The The Self-Sufficient Backyard sales page, captured 2026-09-23
The Self-Sufficient Backyard review
Practical off-grid plans for turning a small plot into food, water and power you control
By the RJ Editorial Team. Sales page checked 2026-09-23. Last updated 2026-09-23.
Is it worth it?
If you're looking at this, something's probably nagging at you. The power bill keeps climbing, the weekly shop costs more than it did last year, and you look out at your garden thinking it should be doing more than growing lawn. Maybe you've read a dozen homesteading blogs and still don't know where to actually start. The Self-Sufficient Backyard is a book from a couple who spent around 40 years living off-grid, and it reads like that. The strongest part is the layout plan: they take a quarter acre, map out where everything goes for a family of four, then go section by section. The greenhouse chapter is the one people remember, with glazing angles, heat storage, venting into the house and a geothermal upgrade. Two things to keep in mind. The page leans hard on the idea that the book is being suppressed, which is a sales line, not information about what's inside. And the promise that a quarter acre will feed four people and turn a profit year round is the seller's claim, with no figures behind it. Treat the profit part as optimistic. What you actually get is a reference you dip into over years, not a weekend fix. If you own a bit of land and keep meaning to start, it's a useful push. If you're in a flat with a balcony, most of it won't apply to you.
Pros
- Written from decades of actually doing it, not theory
- Whole-property layout plan, not just scattered tips
- Greenhouse and water sections are genuinely detailed
- One-off purchase you can work through for years
Cons
- Needs land, money and real labour before anything pays off
- Page claims it suits apartment dwellers, but most projects assume a yard
- Big claims about profit and a 'banned' book, with nothing to back them
What you get
A single illustrated book, billed as 100+ DIY projects. It opens with a master sketch of a quarter acre laid out for a family of four (scalable down), then breaks into chapters on water, off-grid power, food preservation, a medicinal garden and a year-round greenhouse covering siting, glazing angles, insulation, venting and a geothermal upgrade. Step by step diagrams throughout.
Before you buy
- Check whether you get a digital download, a printed copy, or both, and any shipping cost
- Confirm the refund window and how to claim it before you pay
- Check local rules first: renting, an HOA or town bylaws can block greenhouses, livestock or rainwater collection
Who it suits
Homeowners with a garden or some acreage who want one solid reference to work through slowly
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