My Library - Books I have and those I plan on buying

Although I love a good book, I find that when we do go to a book store I am more likely to go to the How To section of the store.


Sometimes, like today, that store was Amazon.


Since we are preparing for our life as country folk, I am looking at books that will help us establish our ranch.


Growing up I helped my parents in the garden a bit and had a garden or two of my own over the years. My dad raised chickens and ducks, but that was long after I was out of the house.


Hubby has a bit more experience in that area. They had chickens and horses and a garden. His knowledge base is a bit bigger than mine.


But for both of us our knowledge is a bit dated and some new thoughts have made farm life a bit, and I say this tongue in cheek, easier.


I already talked the about our plans to try out an Aquaponics system and shared that book with you.


Today I discovered a couple of books that have made it to my wish list. 


The first one is called:

Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard

"Many gardeners fear chickens will peck away at their landscape, and chicken lovers often shy away from gardening for the same reason. But you can keep chickens and have a beautiful garden, too! Fresh eggs aren't the only benefit — chickens can actually help your garden grow and thrive, even as your garden does the same for your chickens."

Now here in Hawaii we have a lot of wild chickens running around and I see them scratching all over the place. I could see, if you had a nice yard that that might cause a bit of conflict. But I do believe that a good gardener could use the chickens natural instinct to scratch to their advantage and it is all described in this book.

The 2nd one is called:

Beautiful No-Mow Yards: 50 Amazing Lawn Alternatives

"What has your perfect green lawn done for you lately? Is it really worth the time, effort, and resources you lavish on it? Armed with encouragement, inspiration, and cutting-edge advice from award-winning author Evelyn Hadden, you can liberate yourself at last!

In this ultimate guide to rethinking your yard, Hadden showcases dozens of inspiring, eco-friendly alternatives to that demanding (and dare we say boring?) green turf. Trade your lawn for a lively prairie or replace it with a runoff-reducing rain garden. Swap it for an interactive adventure garden or convert it to a low-maintenance living carpet.

With Beautiful No-Mow Yards, you can transform your lawn into a livable garden and bring nature's beauty into your life!"

Hey! You had me at no mow! Seriously now, we're not getting any younger. My kids don't live anywhere near the ranch so we can't hope that they will come to help us tend the property - We'll take any help we can get.

The area that is designated as yard is pretty big and although we have the tractor I would love for it to be more interesting than just a green grassy nothing. Not to mention with this variety it might be the perfect buffet for the honey bees we would someday like to have.

I know, hold yer horses there young lady...all in due time, all in due time...

Aloha a Hui Hou!

PS: if you have either of these books or plan on getting them - please tell me what you think!