We’ve started planning and plotting for the spring growing season here in Central Texas, so I thought it’d be a good time to compile a list of helpful books related to gardening, sustainability, and homesteading. Some are how-to guides, some are essays or memoirs, and all are inspirational and educational in their own way.

In no particular order:

Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education (Michael Pollan)

The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen of the blog Homegrown Evolution)

The Backyard Homestead: Produce All the Food You Need on Just ¼ Acre (Carleen Madigan)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Barbara Kingsolver)

Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life (Jenna Woginrich, who also shares her adventures on the delightful Cold Antler Farm blog)

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer (Novella Carpenter)

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally (Alisa Smith and J. B. MacKinnon)

See You in a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America (Logan Ward)

And, finally, some books I look forward to reading soon:
Homemade Living series (Ashley English) – not yet released, but these books look great. See a sneak peak of Canning and Preserving: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More at the author’s blog, Small Measure.

Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces (Gayla Trail of You Grow Girl)

The Locavore Way: Discovering the Delicious Pleasures of Eating Fresh, Locally Grown Food (Amy Cotler)

How to Grow More Vegetables: And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine (John Jeavons)

Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture (Toby Hemenway)

What are your favorites? We’re always on the lookout for more resources, so we hope you’ll share your recommendations with us, too.