Issue №14·LATE SPRING·MAY 2026 ✦ 32 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 May 2026

In this issue → Deep Pantry List: What to Actually Stock (and What to Skip) beginner · Moderate to High

Explore by Topic

16 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, tested 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 Field-tested guides

Latest guides.

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

Food Storage

Deep Pantry List: What to Actually Stock (and What to Skip)

By Tom Bennett · Burlington, Vermont · 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.

Read the guide →

№ 02

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

By Tom Bennett · May 30

A side by side comparison of freeze drying, dehydrating, and canning, with a clear recommendation for where most people should start.

beginner · Low to Major

beginner · Low to Major № 03

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

By Tom Bennett · May 30

Calorie-based food storage math with per-person tables for 3-day through 1-year supplies, plus how much water to store and how to build up affordably.

beginner · Varies by tier

beginner · Varies by tier № 04

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

By Tom Bennett · May 30

How much water to store per person, with per-person tables, the drinking and hygiene split, adjustments for kids, heat, pets, and how long stored water keeps.

beginner · Low to Moderate

beginner · Low to Moderate № 05

How to Filter Rainwater to Make It Safe to Drink

By Tom Bennett · May 30

Rainwater off your roof is not safe to drink as collected. Here is the full multi-step process to filter and disinfect it properly for home or emergency use.

intermediate · Low to Moderate

intermediate · Low to Moderate № 06

How to Keep Your Fridge Running During a Power Outage

By Tom Bennett · May 30

A practical guide to keeping your fridge cold when the power goes out, covering food safety timelines, real wattage numbers, and how to pick between a battery power station and a generator.

beginner · Moderate to Major

Browse all 32 field guides →

Section №03 ·From the stack

More guides & editor picks.

Older issues

№ 07

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

Food Storage · beginner · Low to High

№ 08

How to Store Water Long-Term Without It Going Bad

Water & Filtration · beginner · Low to Moderate

№ 09

Rain Barrels for a Small Yard: Setup, Legality, and Safe Use

Water & Filtration · beginner · Low to Moderate

№ 10

Small Home and Homestead Solar: A Beginner's Guide to Backup and Off-Grid Power

Backup Power · intermediate · Moderate to Major

№ 11

Well Pump Backup Power: Keeping Water Running When the Grid Goes Down

Backup Power · intermediate · Moderate to Major

№ 12

What Size Power Station Do I Need? (Watts, Watt-Hours, and Real Examples)

Backup Power · beginner · Moderate to Major

The editors' bookshelf

Tom Bennett recommends

Burlington, Vermont

If you're extending your season, start with the small greenhouse guide. It walks through kit vs DIY, the sizes that actually fit a backyard, and how to keep one warm through a cold-climate winter without a huge power bill.

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.