Sometimes you just need a short list to get you started down the rabbit hole. All of these books are approachable, beginner-friendly, and are still ones we refer to frequently! Whether you live on acreage or still live in the suburbs or city all of these books will give you a great start on your homestead journey. Here are our top 5 homesteading books for beginners:
The Family Garden Plan
Melissa K. Norris
Whether you’re new to vegetable gardening or curious how to grow more food to feed your family over the winter, this is an excellent book to get started. The author walks you through step-by-step from planning to planting, harvesting, and preserving. She includes worksheets to help you customize your own personal garden plan and determine how much you need to grow to feed your family size. It’s the perfect book to get you off on the right foot growing healthy food sustainably.
High-Yield Vegetable Garden Growing
Colin McCrate & Brad Halm
Maybe you have been growing a small vegetable garden for several years and want to take it to the next level. This is a fantastic book for learning how to maximize yield and prepare the soil, nits and grits of crop rotation, seed selection tips, season extension and so much more! It’s chock full of charts, tables, worksheets and planning tools galore. Perfect book to expand your vegetable gardening knowledge and expertise.
Ball Book of Canning
Now that you’ve grown all those vegetables and herbs, what are you going to do to preserve the harvest? Find 350+ canning recipes for sauces, salsas, pickles, jams, jellies, and preserves. Plus some bonus recipes for cakes, pies, and other ways to cook up garden fresh veggies and fruits. This book includes up-to-date food safety recommendations to keep you confident you’re serving your family safe and healthy food.
A Chicken in Every Yard
Robert & Hannah Litt
This was the first reference book I purchased on chicken keeping and is ideal for those with backyard chickens while still helpful for those with more space to spread out. It covers everything you need to know about raising chickens in urban and suburban locations. From breed selection, neighborhood/legal considerations, to caring for baby chicks, and tips for chicken coops. It also has a great “diagnostic” chapter that has helped me identify common chicken ailments and how to treat them with items that can be found in most farm/feed stores.
Fresh Eggs Daily
Lisa Steele
Herbal remedies for all sorts of chicken health and ailments. It’s my go-to book when I notice one of our flock struggling with worms, mites, or any other common backyard chicken health concerns. She explains the medicinal benefits of various herbs and even includes recipes for herbal remedies. I regularly use her natural dewormer recipe {LINK} every spring and fall! Must-have for chicken keepers that want to keep their hens healthy without expensive vet visits or antibiotics/chemicals.
The Independent Farmstead
Beth and Shawn Dougherty
If you’re thinking about purchasing some land and expanding beyond a backyard homestead, this is a great book for an overview of all the various aspects to consider. These seasoned homesteaders with 20 years of experience share how to find farmland, pros and cons of various water sources, practical tips for fencing and pasture management, and the basics of raising larger livestock like cows and pigs. We used their book to make our “wish list” when looking for our own acreage and are so glad we took into consideration much of their advice.
Printables to get you started
We’re so excited you’re interested in homesteading and would love to help you get started with a few printables available in our shop including a garden journal and garden planning worksheet. We hope these printables and the homesteading books for beginners inspire you to plant some seeds and purchase those first few chicks.
