The Urban Farmer

The Urban Farmer

Author: Curtis Allen Stone

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2015-12-14

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1771421916

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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.


Organic Manifesto

Organic Manifesto

Author: Maria Rodale

Publisher: Rodale Books

Published: 2010-03-16

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1605291587

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Rodale was founded on the belief that organic gardening is the key to better health both for us and for the planet, and never has this message been more urgent. Now, with Organic Manifesto, Maria Rodale, chairman of Rodale, sheds new light on the state of 21st century farming. She examines the unholy alliances that have formed between the chemical companies that produce fertilizer and genetically altered seeds, the agricultural educational system that is virtually subsidized by those same companies, and the government agencies in thrall to powerful lobbyists, all of which perpetuate dangerous farming practices and deliberate misconceptions about organic farming and foods. Interviews with government officials, doctors, scientists, and farmers from coast to coast bolster her position that chemical-free farming may be the single most effective tool we have to protect our environment and, even more important, our health.


(English) 100 Herbs

(English) 100 Herbs

Author: Geol Yu

Publisher: JADAM

Published: 2018-02-10

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 8989220238

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In this book, 100 plants or wild herbs known to contain defensive substances against such pest insects, have been selected. Their properties, cultivation methods, medical uses and usage in organic agriculture are explained in detail along with pictures. JADAM’s ultimate goal is to bring farming back to farmers. Through JADAM’s method, farming can become Ultra-Low-Cost, completely organic, and farmers can once again become the masters of farming. Farmers will possess the knowledge, method, and technology of farming. When organic farming becomes easy, effective and inexpensive, it can finally become a practical alternative. Farmers, consumers, and Mother Nature will all rejoice in this splendid new world we wish to open. JADAM means “people that resemble nature.” It is an organization of farmers that practices, studies and advances the JADAM organic farming system. The greatest feature of JADAM method is that it is ultra-low-cost, easy to do, completely organic and that it works. JADAM is a global network of farmers sharing knowledge, connecting experience and building on improvements; it is a continuously evolving system. JADAM system is practical; only methods that stand the test of growers will survive. JADAM is not a simple gathering of trial-and-error data; it has its unique theories and philosophy. Study JADAM and your eyes will open to a new world of soil management, microorganisms, nutrition, and pests.


The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables

The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables

Author: Ben Hartman

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1603586997

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At Clay Bottom Farm, author Ben Hartman and staff practice kaizen, or continuous improvement, cutting out more waste--of time, labor, space, money, and more--every year and aligning their organic production more tightly with customer demand. Applied alongside other lean principles originally developed by the Japanese auto industry, the end result has been increased profits and less work. In this field-guide companion to his award-winning first book, The Lean Farm, Hartman shows market vegetable growers in even more detail how Clay Bottom Farm implements lean thinking in every area of their work, including using kanbans, or replacement signals, to maximize land use; germination chambers to reduce defect waste; and right-sized machinery to save money and labor and increase efficiency. From finding land and assessing infrastructure needs to selling perfect produce at the farmers market, The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables digs deeper into specific, tested methods for waste-free farming that not only help farmers become more successful but make the work more enjoyable. These methods include: Using Japanese paper pot transplanters Building your own germinating chambers Leaning up your greenhouse Making and applying simple composts Using lean techniques for pest and weed control Creating Heijunka, or load-leveling calendars for efficient planning Farming is not static, and improvement requires constant change. The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables offers strategies for farmers to stay flexible and profitable even in the face of changing weather and markets. Much more than a simple exercise in cost-cutting, lean farming is about growing better, not cheaper, food--the food your customers want.


The New Organic Grower

The New Organic Grower

Author: Eliot Coleman

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 1995-10-01

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 160358014X

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With more than 45,000 sold since 1989, The New Organic Grower has become a modern classic. In this newly revised and expanded edition, master grower Eliot Coleman continues to present the simplest and most sustainable ways of growing top-quality organic vegetables. Coleman updates practical information on marketing the harvest, on small-scale equipment, and on farming and gardening for the long-term health of the soil. The new book is thoroughly updated, and includes all-new chapters such as: Farm-Generated Fertility—how to meet your soil-fertility needs from the resources of your own land, even if manure is not available. The Moveable Feast—how to construct home-garden and commercial-scale greenhouses that can be easily moved to benefit plants and avoid insect and disease build-up. The Winter Garden—how to plant, harvest, and sell hardy salad crops all winter long from unheated or minimally heated greenhouses. Pests—how to find "plant-positive" rather than "pest-negative" solutions by growing healthy, naturally resistant plants. The Information Resource—how and where to learn what you need to know to grow delicious organic vegetables, no matter where you live. Written for the serious gardener or small market farmer, The New Organic Grower proves that, in terms of both efficiency and profitability, smaller can be better.


The New Organic Grower, 3rd Edition

The New Organic Grower, 3rd Edition

Author: Eliot Coleman

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2018-09-26

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1603588183

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“Updated for its 30th anniversary edition; [This book] remains as relevant as ever.”—New York Times Book Review Since its original publication in 1989, The New Organic Grower has been one of the most important farming books available, with pioneer Eliot Coleman leading the charge in the organic movement in the United States. Now fully illustrated and updated, this 30th Anniversary Edition is a must-have for any agricultural library. Eliot Coleman’s books and innovative methods have helped innumerable organic farmers build successful farms in deep accordance with nature. The wisdom in this seminal book holds true even as the modern agricultural canon has grown—in large part due to Coleman’s influence as a wise elder with decades of experience. New information has been included in this edition to showcase the new tools and techniques that Eliot has been developing over the last thirty-five years. Inspired by the European intensive growers, The New Organic Grower, 30th Anniversary Edition, offers a very approachable and productive form of farming that has proven to work well for the earth and its stewards for centuries. Gardeners working on 2.5 acres or less will find this book especially useful, as it offers proof that small-scale market growers and serious home gardeners can live good lives close to the land and make a profit at the same time. The New Organic Grower is ideal for young farmers just getting started, or gardeners seeking to expand into a more productive enterprise. New material in this edition includes: Beautiful color photographs throughout, taken by master gardener and author Barbara Damrosch (Eliot’s wife and co-farmer) Updated information throughout on how Eliot’s practices have changed through his experiments over the years A new section from Damrosch about incorporating flowers on the small farm More information on new tools Eliot has invented that don’t appear in any of his other books "I was interested in the environment, farming, science . . . and there was Eliot’s book lying on the shelf. I remember grabbing it, and I just FELL IN. . . . I remember reading it like it was the Bible."—Dan Barber, chef


Sustainable Market Farming

Sustainable Market Farming

Author: Pam Dawling

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2013-02-01

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 1550925121

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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.


The Ecological Gardener

The Ecological Gardener

Author: Matt Rees-Warren

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2021-04-29

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1645020088

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Design a garden for the future—because what we grow matters. "Matt Rees-Warren explains why every square inch of Earth, including our gardens, has ecological significance... Excellent, timely, essential!" —Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope Transform your garden into a self-sustaining haven for nature and wildlife. Ecological garden designer Matt Rees-Warren shares inspirational design ideas and practical projects to help you create a garden that is both beautiful today and sustainable tomorrow. The Ecological Gardener will give you the tools to create an abundant, healthy garden from the soil up—a garden that welcomes birds and bees and allows native planting and wild flowers to flourish, with minimal carbon impact or need for fresh water. This book can guide both novice and experienced gardeners alike in their journey to a more ecological approach, and is full of practical projects and information, including: Finding the right design for your space Creating a wildflower meadow Building rainwater catchments and other tips for water conservation Making compost from kitchen waste, leaf mold, compost tea and more Creating a space for wildlife such as hedgehogs, bees and other pollinators Finding beauty in your garden during the winter Matt will show you how to re-imagine how you garden, working with nature instead of controlling it, to create a space that promotes both wildlife and beauty.


The Market Gardener

The Market Gardener

Author: Jean-Martin Fortier

Publisher: New Society Publisher

Published: 2014-03-01

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1550925555

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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.


(English) JADAM Organic Farming

(English) JADAM Organic Farming

Author: Youngsang Cho

Publisher: JADAM

Published: 2020-02-10

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 8989220173

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ULTRA Powerful Pest and Disease Control Solution Make all-Natural Pesticide. Farm at $100 per acre a year. Everything you need to know to: Go completely organic Boost quality and yield Save huge, huge, HUGE costs Make all-natural fertilizer, pesticide, and microorganism inputs yourself. JADAM’s ultimate objective is to bring farming back to farmers. Through JADAM’s method, farming can become ultra-low-cost, completely organic, and farmers can once again become the masters of farming. Farmers will possess the knowledge, method, and technology of farming. When organic farming becomes easy, effective, and inexpensive, it can finally become a practical alternative. Farmers, consumers, and Mother Nature will all rejoice in this splendid new world we wish to open. You will learn many useful new methods including increasing microbial diversity and population, boosting soil minerals, tackling soil compaction, reducing salt levels, raising soil fertility, and more. This book also shows you how to make natural pesticides that can replace chemical ones. He started organic farming and raised animals himself from 1991 in Asan, Chungnam province. He went on to establish "Jadam Organic Farming" and started to promote this farming system through books and website (www.jadam.kr). He established "Jadam Natural Pesticide Institute" in 2002 from where he continued his research while integrating knowledge from many experienced farmers which led to the completion of the system of ultra-low-cost Jadam organic farming. He invented and developed many technologies for a natural pesticide which he voluntarily did not patent but rather shared through books and website. His "Natural Pesticide Workshops" teaches the essence of ultra-low-cost JADAM organic farming. Lectures, too, are disclosed on JADAM website(en.jadam.kr).