Issue №16·AUTUMN·OCTOBER 2026 ✦ 36 field guides · 21 product reports

From the cover

Make your yard actually useful.

Most advice for productive yards assumes you have acres. We don't. Small Property Living is for normal-sized lots: raised beds that fit, chicken coops that work in a neighborhood, greenhouses sized for a backyard, and practical backup power for the home. Every guide is researched around space, cost, and honest trade-offs.

Open the free Garden Planner → Compiled October 2026

In this issue → Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds for a Small Flock beginner · Moderate

This season.

Autumn jobs for a small property: get the coop ready for the cold, and keep water on hand and the fridge cold in an outage.

Chickens

Get the coop ready for winter

Where to vent, what to cover and how to stop drafts. Keep it dry, not airtight.

Read the guide

Backup Power

Keep the well pump running in an outage

Most well pumps need 240 volts. See which power stations can start one.

Read the guide

Backup Power

Keep the fridge cold in an outage

Food-safety timelines and the wattage a refrigerator actually needs, before the next storm.

Read the guide

Water

Store water before the next storm

Water does not spoil, but dirty containers can. How to fill, treat and rotate food-grade jugs.

Read the guide

Explore by Topic

20 field guides across 4 growing pillars

The Small Property Living Index § Free Tool

Plan your garden, free.

Pick a bed size, drop in your crops, and get a planting calendar tuned to your frost dates plus a ready-to-go shopping list. Most people finish in under two minutes.

30+ crops
Frost-date calendar
Shopping list
Printable plan

Open the Garden Planner See how it works

Free tool § Square-foot planner

Preparedness & Self-Reliance

New

Storing food, keeping the power on, and securing clean water. Practical ways to depend less on fragile supply chains and rising bills.

Food Storage

4 guides

Backup Power

4 guides

Water

4 guides

Section №02 ·The field notebook Practical field guides

Latest guides.

Fresh field notes for small-property gardeners, added as they earn their place.

Chickens

Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds for a Small Flock

By Tom Bennett · Burlington, Vermont · Jul 29

Six steady layers that make sense in a 3-4 hen backyard flock, with the temperament tradeoffs the breed lists skip.

Read the guide →

№ 02

Chicken Grit vs Oyster Shell: Why Hens Need Both

By Tom Bennett · Jul 29

Grit grinds food in the gizzard. Oyster shell supplies calcium. Layers need separate, free-choice access to both.

beginner · Low

beginner · Low № 03

Deep Litter Method for a Small Chicken Coop

By Tom Bennett · Jul 29

A practical deep-litter routine for small coops, including bedding, moisture control, wood floors, and safe compost aging.

intermediate · Low

intermediate · Low № 04

How Many Nesting Boxes Per Chicken?

By Tom Bennett · Jul 29

One box per 3-4 hens is enough, even when every hen insists on using the same favorite.

beginner · Low to Moderate

beginner · Low to Moderate № 05

How to Insulate a Chicken Coop for Winter

By Tom Bennett · Jul 29

Keep the coop dry and draft-free, not airtight. High ventilation prevents the moisture that puts combs and feet at risk.

intermediate · Low to Moderate

intermediate · Low to Moderate № 06

Deep Pantry List | What to Stock and What to Skip

By Tom Bennett · May 30

A real-world deep pantry list: the staples that earn their shelf space, quantities for one adult, what to skip, and how to rotate it all so nothing expires.

beginner · Moderate to High

Browse garden guides →

Section №03 ·From the stack

More guides & editor picks.

Older issues

№ 07

Freeze Drying vs Dehydrating vs Canning: Which Is Right for You?

Food Storage · beginner · Low to Major

№ 08

How Much Food to Store Per Person (and How Long It Lasts)

Food Storage · beginner · Varies by tier

№ 09

How Much Water to Store Per Person (and How Long It Lasts)

Water & Filtration · beginner · Low to Moderate

№ 10

How to Filter Rainwater to Make It Safe to Drink

Water & Filtration · intermediate · Low to Moderate

№ 11

How to Keep Your Fridge Running During a Power Outage

Backup Power · beginner · Moderate to Major

№ 12

How to Store Food Long-Term | The Complete Beginner's Guide

Food Storage · beginner · Low to High

The editors' bookshelf

Tom Bennett recommends

Burlington, Vermont

Heading into winter, start with the greenhouse heating guide. It ranks ways to hold heat through cold nights, from free fixes to a small thermostat heater. Still choosing a kit? The greenhouse kits page compares six by footprint.

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.