The Frugal Homesteader

Foreword by Joel Salatin Preface Introduction      Money in the Yard      A Few Tools to Rule Them All: A Basic Tool Box      Wheelbarrow or Garden Cart?      Holidays, Birthdays, and Achieving a Homestead 1. In the Garden      Small Starts Lead to Success: Garlic in Boxes      Perennial Cardboard Plant Protectors      Easy Raised Beds with Slab, Scrap Wood, Straw Bales, or Concrete Blocks      The Mess of Hay, Straw, Manure and Compost      Fencing and Mulching with Sheet Metal      Mineral Tote Growing Bins      Growing Up Instead of Out: Plant Cages, Trellising, and More      Safety First      Turn Your Homestead Work into Wages      Pallet Propagation and Drying Tables      Compost Underneath the Tables      Compost      Extending the Seasons and Excluding Pests: Low Tunnels      Multi-Use Makes a Big Difference      Simple Garden Gate      Plastic Baggies and Pantyhose      Don't Underestimate the Danger of Drift      Information Box: Turn a Trampoline into Almost Anything                Basic Conversion                Where You Can Go from Here 2. For Your Animals      Fencing      Keeping Them Fed and Watered      Kid-Sized Infrastructure      Keeping Animals Warm and Dry      Brooding, Roosting, and Bedding      Keeping the Bugs at Bay      Winter-Time Light and Water      Information Box: Climbing Rope                Tire Swing                Bale Toppling                Snow Cleaning                Load Securing 3. In the Barn and Workshop      Low-Cost Shelves, Quick Shelves      Tool Storage      ""Oiled Sand"" to Stop Rust and Protect Your Tools      Storing All Your Stuff      Let There Be Light      Information Box: The Many Uses of IBC Totes                Storing Kindling and Small-Sized Wood Scraps                Baker's Green Acre's Animal Feed Storage                Worm Compost                Animal Shelter or Chicken Brooder                So Many Other Uses                IBC Tote, Plastic Barrel, and Other Material Safety Concerns                What About a Cage With No Tote 4. Outfitting Your Home       Trading Time for Money      Making Your Own Cleaning Supplies      Storing Your Surplus: Sloped Bucket Storage from Scrap Wood      Can You Store What You Grow?      Turning Trash into Treasure      Pieces of Scrap Pipe to Move Heavy Objects      Cinder-Block Shelves      Two Pairs of Shoes      Paint Your Entire House for Under a Hundred Bucks?      Cutting the Cost on Good Clothes      Finding Appliances and Furniture      Other Great Places to Grab Furniture — If the Amish Don't Come a-Calling       Information Box: Greenhouse Plastic                Covering Wood Piles                Solarizing Weeds                Low Tunnels                Cold Frames and Hot Boxes 5. Becoming More Self-Sufficient       Food      What is the Best Animal?      Learn Plant Propagation      Truly Free Food: Foraging from the Homestead      Eat Your Yard Out: The Benefits of Edible Landscaping      Medicine      Cooking When it Counts      Water      Heat      Community      Information Box: Combining Pieces and Projects                Pallets Plus Cattle Panels: Andy Buchler's Animal Shelter                Sheet Metal or Greenhouse Plastic + IBC Tote Cages for Wood Storage                Simple Outdoor Storage                Speeding Up Wood Seasoning                Caleb's Composite Bow 6. Sourcing and Resources      Construction Sites and Construction Supply Stores      Libraries      Craigslist      You Have Not Because You Ask Not      Freecycle      Facebook and Facebook Marketplace      Friends      Barter Makes Friendships Better      Salvage and ReStores      Pawnshops and Similar Businesses      Salvage and Tear Down      Estate Sales, Auctions, and Farm Auctions      Online Auctions      Thrift Stores      Roadsides and Parking Lots      Your Local Landfill or Recycling Center      Automated Online Shopping Acknowledgements Final Note Index About the Author About New Society Publishers