The Backyard Homesteader
Curriculum guides and projects and activities and lessons
PEP policy guidance
A deterministic result from the reviewed 2026–27 rule pack. It is guidance, not a funding guarantee.
The reviewed source is review due. Recheck the current official guide before relying on this guidance.
- Program and school year
- FTC-PEP · 2026-27
- Rule pack
- step-up-ftc-pep-2026-27 · v1.0.1
- Evidence level
- Official category rule
- Source freshness
- Review due · Low
How this result was reached
The engine applies explicit rules in precedence order and records what is still unknown.
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Rules applied
- Curriculum is authorized with format and availability conditions
PEP-2026-27-AUTHORIZED-CURRICULUM-CONDITIONS
Information still needed
- Current official category match
- Exact item match in the official portal
- Required supporting documents
- Available account balance
Product description
Transform your backyard into a self-sustaining classroom with <em>The Backyard Homesteader</em>. This practical guide shows families how to grow food, raise animals, conserve water, and adopt sustainable techniques — all while engaging in meaningful, hands-on learning and stewardship of land.<br><br>Physical Book<br><br>From preparing the land and nurturing soil, to planting vegetables and fruit, and raising animals like bees, chickens, and goats — each chapter is filled with clear instructions, seasonal guidance, troubleshooting tips, and beautiful photographs. You’ll also explore wild foraging, preserving your harvest, and adopting renewable energy and water-saving systems to make your home more self-reliant.<br><br>You’ll begin by planning, clearing, and enriching land; learn to work with seasonal cycles and garden rotations; establish fruits, vegetables, and herbs; care for animals such as pigs, goats, chickens, and bees; forage wild foods; preserve what you grow; and adopt energy- and water-saving practices. You’ll also encounter resources for troubleshooting pests, diseases, and building sustainable infrastructure.<br><br><strong>Topics include:</strong><br><ul><li>Planning, clearing overgrown land, and preparing soil</li><li>Composting, improving drainage, and soil amendments</li><li>Tools, greenhouse use, cloches, and growing calendars</li><li>Seasonal tasks: spring, summer, fall, and winter routines</li><li>Vegetable cultivation: crops like tomatoes, roots, legumes, greens</li><li>Growing fruit: trees, berries, grapes, figs</li><li>Pest, disease, and plant problem diagnosis</li><li>Raising animals: pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, bees</li><li>Wild food harvesting: herbs, nuts, mushrooms, fishing, foraging</li><li>Preserving produce: canning, pickling, jams, meat, goat milk</li><li>Water and energy conservation: rain capture, solar power, efficiency</li><li>Alternative energy sources, recycling systems, and self-sufficiency</li></ul>
Source evidence
These fields describe where the listing came from. They do not establish funding eligibility.
- Catalog
- FESUA_DailySkillBuilding
- Source type
- Search
- Link status
- Stepup product link
- Enrichment confidence
- Unknown
Official policy source
Policy guidance is tied to this reviewed source and version.
- Publisher
- Step Up For Students
- Applies to
- FTC-PEP · 2026-27
- Effective dates
- Jul 1, 2026 — Jun 30, 2027
- Source last modified
- Jul 14, 2026
- Reviewed by Navigator
- Jul 23, 2026
- Review due
- Aug 14, 2026
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