Five Great Books For Urban Homesteaders

The slower pace of January lends itself well to sprawling by the fire with a pile of good books and a knitting project (a sweater for the baby). My two youngest take my laying by the fire as an invitation to crawl all over me. Sometime I try to convince them to rub my back or encourage them to find a book of their own. Usually we end in a game of air plane where I precariously balance my daughter on my feet.

My reading has been focused various urban homesteading projects. I've drawn out some preliminary plans for our backyeard on a sheet of paper. There are (more) compost bins, raised garden beds, fruit tress, raspberries, elderberries and even beehives in our plans for this year. This is an ambitious plan but both my husband and I want to get started with out urban homestead. There is also room for chickens but that will be a project for another year.

Through my research I've come across some great books that I want to share. If you have any interest in gardening or homesteading (urban or otherwise) these books have plenty of information for the newbie as well as the veteran. Below is a round up with twitter-style reviews (under 140 characters) of five books for the urban homesteader.

Ecological Gardening by Marjorie Harris

Soil is a living organism. Learn about composting and mulching and how to make happy soil. Great reference books with some slug stomping fun.

The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan

Learn how to put your backyard to work. Whether it's vegetable gardens, fruit trees or meat rabbits, a great reference book for the urban homesteader wannabe.

Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham

Excellent book on small scale farming and gardening. Plenty of details on preparing and planting a good garden bed and that's just the beginning.

Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Self-Sufficiency from Asparagus to Zucchini by Brett L. Markham

A vegetable gardeners reference book. Learn who's who in the world of vegetables. So much great information.

Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett

The reference book for raising rabbits for meat or for show.

Please feel free to share your favourite homesteading books in the comment section below.

This post is linked to Yarn Along and Barn Hop.