The Self-Sufficient Backyard Book Review: Worth It?

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By Joel Jefferson •  8 min read

Worrying about self-sufficiency is a part of life – everybody has done it at some point.

However, not everyone acts upon their thoughts. The majority of people rely on the government and companies for their well-being their whole life.

But with the reports of tensions between the world’s superpowers rising becoming more frequent, it’s plausible to assume that the average Joe is making a huge mistake trusting the government with their well-being.

The Self-Sufficient Backyard can teach you everything you need to learn about self-reliance.

You will learn to procure food, water, electricity, and medicine on your own and survive off the grid. The authors of the book have done it for over 40 years!

But does the book supply enough value to be deemed worth the money?

I will review the book in detail to help you find out.

The Lost Ways Book
  • Covers a vast range of topics
  • Easy to follow
  • Comes with illustrations,
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What is the Self-Sufficient Backyard Book about?

Self-Sufficient Backyard

The Self-Sufficient Backyard is a collection of all that the authors, Ron and Johanna, have learned living off the grid for over four decades.

In the 40+ years that the couple has lived off the grid, they’ve never paid an electricity bill or bought medicine from a pharmacy. They generated their own electricity, and their small medicinal garden helped them get through hard times.

The two believe that the feeling of liberation is the most important thing.

Feeling independent and knowing that you will get by just fine regardless of what happens to the government, corporations, and utility and energy companies counts for a lot.

Both Ron and Johanna are now in their 60s and decided to downsize and create a low-maintenance homestead that does not require much expense to build.

Regardless of if you’re tired of the 9-to-5 rat race, are looking for a new adventure to embark on, or are dreaming of a self-sufficient retirement, the book can help you lead a happy, peaceful life.

The best part?

You don’t need to hurt your back putting your homestead, garden, and utilities together. The couple is in their 60s, and they did it with relative ease. You won’t have much trouble with it, either.

Another huge benefit is that building your self-sufficient paradise will NOT become your new job. You will only need to dedicate a portion of your day to set things up.

You don’t have to worry about land and money, either. A small backyard goes a long way. The book includes a down-sizable quarter-acre illustration, and you can adapt the design to fit your space.

But you must keep in mind that you will not be able to become 100% self-sufficient in just 200 sqft.

The book is a comprehensive guide, and there are no pre-requisites. You don’t need to know anything or have any special skills to learn what Ron and Johanna teach you.

Ron was a city boy himself – born and raised in Philadelphia. If Ron can do it, you can do it, too!

The Lost Ways Book
  • Covers a vast range of topics
  • Easy to follow
  • Comes with illustrations,
Check Price

Features of the Self-Sufficient Backyard Book

The book covers a vast range of topics and will help you become completely self-sufficient in every aspect of life.

You don’t have to rely on anyone or any organization – including the government – for your food, water, medicine, and electricity if you follow the guide.

The best thing about the program is that it’s easy to follow and breaks processes down into steps. You will be able to follow what the authors are saying just fine, even if you’ve never done any farming or building in your life.

The book also comes with illustrations, making understanding the subjects covered in the book a lot easier.

What You Will Learn

You will learn how to become self-sufficient in feeding yourself and your family using just 1020 sqft of land per person. That’s less than 10% of a quarter-acre piece of land!

With the blueprint in the book, not only will you be completely self-sufficient, but you’ll also be able to sell the excess crop your backyard produces and sustain a healthy profit year-round!

You will also discover how to make a water collection system for cheap. Ron and Johanna do not pay for utilities at all – and they collect every gallon of what they need.

You will be able to use the collected water to irrigate your plants, showering, and cooking. You will also learn to filter it so you can safely drink it.

The medicinal garden the duo teaches you to make is something every backyard should have. You only need to grow seven herbs to make tinctures and remedies that will help you recover if you fall sick.

For a good chunk of the past four decades, the couple has lived 100 miles away from the nearest pharmacy. They trust these plants with their lives. It would help every American have them in their backyard.

Electricity is another important necessity – you just need it to survive in this day and age.

Ron has a full guide on how you can set up a backyard hybrid electricity system. It’s surprising how less it costs to produce your own electricity!

The best thing about the program is that Ron explains everything in detail but never convolutes things. He will show you what batteries, controllers, cables, inverters, and other supplies you need and how you must connect and set everything up.

The 24-hour BIO insect control system will help you avoid dangerous pesticides. You will rely on nature to get rid of pests by installing a bat shelter and a swallow house.

In addition to getting rid of beetles, bugs, and grubs for you, the animals will also keep mosquitoes at bay, making life a lot more comfortable.

Root cellars can be a lifesaver – and you will learn to make a root cellar to put away your food for a rainy day.

In addition to all of this, you will learn:


Where To Buy?

You can buy the book from Ron and Johanna’s website or get a copy from Amazon.com.

However, if you get your copy from Amazon.com, you are bound by their short return policy.

Buying from the official website is the best way to go since Ron and Johanna offer a 60-day money-back guarantee to all of their customers.

If you don’t get the value you thought you would from the book, you can ask for and receive a full refund.

Bonuses

If you buy today from their website, the couple will throw in three bonus books at no extra charge.

The Aquaponic Gardner will teach you how to set up an aquaponic garden for your backyard. You can also place it in your basement or your Greenhouse.

It produces juicy vegetables and fresh fish, and requires minimal maintenance since every part of the system feeds another.

Setting it up is a great way to guarantee a food supply for years to come.

The second bonus book is called 40 DIY Projects from the 1900s. It teaches you how to recreate some of the most useful projects our forefathers would use to survive.

You will learn to make a charcoal water purifier, a root cellar, a smokehouse, a barn, a solar water heater, a wood stove, and a lot more.

You will also learn old-time skills like making traps for hunting by hand. Of course, Ron gives many these methods of yesteryear a modern twist and improves them for modern times.

Where Free Land Can Still Be Found In The USA is the third and final bonus included with The Self-Sufficient Backyard.

Ron understands that you may not be able to make your own self-sufficient backyard because you don’t have the land for it.

So, in this bonus book, Ron shows you where you can find free land in America. He says that the plots range between one and five acres, which is more than enough for the average family to become self-sufficient.

The Lost Ways Book
  • Covers a vast range of topics
  • Easy to follow
  • Comes with illustrations,
Check Price

Verdict

For a little more than a how much a meal for two would cost, you get your hands on four comprehensive guides that teach you to live without relying on anybody.

It’s a no-brainer – what you will learn from The Self-Sufficient Backyard is worth a lot more than the asking price.

I cannot recommend it enough – it’s a book every American should read. Even if you don’t plan on making your own homestead paradise now, one read will shift your perspective towards life forever. You will learn what liberation from reliance feels like!

Joel Jefferson

Joel is one of the original founders of SurvivalCache.com. After college, he joined the USMC where he served as an (0302) Marine Infantry Officer. Joel is an avid outdoorsman and spends much of his free time in the mountains. Joel’s hobby is researching survival gear & weapons as well as prepping. Read his full interview here.