Istarted out growing a large vegetable garden in the San Fernando Valley, California, 1973.During the early years I attempted all the usual homesteader foibles—chickens, rabbits, fattening a steer. I even tried market gardening using biodynamic French intensive methods, and failed miserably. I moved to an Oregon 5 acre homestead in 1978.After searching for a legal cash crop, I decided to raise the consciousness of fellow veggie gardeners, and started Territorial Seed Company and wrote Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades. This opened the door to what has been my life’s work—encouraging at-home food self sufficiency. By 1985 the business had turned into a monster; my book was in its third edition. I sold Territorial and devoted myself thereafter to enjoying independent poverty and a homestead-based lifestyle. I moved to Canada in 1994, to Australia in 1998. I am still writing veggie gardening books, giving classes and doing everything I can to help people become financially independent through producing their own necessities. I am also proud to be the creator of an online library, soilandhealth.org, offering key books on the connections between soil fertility and human health.