A simple step-by-step guide to biodynamics This is the easy guide to getting luscious fruit and vegetables and gorgeous flowers by harnessing the rhythms of nature and using all-natural methods. For gardeners looking for a self-sufficient, ethical approach that produces great results, biodynamics is the ultimate form of organic gardening. DK's trademark visual approach and practical advice shows the home gardener how to get the best from their garden using biodynamic methods. Biodynamic Gardening is the perfect introduction to this ultra-green method, explaining how it works by improving soil health and performing key tasks at optimal times. Focused chapters show you what to do in the garden each season, including preparing and feeding the soil, caring for plants, keeping a balanced garden ecosystem, and harvesting at the best times for the best flavor. It also includes step-by-step features explain how to make the special soil preparations biodynamic gardening is so famous for.
And if she stayed still Without making a sound She could see gnomes Helping plants through the ground. This radiant picture book was written for Julianna Margulies--the film actor and former star of the hit television series "ER"--when she was six years old. Her father, Paul Margulies, captures the pure openness of a child's imagination. These reflections on what a small girl sees around her remind us all, young and old, that life's riches can come to us through our loving attention to the simple and "ordinary." The vibrant images by Famke Zonneveld (the illustrator of Living Alphabet) bring this book to life. (Ages 4 - 7 years)
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
Biodynamic techniques recognise that plant life is intimately bound up with the life of the soil; that the soil itself is alive and that the degree of vitality influences the health of the crops. You will soon be able to grow quality produce which possesses vitality and has the highest flavour, through the nurture of the soil.Whether you are an experienced gardener or not, whether or not you have used permaculture or grown organic produce before, this book offers valuable, easily accessible tips
"No-till farming is the new best practice for preventing soil erosion, building soil biology, and providing growing conditions for vibrant, healthy crops. But for organic vegetable farmers and gardeners-and any farmer who wants to avoid herbicide use-the seemingly insurmountable dilemma with no-till has been how to control weeds without cultivating. In this thorough, practical guide, expert organic farmer Bryan O'Hara provide the answers. O'Hara systemically describes the growing methods he developed and perfected during a multi-year transition of his Connecticut certified organic vegetable farm to a no-till system. O'Hara asserts that this flexible, nature-friendly agricultural methodology is critical to vegetable farming success both economically as well as to maintain the health of the soil and the farm ecosystem. His methodology has proven itself over years of cropping on his home farm, Tobacco Road Farm, as well as other farms in his region, often with stunning results in yields, quality, and profitability. In No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture, O'Hara delves into the techniques he has experimented with and perfected in his 25 years of farming, including making and using compost, culturing and applying indigenous microorganisms to support soil biology, reduced tillage systems, no-till bed preparation techniques, seeding and transplanting methods, irrigation, use of fertilizers (including foliar feeds), pest and disease management, weed control, season extension, and harvest and storage techniques. O'Hara also explores the spiritual understanding of the nuances of the soil and a farm ecosystem and how that influences practical production decisions such as when to plant, water, and fertilize a crop. O'Hara goal is to pass on his knowledge to those who feel the impulse to make their livelihood in harmony with nature, requiring a relatively small land base of a few acres or less and little capital investment in mechanization. Home gardener and large-scale farmers will also find value in his methods. This manual will provides farmers with an advanced agricultural methodology not available in any other single book on organic vegetable production, a methodology that will allow farmers to continue to adapt to meet future challenges"--
Increase your yields and enjoy an abundant, healthy garden by discovering the benefits of lunar and biodynamic gardening with this easy-to-follow beginner's guide. Biodynamic gardening means taking a holistic approach to the garden and being aware of the interrelatedness of the soil, plants, and vegetables. The principles of biodynamics also bring a spiritual aspect to the meditative art of gardening, emphasizing the influence of invisible energies, such as the lunar cycles, on the garden. Biodynamic practices are used increasingly often in agriculture and many people are interested in adopting this holistic, natural approach in their own gardens but are unsure how to get started. In 'Lunar and Biodynamic Gardening', Matthew Jackson gives an easy-to-follow guide to getting started with biodynamics. You will discover how to take advantage of the natural rhythms of the moon, by planning your gardening activities to coincide with the most favorable conditions in the sky. For example, during a waxing moon, the earth is exhaling, and it is best to sow non-root plants. During a waning moon, the earth is inhaling, and biodynamic gardeners should water and fertilize their crops. Matthew also guides you through making biodynamic preparations to keep your soil “alive”, understanding your garden or allotment as part of a bigger web of life and demonstrates the importance of working with nature rather than trying to dominate it. With step-by-step illustrations for 25 projects, explanatory diagrams, and stunning color photographs, it’s easy to see how biodynamic techniques can work for any gardener.
Permaculture is a movement that is coming into its own, and the concept of creating plant guilds in permaculture is at the forefront of every farmer's and gardener's practice. One of the essential practices of permaculture is to develop perennial agricultural systems that thrive over several decades without expensive and harmful inputs: perennial plant guilds, food forests, agroforestry, and mixed animal and woody species polycultures. The massive degradation of conventional agriculture and the environmental havoc it creates has never been as all pervasive in terms of scale, so it has become a global necessity to further the understanding of a comprehensive design and planning system such as permaculture that works with nature, not against it. The guild concept often used is one of a "functional relationship" between plants-beneficial groupings of plants that share functions in order to bring health and stability to a plant regime and create an abundant yield for our utilization. In other words, it is the integration of species that creates a balanced, healthy, and thriving ecosystem. But it goes beyond integration. A guild is a metaphor for all walks of life, most importantly a group of people working together to craft works of balance, beauty, and utility. This book is the first, and most comprehensive, guide about plant guilds ever written, and covers in detail both what guilds are and how to design and construct them, complete with extensive color photography and design illustrations. Included is information on: - What we can observe about natural plant guilds in the wild and the importance of observation; - Detailed research on the structure of plant guilds, and a portrait of an oak tree (a guild unto itself); - Animal interactions with plant guilds; - Steps to guild design, construction, and dynamics: from assessment to design to implementation; - Fifteen detailed plant guilds, five each from the three authors based on their unique perspectives; - Guild project management: budgets, implementation, management, and maintenance. Readers of any scale will benefit from this book, from permaculture designers and professional growers, to backyard growers new to the concept of permaculture. Books on permaculture cover this topic, but never in enough depth to be replicable in a serious way. Finally, it's here!
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.
The expert guide to biodynamic farming and gardening. In this revised and updated edition of Grasp the Nettle Peter Proctor tells the reader how to apply biodynamic methods of farming and gardening to a wide range of conditions in New Zealand and in other countries. The book provides practical observations and techniques, and relates these to the spiritual scientific knowlege upon which that biodynamic practice is based. Peter gives tips on how to recognise healthy soil and pasture, and on how to make your own biodynamic preparations. He also gives examples of farms that are successfully using biodynamic methods. This book aims to assist biodynamic farmers and gardeners to observe the processes of life and growth, and to understand how these processes are governed by cosmic forces, so they can use this knowlege in applying their practical skills. Peter Proctor, past national field advisor for the NZ Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, now teaches and advises farmers on biodynamic methods around the world.
Dealing with a sick plant is one of the most frustrating situations a gardener can face. More often than not, we have no idea what is causing the problem, or how to fix it. Fortunately, help is at hand. What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) provides an easy system for visually diagnosing any problem, and matching it to the right cure. This innovative and easy-to-use guide is split into three parts. Part One presents easy-to-follow, illustrated flow charts — organized by where on the plant the symptoms appear — that allow readers to accurately diagnose the problem. The format is so simple it doesn't even require knowing the name of the plant; all you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stem, flowers, or leaves. It does not matter whether the plant is a houseplant, perennial, vegetable, tree, or shrub. Part Two offers a 100% organic way to fix the problem. From improper growing conditions and environmental factors, to molds, pests, and diseases, every problem has a safe, natural solution. Part Three shows photographs and drawings of stressed, damaged, and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison. Whether your garden consists of herbs on a kitchen windowsill, a vegetable garden, an elaborate backyard border, or a container on a patio, What's Wrong With My Plant? is an indispensable resource. If you can see it, you can fix it. Curing a sick plant just doesn't get any easier.
