Small Plot, Big Harvests: The Complete Guide to Intensive Backyard Food Production
Paperback
Edible PlantsGeneral Gardening
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Dec 13 2025
Pages: 266
Weight: 0.79
Height: 0.56 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Complete Guide to Intensive Backyard Food Production
What if the size of your land was never the problem?
For decades, we've been told that real food production requires acres, machinery, and industrial inputs. Yet across the world, ordinary people are quietly producing astonishing amounts of food from backyards, side yards, patios, and spaces once dismissed as too small to matter.
This book shows you how intensive backyard food production, micro-farming techniques, and small-space food systems can outperform traditional gardens-producing higher yields, better nutrition, and greater food security on a fraction of the land.
Whether your goal is self-reliance, sustainability, or simply harvesting more from the space you already have, this guide gives you a proven, practical roadmap. What You'll Discover Inside
- How micro-farming in small spaces consistently produces more calories per square foot than conventional gardens
- The science behind intensive gardening methods used by high-yield backyard growers
- How to design a high-yield backyard garden that works with your climate, time, and soil
- Smart garden layout planning for small plots that eliminates wasted space
- Crop selection strategies for year-round food production at home
- Soil-building systems for backyard food security without expensive inputs
- How to grow more using dense planting techniques and succession planting
- Low-cost systems for sustainable food growing at home
- Water-efficient methods ideal for urban micro-farming and drought-prone areas
- How to transition from a hobby garden to a productive backyard farm
- Harvest planning for small-scale food production that actually feeds people-not just plants
Instead of copying large-scale agriculture, this book focuses on intensive food growing, micro-farm design, and small-plot efficiency-systems optimized for human-scale spaces.
By combining backyard farming techniques, proven intensive vegetable gardening practices, and modern ecological principles, you'll learn how to grow more food with less land, less water, and less effort. Who This Book Is For
This book is ideal for:
- Homeowners with small yards or limited growing space
- Urban and suburban gardeners seeking food independence
- Beginners overwhelmed by conflicting gardening advice
- Homesteaders wanting higher yields without more land
- Families concerned about food resilience and rising grocery costs
- Anyone interested in backyard self-sufficiency and practical sustainability
A lawn is passive.
A micro-farm is powerful.
Small Plot, Big Harvests is more than a gardening guide-it's a blueprint for reclaiming food production at the smallest, most human scale possible.
Because the future of food doesn't belong only to farms.
It belongs to backyards.
Also from
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Eat Without Fear: The Low-Histamine Food Guide for Calm, Clear, Symptom-Free Living
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
Technology Without Fear: A Simple Guide for Seniors to Stay Connected and Safe
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
Sleep Against the Clock: The Science-Backed Recovery System for Shift Workers
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
Between Hormones and Chaos: How to Eat, Live, and Feel Better in Perimenopause
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
Construction Cost & Cash Flow Control: How Project Managers Forecast Final Cost, Protect Cash, Control Change, and Stop Profit Leakage
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
The Subcontractor Management Playbook: How to Set Clear Scope, Drive Performance, Coordinate Trades, and Prevent Site Failure
Whitmore, Daniel R.
Paperback
Also in
Edible Plants
The Little Book of Crops in Small Spots *Osi*: A Modern Guide to Growing Fruit and Veg
Moore, Jane
Hardcover
Garden Grown: Garden-To-Table Recipes to Make the Most of Your Bounty: A Cookbook
Dzafic, Julia
Hardcover
From Seed to Skillet: A Guide to Growing, Tending, Harvesting, and Cooking Up Fresh, Healthful Food to Share with People You Love
Heeger, Susan
Williams, Jimmy
Paperback
How to Grow Food: Your Crop-By-Crop Guide to Growing, Cooking, & Preserving
Cooper, Sam
Richards, Huw
Hardcover
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
Gladstar, Rosemary
Paperback
The Compact Garden: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces
Lopez, Marv
Lopez, Char
Hardcover
How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms
Hyman, Frank
Paperback
The Regenerative Gardener's Handbook: Essential Techniques for Growing a Garden That Leaves the Land Healthier Than You Found It
Bosch, Briana Selstad
Paperback
Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms
Yerich, Kathy
Marrone, Teresa
Paperback
Ultimate Guide: Small Space Kitchen Gardens: How to Plan, Plant, and Harvest High-Yield Vegetable Gardens
Koziol, Nina
Paperback
The Preserver's Garden: How to Grow a Garden for Fermenting, Canning, Pickling, Dehydrating, Freeze Drying, and More
Hill, Staci And Jeremy
Hardcover
The Complete Folk Herbal: An Illustrated Guide to Natural Remedies and Everyday Healing
Beyer, Rebecca
Hardcover
The Big Book of Backyard Medicine: The Ultimate Guide to Home-Grown Herbal Remedies
Seal, Matthew
Bruton-Seal, Julie
Paperback
The Creative Container Garden: Grow a Vibrant, Year-Round Mix of Flowers, Food, Herbs, and More
Røyneberg, Anders
Hardcover
How to Grow Medicinal Herbs: An Illustrated Beginner's Guide to Growing, Harvesting, and Making Herbal Remedies at Home
Minton, Vanessa
Hardcover
Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies
Beyer, Rebecca
Hardcover
Go Forth and Forage: A Guide to Foraging Over 50 of the Most Common Edible & Medicinal North American Mushrooms
Johnson, Whitney
Paperback
All New! Square Foot Gardening, 4th Edition: The World's Most Popular Growing Method to Harvest More Food from Less Space - Urban to Rural-Garden Anyw
Square Foot Gardening Foundation
Paperback
Herb Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing & Using Culinary and Medicinal Herbs at Home
Thoma, Marc
Paperback
Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine New Edition: 560 Herbs and Remedies for Common Ailments
Chevallier, Andrew
Hardcover
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening
Riotte, Louise
Paperback
The Contemporary Cottage Garden: Climate-Friendly, Mindful Methods for Growing Flowers and Food
Hubbard, Pamela
Paperback
The Continuous Vegetable Garden: Create a Perpetual Food Garden That Sows and Grows Itself
Nardozzi, Charlie
Paperback
The Essential Home Apothecary Handbook: Herbal Remedies to Know, Grow, Make, and Use
Reppert-Brill, Susanna
Sams, Tina
Hardcover
The Tomato Grower's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know, from Seed to Harvest and Beyond
Farrell, Holly
Hardcover
Fungi Decoded: Adventures in the Mycosphere--Encounters with Thirty Fungi
Bunyard, Britt A.
Paperback
How to Forage for Wild Foods Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Identifying 40 Edible Wild Plants
Zachos, Ellen
Paperback
Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms of North America, Second Edition
McKnight, Karl B.
Rohrer, Joseph R.
McKnight Ward, Kirsten
Paperback
Growing Your Own Tea Garden, Second Edition: The Guide to Growing and Harvesting Flavorful Teas in Your Backyard
Helmer, Jodi
Paperback
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition
Ashworth, Suzanne
Paperback
The New Natural Food Garden: A Comprehensive Guide to Growing a Bountiful Harvest with Less Work, in Partnership with Nature
Bogwalker, Natalie
Lieberman, Chloe
Paperback
Mushrooming Without Fear: The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms
Schwab, Alexander
Paperback
The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go
Lexa, Rebecca
Paperback
Mushrooms of the Northeast: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms
Marrone, Teresa
Sturgeon, Walt
Paperback
Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy-Harvest Fruit Trees
Ralph, Ann
Paperback
Astro Herbalism: Holistic Wellness and Self-Discovery Through Herbalism and Astrology
Rosset, Jessica
Hardcover
Herbs That Heal: (Catholic) Home Remedies to Forage and Grow
Carroll, Judson
Cunningham, Stephen
Paperback
Mushroom Forager's Choice: The 50 Easiest, Safe, and Delicious Wild Edible Mushrooms
Cutts, Russell
Paperback
The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
Forkner, Lorene Edwards
Paperback
In Your Garden: The Complete Guide to Home Vegetable Gardening with Jean-Martin Fortier
Fortier, Jean-Martin
Hardcover
Gardening for Abundance: Your Guide to Cultivating a Bountiful Veggie Garden and a Happier Life
Brigantti, Brian
Paperback
Give It a Grow: Simple Projects to Nurture Food, Flowers and Wildlife in Any Outdoor Space
Swales, Martha
Hardcover
Forest, Fairies, Mushrooms and Goblins Sticker, Color & Activity Book: Over 500 Unique Stickers
Editors of Chartwell Books
Hardcover
Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Sustain a Thriving Garden
Wylie, Tammy
Paperback
Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms: Wisdom for Living in Balance with the Planet and Each Other
Murphy Barney, Madison
Paperback
The Forager's Almanac: A Year of Sustainable Gathering, Growing, Recipes and Wildcraft
Gallacher, Danni
Hardcover
Christopher Hobbs's Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousn
Hobbs, Christopher, L. AC Ahg
Paperback
The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening
Don, Monty
Hardcover
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California
Siegel, Noah
Schwarz, Christian
Paperback
Psilocybin Mushrooms: A Comprehensive Guide to Growing and Using Psychedelic Mushrooms
Madden, Michael
Paperback
Leaves, Roots & Fruit: A Step-By-Step Guide to Planting an Organic Kitchen Garden
Johnsey Burke, Nicole
Paperback
Survival Gardening: Grow Your Own Emergency Food Supply, from Seed to Root Cellar
Coffman, Sam
Paperback
Don't Throw It, Grow It, 2nd Edition: 68 Windowsill Plants from Kitchen Scraps
Selsam, Millicent
Peterson, Deborah
Paperback
The Generosity of Plants: Shared Wisdom from the Community of Herb Lovers
Gladstar, Rosemary
Hardcover
Herbal Handbook: 50 Profiles in Words and Art from the Rare Book Collections of the New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden
Hardcover
Fungi: Creatures & Cultures: Unearthing the Ancient Wisdom and Modern Wonders of the Mycological World
Ondaatje Rolls, Kit
Hardcover
Fungi of Temperate Europe: Keys to the Basidiomycotes
Frøslev, Tobias G.
Læssøe, Thomas
Petersen, Jens H.
Hardcover
Tea Gardening for Beginners: Learn to Grow, Blend, and Brew Your Own Tea at Home
Dimakos, Julia
Paperback
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long, 2nd Edition
Coleman, Eliot
Paperback
Herbs in Every Season: 48 Edible and Medicinal Herbs for the Kitchen, Garden, and Apothecary
Cohen, Bevin
Paperback
The Little Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Guide to the Extraordinary Power of Mushrooms
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
Companion Planting for Beginners: Pair Your Plants for a Bountiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden
Lowell, Brian
Paperback
Week-By-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Perfectly Timed Gardening for Your Most Bountiful Harvest Ever
Kujawski, Jennifer
Kujawski, Ron
Paperback
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
Coleman, Eliot
Paperback
Mushrooming: An Illustrated Guide to the Fantastic, Delicious, Deadly, and Strange World of Fungi
Borsato, Diane
Hardcover
The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen: A Culinary Homage to Wild and Cultivated Mushrooms - With 120 Recipes
Hyatt, Chad
Hardcover
Berry Finder: Identifying Native Plants with Fleshy Fruits in Eastern North America
Miller, Dorcas S.
Paperback
Mushrooms of Cascadia, Second Edition: An Illustrated Key to the Fungi of the Pacific Northwest
Beug, Michael
Paperback
Cottage Gardens: Creating Year-Round Beauty with Flowers, Herbs, Fruits, Edibles, and More
Bradley-Hole, Kathryn
Hardcover
Kitchen Garden Revival: A Modern Guide to Creating a Stylish, Small-Scale, Low-Maintenance, Edible Garden
Burke, Nicole Johnsey
Hardcover
The Magic of Mushrooms: Fungi in Folklore, Superstition and Traditional Medicine
Kew
Lawrence, Sandra
Hardcover
Veg in One Bed New Edition: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Richards, Huw
Hardcover
Culpeper's Complete Herbal: A Compendium of Herbs and Their Uses, Annotated for Modern Herbalists, Healers, and Witches
Culpeper, Nicholas
Paperback
Mushrooming with Confidence: A Guide to Collecting Edible and Tasty Mushrooms
Schwab, Alexander
Paperback
Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms
Rodriguez, Ashley
Hardcover
The Mycocultural Revolution: Transforming Our World with Mushrooms, Lichens, and Other Fungi
McCoy, Peter
Hardcover
Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Vegetables at Home
McSheehy, Jill
Paperback
Mason Bee Revolution: How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World One Backyard at a Time
Lightner, Jill
Hunter, Dave
Paperback
All New Square Foot Gardening - Spanish Edition: La Técnica de Cultivo Más Popular del Mundo Para Cosechar Más Alimentos En Menos Espacio
Square Foot Gardening Foundation
Paperback
Beginner's Guide to Safely Foraging for Wild Mushrooms: Identifying and Collecting Mushrooms Sustainably with Confidence
Stephenson, Karen
Paperback
The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms: Helpful Tips for Mushrooming in the Field
Holmberg, Pelle
Marklund, Hans
Paperback
Year-Round Edible Gardening: Growing Vegetables and Herbs, Inside or Outside, in Every Season
Israelsson, Lena
Paperback
The Mycelial Healer: A Comprehensive Guide to the Cultivation and Traditional Uses of Medicinal Mushrooms
Parker, Christopher
Parker, Katherine
Paperback
Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More
Martin, Manjula
Martin, Orin
Paperback
Edible and Medicinal Flora of the West Coast: The Pacific Northwest and British Columbia
Varner, Collin
Paperback
The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition: How to Produce High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale
Carpenter, Jeff
Paperback
Lavender for All Seasons: A Gardener's Guide to Growing and Creating with Lavender Year-Round
Legarre, Paola
Paperback
The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers
Smith, Edward C.
Paperback
Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden
Walliser, Jessica
Paperback
Witch's Orchard: The Magic and Folklore of Fruit, Nuts and Nature's Sweet Harvest
Kew
Lawrence, Sandra
Hardcover
The Plant Propagator's Bible: A Step-By-Step Guide to Propagating Every Plant in Your Garden
Smith, Miranda
Paperback
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, 35th Anniversary Edition: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening
Solomon, Steve
McShane, Marina
Paperback
Magic Mushrooms: The Beginner's Guide to Growing Magic Mushrooms (How to Cultivate and Grow Magic Mushrooms With Psylocibin)
Quimby, Fernando
Paperback
The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs
Moore-Gough, Cheryl
Gough, Robert E.
Paperback
Practical Permaculture: For Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth
Bloom, Jessi
Boehnlein, Dave
Paperback
