THE only downside in this battle to be more eco-friendly is, every now and then, it can feel like it's you against the gas-guzzling universe. Obviously, by trying to become more self-sufficient you are committing to going it alone. But sometimes, when your home-made bread is wilting and your chickens are moulting you can just feel a little, well, too alone.

But just as my eco spirits were sinking as low as this week's freezing temperatures, along came a book that has reminded me I'm not the only one struggling to go green. And I just can't put it down.

Written by two brothers, Andy and Dave Hamilton, The Self-Sufficient-ish Bible: An Eco Guide for the 21st Century has already proven so popular that you will find it in short supply at the minute.

But it's not hard to see why it's been selling like organic hotcakes. Covering everything from making recycled furniture out of wine crates to helping you plant your veg, it's a gold mine of eco tips from ordinary guys who have given it all a go themselves.

Far less finger-wagging than some green-minded books, it offers simple down-to-earth advice and is the perfect read whilst toasting your feet next to a log fire, drinking a cup of organic tea or maybe a glass of home-made beer - which, incidentally, they also cover.

Buoyed by their enthusiasm, I will be trying out several of their suggestions over the next few weeks. And, as actions speak louder than words - I will be starting by finally planting my first vegetable this weekend. Well technically it's part of the alliaceae family. But we all know it as garlic. We use so much garlic in our house that I'm bound to see a saving on the shopping bill if I manage to grow my own.

As a complete veggie-growing novice, for my first attempt I will just be planting shop-bought garlic cloves and see how I get on from there. If the weather ever warms up, that is. If there's snow on the ground I feel that's nature's way of telling you to stay in where it's warm.

Talking of the big chill, two of my chickens - Henrietta and Gem - seem to have been sent a little funny by the snow. Taking to laying their eggs in one of my bushes in the garden instead of in their coop.

It all started on Sunday when I noticed Gem in the bush and Henrietta making such a racket that I thought the neighbours would come round to complain. Venturing outside I found two warm eggs waiting for me. As it's only a matter of time before Penelope joins in, I'll soon have a hunt to find 21 eggs a week in my garden. It'll be like Easter every day.

The only problem now is trying to find them all. I'm not particularly looking forward to finding six-month-old eggs in the summer. Maybe I'll have to start coop-training them or something.

I'll leave it a few weeks and see if the fad wears off and they start using the coop again. If they do I'll quickly get my hedge trimmer out and do away with the bushes to save myself some legwork.

Finally, a quick correction. I told you about a site that is currently having a garden shed competition but I missed a letter off the web address. Here is the correct address, all letters accounted for, readersheds.co.uk

Thanks to my eagle-eyed eco readers for pointing that out. Must be all the organic carrots you are eating.

Don't forget if you have any eco stories or would like to get in contact my email address is ben.hughes @men-news.co.uk