Reddit mentions: The best gardening & horticulture reference books

Okay, I'm replying in a second comment, because I wanna make sure you get to see it. I'll add an edit to the main comment too, in case anyone wants to look up information.

Books:

• Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Paul Stamets
  
• The Mushroom Cultivator, Paul Stamets
  
  Those are the standard grow manuals, but if anyone has a suggestion for a more comprehensive or up-to-date manual, it'd be welcome. Mycelium Running is a great book if you're just looking for a fun read about mushrooms.
  
  Websites:
  
  
• /r/mycology - The subreddit devoted to mushroom growing and identification. Probably more relevant info here if you're interested in growing mostly edibles.
  
  
• Fungi Perfecti is good for equipment (I bought all my HEPA filters there, at the time they were the cheapest around). I think they have a YouTube channel too, and that's got some interesting stuff on it.
  
  
• Shroomery.org is a moderately famous mushroom growing forum, with a bit of a bent more toward psychedelics. However, I found tons of great people and information in the edible mushroom forum, and I received a few commerical grade cultures from a very generous member. There can be a bit of a circlejerk surrounding some "celebrities" that post there, but take what they say with a grain of salt, and always fact check against your grow manual. If you see something that looks stupid, it probably is, unless it works. Edit: I don't think Reddit likes linking to the Shroomery, removed the formatting.
  
  Videos:
  
  
• TED Talks: Paul Stamets - Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World - This is basically his "standard" speech he gives when he does talks. There have probably been additions and improvements to it, but the message hasn't really changed. This is "Mycelium Running" in about 5 minutes. Watch this to decide whether you want to read that book.
  
  
• Let's Grow Mushrooms! by Roger Rabbit - One of the aforementioned Shroomery celebrities. His videos are helpful, but make sure to fact check why you're doing stuff, because he tends to leave a lot of that out. This is very nuts and bolts demonstrations of how to prepare substrate, how to provide humidity at a low cost, and several different methods of growing for different species of mushrooms.
  
  I hope that helps, friend! Good luck, and if you get something going, please send me pictures! I miss the old days!

Everyone has different preferences but I bought a houseplant care book (specifically How Not To Kill Your Houseplant ) and maybe I just didn’t buy the right one but I didn’t really care for it. It was cute, I flipped through it once or twice, and then I literally never touched it again. There’s so much information available on plants online, specifically with regards to care instructions, that I find the book unnecessary. You can easily post to r/whatisthisplant or use a plant ID app (much less reliable but works somewhat) to identify plants. If you’re just trying to familiarize yourself with different species of plants, browsing plant subreddits is a good way to go.


If you want to be better at caring for plants in general, I’d highly recommend Botany for Gardeners. I haven’t finished it yet, but it really breaks down how plants work in a way that’s easy to understand but still highly scientific and in-depth. From plant anatomy, to how they grow and reproduce, this book will help you better understand your plants. It doesn’t give specific care tips, but I feel like I’ve gotten much better at caring for my plants since reading it. Far too often we’re told what to do or how to do it, rather than why we should be doing it. If you learn the way plants work, you’ll have a much better idea of how to help them when they start struggling!

Seconding u/theUnmutual6's recommendations, in addition to u/BlueSmoke95's suggestion to check out Ann Moura's work. I would like to recommend Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery and her related domestic witchery books. Ellen is a certified Master Gardener and incorporates plants into much of her work.

Some of my favorite plant books!

Plant Science:

• Plant Physiology and Development (you can get away with the previous edition of this one!)
  
  
• Botany for Gardeners
  
  
• Essential Plant Pathology (do NOT get the first edition - the second edition is superior in almost every single way)
  
  
• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
  
  
  Foraging & Field Guides:
  
  
• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America
  
  
• Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate
  
  
• The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
  
  Herbalism:
  
  
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use (this is the first one I would recommend to novices)
  
  
• The Herbal Apothecary: 100 Medicinal Herbs and How to Use Them
  
  
• The Herbal Medicine Maker's Manual
  
  
• 300 Herbs: A Materia Medica
  
  
• Culpeper's Complete Herbal
  
  Ethnobotany:
  
  
• A Modern Herbal Vol I and Vol II (these could belong in the above section or here - I love love love these books. I think they are a must for any hedge witch or green witch!!)
  
  
• Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees
  
  
• Whispers from the Woods: The Lore & Magic of Trees
  
  
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
  
  I also encourage y'all to look into fungi as well. I work with both plants and fungi and I think they bring a fascinating and fulfilling aspect to my work. Plus, hunting for mushrooms is super fun! I can recommend field guide books for folks who are interested, they just tend to be very region-specific so I'm not going to list all of them here.
  
  For general fungus reading I recommend the following:
  
  
• Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds
  
  
• The Fifth Kingdom
  
  
• Mycelium Running
  
  
• Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working with Fungi
  
  
• Mushrooms Demystified

This book was my main introduction to permaculture. I'm still learning, and slowly bringing our suburban yard back to life after years of soil erosion and neglect by a previous owner.

Another good suburban food growing system is the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) (also as Square Meter Gardening) by Mel Bartholomew. I put in three small beds this year and so far the plants are doing very well.

Here's a tour of Richard Heinberg's suburban permaculture home in California.

Videos from Huw's Nursery have been really helpful

I didn't know just how many edible plants there were honestly. Industrialized agriculture could get hammered, but a vibrant home garden with permaculture principles and diverse crops could be scaled up relatively quickly. I've started some survival crops as well (e.g., hopniss, sunchoke, tigernuts) that thrive without much human intervention. If you start growing things like comfrey (non-invasive "bocking 14" cultivar!) or some other plants in Toby Hemenway's book, you could probably sell cuttings and seedlings on the side. I've heard of several people getting started that way.

It's not too late in the season to start some containers with tomatoes if you aren't growing anything yet. You don't even have to tell people that it's a prep for collapse :) People just love good food. My wife has begrudgingly put up with my new hobby, and she knows I do it because I'm very worried about collapse events. My cousin put in some SFG beds after I explained that I was worried about instabilities in our just-in-time industrial food system. Gardening is already a popular hobby, so your family will probably be supportive. And they get some delicious healthy food out of it.

Personally, the time I spend gardening is like my collapse zen time. It's healthy on multiple levels. With that said, my wife and others would claim I've gone overboard with it, but hopefully it's viewed as a kooky hobby and not a pessimistic doom funk like I was in before I started gardening. If you have any questions I'll do my best to field them (I'm a beginner myself).

One last recommendation, this collapse-aware career book by Charles Hugh Smith is really good

Don't count yourself out. You have a lot to offer the world.

Honestly you've already found a great source of good information and discussion:) I use the search bar in this sub more than any other, but I still refer regularly to my Grandma's favorite: Western Garden. It's a time-tested and comprehensive run-down of theory and method, as well as an encyclopedia of plants that are easily cultivated/common in the western hemisphere, but is mostly geared to the continental US.

The wonderful thing about plants is that they want to grow, and if you can just create the right conditions they will reward you in many ways. Some are waaay more forgiving than others, so don't just jump into orchid cultivars and other exotic specimens. Start composting, plant the veggies you like to eat (and maybe some luffa gourds for your shower time) and be proud of your harvest, you will never taste better food :)

This probably isn't exactly what you are looking for, but I did want to give you my three favorites that relate to self-sufficiency and off grid living.

• The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing.
  I really like this book as a sort of "what to expect" instead of "what to do." It chronicles Helen and Scott's decision and life to live a self-sufficient life.
  
  
• The Encyclopedia of Country Living. This is a great resource. It covers EVERYTHING from gardening to raising chickens. It also covers cooking and canning with what you raise. It is primarily a consolidation of 40 years worth of a homesteading magazine.
  
  
• The Foxfire series. This series is quite long and comprehensive. However, it is an attempt to chronicle the oral knowledge of rural Appalachia. Everything is essentially about self-sufficiency (including moonshining), homesteading, and living life "the old way." It is truly a fascinating series and a wealth of knowledge.
  
  I am not familiar with the books you listed, but I do love the three I mentioned above.

My suggestion would be to start very small and learn all the core gardening principles -- soil, maintenance, harvesting, weed/pest control, etc. -- and then expand what you grow in your second year. The more manageable it is, the more likely you are to stick with it. Perhaps you could start with an herb garden with basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro, a few of those, then a tomato or two and maybe some bush beans or peppers. Maybe even less than that. You will get a ton of value and a lot of different flavors from just growing that little bit.

Your zone just tells you how hot/cold your area is. You are in a medium US climate so mostly this means you have a decently long season for growing, meaning you can grow the plants that need hot temps for a longer period of time - some plants need it to be 80deg for several months, while others can only be grown at the beginning and end of the season when it's coldest. Right now, you might be able to plant cold weather stuff like spinach and kale. When it warms up a bit more, you can start doing hot weather stuff like tomatoes. Look up the last frost dates for your area and it will help you know when to plant what. The zone can also inform what varieties of plants to grow - some are better for colder areas and other hot, etc. - but if I were you, as a new gardener, I'd just stick to growing the larger plants (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) that have already been started from a local nursery. They'll have stuff suitable for your zone and growing from seeds is often the hardest part for plants like tomatoes, so getting a baby tomato plant rather than the seeds can give you a better chance of success overall. it's just one less thing as Forrest Gump would say.

Check out gardenweb.com. They have a ton of good info. My new gardening book this year is The Vegetable Gardener's Bible and it's a really great book for new gardeners.

Local extension office and the farmer's almanac are also great resources. Also, check out Pinterest. There are a ton of ideas on there.

Look into local chapters of the mycological society or mushroom hunting groups/clubs in your area. This site lists a few options. Looks like the one in Albion may be near-ish to you.

I've also found many of the links in the sidebar helpful, especially mushroom observer and the mushroom hunting and identification forum on The Shroomery. The Shroomery's ID forum is where I go to confirm my suspected ID's after keying out specimens on my own.

I use Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora, as a my post collection ID book. It's both huge and dated (i think it's latest edition is from the early or mid 80's) so it's functionality as a field guide or the final word in ID is lacking. Even so, it is good to learn to work through dichotomous keys like the ones that it employs and it usually gets you headed in the right direction. Other guides like Rogers Mushrooms, All the Rain Promises and More, and The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms are good resources, too (I'm sure other folks can add to this list, I'm just dropping the names that first come to mind).

As much as I clash with some of his professional/ethical decisions, Paul Stamets has contributed a ton to the accessibility of Mycology to the masses. Check out Mycelium Running and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms as introductions to the Fifth Kingdom.

I'm also really enjoying Tradd Cotter's new book, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Fungi for the People and The Radical Mycology Collective have also been hugely influential in my personal growth as an amateur mycologist. If you ever get a chance to attend any of their events, I would recommend doing it.

Best of luck and enjoy your journey!

Is it? Hm, I never noticed. I mean: I do have a significant interest in the current state (and direction) of agriculture so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise. >shrug<

Pretty cool to share your rationale for why you subbed to this sub.

Have you read Mycorrhizal Planet by Michael Phillips yet? It was a nice late winter read for me; marked my copy up pretty good with notes for later reference.

I did Elaine Ingham's "Life in Soil Class" recently too; and while I didn't agree with her position on a couple of things, I found it to be very interesting and have some different approaches I'll be implementing on my acreage.

I've also done significant soil-biology testing this spring with A&L Canada (think: Solvita test on steroids), to develop a baseline for levels/populations of my soil life. I'm taking bi-weekly tests of the same type now that I've applied my glyphosate/atrazine/isoxaflutole so that I can see soil population response and recovery. It's going to be a pretty cool experiment. The same fields will be getting randomized cover crops (some that will over-winter and some that will not); and we'll see how my soil life (along with farm ROI) changes.

Thanks for showing an interest, too bad you banned me from /r/Organic; because we could have had some great discussions in that sub as well.

Oh man, sorry for the lag. I kept meaning to reply, but always got sidetracked.

Purple basil is tasty, and if I remember correctly, has a slightly more astringent flavor than sweet basil. It's great if you're making Asian dishes with it. If you're just growing it for Italian food and gimlets (basil gimlets are fantastic) plain old sweet basil with the big rounded leaves is where it's at.

As for rooting plant cuttings in water, sometimes it works. You end up with a stronger root system if you use substrate though, and I'm a little surprised that you got rosemary to root that way. I've used a 50/50 mixture of perlite and vermiculite with good success, and if you've got something stubborn there are rooting hormone powders available in various strengths.

If this is something that really appeals to you, and you'd like to learn more, this was used as a textbook in my plant prop. class last year.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Horticultural-Society-Propagation-Plant-/dp/0789441160/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331662223&sr=1-1
It's a good book, and not so intense that it's difficult to understand.

Worm towers are awesome! For something simpler and for next to no money you can just make worm bins out of rubbermaid containers. You'll have to drill holes and cover them with mesh for air flow, but they are simple and you can put them anywhere (under the bed, in the spare room, mine is in the pantry).

On a side note, if you don't already have worms to start a new bin, you can usually find a master gardener in your area (or try your extension office) who will give you a handful of worms to start! They multiply pretty fast as long as you keep them happy.

Also, here's a great all-inclusive resource for getting started with vermicomposting: http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-Garbage-Composting/dp/0997261404/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1458304920&sr=8-2&keywords=worms+eat+my+garbage In case that incredibly long link doesn't work, it's called "Worms Eat my Garbage" - only about 100 pages, lots of descriptions and references, and a solid starter resource.

Happy composting!

Lots of great advice below, but I would start by finding someone when a rodatiller if you can and turn under everything. Or, get out a shovel/hoe to turn over the soil and burry the weeds and start doing a little bit every night this week (you will probably want to go about 8-12 inches down). Then go to the library and get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gardeners-Bible-High-Yield-R-D/dp/1580172121. Start reading at the beginning and you will get lots of great ideas to prepare your soil for next year and then a play by play for each crop you may want to grow next year and how to do everything for each one (seed to harvest.) Then, try to find some manure and spread it all over the soil in the next week or 2 and use your shovel/hoe to work it into the top layer of soil a bit. You should be good to go for the winter and ready to get going in the spring!

The pods are seed pods. You will want to let it completely ripen on the shrub, it will dry and begin to dehisce (begin to open) at which point seeds would be ready to harvest. Lilac seeds will sprout best after "moist cold stratification" which helps them initiate spring germination. This is botanical speak for "simulated winter." Seeds can be placed in a ziplock bag with a 50:50 mix of coir and vermiculite that is moist but not wet then stored in the fridge for 1-3 months before sowing. Lilac is definitely not a species I would consider an easy candidate for beginning foray into seed propagation, but a lot has been written about it. Perhaps check out Michael Dirr's really comprehensive guide to shrub propagation if your interest level is strong:

( https://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Woody-Plant-Propagation/dp/1604690046 )

Have you noted how sunny the areas are? That will make a big difference in what you can plant.

There is a book out there called something like PNW Vegetable Gardening. It gives activities for your garden, month by month. It's pretty nice.

You can grow things now if you want that over winter. Purple sprouting broccoli is a good one. Garlic does well as well as some onions which will be ready in spring. Kale and Arugula can do fine as well, but I'm nut sure if you can start them right now. Otherwise, make sure your soil is amended and plant cover crops like has been suggested already. You can get a bag of it at Swansons and it contains a nice mix of them.

Edit: This is the book I was thinking of.

Baker Creek Herloom seeds has a very useful website. Under all of their plants they have reviews. Also if you go to their Facebook page they have a guy named Matt that teaches a lot about gardening on their live feeds. Also a good starter book that I enjoyed just staring out was [square foot gardening ](All New Square Foot Gardening II: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591865484/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xoHRybVDJT2Y6)
And The [Vegetable Gardener's Bible ](The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions: Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, Deep Soil https://www.amazon.com/dp/160342475X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fpHRybBXSA45A) if you have any gardening questions you can PM if you would like and I would love to help.
Also I'll compile a list of my favorite resources for gardening.

It's not a field guide, but the Sunset Western Garden Book is pretty good for the west. I think there are versions of Sunset for the different regions, like East Coast Living and Southern Living. I'm sure they have a similar book that corresponds to wherever you live. And in case you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest, Pojar is pretty much the plant id bible, but it's not for gardens.

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart is a good popular science read about toxic/illegal/invasive plant species and breifly covers the history, medicine, science, and myths & legends pertaining to each specimen. The mythology/legends of plants are in no way the focus of the book, but are sprinkled in here and there for them when it applies.

A quick amazon search led me to Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics : Embracing the Myths, Traditions, Superstitions, and Folk-Lore of the Plant Kingdom. It was written in 1884, so is likely outdated but from the title it seems interesting at least.

I also came across this book that, according to its description, is an "entertaining and enlightening one-of-a-kind compendium of the world’s most amazing and bizarre plants, their history, and their lore"

For kitchen waste, a vermicomposter is ideal. I built an OSCR jr from these plans I found online and it lasted for about a decade and a half before the plastic became brittle from exposure to sun/elements. I'm in the process of building a new one (pay attention when drilling the holes, one of the three bins is done differently). The worm castings and the tea that drains into the bottom bin are excellent fertilizers and maintaining the bin is a cinch.

Having a pair of bricks to place in the bottom/drainage bin is helpful to keep the worm bin from sitting in liquid.

I'm going to either install a stop-cock or at least drill a hole and keep a rubber plug in it to make draining the bottom bin easier.

----------------------------------------

For yard/garden or any other bulk/high volume a larger compost bin will be necessary. I find the commercially available ones to be too small. I built the three bin system detailed in the book "Let it Rot!" which is also an excellent resource if you want to understand these processes a little better. The three bin system works fairly well at handling grass and hedge clippings, leaves, old pine shavings from inside the chicken coop, etc.

___

I almost exclusively use the worm casting tea for watering my houseplants and plants in containers, likewise the worm castings get spread primarily as a top dressing for the same containers and the surplus then goes to the garden and landscape plants.
The compost from the big triple bin gets used throughout the yard as mulch or to till in with new plants.

Actually, you should put the seeds in water for few days to ferment them. This removes a coating that inhibits germination, supposedly. Then continue as above.

Pole beans you should just be able to save. Make sure you're not planting hybrids of either plant, or your saved seed will give you unpredictable results.

This book is often recommended. I read it and it was helpful, and will be a really good reference for when I can actually start doing it. There are other factors to consider, such as cross pollination and such, and they're all covered here for each and every plant you could possibly want to grow.

Also... I read Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties and was fascinated. She touches on seed saving, and of course gets into cross pollination (on purpose this time!) and genetics and such. It was really exciting to read, in a total geek sort of way.

Here's a few of mine that I really like. I have way more than these, but I'm not sure I'd recommend all of them, per se. Anyhow, should give you some ideas.

Security - Talks about small unit tactics with small arms and so forth.

Butchering and cooking wild game - If you hope to hunt for food, you gotta know what to do with it after shooting it.

SAS Survival Guide - Really tiny dimensions that make this easy to toss in my BOB.

Composting - If you plan to garden, you're gonna need to compost. I also have various gardening books such as container gardening, organic gardening, gardening according to the Mormons, etc. The Mormons have a lot of great homesteading-oriented books. Here's one called The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency Used by the Mormon Pioneers


Bushcraft - Never hurts to learn some knots and be able to make simple things out of natural materials.

Organization and Planning - I'm reading this one now. Touches on a lot of areas of things to think about that you gotta plan for. A good amount of stuff I hadn't really thought about before.

> I don't just leave them locked outside all day.

Doggie door. Cutting a hole in the side of my house is the absolute best life enhancement in terms of bang for buck.

Best of luck on moving to the country. This link and most of the recommended books at the bottom of the page are awesome.

Yep. The reason you will find so much conflicting data is because plants grow different in different places. Like, drastically differently, in some cases.

Your local extension will most likely have things most relevant to your area. Otherwise, I have really enjoyed this book because it gives good data, including soil temp and several different methods of plant spacing, trellising, etc. It may not be as detailed as you'd like because it often doesn't give root depth, but it will tell you the best soils, pH, and other helpful information in a well-organized format.

Yes, they appear after a branch has established itself. You just wanna gently pinch them off as they appear. Think of it as, "No two branches can be in the same space at the same time." Like a physics lesson n shit. Don't let your starters get too tall before you plant them, this is called "leggy" and a leggy tomato plant will not be able to support itself, tomatoes need a lot of nutrients from the soil and they can't get that if they are all plant and not enough root.


Definitely get a book! The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is kind of as good as it gets. It is important to put some thought into gardening and I like learning about stuff, but I think that over thinking it can end up making it feel like more work than it is.


Good luck with your garden!!

This is where I get my mushroom plug spawn.

There are many others out there but I pretty much stick with Everything Mushrooms.

Here's a good page on how to do the log cultivation.

I used Gulf Wax instead of cheesewax because I wanted the logs to be vegan, turns out cheesewax is still vegan.


It's good to have a second person. My grandfather was a huge help having a lot of experience with torches, tools, and lumber in general. He marked a 5/8" drill for the proper depth and drilled all the holes while I went around with a rubber mallet nailing the plugs in.

Once we finished drilling and hammering we rigged up an old food can with some metal handles and melted the wax in it with a torch. Using some old craft brush, I'd dip the brush in the hot wax and dab it on all the plugs, the g'pa would reheat the wax as needed. Then we stacked the logs. Now, we wait.

It's probably too late to do an outdoor cultivation unless you happen to be in a part of the world that isn't going to go below 50 degrees F for another few months. There is always the PF Tek.

If this stuff fascinates you then you need to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Paul Stamet's Mycelium Running. It doesn't get into step by steps but covers a wide variety of cultivation methods with lots of pictures of insane outdoor grows.

Well, I have this excellent book, which I was roughly using as a guide. The root (ha!) problem I think, is that I didn't have the balls to do it last year, when I planted it. It was a gift when we bought our house, and it's the first thing I've ever stuck in the ground and didn't want to hurt it. I've since planted a bunch of stuff, and I'm a bit less timid. I figured that even if I killed it, I can learn from my failure and do better next time.

My goals, though, were several. Trying to encourage the open-center shape, for one; hopefully strengthening those two thin branches (as I said in my other comment, those were the only two on that side of the tree even before the massacre); plus the general advantages of pruning.

As for next time, I have no intention of ever having to do anything this dramatic in the future. Here's hoping I didn't fuck it up too bad. Thanks for the input, and I hope I get better at it.

I am currently reading "5 acres and Independence" which I am enjoying, its fairly old but still very applicable, i think his anecdotes and way of thinking are very inspiring. Lots of nice little tips and observations.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486209741/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At the same time I got "Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them" haven't delved into it too much, but I am less excited about it now that I've thumbed through it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604595868/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've heard the "Raising Chickens for Dummies" book is actually worthwhile, so I'm thinking of picking that up next.

Ray Mears is the man to watch and read if you are thinking about long term sustainable survival.

If you are thinking about eventually getting out of the primitive I would suggest adapting the practices of permaculture for your situation (and the cheaper condensed version though just as good!).

Things like a compost toilet and digesting methane for fuel might be things you'd like. There's the Humanure Handbook which I have read from front to cover several times and I highly recommend it. I also experimented with humanure and have nothing but good things to say about it. Anyway, I don't want to talk to much so Google permaculture, there's a /r/permaculture subreddit, read, research, think a lot about what you're going to do before you do it and good luck.

EDIT: here's a good book about a permanent shelter you might like

• Primitive Technology on YouTube
  
  
• The book by primitive tech
  
  
• The recent AMA by the primitive tech guy
  
  
• Townsends A channel dedicated to exploring the 18th Century lifestyle.
  
  
  
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfIqCzQJXvYj9ssCoHq327g how to make everything channel on YouTube that shows how with fairly minimal knowledge and practice you can make functional (although inefficient) tools and items
  
  
• The Society for Creative Anachronism Researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe, non-LARP medieval reenactors that take it quite serious.
  
  
• /r/bushcrafting
  
  
• /r/PrimitiveTechnology/
  
  
• /r/Homesteading/
  
  
• /r/Leathercraft/
  
  
• /r/Fishing/
  
  
• /r/Hunting/
  
  
• /r/Trappit/
  
  
• /r/HomemadeTools/
  
  
• /r/soapmaking/
  
  
• /r/weaving/
  
  
• /r/knitting/
  
  
• /r/candlemaking/
  
  
• Book Country Wisdom & Know-How: Everything You Need to Know to Live Off the Land
  
  
• Book Restoration Agriculture
  
  
• Book Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd Edition Paperback
  
  
• Book The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself Paperback – October 30, 2012
  
  
  
• Book Five Acres and Independence: A Practical Guide to the Selection and Management of the Small Farm Paperback
  
  
• Book Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival
  
  
• Book Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
  
  
• Book The Trapper's Bible: The Most Complete Guide on Trapping and Hunting Tips Ever
  
  
• Book The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 1 ALL of the volumes in this series are great and for that matter all of his books are.

https://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Designers-Manual-Bill-Mollison/dp/0908228015

Ultimately trial and error will be your best friend. Don't be afraid to experiment. You will know your land better than anyone else. It truly is rewarding.

I've found this book to be a very good reference.

American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques https://www.amazon.com/dp/0789441160/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jhgZCbGDR8N9C

If you want to see for yourself, give it a shot. Take a cutting, dip in rooting hormone, stick in well draining substrate, increase humidity and light for 2 weeks. Check to see for roots. Best of luck.

Not really that hard to get information and there are a plethora of free videos on Youtube that cover everything you need to know.
Some things to get you going on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/permacultureVOICES
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOSGEokQQcdAVFuL_Aq8dlg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw
https://www.youtube.com/user/urbanfarmercstone
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWccp_i_qzC34-a0tmYoEg
https://www.youtube.com/user/survivalpodcasting
https://www.youtube.com/user/wholesystems

Some good books:

Essentially a textbook: https://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Designers-Manual-Bill-Mollison/dp/0908228015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479709226&sr=8-1&keywords=bill+mollison

Cold Climate Info: https://www.amazon.com/Resilient-Farm-Homestead-Innovative-Permaculture/dp/1603584447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479709474&sr=8-1&keywords=ben+falk

Keep in mind that with the move into electronic media, the books and whatnot that had to be paid for, moved as well. I would want to make something for my time and effort as I am sure you would as well.

However, I do disagree with asking money for something someone else came up with if you don't have something significant to add.

I dare say, I hope it is not a fad considering the 40 year history of the system as well as the time and effort I am putting in on my 5 acres.

They wouldn't claim to be scientists, more like ecological engineers, but there are tons of writeups. They write a lot of books; there are a lot of "test sites" around the world.

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture --> most accessible guide for the layperson
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603580298/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1603580298&linkCode=as2&tag=postapocaly06-20&linkId=PARY4RJKHWLQYGER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0908228015/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0908228015&linkCode=as2&tag=postapocaly06-20&linkId=NSVF65UXGPBESS3D --> Permaculture: A Designer's Manual, by Bill Mollison --> the textbook for the so-called "permaculture design course"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

Some famous demonstration sites:

Zaytuna Farm, Australia - http://permaculturenews.org/2012/06/01/zaytuna-farm-video-tour-apr-may-2012-ten-years-of-revolutionary-design/

Bealtaine Cottage, British Isles - http://bealtainecottage.com/before-permaculture/

Agroforestry UK - https://www.agroforestry.co.uk/

It's quite a rabbit hole! Good luck exploring!!

There are a lot of great online references if you are willing to sit down, do some research, and map things out. As far as books go this one is pretty thorough and this book (I have heard) gives a more basic introduction. I've actually found the wikipedia chart on companion planting to be a really useful quick reference as well.

Sign up for free wood chips. They deliver 25 yards at a time, which should be enough to cover your three terraces. Once that's down and weed growth has been stifled, you can plan out what you want to do starting with the terrace closest to the house.

Here's an article about the benefits of wood mulch:https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf

Here's a place to sign up if you think that might work for you:https://www.chipero.com/free-wood-chips-bay-area

I would also recommend getting a copy of the Sunset Western Garden book for advice about planting a garden in the west:https://www.amazon.com/New-Western-Garden-Book-Gardening/dp/0376039205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485553079&sr=1-1&keywords=sunset+western+garden+book+2017


There are free copies available at your local library.

I'm in the same boat as you and just started reading a lot of science stuff.

It might be a good idea to pick up an edition of The Best American Science [and Nature] Writing for lots of topics all at once.

I also second the Brian Greene books, early Dawkins, and The Red Queen. But I don't really understand all the Hofstadter hype... I really didn't like I Am a Strange Loop--I found it extremely poorly written, off-topic, at times pretentious, poorly constructed, and overall not a very pleasant experience.

Most of my interest is in biology and evolution, so my recommendations would be:

My favorite animal rights book: Created From Animals - Rachels

A really fun read about poisonous plants: Wicked Plants - Stewart

Another Stewart book about earthworms: The Earth Moved - Stewart

Also anything by Michael Pollan, and to complement that, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

Don't forget general skill books with old techniques for many of these areas, like:

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

Back to Basics

/u/dave9199 has already recommended "Country Wisdom and Know How" which I second. Really the whole series is great.

Hello, Kimbal! Have you read this book: Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility https://www.amazon.com/dp/160358658X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oKyLAb8VD8DXM
If yes, did it teach you anything useful for growing healthy food?

There are some great resources to read over the winter.

Bill Mollison was the guy who started Permaculture. A great start would be to read his Design Manual.

This will give you a framework to think about Permaculture. You could spend years following the aspects that fascinate you whether it is landscape design or grey water systems or rocket stove heaters, mob grazing, natural swimming pools, or a million other directions you can take it. It's good to have an overview first.

About making a living, there were a couple aspects that never made sense to me. First if I wanted to make living on a permaculture farm full time, how was I supposed to eat apples all year? I like the idea of perennials, but I was confused. Then I met Mark Shepard in Wisconsin at his farm. He explained that it's more than just fruits. He grows hazelnuts for oil, chestnuts for carbs, and veggies between the rows. That made more sense to me. Mark has a permaculture design course that he calls Restoration Agriculture where he talks about how to purchase the land, how to structure your business, etc.

The second area of confusion for me was how to make a living teaching design courses. In any given area, there is a finite number of people interested in Permaculture. For you to teach courses and continue to get enough people to make a living, you need to be a big name like Geoff Lawton. So I thought about falling back on design. Even fewer people have the money to pay you to design their property. Meanwhile more and more people want to do this for a living.

Basically, I'm still struggling to figure out how to realistically pay my bills just doing permaculture. I hesitate to say this because I don't want to discourage you. Permaculture is amazing.

I'm going to second all the book recommendations, especially the encyclopedia of country living. I'd like to add:

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499822776&sr=8-1&keywords=5+acres+and+independence

and

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Life-Nearings-Self-Sufficient-Living/dp/0805209700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499822872&sr=8-1&keywords=the+good+life+nearing

Peace

edit:
totally forgot the most important book I own: https://www.amazon.com/Public-Works-Handbook-Self-Reliant-Construction/dp/082563041X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499823155&sr=1-1&keywords=public+works
Was a gift from my FIL when we told him what we were planning on doing (moving out to nowhere and living as self-sufficiently as possible).

Sorry to be a jerk but my lawn tip would be to not get one. A common water-wise plan I've seen in your area is groupings of agaves, aloes or other succulents set against a sharp stone mulch (not the 70s lava rock). It looks really nice, it's low to no maintenance and a responsible use of water. Many people have palms which look fancy/exotic and are appropriate for the area. You could also go with native plants (great on water) to get a nice habitat going and attract birds and pollinators.

I'd recommend getting The Sunset Western Garden Book. It has a really easy way of identifying which plants are suitable to which areas. Even if you decide on a lawn, you might want a decorative border for ascetics or to reduce the lawn size.

EDIT: My bad, I didn't know that thing would pop up. It's a bit unsightly.

Mycology Running has a great science focused breakdown of proven medical benefits of certain species.

I'd going to answer in two posts here, this one will link stuff to websites or amazon for physical books. The other will be more discussion based. (e.g. this is just a raw data dump.)

I have used some google foo and I'm willing to post links, note that many of these will overlap (that is they have the same free PDFs or HTML pages etc.) Others are a bit further out there, e.g. magnetic pole reversal etc.

You get the point though people compiled whatever they though the world might need after aliens, the clintons took your guns, or trump and putin nuke everybody, global warming, plague, etc. Since it takes a massive amount of work to put these together and most people are not dedicated enough to do so, they all have the flavor of whatever the person building them thought was most important.

Here is a list, use from it what you can. Including in the list are things like RACHEL, hardware hotspot for wifi that any computer can connect to, like a library box or pirate box. Many of these resources are focused on and in use in 3^rd world nations. things like the one laptop per child might be a perfect resource to allow some technology designed cheaply but ruggedly to have to access this stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD3WD

https://worldpossible.org/rachel

http://librarybox.us/

http://one.laptop.org/

http://www.appropedia.org/Welcome_to_Appropedia

http://www.fastonline.org/CD3WD_40/CD3WD/INDEX.HTM

cd3wd torrent magnet link. 2012 version

dropbox link for torrent files for the above if the magnet or trackers aren't working.

http://oer2go.org/

Pole shift library magnet link

Need 55 gigs of wikipedia offline? get it at this link

http://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/borden/Portlet.aspx?ID=cb88853d-5b33-4b3f-968c-2cd95f7b7809

http://hesperian.org/books-and-resources/

https://modernsurvivalonline.com/survival-database-downloads/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061992860

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452295831

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570618402

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933392452

https://graywolfsurvival.com/3083/documents-need-bugout-bag/

https://www.opensourceecology.org/gvcs/

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: (see Paul Stamets' book "Mycelium Running").


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I'd recommend Let It Rot! also.

Love Mike McG and didn't know he had a composting book. Will have to check it out. Thanks for posting.

I am interested to read anything related to it, which novel was it?

It is a pretty prevalent concept.

The foresight came to me after careful reflection of the smurfs and their intricate little dwellings..

Also, data, garbage disposal and soil health, electricity could one day be transported by GMO [mycelea](
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1580085792?vs=1)

My favorite so far is probably The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour:

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=61t6SRQzuNL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR129%2C160_&refRID=19QK02D2JDVH1815J35Y

I've also enjoyed The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery:

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=029NTQA9FBYZB5Z7SDMF

Some of the Storey's Guide books have also been helpful to becoming more self-sufficient (Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, for example). I'm always on the lookout for others! <3

The strains are different due to different genetics which in turn means different ratios of cannabinoids and different high/effect. It's like all the various types of tomatoes out there, different sizes/tastes but still tomatoes.

Basically the plants have been 'modified' by people through selective breeding. Certain genetics/plants are native to certain areas, people started coming in, taking those plants and crossing them with plants from other areas to create hybrids. This process has been ongoing for a long time and thus we have thousands of hybrids of marijuana which means thousands of different combinations of the cannabinoids.

Selective breeding is not at all unique with just marijuana as well, can be done with all kinds of plants to make your own seeds:
https://www.amazon.com/Breed-Your-Own-Vegetable-Varieties/dp/1890132721

My partner and I are embarking upon a similar journey. My advice is to read a lot, before buying land.

This book has been VERY informative, and remains practical despite its copyright date. Just keep in mind that there may be a more modern methods available, and you'll be in great shape.

As always I recommend referencing multiple sources for all important info, but Five Acres and Independence is an excellent one to start from.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

Best advice is pick up a copy of Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting. Great information for beginners, lots of different methods to try if you're so inclined.

This might be a cool book for her. I have a few books like this, it's handy to have a good reference like this to consult.

Have an accepted offer on 50+ acres of land (future home site). About 50% cleared for eventual pasture, 50% wooded. Lots of wildlife in the area, dirt is better than most of the area and plenty of pond sites available.

Ordered 'The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself' when it dropped about $10 on Amazon. Reviews make it sound like a must-have book for our next adventure.

I second the Monty Don rec, but do you know what aspect of plants you're most interested in?

There's a nice book Botany for Gardeners that goes into the details of how plants work if that's what you want to know, but it isn't going to tell you how to grow plants in your yard.

https://www.amazon.com/Botany-Gardeners-3rd-Brian-Capon/dp/160469095X

This one?

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

thanks for the recommendation, going to read it!

I always like DK books for learning things because they tend to provide good intro info (it won't be super in depth) and they're very visual so enjoyable to look through and read. But honestly I recommend just going to your library and browsing what they have on this topic before buying anything so you can look inside the books.

So... stratification... I've been dreading this topic. (cue the ominous music)...

Warm, cold, hot, moist all terms of art when dealing with stratification. Some seed need one type, some need another. Some seeds actually need both. The Source for this type of information is the books of Dr. Michael Dirr.

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propogation and Uses

The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture, Second Edition

You can pick of the later and more important book on Amazon for $31 plus shipping - which is a ridiculously good price.

This book will pay for itself the first time you do not make a catastrophic mistake because you followed Professor Dirr's advice!

Really, nothing I can add to his books would help: Just invest the forty bucks, I promise, you will not be sorry. But I will try to answer yout question...

See if this link from from Bonner & Karrfalt The Woody Plant Seed Manual comes up for you. It pretty much will tell you everything you need to know about Ulmus propagation via seed.

From A Complete Guide to Companion Planting by Dale Mayer:

> Tomatoes do well with carrots but the carrot's growth may be stunted. However, the carrots will have a sweet flavor when planted with tomatoes. You can plant a few close to the tomatoes then plant rows of carrots elsewhere for harvesting.

Mycelium Running: How mushrooms can help save the world is a good read. Furthermore, Paul Stamets is the man; a myco-champion on a mission.

The Mushroom Life Cycle

An Easy Wild Bird Seed Tek

Building A Fruiting Chamber

Easy Bulk Substrate

Edit: If you are really interested in mycology all Paul Stamets books are must reads

Mycelium Running is a good start

Fellow Minnesotan and Seed Analyst (Plant Biology degree) here!

I recommend having this book on hand for all of your greenhouse adventures: American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0789441160/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_F8qQybT9GQCE7

It's full of photos and will provide you with endless practical advice as you're starting planties. I'm so excited for you and your students!

Where are you posted? I'm curious if the seasons would be applicable enough for a homesteading book or something.
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1570618402

Otherwise, if you're more tropical.... hm... I don't know, actually...

And if you're posted in SSA... African Friends and Money Matters. 100% effective.

If you're after something affordable and practical (for your purposes of gardening), then I'd recommend Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon.

I hope you find it useful!

I'm a bit of a generalist. I always have lots of projects going on at once, each in a different state of completion. The books I have listed I do own, and read and pick through the most often.

The first two are generalist books. I say that because they both have such a breadth of information it's hard to describe them. The third is more specialist in that it covers only a single subject, but does so in such detail and in a recipe type format that it's easy to follow along. It starts with how to build a blacksmith shop, what tools you need, and how to use tools you make to build bigger tools to help build other, bigger tools.

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FR7BRBKJ9CA3XRWW1N8H

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Modern-Blacksmith-Alexander-Weygers/dp/0898158966/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473081102&sr=1-15&keywords=blacksmithing

A good overview of mushrooms is Mycelium Running. If you are interested in cultivation other Stamet's books are also useful.

I really enjoyed Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Not exactly what you seem to be looking for but it certainly would be of value if you have not read it.

Botanical Latin https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881926272/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RQiODbD6MT818

Extremely helpful to understand the frequently descriptive nature of the plant names.

Try flash cards. Maybe common name on one side Latin on the other. If you run through these flash cards repeatedly you will actually know the common and Latin names of a bunch of trees.

You better have a hook on how you recognize what a leaf/seed/flower/bud looks like. All I can think is that it comes from repeatedly looking at the plant and naming it.

I was asking a similar question not that long ago. One thing I realized is that it's a difficult question to answer. "Homesteading" describes an incredibly diverse range of activities: planting and gardening, livestock, building, repair, assessing land and soil quality, cooking, canning, bee hives... The list goes on and on. I'd recommend a couple of general books to start with, picking up books on each specific topic as you go. Pick one new thing to add to your homestead at whatever pace feels right.

I purchased both of these books based on numerous recommendations. They fit the "general homesteading" label rather well, and I think they're probably a good place to start.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour

and

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery.

They both cover a broad range of topics with enough depth to get an idea of what is involved with a project, though I'd probably suggest more in-depth material for really diving in to something.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions: Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, Deep Soil https://www.amazon.com/dp/160342475X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vyl7Cb55Z3W69

I’m a new gardener. I love this book. Full of pictures, tips and easy to read format to look up what you want to read about

I recently bought this Book as I became quite interested in Mycorrhizae in general. Its a good read I'd recommend it.

The Vegetable Gardeners Bible

It is the only bible I own. It includes everything from preparing the soil to working with compost. It includes sections about common plants and specific ailments and solutions. I heartily recommend this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gardeners-Bible-High-Yield-Gardening/dp/1580172121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251859999&sr=8-1

I've also heard great things about the square foot gardening method.

https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gardening-Pacific-Northwest-Regional/dp/1604693517/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481756834&sr=8-2&keywords=pacific+northwest+gardening

I recommend giving this book a look. It is broken down into sections for each month and lists what you could direct sow, start indoors, or transplant. It has a wealth of information and is local to the Pacific Northwest.

I would recommend you only plant one summer squash. Two if you really want to push it. I could have built a house out of all of the summer squash I got from two plants last year. It definitely makes you feel like a real gardener but soon you'll find your 4 year old buried in a stack of summer squash.

If you ever want a bigger garden plot and don't mind driving out to Redmond I just want to let you know about the community garden at Marymoor, where I garden. http://marymoorgarden.org/ Their standard plots are 400 square feet so you'll get quite a bit more space than you have now.

That's not the way I learned it. Atro is from atrans meaning darkening. Ater means black or nearly black. Just look at the spelling and the correct root is clear.

Botanical Latin is a great reference if you don't have one.

My only issue is that all of the books listed are all geared towards surviving in the wild. There is definitely a place for that and we should all be ready to bug out if it is necessary. If I have to bug out then my first half dozen plans have all failed.

If your goal is to bug in and survive for as long as you can in a world gone mad I recommend starting with How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times. Once you have started to work your way through Rawles advice and started building your lists of lists my next suggestion is The Encyclopedia of Country Living.

Once you get through those two books then you should have a pretty good idea of how you're going to want to prioritize those lists you should have already made.

The fruit that is on there is probably fine for this year. In future years when it sets heavier you will want to thin the clusters to 1-3 each (rather than the typical 3-5).

You should NOT prune your trees now unless there is a diseased or damaged branch. Pruning on apples and pears is done in the late fall and winter when the tree is dormant.

You can read this for some basics. http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/22166/pnw400.pdf

Better bet is to buy a pruning book and learn about the basics. Couple great examples here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1564583317/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

or here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780192703/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you enjoyed this article, check out a guy called Paul Stamets, he did a TED talk on how fungi can save the planet:

http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world?language=en

Also his book is about mycelium, the "internet" of the plant world

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

I love this one, especially if you want to know about gardening and horticulture.

If you want to know about plant physiology, phylogenies and ecology, I recommend this one.

Resources to educate yourself

https://books.google.com/books/about/Psilocybin_Mushrooms_of_the_World.html?id=36oG8Wh8mI4C&source=kp_book_description


Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1580085792/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xZO6Cb0KY73AK



https://books.google.com/books/about/Decomposing_The_Shadow.html?id=Q53PBgAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description



https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Psilocybin_Mushroom_Bible.html?id=ZLksjwEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description

Check out Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. He also has a great Ted Talk.

I'm a huge myco-nerd.

It's a green plastic storage bin with holes drilled in it on the sides for air circulation. It will handle far more kitchen scraps than I generate, probably enough for 2-3 people. I don't smell it unless I take the lid off, and that lid keeps the cat out. I think if there were anything really interesting to smell my cat would be on it, but he's not.

You're best bet is to get a copy of Worms Eat My Garbage and follow those ideas. A couple of the gardening stores around town like Portland Nursery can help you out and sell worms, too.

Thanks! This is really helpful advice. I'll look into "forest gardening."

Is this the book you mean? http://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Designers-Manual-Bill-Mollison/dp/0908228015

You can propagate nearly anything, but the trick is knowing which technique for what species, at what time of year. This book is the most complete and easiest to follow, worth every penny: http://www.amazon.com/American-Horticultural-Society-Propagation-Plant-/dp/0789441160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426609989&sr=8-1&keywords=ahs+propagating+plants

I've been hoping to find something like that too and haven't found anything yet. I've been looking at these books in the mean time:

http://www.amazon.com/Vegetables-Berries-Thought-Possible-Imagine/dp/1580087965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301142256&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes-Companion-Successful/dp/1580170277/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301142401&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Companion-Planting--Basics/dp/1601383452/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301142401&sr=1-2

There are also resources at the extension and ag offices. The biggest problem is that different heirloom varieties of the same family (i.e. tomatoes) can have somewhat different needs (different zone / sun needs). That means unless it when down to that level, it would still only be a guide line. Also, check this post out:

http://www.reddit.com/r/SelfSufficiency/comments/g2vt4/some_nice_and_free_ebooks_and_info_about/

They had a good chart on there for companion planting about midway down this page:

http://www.idepfoundation.org/idep_gardens_media.html

If you're interested in a fun read on the topic, check out Wicked Plants

5 acres and Independence is a good place to start. Good read. It talks about farm animals, what crops to plant, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

It’s not really how to care for plants, but I’m reading Botany for Gardeners that shows the scientific aspects of plants if you’re interested in that type of thing.

He's named after a real mycologist who has made the cheeky prediction that there will be an Interplanetary Journal of Astromycology when fungi are discovered in outer space. I just started reading the excerpt from Mycelium Running inside the Amazon Description, and it sounds really fascinating. He's even talking about mycelial mats as neurological networks!

Breed your own vegetable varieties

&

Seed to seed

Are the two most important books for what you're looking for.

Have fun, and let me know if you have any questions. If folks want I can start a post about the topic sometime

oh god haha, so many. A lot of permaculture is about growing food, but the same ideas could probably be applied to decorative plants if that's your thing.

This book is really cool! Pinterest is always good too. Google "balcony garden"!

So many ridiculously creative things!

Here's one thorough option

I also recommend checking out your local library, they usually have a good selection.

I'd suggest to get a jist either buy or borrow from a library. Yes there are more marijuana based books but learning some basic botany will help. Botany for Gardeners, 3rd Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/160469095X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5QWZCbX98MJZV

For general gardening books, I recommend The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. If you are looking specifically for information on saving seeds and related information, I recommend Seed to Seed.

Read Five Acres and Independance. Best 8.96 you'll ever spend.

edit: someone already said my suggestion

Randomly picked up this book from the Uni bookstore, short, to the point, and focused on agriculture/gardening (as opposed to natural history). But I do not know how much it focuses on breeding though (not that far into it yet)


Botany for Gardeners: Third Edition

Country Living is a good one too - it has lots of sections on gardening, homesteading, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496664896&sr=8-1&keywords=country+living

The Backyard Homestead is a good one for when you have limited space for your garden, too: https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Homestead-Produce-food-quarter/dp/1603421386/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1496664924&sr=8-6&keywords=homesteading

And then we LOVE this cookbook. It's a bit basic, but I use the recipes in it over and over and over again - her Herbed Biscuit recipe is my go-to now for biscuits, dumplings in chicken and dumplings, that sort of thing. If you don't live in the NOrtheast, though, you'll have to adjust the months for when stuff becomes available in the garden: https://www.amazon.com/Farmers-Cookbook-Preserving-Fermenting-Handbook/dp/1616083808/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1496664947&sr=8-5&keywords=farmer%27s+cookbook

> From my perspective it seems like a bunch of self-righteous liberals using abstract concepts to recycle old ideas and selling it to rich self-righteous liberals.

Oh, shit. Someone else has figured it out. They're onto us! Quick, grab your bags and get to the airport!

EDIT:- Yes, Permaculture actually does work. More seriously however, I became disenchanted with the amount of corruption that I saw in the scene, as well. The bottom line seems to be that no movement, no matter how well intentioned, is capable of surviving a head-on collision with human nature.

My advice would be to get the following four books:-

http://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Designers-Manual-Bill-Mollison/dp/0908228015

http://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Principles-Pathways-beyond-Sustainability/dp/0646418440

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Every-Farm-Yeomans-Keyline-ebook/dp/B00557Z0OE

http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Constructing-Universe-Mathematical/dp/0060926716

Study those yourself. If someone still wants you to get a certificate in order to do consulting, then look for the cheapest course you can find. Preferably find one where you can go to the site during the day, and have your own accomodation at night, which will give the people running it less of an opportunity to rip you off.

EDIT 2:- Some will say that you can skip Schneider, but I won't. You MUST, however, read Yeomans. Permaculture uses Yeomans' system itself, but Mollison did not write about it in his book. I repeat, you MUST, MUST, MUST read Yeomans.

This book is green AND it's about plants I've been intrigued by this book for a while haha ;)

HAHA yea man, this Hemlock tree was totally put here for you - Wicked Plants

This is an excellent book for those wanting to dip their toes into the botany pool: https://www.amazon.com/Botany-Gardeners-3rd-Science/dp/160469095X

This is a good reference book for plants https://www.amazon.com/New-Western-Garden-Book-Gardening/dp/0376039205, as far contactors go it will depend on what you want you want to do. Astro turf one contractor flower beds another.

When I first became interested in gardening, my mom recommended the Sunset Western Garden Book. She said everything she knows about plants she learned from that book.

Well, four that I can think of off the top of my head would have to be:

• The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook
  
• Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
  
• All New Square Foot Gardening
  
• The Vegetable Gardener's Bible
  
  Also, here's a channel on YouTube that has an ENDLESS amount of organic gardening information. GrowingYourGreens

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Here's my brief review.

Edit: I also really enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

I would check out David Holmgren and Bill Mollisons Books. They are both co-originator of what we know as permaculture today. Bill's book is more of a reference book, which is what it sounds like your after. Also Gais Garden is generally recommended.

Sweet, haven't seen that. He is a seller of his own books on AZ... found it!

https://www.amazon.ca/Reference-Manual-Woody-Plant-Propagation/dp/1604690046/ref=asc_df_1604690046/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=293003695917&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6732310301403138853&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1002265&hvtargid=pla-476646075092&psc=1

The reference manual for woody plant productions by dirr has a good section on grafting and covers all types of woody plant propagation.

https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Plant-Grafting-Techniques-Ornamentals/dp/1604694637

The manual for plant grafting technique also seems good but I do not own it so I'm not 100% on it.

I suggest you to read "Botany for gardeners" by Brian Capon (https://www.amazon.com/Botany-Gardeners-3rd-Brian-Capon/dp/160469095X). It's a good book to start learning botany.

Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills

The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself

That's a crap ton of knowledge right there. Remember to practice and learn before you need the skills.

There is not a general rule.

Though conifer's don't really propagate from cuttings.


Here's a good reference:


The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture


https://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Woody-Plant-Propagation/dp/1604690046

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1564583317/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1372706208&sr=8-6&pi=SL75

That's a good one.

Botanical Latin is my first go-to reference for explanations of Latin epithets. One way of thinking about scientific names is that Genus is generally considered a noun and species an adjective. For example Ulmus alata, or winged elm has the specific epithet of alata, which is derived from the Latin word for wings. It's called winged elm because the stems have corky protruberances on the stems that look like wings.

For a definition for a specific word or sets of words, just do a search for the word using Google. In my professional opinion, that's the fastest way to figure things out.

I've heard great things about this one, but haven't purchased it for myself yet. It's one of those old-school "pass thing down the way they used to do them" books. http://amzn.com/1570618402

Is the other SF civilized? Is that where they are setting up? That might determine the things I'd most want to have.

That said, if I could only have one book, it would be The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451333303&sr=8-1&keywords=the+encyclopedia+of+country+living

It is big, though. But I'd still want it.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself


https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1570618402/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_FwHhDbCZ82V3E

You are not going to find a single source for this. It's trivia and not something anyone usually cares about. For some plant names there's this, but it would only provide minor insights.

Stern's Botanical Latin

Now if you're looking for an explanation of how things are classified or arranged evolutionarily, that's something all together different.

I amazed no one has mentioned 5 acres and independence yet.

Edit: Also, check our /r/backyardorchard. Tons of fruit/nut hobbiest info there.

If i were you i could buy this book. I got this book for christmas this year and was impressed with the amount of information in it. There are entire sections of cycling plants as to no deplete nutrients from the soil. Plants to plant with and near one another so they can help combat each other's possible insect problems. It is worth picking up!

there is a book on the subject, mycellium running, we have a copy and it is worth reading.

Top priority: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1570618402

Paul Stamets - Mycelium Running

Book on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

Paul Stamets TED talk:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHDoROh2hA

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

I bet this is SO GOOD!!

If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...

(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)


Medical:

Where there is no doctor

Where there is no dentist

Emergency War Surgery

The survival medicine handbook

Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine

Special Operations Medical Handbook

Food Production

Mini Farming

encyclopedia of country living

square foot gardening

Seed Saving

Storey’s Raising Rabbits

Meat Rabbits

Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step

Storey’s Chicken Book

Storey Dairy Goat

Storey Meat Goat

Storey Ducks

Storey’s Bees

Beekeepers Bible

bio-integrated farm

soil and water engineering

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Food Preservation and Cooking

Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing

Steve Rinella’s Small Game

Ball Home Preservation

Charcuterie

Root Cellaring

Art of Natural Cheesemaking

Mastering Artesian Cheese Making

American Farmstead Cheesemaking

Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse

Wild Fermentation

Art of Fermentation

Nose to Tail

Artisan Sourdough

Designing Great Beers

The Joy of Home Distilling

Foraging

Southeast Foraging

Boletes

Mushrooms of Carolinas

Mushrooms of Southeastern United States

Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast


Tech

farm and workshop Welding

ultimate guide: plumbing

ultimate guide: wiring

ultimate guide: home repair

off grid solar

Woodworking

Timberframe Construction

Basic Lathework

How to Run A Lathe

Backyard Foundry

Sand Casting

Practical Casting

The Complete Metalsmith

Gears and Cutting Gears

Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment

Machinery’s Handbook

How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic

Electronics For Inventors

Basic Science


Chemistry

Organic Chem

Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving

Ham Radio

AARL Antenna Book

General Class Manual

Tech Class Manual


MISC

Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft

Contact!

Nuclear War Survival Skills

The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Kuo/e/B001ILI9G2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603582142/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/The-Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472030361/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472031260/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394519922/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580085792/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Read this book: Five Acres and Independence.

It gives you all the information you need without unnecessary expenses.

It's on sale right now! It's usually $15 (I've had it on my wishlist for a couple of years)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1565126831/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K0JsDbXNJZCDH

Carla Emory's Encyclopedia of Country Living.

A little bit of everything.

Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management : http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319032710&sr=8-1

It's Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison.

It's big. It's black. It's expensive.

You're looking for "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by Carla Emery.

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402

This book has a ton of info on a wide range of topics:

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1570618402

>http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

I'd start by reading

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402/

http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Plants-Lincolns-Botanical-Atrocities/dp/1565126831

One of two books I keep on my shelf at all times. The other is this.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

It was written 50+ years ago, so a large part of the advice on farming is very low-tech.

That's both informative and kind of a drawback at the same time.

here's a link on Amazon

Here is the only book you will need.

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith

what about this?

Botany for Gardeners

For composting, I would look at Let it Rot and the Rodale Book of Composting. The second is more detailed and is my choice for "if I had to choose just one."

I think you could do it on less than 5, provided that you did not raise meat, or very little. Provided that you lived in a climate the produced most of the year, and ate only veggies and fruit I think it could be done.
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347587158&sr=8-1&keywords=5+acres+and+independence

I just bought this book specifically for our area. It has a breakdown of what to plant and do in your garden month by month.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1604693517

How long before that's book is banned like the Anarchist Cookbook?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/160342475X/ref=mp_s_a_2?qid=1289331777&sr=8-2ow

[Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1565126831/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.Rt0AbEYEHBHQ) (under coffee table books...which I am obsessed with!)

I've never dealt with such a problem. But my gut tells me to throw a bunch of carbon and nitrogen at it to make it really hot and that should kill anything bad in there with a high nitrogen for a while. You'll also want to add sod as it's a starter. But I think hit it hard with the grass trimmings for the nitrogen to run it hot.
Almost everything I've learned about composting came from this book, that I LOVE.
https://www.amazon.com/Let-Rot-Composting-Down-Earth/dp/1580170234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484012881&sr=8-1&keywords=composting+book

So we are taught to laugh at anything called a cure for cancer, but ...

Well here it is since the early 1900's more than 100 natural cures for cancer have been found.

One of the simplest:

ESSIAC, you can buy it for around $20 a pound .. that is enough to make a couple months of the 'tea'. Depending upon the severity and type it may take up to a year to be sure it is completely gone. Some have found that over a period of a half a year or so skin tags shrink and vanish. Others have found that if you take the tea for a few months the tumors will shrink, but if you stop before all traces are gone then it usually comes back very very fast and kills .. a lot like not finishing ones antibiotics, but worse.

Another, Red Reishi, is recognized by the Japanese government as a treatment for cancer. Many mushrooms have strong anti-cancer and anti viral properties. (see Paul Stamets' book "Mycelium Running").

I have a very skeptical co-worker, and I drop small hints every now and again because otherwise he gets grumpy and thinks I'm a nut job. He is becoming more curious on his own now and he's learning what I have come to realize over the years .. we are systematically lied to about everything.

I haven't even brought up the cancer stuff yet.


Edit: For the downvoters, you can read the whole story here. Basically Rene Caisse ran a clinic as a charity, supervised and backed by 8 reputable doctors, for many years before the Canadian government got tired of due process and legality and just shut her down. Rene was only allowed to treat patients that the medical industry could not cure. She was harassed by the medical industry and the police the entire time. She made no money from this and in fact spent her own money curing people with Essiac tea. Anyone who thinks there is a ritual involved is full of shit.