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By Ron & Johanna Melchiore · Off-grid since the 1970s
The Self-Sufficient Backyard: Turn Your Backyard Into a Homestead That Feeds and Powers Your Family
Imagine stepping outside to pick dinner, collecting free rainwater, keeping the lights on when the grid goes down and watching your monthly bills shrink. The Self-Sufficient Backyard shows you how, with more than 100 step-by-step projects from a couple who has lived off the grid for over four decades.
- 100+ practical DIY projects
- Year-round food from a small lot
- Water, power and heat systems
- Food storage and natural remedies
- Only $37, one-time payment
- 60-day money-back guarantee
- 3 free bonus books
266 full-color pagesLetter size 8.5 x 11 in
Overview
What Is The Self-Sufficient Backyard?
The Self-Sufficient Backyard is a 266-page, full-color, letter-size guide to producing more of what your household needs right at home. Written by off-grid homesteaders Ron and Johanna Melchiore, it gathers more than 40 years of hands-on experience into one practical book.
It covers the big systems every homestead depends on: food, water, power, heat, food storage, animals and natural remedies. Each project is explained step by step with color photos, so you can see exactly how it is done before you pick up a tool.
This is not a coffee-table book of pretty pictures or a list of ideas you will never use. It reads like a conversation with neighbors who have done all of this themselves, mistakes included, and who want you to succeed faster than they did.
Best of all, it is written for ordinary yards. The Melchiores' own homestead operates on about a quarter acre, and their methods scale up or down to fit a suburban lot, a country property or anything in between.
Why readers love it
- Clear, step-by-step color photos for every project
- Large letter-size pages that are easy on the eyes
- Real advice from real homesteaders, not theory
- Projects you can start this weekend and build on for years
Independence
Why Backyard Self Sufficiency Matters More Than Ever
Groceries, electricity and heating bills keep climbing. Storms and power outages seem to arrive more often. Many families are asking a simple question: how much of what we need could we produce ourselves?
The answer is often more than you think. A small garden can supply fresh vegetables for months. A rain catchment system can water that garden for free. A few backyard hens provide eggs, and a well-planned pantry and root cellar keep the harvest going all winter.
Every project you complete pays you back twice: once in money saved and again in peace of mind. When something goes wrong in the wider world, your backyard keeps working for you.
Small steps, real savings
You do not have to change everything at once. A rain barrel lowers the water bill. A few raised beds cut the grocery bill. A pantry stocked during harvest season means fewer trips to the store. Each small step adds up, month after month.
Freedom you can feel
There is a special satisfaction in eating a meal you grew, sitting by heat you made and knowing your family is prepared. This book helps you build that feeling one project at a time.
What's inside
Inside The Self Sufficient Backyard
The book is organized like a homestead plan. You begin with the big picture, then work through each system that keeps a household running.
The opening chapters help you plan: choosing a site, laying out buildings and paths, and deciding what to build first. From there, the Melchiores move through water, power, gardening, seed saving, food preservation, animals and the everyday tools that make it all work.
You will also find sections on natural medicine, composting, root cellars, smokehouses and self-sustaining greenhouses, plus dozens of money-saving tips gathered over a lifetime of making do.
What you will be able to do
- Plan a homestead layout that suits your yard and budget
- Collect and store water for the garden and emergencies
- Make your own electricity with solar and wind
- Grow, save seeds and preserve food for year-round eating
- Raise chickens, keep bees and heat your home off the grid
Contents Selected chapters
- 40 Years Homesteading
- The Homestead Plan
- Site Selection
- Road Building
- Homestead Water
- House Floor Planning
- Off Grid Power
- Gardening
- Seed Saving
- Food Preservation
- Bee Keeping
- Chicken Raising
- Waste Disposal
- Tools
Projects
Self Sufficient Backyard Projects You Can Build
Here are some of the projects the Melchiores walk you through, each with photos and plain-English steps.
Water
PowerBackyard Hybrid Power
See how the authors combine solar and wind to make their own electricity, including how to think about panels, batteries and backup.
GardenEasy-on-the-Back Garden
Garden layouts that save your knees and your time, so you can keep growing fresh food well into your later years.
RemediesMedicinal Herb Garden
A small garden of seven easy medicinal herbs, with notes on how each has traditionally been grown and used at home.
PestsNatural Insect Control
A bio insect-control routine that protects your crops without harsh chemicals, working with nature instead of against it.
StorageRoot Cellar and Pantry
Keep vegetables, fruit and home-canned food fresh for months with a cool storage space and proven preservation methods.
HeatHeat and Hot Water
Practical ways to heat your home and your water off the grid, learned through decades of long, cold northern winters.
BeesBackyard Beekeeping
Keep bees for honey, wax and better pollination, with a beginner-friendly look at hives, harvesting and seasonal care.
You will also find chicken raising, composting, seed saving, a smokehouse, a self-sustaining greenhouse and a "no-work" orchard plan, so your backyard keeps giving year after year. Because every project comes with color photos, you can see what the finished result should look like before you start, which saves time, materials and frustration.
The Melchiores in their early homesteading years.
The authors
Meet Ron and Johanna Melchiore
Ron and Johanna Melchiore are not weekend hobbyists. They have lived off the grid since the late 1970s and have built three homesteads from scratch, none of them connected to the power company.
- 1979Northern MaineRon bought land in Bridgewater, Maine, where the couple gardened, farmed, ran solar power and were honored as outstanding tree farmers.
- 2000Northern SaskatchewanThey built a home on a remote lake reachable only by float plane, about 100 air miles from supplies, where winters can reach -50°F.
- TodayNova ScotiaThey now homestead on the coast of Nova Scotia, once again entirely off the grid.
Ron trained as an electronics technician, which shows in the book's clear guidance on solar and wind power. Johanna, who worked as a dietitian, co-wrote and edited the book and brings a practical eye to food and preservation.
Ron is also the author of Off Grid and Free: My Path to the Wilderness, and the couple appeared in the Canadian documentary Life Off Grid. You can read more in Ron's Mother Earth News author profile.
Their adventures go well beyond the garden. Ron has thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and bicycled across the United States, and the couple's homesteading articles have appeared in magazines such as BackHome, Countryside and Small Farmer's Journal.
That is the real value of this book. Every page comes from people who have actually done it, through bitter winters, short summers and decades of trial and error.
Getting started
How to Start Your Self-Sufficient Backyard
You do not need experience, land or a big budget. Follow these four steps and let your homestead grow one season at a time.
Read the homestead plan
Start with the planning chapters. Walk your yard, note sun, slope and water, and decide what matters most to your family.
Pick one quick win
Choose a project you can finish in a weekend, such as a rain catchment setup, a raised bed or a small herb garden.
Add a system each season
Layer on chickens, food storage, bees or power as time and budget allow. The book shows how each piece fits the whole.
Preserve, save and enjoy
Store your harvest, track what you save on groceries and bills, and watch your independence grow year after year.
Your first homestead year at a glance
Spring
Start seeds, build beds, set up rain catchment and welcome new chicks or a beehive.
Summer
Harvest daily, dry herbs, can and preserve, and keep pests down the natural way.
Fall
Fill the root cellar, save seeds, stack firewood and plan next year's garden.
Winter
Stay warm and fed from your stores, repair tools and plan the next project.
Timing varies with your climate. The Melchiores' experience comes from cold northern winters, so readers in warmer zones can often start earlier and harvest longer. Whatever your climate, the rhythm is the same: plan, plant, preserve and improve a little more each year.
Is it right for you?
Who The Self-Sufficient Backyard Is Perfect For
If you have ever wished you depended a little less on the store, the utility company and the news, this book was written for you. You do not need acres of land or a barn full of tools. A willingness to learn and a patch of ground are enough to begin.
- Families facing rising billswho want to cut grocery, water and energy costs
- Preppersbuilding real resilience for storms, outages and hard times
- Gardenersready to move from a few tomatoes to a true food system
- Retireeswho want a meaningful, money-saving project on a fixed income
- New homesteaderslooking for a proven plan from people who have done it
- DIY loverswho enjoy building useful things with their own hands
- Off-grid dreamerswho want to learn the skills before making the leap
- Suburban homeownerswho think their lot is too small to make a difference
Free with every order
Three Free Bonus Books Included
Order today and you also receive three digital bonus books, each valued at $27, at no extra cost. Together they turn your homestead guide into a small self-reliance library covering land, old-time skills and modern food growing.
Where Free Land Can Be Found in the USA
By Rich Newman
$27 Free
A guide to places in the United States where free land can still be found, for anyone dreaming of more room to grow.
DIY Projects from the 1900s
By Chris Cole
$27 Free
Time-tested projects our great-grandparents relied on, the kind of old-fashioned know-how that helps in the next crisis.
The Aquaponic Gardener
By Michael Watson
$27 Free
Raise fish and fresh vegetables together in one simple system, with illustrations and step-by-step instructions.
Bonus books are digital and available right after checkout.
Pricing
Choose Your Copy of The Self-Sufficient Backyard
Two simple options. Both are a one-time payment with no subscription, and both include all three bonus books.
Digital Book
$128$37Instant access, no shipping
- Read on phone, tablet or computer
- All 3 bonus books included
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Best for hands-on projects
Physical + Digital Book
$128$37+ $9.99 shipping & handling
- Letter-size paperback delivered to you
- Digital edition to read while you wait
- All 3 bonus books and 60-day guarantee
Which version should you choose?
Choose the digital book if you want to start reading tonight and like having every project on your phone. Choose the physical + digital book if you plan to build projects outside. A paperback is easy to prop open on a workbench, needs no charger, and is simple to share with family. You still get instant digital access while your copy is on its way.
$128 of value for just $37
The book is valued at $47 and each bonus at $27, for a total value of $128. Today the complete bundle is yours for $37, about 70% off.
Prices are set by the publisher and may change. Your final total is always shown at checkout.
Comparison
How the Self Sufficient Backyard Book Compares
Why so many homesteaders choose this guide over a typical gardening book or a pile of free videos. Here is how it stacks up on the things that matter most.
| Feature | The Self-Sufficient Backyard | Typical gardening book | Free videos and blogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Food, water, power, heat, storage, animals and remedies | Usually gardening only | Scattered topics |
| Written by long-time off-grid homesteaders | Yes, 40+ years | Varies | Varies |
| Step-by-step color photos | For every project | Sometimes | Varies |
| Number of projects | 100+ | Usually fewer | Hard to piece together |
| Whole-homestead planning | Yes | Rarely | Rarely |
| Works without internet | Yes, with the paperback | Yes | No |
| Money-back guarantee | 60 days | Store policy | Not applicable |
| Bonus books | 3 included | None | None |
General comparison of common formats. Individual books, videos and blogs vary.
Free videos are great for inspiration, but they rarely show how the pieces fit together. This book gives you the whole system in one place, written by people who have relied on it for decades.
Our verdict
What We Love About The Self-Sufficient Backyard
After going through the book and what it covers, here is our honest summary.
What we love
- Covers every major homestead system in one book
- Written from more than 40 years of real off-grid living
- Step-by-step color photos make projects easy to follow
- Projects scale from a small yard to a large property
- A strong focus on saving money, not spending it
- Great value with three bonus books and a 60-day guarantee
Good to know
- Some readers find the paper quality just okay. The content is the star.
- The authors farm in cold northern climates, so adjust timing for your zone.
- Bigger builds like solar, wind or a root cellar take time, tools and sometimes permits.
- The paperback adds $9.99 shipping, and the bonuses are digital only.
If you want one dependable book that takes you from dreaming about independence to actually building it, The Self-Sufficient Backyard is an easy recommendation. It is practical, honest and full of hard-won wisdom.
Zero risk
60-Day Money-Back Guarantee
You can order with complete confidence. Read the book, try a few projects and see the difference in your yard. If you are not happy for any reason, request a refund within 60 days.
Requesting a refund is simple. Contact the support team or use ClickBank's order support within the 60-day window, and your purchase price is returned. The guarantee badge even promises you can keep the book. There are no complicated forms and no pressure, just a simple promise that you will be happy with your purchase.
Shipping and handling charges for the paperback may not be refundable. Please read the refund terms on the order page.
Orders and help
Shipping, Delivery and Customer Support
Digital book
Available right after checkout. Your access details appear on the confirmation page and arrive by email, so you can start reading in minutes. Keep that email so you can download your files again on any device.
Physical book
Shipped to your door for $9.99 shipping and handling. Shipping options and delivery times for your address are shown at checkout, and the digital edition is yours to read while you wait.
Secure checkout
Orders from this page are processed by ClickBank, a trusted online retailer. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Need help?
For product questions, use the support contact in your order confirmation email. For order or refund help, you can also visit ClickBank's support site at clkbank.com.
Read before you build
Safety and Warnings: Build Smart, Stay Safe
Homesteading is rewarding and safe when you respect a few ground rules. Please keep these in mind as you work through the projects.
- Check local rules first.Zoning, HOA rules and state laws can limit chickens, bees, outbuildings and even rainwater collection. A quick call to your town office saves trouble later.
- Follow electrical codes.Solar, wind and battery systems carry real shock and fire risks. Get permits and hire a licensed electrician when in doubt. The U.S. Department of Energy explains grid-connected and stand-alone renewable energy systems.
- Use tested preservation methods.Improper canning can cause botulism. Follow tested recipes and processing times, such as those from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
- Practice good hygiene with poultry.Backyard chickens can carry Salmonella. Wash your hands after handling birds or eggs and follow the CDC's backyard poultry advice.
- Know about bee allergies.If anyone in your household is allergic to stings, talk to a doctor before keeping bees.
- Install wood stoves safely.Follow the manufacturer's clearances and local codes, keep chimneys clean, and use working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Treat rainwater as non-drinking water.Use it for gardens and animals unless it is properly filtered and disinfected.
- Ask before using herbal remedies.If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, talk to a qualified health professional first.
- Work safely with tools and heights.Wear eye and hand protection, use ladders carefully and ask for help with heavy lifting, especially on roof and panel work.
- Protect children and pets.Keep kids away from tools, stoves, deep water containers and beehives, and store garden chemicals and canning supplies out of reach.
This page is for information only and is not professional, legal or medical advice. Savings and results vary with your location, effort and budget.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Self-Sufficient Backyard?
It is a 266-page, full-color homesteading guide by Ron and Johanna Melchiore with more than 100 step-by-step DIY projects for growing food, collecting water, making power, heating your home and preserving your harvest.
Is the self sufficient backyard book good for beginners?
Yes. Projects are explained in plain language with color photos, and you can start small with a single garden bed or rain catchment setup before moving on to bigger systems.
Do I need a big property?
No. The Melchiores' own homestead operates on about a quarter acre, and their methods scale up or down. Many projects work on a typical suburban lot.
How much does The Self-Sufficient Backyard cost?
The digital edition is $37. The physical paperback, which also includes digital access, is $37 plus $9.99 shipping and handling. Prices can change, so check the order page for the current offer.
What is the difference between the digital and physical versions?
The digital edition is available right after checkout on your phone, tablet or computer. The physical edition adds a letter-size paperback shipped to your door, which many readers prefer for working outdoors.
Which bonus books are included?
Every order includes three digital bonus books: Where Free Land Can Be Found in the USA, DIY Projects from the 1900s, and The Aquaponic Gardener.
What does the 60-day guarantee cover?
If you are not satisfied for any reason, you can request a refund within 60 days of purchase. Shipping and handling for the paperback may not be refundable, so check the terms on the order page.
Does the book cover solar and wind power?
Yes. The off-grid power chapter explains how the authors make their own electricity with solar and wind. Always follow local electrical codes and use a licensed electrician when needed.
Will it work in my climate?
The principles work almost anywhere. The authors' experience comes from cold northern climates, so gardeners in warmer regions can adjust planting dates and often enjoy longer growing seasons.
Is The Self-Sufficient Backyard worth it?
For $37 you get more than 100 projects, four decades of real experience and three bonus books, backed by a 60-day guarantee. A single project, such as rain collection or a root cellar, can pay back the price many times over.
Your next step
Start Building Your Self-Sufficient Backyard Today
The sun, the rain and the soil are already there. The only thing missing is the plan.
The Self-Sufficient Backyard gives you that plan, with more than 100 projects, four decades of experience and a clear path from your first garden bed to a backyard that feeds, waters and powers your home. Order now, get three free bonus books, and enjoy 60 full days to decide.
Picture next winter: a pantry full of food you grew, lower bills on the counter and the quiet confidence that your family is ready for whatever comes. That future starts with one page.
$37 one-time payment · Secure checkout · 60-day money-back guarantee