Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77682 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781602391635
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Gill and Alan Bridgewater have gained an international reputation as producers of highly successful gardening and DIY books on a range of subjects, including garden design, ponds and patios, stone and brickwork, decks and decking, and household woodworking. They have also contributed to several international magazines. Alan and Gill live in Rye, East Sussex.


Alan and Gill Bridgewater have gained an international reputation as producers of highly successful gardening and DIY books on a range of subjects, including garden design, ponds and patios, stone and brickwork, decks and decking, and household woodworking. They have also contributed to several international magazines. Alan and Gill live in Rye, East Sussex.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Inroduction to the Self-Sufficient Lifestyle
In these times of international and domestic unrest, rampant increases in food and fuel prices and general discontent, the thought of leaving the rat race and setting up a small farm doubtlessly has appeal to nearly all of us. Before you do so however, I strongly recommend that you read this book. The authors having been living a self-sufficient lifestyle for decades and are well qualified to share their experience.

The book covers a wide range of topics and while certainly not exclusive (there have been entire books written on areas which they cover in a few pages) they do provide a nice overview of topics such as location selection, alternate energy options and water supplies as well as tasks such as home soap making, candle making, beer and wine making etc. The greater portion of the book is devoted to crop growing and a wide variety of crop choices and planting styles are covered. The specific care needs of each plant are covered as are harvesting requirements. The raising of farm animals, including though not limited to cows, chickens, goats, ducks and pigs are also discussed. Most helpful I think are the A-Z checklists for various herbs and crops and the "Planning the Year Calendar" which outlines the various farm related activities which must be done throughout the year.

While the Bridgewaters are residents of England and their book has a somewhat UK centric focus their helpful address section has many American companies and their advice is readily applicable to prospective self-sufficient types in the USA.

You Should Really Buy This Book
This book was everything it promised and more. I really enjoyed each section, even those for which I had no immediate plans. There is A LOT of information here that looks handy, including construction and retrofitting tips for your home and great recipes for household goods and preserving the bounty of your garden for future use. The best part is that they approach self-sufficiency as a lifestyle, not a fad or a DIY weekend warrior project. Therefore, their attitude toward simple living without hardship is reflected in every word. Add the fact that the whole book can be covered in a day or two, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

The Not so Complete Guide.......
I bought this book as a source book for self sufficiency ideas, what I found was a book with a lot of ideas but not enough substance to even warrant the purchase. This book was written as an introduction to the basic concepts of farm and off grid living. The topics are covered in such a limited fashion that the detail needed to implement the concepts is not in the book. This book needs more technical information and needs to be about one hundred pages longer to cover all that is in the table of contents.