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Ron and Johanna Melchiore have lived off the grid since the late 1970s. Their book, The Self-Sufficient Backyard, lays out how they grow food, collect water, and make power on a small lot, in step-by-step projects with photos and drawings.
See What's Inside the BookOpens the authors' page. Backed by their 60-day money-back guarantee.
Tap yours to see which projects fit.
A 7-herb windowsill medicinal garden, growing food in shopping bags indoors, a suspended indoor growing system, and a battery trick that makes most batteries last longer.
See What's Inside the BookA mini chicken coop on 8 square feet, a three-barrel rainwater catchment, a compost "mini-tower" fed by kitchen scraps, and raised and strawbale beds.
See What's Inside the BookThe full plan: food for a family of four, a self-heating year-round greenhouse, a low-cost hybrid power system, and a low-maintenance orchard.
See What's Inside the BookThe same plan with room to grow: crops that can bring in extra income, 50+ chicken-keeping tips, and aquaponics.
See What's Inside the BookLess land than most people think. The authors say their methods need about 1,020 square feet per person to cover food. That's under 10% of their own quarter-acre parcel. Their plan is drawn for a family of four on 1/4 acre, with produce left over to sell, and it scales down if you have less space or fewer people.
Ron grew up in Philadelphia. In the late 1970s he and Johanna went “back to the land,” and they have lived off the grid ever since. They say no utility wire has ever been connected to a home they've lived in. Now in their 60s, they built their third homestead in Nova Scotia, this time designed to be low-maintenance and easy on the body. The book is everything they learned along the way.
“We are two of the ‘back to the land people’ from the late 1970s.”
Ron and Johanna
Water - three-barrel rainwater catchment, simple filtering, and how to check whether collecting rainwater is legal where you live.
Food - easy-on-the-back raised, strawbale, container, and windowsill gardens, plus a self-heating greenhouse that runs year-round.
Power and hot water - a low-cost hybrid electricity setup (batteries, controller, inverter) and a stove adjustment for hot, pressurized water.
Chickens and bees - a mini coop on 8 square feet, 50+ chicken-keeping tips, and beehives you can harvest straight into a jar.
Storing food - root cellars (including one under the kitchen), canning, drying, and smoking.
Health and income - a 7-herb medicinal garden with remedies, crops that can bring in extra income, and pest control from bats and bluebirds instead of sprays.
Plus 100+ money-saving tips, and 75+ projects you can build for under $75.
“The garden sketch alone is worth it.”
Lauren LaCorte
After the first 20-25 pages she could see “a number of serious mistakes” she was about to make choosing her land.
Helen Thabile
“A well written book with a lot of helpful information for a broad scope of homesteaders; from the novice ... to the very advanced.”
Jennifer Weiss Jones
Reviews published on the authors' website.
No. We're an independent site. Our links take you to the authors' own page.
Yes, for part of it. Windowsill herbs, indoor bag growing, and the indoor growing system need no yard.
It depends on your state. The book covers how to check your local rules before you build.
No. Most readers start with one project. The authors recommend going in stages.
Yes. US orders include the printed book and a digital copy. A digital-only edition is also on the authors' page.
The authors offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Pick one: a rain barrel, a windowsill herb garden, or a few raised beds. The book shows the rest when you're ready.
See What's Inside the BookOpens the authors' page. 60-day money-back guarantee.