10 Homesteading Books for Beginners That Will Help You Get Started

Are you thinking of homesteading but don't know where to start? Or maybe you've taken the first step and started a garden, but it didn't produce as well as you'd hoped. In either case, a good place to start is by reading some homesteading books. In this blog post, I will share with you a list of 10 homesteading books for beginners that helped us start our homesteading journey.

Here's a quick list for you if you want to check them out now!

10 Homesteading Books That Helped Us Start Our Homestead

1. The Family Garden Plan: Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food

2. The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables

3. The Rooted Life: Cultivating Health and Wholeness Through Growing Your Own Food

4. The Homesteader's Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook: Raising a Healthy Flock from Start to Finish

5. The Independent Farmstead: Growing Soil, Biodiversity, and Nutrient-Dense Food with Grassfed Animals and Intensive Pasture Management

6. Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale

7. The Prairie Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in Any Kitchen

8. A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens: Best Breeds, Creating a Home, Care and Handling, Outdoor Fun, Crafts and Treats

9. How to Speak Chicken: Why Your Chickens Do What They Do & Say What They Say

10. Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

#1: The Family Garden Plan: Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food by Melissa K. Norris

When we were first starting out, I read from a lot of experienced homesteaders that starting small with a garden was a good way to dip your feet into homesteading. Since I didn't have a lot of experience with growing my own vegetables, I decided to dive into gardening books first.

Melissa breaks down basic gardening info into bite-sized, actionable pieces for beginner gardeners. She carefully walks you through planning which crops to plant, laying out the garden, maintaining the garden, and harvesting. She provides charts and worksheets inside her book so you can apply what you've learned right away. If you're looking for a resource that will help you have a good foundation to start gardening with, she's got you covered. If you're a pen-to-paper planner, you'll enjoy her family garden planner as well.

#2: The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables by Jessica Sowards

If you want to learn from a gardening book that inspires as well as informs, The First-Time Gardener by Jessica Sowards is a wonderful resource. She has a way of transporting her delight and love of growing food to you through her book. She talks about the garden as a classroom where you're a perpetual student, learning something new no matter how seasoned you are. She also shares some of her favorite varieties to grow, seed starting techniques, and organic ways of keeping your garden healthy.

#3: The Rooted Life: Cultivating Health and Wholeness Through Growing Your Own Food by Justin Rhodes

Some books talk about the homesteading lifestyle as a whole. For an overall picture of what your day could look like and what your family routine would be, The Rooted Life by Justin Rhodes offers a glimpse into the homesteading life. In his book, he talks to you like a friend giving simple advice on starting with what you have, simple gardening, raising chickens, and including your family in the whole journey.

#4: The Homesteader's Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook: Raising a Healthy Flock from Start to Finish by Amy K. Fewell

If you're interested in homesteading, chances are you're also interested in chickens! This book is a great resource for homesteaders who want to raise their own flock. Amy Fewell walks you through everything from chicken breeds and housing to feeding and health care. She includes information on how to integrate your chickens into your homesteading lifestyle and how to treat chicken illnesses and prevent them using herbs and other natural remedies.

#5: The Independent Farmstead: Growing Soil, Biodiversity, and Nutrient-Dense Food with Grassfed Animals and Intensive Pasture Management by Beth and Shawn Dougherty

The Independent Farmstead is a great homesteading book for those who are want to venture past raising chickens. The Doughertys share their experience of homesteading and include information on pasture management, grass-fed beef and dairy production, chicken keeping, and more. They also talk about the importance of soil health and how to create a diversified farm. There are lots of practical advice in this book that touches on every aspect of homesteading. This book is a gem.

#6: Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale by Joel Salatin

There are many farming resources written by Joel Salatin, but this one focuses on small-scale homesteading with livestock. He writes about raising chickens, rabbits, pigs, sheep, and cows. He also talks about fencing, pasture management, efficiency, and how to create a homestead that works with nature instead of against it. If you're interested in learning more about homesteading with animals, this is a great place to start.

#7: The Prairie Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in Any Kitchen by Jill Winger

This is my go-to cookbook for heritage cooking. Jill Winger's recipes are simple, easy to understand, and most importantly, delicious. You don't have to be a seasoned chef or homesteader to try the dishes in her cookbook. The recipes are perfect for anyone new to cooking from scratch. If you want to practice cooking with whole foods, either from the produce aisle at the grocery store or from your own garden, she's got breakfast, main dishes, desserts and many more dishes you can make with ease. Her Apple Cinnamon Puff Pancakes are a favorite in our home.

#8: A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens: Best Breeds, Creating a Home, Care and Handling, Outdoor Fun, Crafts and Treats by Melissa Caughey

Involving our kids in our homestead journey has been super rewarding. My daughter is the designated "chicken lady" and this is her favorite book. Melissa Caughey makes choosing chicken breeds, building a coop, and caring for your chickens exciting and fun for kids. She has ingredients for fun chicken treats and chicken-themed crafts. If you have kids who are interested in homesteading, this is an amazing resource to share with them. They might even teach you a thing or two!

#9: How to Speak Chicken: Why Your Chickens Do What They Do & Say What They Say by Melissa Caughey

This is another great and fun read by Melissa Caughey. In How to Speak Chicken, she teaches you how to understand what your chickens are saying (yes, they talk a lot!). She writes about chicken body language, common vocalizations, and how to interpret their behavior. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand their chickens and can also be shared with the kids.

#10: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

If you're interested in homesteading, chances are you're also interested in canning and preserving food. This book is a classic comprehensive guide to canning, pickling, freezing, and drying. Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine include 400 recipes for everything from jams and jellies to soups and sauces.

Conclusion

With the homestead movement growing rapidly, there are so many good resources online, in print and in person, that you can access. If you're feeling overwhelmed, remember to start small and work your way up as you become more comfortable with homesteading. These homesteading books for beginners are a great starting point for anyone looking to get into homesteading. Do you have any favorite homesteading books? Let us know in the comments below!