Here's my brief review of The Backyard Homestead.
Few of us will ever attain our ultimate goal of living on 50+ acres, it's just fact. Between rising land prices, bigger acreages being subdivided into smaller lots, and a plain old lack of inventory, many of us will end up on acreage much smaller in size than many of us would probably like. And this book may just be for those of us who end up in such a position. Or, those of us who frankly, end up staying/being stuck in the city or suburbs with tiny properties.
Basically this book shows how much can be produced on land as small as a quarter of an acre! Which is great, especially for "Urban" homesteading.
It goes into everything from vegetables, grain, fruit and nut trees, to poultry, goats, rabbits and even cattle. What I really like is how it shows how to do everything from trimming fruit trees, to making cheese. A little of everything is covered in this book. It's pretty well written, and straight-forward. Has enough drawn diagrams to keep you interested, and get the point across.
I would have liked to have seen more colored images, or even photos. And more covering the vast varieties of livestock like breeds of chickens, ducks, and rabbits would have been nice. Seems like many were omitted, perhaps to fill the companion book "The Backyard Homestead: Guide to Raising Farm Animals" (which I haven't read yet).
Otherwise, it's a nice book. Overall, I'm giving it a B+.
Feel free to pick it up if you're new to homesteading, or want ideas what to do with your urban or suburban property. It may be a bit too "basic" for experienced homesteaders, but for people just getting into it, it'd be a good addition to the library.
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