Reddit reviews Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City

1. I read a book called Paradise Lot that talked about a couple good sources of info on permaculture in the UK. First is Plants for a Future which is a neat database whose testing grounds are based in the UK. Second is a man named Martin Crawford, who has spent a lot of energy on designing temperate food dorests.
   
   
2. I'd imagine a loooong time. So long a time that I think it would be good to have zero expectations. I have no experience in this subject though, so don't take my word on it. I myself am interested in the amount of space needed for self sufficiency, the books I've read (about... conventional gardening) reported around 4,000 ft^2 needed to grow half the food a small family would need. Perhaps you could designate this amount of land to gardening vegetables and the rest to developing a forest garden?
   
   3)I know absolutely nothing about this subject, you're on your own :)

Great potential! Install a small chicken coop and create a fertilizer factory for starters. Also, Paradise Lot is a book that could be very helpful given your location and yard size.

There are tons of farmer/homesteader/gardener memoirs. I think my mom alone probably has a zillion. Unfortunately I haven't read that many myself, but a few titles that I remember from her shelves include:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Enslaved by Ducks

The Egg and I

Hit by a Farm

Here's one that (amazingly enough) she doesn't have, but which is on my to-read list: http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Lot-One-Tenth-Making-Edible/dp/1603583998/

On a more practical front, this guy may change your life ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Edition/dp/1890132276/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Winter-Harvest-Handbook-Greenhouses/dp/1603580816/

ETA: Thought of a few more from mom's collection:

The Dirty Life

Rurally Screwed

The Bucolic Plague