The Urban Homestead (Expanded & Revised Edition)

About this book

The modern classic of DIY urban self-reliance--grow food, raise chickens, and build a working homestead in the city. The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen is a widely read handbookfor city-based self-sufficiency, offering practical guidance on growing food, preserving harvests, reducing household waste, and building small-scale systemsfor urban living. Written for readers without access to rural land, the bookshows how apartments, patios, and small backyards can be transformed intoproductive spaces for gardening, food preparation, and energy awareness. This expanded and updated edition includes new projects andrevised instructions across a wide range of topics: container gardening, foodpreservation and fermentation, composting, chicken keeping, greywater use, andnon-toxic household cleaning. Step-by-step projects and illustrations make thetechniques accessible to beginners while still useful to experienced DIYpractitioners. The book also situates these skills within the broader urbanhomesteading movement, providing context and resources for readers interestedin sustainable living and local food culture. Blending instruction with cultural context, The UrbanHomestead has become a reference point for readers interested in home foodproduction, sustainability, and practical self-reliance within urbanenvironments. It appeals to gardeners, homesteaders, and anyone seeking toreduce dependence on industrial food and household systems. A foundational title for readers of urban gardening, DIYsustainability, and modern homesteading. "A delightfully readable and very useful guide..." -- BoingBoing "...the contemporary bible on the subject." -- The New York TimesLearn how to: Grow food on a patio or balcony Preserve or ferment food and make yogurt and cheese Compost with worms Keep city chickens Divert your grey water to your garden Clean your house without toxins Guerilla garden in public spaces Create the modern homestead of your dreams