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Everything on this page earns its spot the same way: we bought it, used it on this homestead, and would buy it again. Nothing is listed because it pays well; plenty of things that pay well aren’t listed. The page grows as posts publish – when a build or a Field Report says “what I used,” it lands here.
Books that shaped this place
Food forest and permaculture design: Edible Forest Gardens Vol. 1 and 2 (Jacke and Toensmeier) – the deep theory. Paradise Lot (Toensmeier) – proof it works on small ground. The Resilient Farm and Homestead (Falk) – whole-systems thinking we reference constantly. Introduction to Permaculture (Mollison) – start here before the Designers’ Manual.
Growing, soil, and season extension: The Living Soil Handbook (Frost). The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest (Coleman). Perennial Vegetables (Toensmeier) – the book that started the walking onion situation. The Seed Garden (Seed Savers Exchange).
Homestead skills and livestock: The Backyard Homestead (Madigan). Pastured Poultry Profits (Salatin). Root Cellaring (Bubel). Homestead Builds (Rhodes and Slattery).
The systems shelf: Building a Second Brain (Forte) – not a garden book, but it’s why the orchard has a database.
Trees and plants: where we actually buy
Stark Bro’s – a large share of the orchard came from here. Etsy – for oddities like walking onion bulbils; sellers rotate, so search and check recent reviews.
Tools, workshop, and farm tech
These sections grow as posts publish and the “what I used” lists accumulate. Check back – or better, join the newsletter and watch it happen.