Mini Farming

Mini Farming
Author: Brett L. Markham
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2010-04
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1602399840

Start a mini farm on a quarter acre or less and provide 85 percent of the food for a family of four and earn an income."

Maximizing Your Mini Farm

Maximizing Your Mini Farm
Author: Brett L. Markham
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 511
Release: 2012-03-21
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1620872978

Mini farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Now expanding exponentially on his bestselling Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre, Brett Markham gives you tips, tricks, and planning advice on how to make the most of your mini farm. New topics include: Soil and Fertility Tools and Techniques Planting Guides and Seeders Easy Trellising Weed Control Techniques Greater Food Self-Sufficiency Making Your Own Country Wines Making Your Own Vinegars Making Cheese at Home Cooking for Self-Sufficiency Keep your costs down and production high with this complete guide to maximizing your mini farm—whether it’s a rooftop urban garden, a suburban backyard, or a more substantial plot of land. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with tables, diagrams, and 200 color illustrations and author photographs.

The Mini Farming Handbook

The Mini Farming Handbook
Author: Brett L. Markham
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2014-05-06
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1629142875

Bestselling author Brett Markham’s new handbook gives us the mini farming basics along with in-depth tips on vegetable gardening, fermenting, composting, and self-sufficiency in a handy new format and design. Includes: • Soil management and making your own fertilizer • Crop rotation and cover cropping • Composting • Seed starting and timing/planning • Raised beds and pest management • Pvc trellising and planting spacers • Raising chickens, making your own chicken plucker, and butchering • Growing fruit/nut trees and vines • Food preservation (canning and freezing) • Fermenting wine, vinegar and cheese With the full color photographs that made the original Mini Farming so popular, and step by step drawings, projects, graphs, and tables, you’ll have everything you need for your new or established mini farm at your fingertips. So dive in a learn how to begin and cultivate your own mini farm on less than a quarter acre.

The Market Gardener

The Market Gardener
Author: Jean-Martin Fortier
Publisher: New Society Publisher
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2014-03-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1550925555

Grow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methods Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Growing on just 1.5 acres, Jean-Martin and Maude-Helene feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on: Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay; Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery and minimum tillage practices; Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods and pricing approaches. Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable.

City Farming: A How-to Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces

City Farming: A How-to Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces
Author: Kari Spencer
Publisher: 5m Books Ltd
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2017-11-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1912178664

Farming in cities and small spaces is becoming increasingly popular, but it has its challenges. City Farming addresses the problems the urban farmer might face and turns them into creative solutions. It assists the new grower to gain expert understanding of how to create a production urban farm, as well as helping established farmers to troubleshoot and discover new ways to bring their space into greater harmony and production. From the perspective of a holistic gardener, growing plants and raising livestock are covered as well as integrated approaches, which bring together the whole farming system in a small space to produce high yields with minimal energy and effort. The content is organised by themes of importance to urban farmers‚ sun and heat, water usage, seasonal production, spatial planning, soil quality and usage, propagation and breeding, pests and diseases, farming under time constraints, sustainability and community initiatives. These are all discussed within the context of urban farming and include common issues and strategies like microclimates in built-up areas, natural and organic approaches, water harvesting, toxic land, roof gardening, converting ornamental gardens to productive edible gardens, municipal regulations, vertical gardening, aquaponics, composting methods, livestock suitability in limited space, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes, permaculture in small spaces, community gardens and trade & barter schemes. Each chapter unfolds a piece the story of The Micro Farm Project that provides an overview of the theme, and then discusses the crop and livestock considerations relating to the theme of the chapter in the form of the challenges they present and practical solutions to the problems such as lack of space, high population density, poor soil quality, planning restrictions etc. Case studies giving examples of different methods used within urban farming from different regions throughout the world are included. City Farming is a beautifully illustrated source that can be valuable to both beginners and more experienced urban farmers. 5m Books

The Urban Farmer

The Urban Farmer
Author: Curtis Allen Stone
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2015-12-14
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1771421916

There are twenty million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement. The Urban Farmer is a comprehensive, hands-on, practical manual to help you learn the techniques and business strategies you need to make a good living growing high-yield, high-value crops right in your own backyard (or someone else's). Major benefits include: Low capital investment and overhead costs Reduced need for expensive infrastructure Easy access to markets Growing food in the city means that fresh crops may travel only a few blocks from field to table, making this innovative approach the next logical step in the local food movement. Based on a scalable, easily reproduced business model, The Urban Farmer is your complete guide to minimizing risk and maximizing profit by using intensive production in small leased or borrowed spaces. Curtis Stone is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a commercial urban farm growing vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants, and retail outlets. During his slower months, Curtis works as a public speaker, teacher, and consultant, sharing his story to inspire a new generation of farmers.

Maximizing Your Mini Farm

Maximizing Your Mini Farm
Author: Brett L. Markham
Publisher: Skyhorse
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2012-05-15
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 9781616086107

Mini farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Now expanding exponentially on his bestselling Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre, Brett Markham gives you tips, tricks, and planning advice on how to make the most of your mini farm. New topics include: -Soil and Fertility yy Tools and Techniques -Planting Guides and Seeders -Easy Trellising -Weed Control Techniques -Greater Food Self-Sufficiency -Making Your Own Country Wines -Making Your Own Vinegars -Making Cheese at Home -Cooking for Self-Sufficiency Keep your costs down and production high with this complete guide to maximizing your mini farm—whether it’s a rooftop urban garden, a suburban backyard, or a more substantial plot of land. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with tables, diagrams, and 200 color illustrations and author photographs.

The Quarter-Acre Farm

The Quarter-Acre Farm
Author: Spring Warren
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2011-03-15
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1580054013

When Spring Warren told her husband and two teenage boys that she wanted to grow 75 percent of all the food they consumed for one year, and that she wanted to do it in their yard, they told her she was crazy. She did it anyway. The Quarter-Acre Farm is Warren's account of deciding, despite all resistance, to take control of her family's food choices, get her hands dirty, and create a garden in her suburban yard. It's a story of bugs, worms, rot, and failure; of learning, replanting, harvesting, and eating. The road is long and riddled with mistakes, but by the end of her yearlong experiment, Warren's sons and husband have become her biggest fans, in fact, they're even eager to help harvest (and eat) the beautiful bounty she brings in. Full of tips and recipes to help anyone interested in growing and preparing at least a small part of their diet at home, The Quarter-Acre Farm is a warm, witty tale about family, food, and the incredible gratification that accompanies self-sufficiency.

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )
Author: Andy Clark
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2008-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1437903797

Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

How to Grow More Vegetables, Ninth Edition

How to Grow More Vegetables, Ninth Edition
Author: John Jeavons
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2017-07-25
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0399579192

The world's leading resource on biointensive, sustainable, high-yield organic gardening is thoroughly updated throughout, with new sections on using 12 percent less water and increasing compost power. Long before it was a trend, How to Grow More Vegetables brought backyard ecosystems to life for the home gardener by demonstrating sustainable growing methods for spectacular organic produce on a small but intensive scale. How to Grow More Vegetables has become the go-to reference for food growers at every level, whether home gardeners dedicated to nurturing backyard edibles with minimal water in maximum harmony with nature's cycles, or a small-scale commercial producer interested in optimizing soil fertility and increasing plant productivity. In the ninth edition, author John Jeavons has revised and updated each chapter, including new sections on using less water and increasing compost power.