In her book, The Seven Step Homestead, Leah M. Webb shares her experience establishing a mini-farm in her backyard. Motivated by the desire to grow her own food as well as by environmental and health benefits, Webb developed a step by step process that makes a complex process doable by newbies or experienced gardeners on a small plot of land. She makes the project approachable by assuming that new homesteaders will start small but will expand the growing space and increase the number and variety of crops over time.
Webb begins with suggestions for establishing one or two raised beds planted with easy to grow vegetables and takes readers through six more stages of expansion ending with directions for raising chickens for eggs. Step 2 expands the garden to 400 square feet, step 3 adds trees and shrubs, and step four considers the addition of edible and flowering perennials. Step five explores ways to extend the growing season, and step six provides directions for including storage crops. Each stage includes an expansion of the cultivated area and provides detailed, step by step directions for accomplishing the goals. We learn the basics like planting, soil aeration, and and no-till gardening, as well as how to stake one stem tomatoes, prune fruit trees, and build a hugelkultur bed. The chapter on raising chickens warns that chickens demand a substantial commitment and that they are unlikely to be profitable. Appendices provide cultivation information for seed recommendations, hardiness and spacing for flowering and edible perennials, and sowing dates for fall and winter crops. An index concludes the work.
The Seven Step Homestead is filled with the practical advice needed to establish a garden that will provide healthy food even on a small plot of land. Written is a straightforward simple style, Webb carefully explains each task and shares personal anecdotes including both successes and failures. The text is supplemented with photographs and diagrams showing the steps of various procedures, gardening charts and lists, as well as tips to ensure success. Even though the author does an excellent job of explaining terms, a glossary would be a helpful addition to the book.
To buy The Seven Step Homestead from Amazon, click here.