Frequently Asked Questions

The Self-Sufficient Backyard book has 266 pages and it includes color pictures and precise diagrams for every DIY project you want to implement on your property.

Yes, The Self-Sufficient Backyard is available in both digital and physical formats. That way you will be able to have it with you every time you need it. There are two buy buttons: one for physical + digital and one for digital only. The difference in price is only the shipping and handling fee. Remember that the digital form of the book is included for free when buying the physical form of the book.

You will receive an automatic confirmation email after ordering. You can find the download link in that email confirmation.

Johanna and Ron used a ¼ acre rectangular plan that you can follow to the letter. Yes, with their extensive knowledge and guidance you can become self-sufficient even on such a small piece of land. Use this sketch as your guide, but keep in mind you can always adjust it to your own needs and possibilities. First thing you'll find out is that all you need to be self-sufficient in terms of food are just 1,020 square feet of land per person, if you follow the methods described in the book. That's less than 10% of the entire ¼ acre parcel you can see in their sketch. Ron and Johanna developed this plan on quarter of an acre for a family of 4 to be self-sufficient, have goods to sustain a healthy living year-round and maybe make a small profit. But they created it in such a way that it is easy to downsize if you have less land or fewer family members.

The main and most important difference is that unlike other books, the authors of The Self-Sufficient Backyard have been building theirs multiple times. Nothing compares to the PRACTICAL knowledge developed over 40 years off the grid. The Self-Sufficient Backyard is chock-full of practical real-life situations you will encounter when homesteading off-the-grid -- a thing which most books, written by people who homestead behind their computer screen can never hope to replicate.

Not only can you become self-sufficient, but you might be able to sell the excess produce for a very good price. Local markets and organic products are booming right now all over America so you'll probably have no problem generating one or several additional streams of income year-round. Keep in mind that Ron and Johanna have not worked a "steady job" for over 40 years and they've still been able to live a decent life just with what they produced in that time. Today things are a lot easier than they used to be so be sure to take advantage of their knowledge and live an independent life.

The short answer is no. Ron and Johanna have refined their homesteading knowledge over decades and now, in this book, they've made everything crystal clear and easy to implement for anyone -- even people who've never built anything like this in their whole lives. As they are approaching their senior years the projects are designed to require the minimum amount of work, bending and toiling. Many of them can be implemented in a day or two, with a few leisurely hours of "work". But there are indeed a few more complex projects which will require a bigger commitment.

When you purchase the Self-Sufficient Backyard you automatically gain access to a private member's contact page where you can ask us anything you want regarding our projects. You will also gain access to additional projects that may help you in the future. You can also find likeminded homesteaders here to talk to and exchange ideas with, so yes you will definitely get help if you need it! All free of charge of course.

The Self-Sufficient Backyard is divided by chapters for every important area of building and operating a homestead. Things like how to plot your land for maximum yields and efficiency, crop rotation, root cellar, smokehouse, seed saving, rainwater catchment, greenhouse, raising bees and other small animals like chickens or how to set up an alternative power source away from the Grid…and many, many others. Every project you need in order to build a successful and profitable homestead is found inside and you should have no trouble following along as you venture into this new and exciting lifestyle.

Yes, it does.

Once you click on our buy button you will be taken to our secure check out page where you can place your order. Alternatively, you can email us at support@selfsufficientbackyard.com and let us know if you need help.

We chose Digistore24 as our payment processor because they have the highest level of security. When you will click on the buy button, you will be taken to a secure check out page (that is https not http). This page encrypted, so nobody else will see the information you enter. Not even us. As another measure of protection, Digistore24 uses 3 important antivirus and security programs on their checkout page: McAfee, Norton and Secure Payments.

Yes, if you live outside the US, please go to this link

Once your order is packed and shipped from our warehouse, you will automatically receive the tracking link on your email. Alternatively, you can also email us at support@selfsufficientbackyard.com, provide us with your order number or email address used when ordering, and ask for your tracking link.