Issue №14·LATE SPRING·MAY 2026 ✦ 20 field guides · 8 product reports

From the cover

Make your yard actually useful.

Practical guides and honest product reviews for growing food, keeping chickens, and making the most of your outdoor space. Tested in our own gardens. Not theorized in an office.

Browse the field guides → — Compiled May 2026

In this issue → How to Start a Backyard Food Garden beginner · $50-$200

Explore by Topic

20 field guides across 4 pillars

Section №02 ·The field notebook — Updated weekly

Latest guides.

Fresh field notes from our two test gardens. New entries every week.

№ 01 · Gardens

How to Start a Backyard Food Garden

— By Sam Garrett · Asheville, North Carolina · Apr 20

Everything a total beginner needs to know to start growing food at home

Read the guide →

№ 02

How to Plan a Small Backyard Orchard

— By Sam Garrett · Apr 15

Fit 3 to 5 fruit trees in a small yard using dwarf varieties, espalier, and smart spacing. Includes pollination tips and a sample layout.

intermediate · $150-$500 № 03

How Many Raised Beds Does a Family of 3 Need?

— By Sam Garrett · Apr 8

The actual math on raised bed count for feeding a family of three

beginner · $150-$500 № 04

Backyard Homestead Layout for 1/4 Acre

— By Sam Garrett · Apr 1

How to divide a quarter-acre lot into productive homestead zones with specific dimensions and a realistic build plan.

intermediate · $500-$2,000+ over time № 05

How to Plan a Backyard Food Garden From Scratch

— By Sam Garrett · Mar 29

The planning process for a backyard food garden, from sun mapping to layout, with practical advice on what to grow first.

beginner · $100-$500 № 06

Lean-To Greenhouse vs Freestanding: Which is Better?

— By Tom Bennett · Mar 25

Honest comparison of lean-to and freestanding greenhouses, with a clear recommendation for most beginners.

beginner · $100-$1,200 depending on type

— Browse all 20 field guides →

Section №03 ·From the stack

More guides & editor picks.

Older issues

№ 07

How Many Chickens Should a Beginner Start With?

Chickens · beginner · $200-$600 total setup

№ 08

How to Heat a Small Greenhouse Without Breaking the Bank

Greenhouses · intermediate · $0-$200

№ 09

Garden and Chicken Coop Layout: How to Plan Both

Layouts · intermediate · $400-$1,500

№ 10

How to Fix Clay Soil for Raised Beds

Composting · beginner · $50-$150 per bed

№ 11

How to Plan a Garden on 1/8 Acre

Gardens · beginner · $100-$400

№ 12

Compost Bin vs Tumbler: Which Should You Get?

Composting · beginner · $35-$200

The editors' bookshelf

Tom Bennett recommends

— Burlington, Vermont

This week I'd start with the chicken coop guide. It's the one I wish I'd had when I was building ours — sizing, predator-proofing, and the small details that aren't obvious until you've cleaned a coop in February.

Sam Garrett recommends

— Asheville, North Carolina

The eighth-acre layout guide does the most work on this site. If you've never planned a small food garden, start there — every other Gardens piece builds on it.