Your Processing Times at High Altitudes 206
Canning Fresh Fruit (Yes, That Includes Tomatoes) 207
Fresh Fruit Canning Recipes 211
Jam, Chutney, Relish, and Salsa Recipes 223
Chapter 3: Pressure Canning 231
Understanding the Fuss about Low-Acid Foods 232
Choosing a Pressure Canner 232
Pressure Canning Step-by-Step 238
Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes 242
Canning Vegetables 243
Vegetable Canning Recipes 246
Chapter 4: Pickling 269
Perusing Pickling Ingredients 269
Brining Education 272
Adding Crunch to Your Food 274
Pickling Equipment and Utensils 275
Pickled Vegetable Recipes 275
Chapter 5: Freezing 291
Focusing on Freezing 291
Giving Fruit the Freeze 295
Frozen Fruit Recipes 298
Blanching Perfect Vegetables 303
Frozen Vegetable Recipes 304
Freezing Fresh Herbs 316
Chapter 6: Drying 319
Opening the Door to Successful Food Drying 319
Choosing a Drying Method 320
Protecting the Life of Your Dried Food 324
Snacking on the Run: Drying Fruit 325
Dried Fruit Recipes 328
Drying Vegetables for Snacks and Storage 338
Dried Vegetable Recipes 340
DIYing the Drying of Herbs 350
Chapter 7: Root Cellaring and Storage 357
Finding the Perfect Place for Cold Storage 357
Following Simple Storage Rules 362
Preparing Foods for Cold Storage 364
Book 3: Making Your Own 369
Chapter 1: Brewing Beer 371
Setting Up Shop to Brew 372
Getting to Know Your Ingredients 374
Brewing Your First Batch 377
Taking Hydrometer Readings 380
Bottling Your Brew 383
Chapter 2: Fermenting 389
Getting Familiar with Fermentation 389
Fermenting Essentials 390
Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Sterilizing 392
Fermenting Vegetables (including Sauerkraut and Kimchi) 393
Starting Sourdough 401
Mooving On to Dairy 405
Raising a Glass to Fermented Beverages 416
Chapter 3: Baking Bread 425
Understanding Yeast Breads 425
Mixing and Kneading Breads 428
Encouraging Bread to Rise 430
Shaping and Baking the Loaves 431
Yeast Bread, Quick Bread, Muffin, and Biscuit Recipes 432
Chapter 4: Making Candles and Soap 441
Igniting Your Candlemaking Hobby 442
Rolling Beeswax Candles 444
Making Molded Candles 445
Taking a Dip with Tapers 447
Cleaning Up with Homemade Soap 450
Book 4: Raising Animals 455
Chapter 1: Introducing Beekeeping 457
Breaking into Backyard Beekeeping 458
Choosing the Right Hive 461
Gearing Up for Beekeeping 467
Chapter 2: Caring for Your Bee Colony 473
Busying Yourself with Bee Activity 474
Holding Out for Honey 481
Harvesting Your Honey 485
Swarming and Absconding 496
Playing Doctor: Fighting Disease 498
Battling Varroa Mites 502
Colony Collapse Disorder 506
Chapter 3: Introducing Backyard Chickens 509
Thinking Through Chickenkeeping 510
Chicken Breeds 516
Analyzing the Anatomy of a Coop 525
Chapter 4: Raising Your Chicken Flock 529
Feeding Your Flock 529
Raising Baby Chicks 536
Pests and Predators 544
Expecting Eggs (for Eating) 549
Chapter 5: Opting for Other Animals 553
Raising Rabbits 554
Getting Your Goats 555
Figuring Out Fowl: Ducks, Geese, and Turkeys 556
Goin’ Fishin’ 558
Book 5: Building It Yourself 559
Chapter 1: Starting Small with Garden Projects 561
Making an A-Frame Trellis 562
Crafting the Ultimate Tomato Cage 563
Building Raised Garden Beds 565
Constructing a Cold Frame 567
Elevating Your Rain Barrel on a Stand 568
Organizing Made Easy with a Tool Wall 570
Creating a Compost Bin (or Two) 573
Whipping Up a Walk-In Hoop House 578
Chapter 2: Building a Backyard Beehive 581
Choosing Materials 582
Protecting Your Hive with Paint and More 586
Building the Kenya Top Bar Hive 587
Chapter 3: Building a Chicken Coop 603
Choosing Materials 604
Selecting the Right Coop for Your Flock 611
Constructing the Alpine A-Frame Coop 616
Index 631
