Stand Up and Garden: The no-digging, no-tilling, no-stooping approach to growing vegetables and herbs
Stand Up and Garden: The no-digging, no-tilling, no-stooping approach to growing vegetables and herbs

Author: Mary Moss-Sprague

Publisher: The Countryman Press

Published: 2012-04-16

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1581578083

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Focusing on containers, trellises, and raised beds, this book shows how everyone can garden, including those with physical limitations like arthritis or location limitations like apartment-dwellers without backyards. Knowing where our food comes from is a huge issue; food safety and costs seem to figure more prominently in our lives all the time. Many people would like to grow their own vegetables but don’t know how to begin—digging, plowing, planting, weeding, and watering a large plot can be daunting. Stand Up and Garden shows how everyone can garden, including those with physical limitations like arthritis or location limitations like apartment-dwellers without backyards. Imagine harvesting radishes, carrots, and strawberries in the spring; herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers all through the summer; beets, spinach, and even potatoes in autumn. By focusing on containers, trellises, and raised beds, Master Gardener Mary Moss-Sprague has improved upon traditional gardening by developing ways to grow plants that produce large amounts of food—enough for canning and other preservation—in small vertical spaces. New gardeners will find basic planting and growing information for a wide range of vegetables and herbs. Experienced growers will find economical, space- and energy-saving ideas. In addition to vertical gardening techniques, there are tips on overwintering plants and details on sustainable and eco-friendly gardening practices. Step-by-step illustrations and supply lists of inexpensive materials make projects like building a trellis or constructing a raised bed using straw bales accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or skill. There’s even a chapter on installing a micro-drip irrigation system—a very helpful innovation that eliminates the need for heavy hand-held watering devices. Use this great reference for inspiration and instruction on sustainable and economical gardening practices and techniques.

No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture
No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture

Author: Bryan O'Hara

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2020-02-21

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1603588531

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"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"--

Hot Beds
Hot Beds

Author: Jack First

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-01-10

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 0857841084

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A low-cost, sustainable approach to cultivating out-of-season vegetables in small spaces, using the age-old technique of growing in hot beds. The ancient method of growing vegetables in hot beds, used by the Victorians and by the Romans, harnesses the natural process of decay to cultivate out-of-season crops. In this easy-to-use guide, Jack First shares essential tips on how to reap the rewards available from modernizing and adapting this remarkable technique. With just stable manure (or alternatives), a simple frame and a small space to build your bed, you can be harvesting salads in March and potatoes in early April. This accessible, illustrated guide has everything you need to understand how to use this highly productive, low-cost, year-round, eco-friendly gardening system. Straightforward explanations and diagrams show how you too can grow early veg without fossil-fuel energy or elaborate equipment.

The One-Straw Revolution
The One-Straw Revolution

Author: Masanobu Fukuoka

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2010-09-08

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1590173929

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Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.” Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort. Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.

The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook: 150 Home Grown Recipes from the Green Mountain State
The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook: 150 Home Grown Recipes from the Green Mountain State

Author: Tracey Medeiros

Publisher: The Countryman Press

Published: 2013-05-06

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 158157732X

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For farm-to-table cooking and dining like you've never seen it, Vermont is the place. Small, independent farms are the lifeblood of Vermont’s agriculture, from the sweetcorn grower to the dairy goat farmer to the cheesemaker whose locally sourced goat milk chevre becomes the heart of a new dish by a chef in Montpelier. While this farm-to-table cycle may be a phenomenon just hitting its stride in the United States, it has long been away of life in Vermont, part of the ethos that Vermonters use to define themselves. As such, Vermont exemplifies a standard of small-scale, community-minded, unadulterated agriculture that has become a national model. When Tracey Medeiros wrote Dishing Up Vermont in 2008, she wanted to showcase the chefs and restaurateurs who were dazzling taste buds with their fresh, whole-food creations. With The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook, Medeiros has traversed the Green Mountain State once again, in search of not only those celebrated chefs but the hard-working farmers who provide them with their fresh and wholesome ingredients as well. Collecting their stories and some 125 of their delicious, rustic-yet-refined, Vermont inspired recipes, Medeiros presents an irresistible gastronomic portrait of this singular state. Classics like Vermont Cheddar Soup and exciting innovations like Ramp Dumplings or Raisin Hell Pie will send you racing to your local farmers’ market in search of the ingredients. And with dishes that shout “only in Vermont,”like Wood-Fired Blueberry Pizza or Beer-Battered Fiddleheads, no matter where you are you’ll want to transform your tried-and-true menus into fresh and flavorful Vermont farm table suppers. Tracey Medeiros is a freelance food writer, food stylist, and recipe developer and tester. She writes a weekly food column for the Essex Reporter and the Colchester Sun and writes the Edible Farm column for Edible Green Mountains Magazine. Medeiros is also the author of Dishing Up Vermont. She lives in Essex Junction, VT.

Small-scale Aquaponic Food Production
Small-scale Aquaponic Food Production

Author: Christopher Somerville

Publisher: Fao

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789251085325

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This technical paper begins by introducing the concept of aquaponics, including a brief history of its development and its place within the larger category of soil-less culture and modern agriculture. It discusses the main theoretical concepts of aquaponics, including the nitrogen cycle and the nitrification process, the role of bacteria, and the concept of balancing an aquaponic unit. It then moves on to cover important considerations of water quality parameters, water testing, and water sourcing for aquaponics, as well as methods and theories of unit design, including the three main methods of aquaponic systems: media beds, nutrient film technique, and deep water culture. The publication discusses in detail the three groups of living organisms (bacteria, plants and fish) that make up the aquaponic ecosystem. It also presents management strategies and troubleshooting practices, as well as related topics, specifically highlighting local and sustainable sources of aquaponic inputs. The publication also includes nine appendixes that present other key topics: ideal conditions for common plants grown in aquaponics; chemical and biological controls of common pests and diseases including a compatible planting guide; common fish diseases and related symptoms, causes and remedies; tools to calculate the ammonia produced and biofiltration media required for a certain fish stocking density and amount of fish feed added; production of homemade fish feed; guidelines and considerations for establishing aquaponic units; a cost-benefit analysis of a small-scale, media bed aquaponic unit; a comprehensive guide to building small-scale versions of each of the three aquaponic methods; and a brief summary of this publication designed as a supplemental handout for outreach, extension and education.

Weedless Gardening
Weedless Gardening

Author: Lee A. Reich

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

Published: 2000-01-08

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0761172025

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Garden like Mother Nature, with an organic system that’s good for plants and good for people. Say good-bye to backaches and weed problems! Lee Reich’s organic Weedless Gardening eschews the traditional yearly digging up and working over of the soil. It’s is an easy-to-follow, low-impact approach to planting and maintaining a flower garden, a vegetable patch, trees, and shrubs naturally. "If you love to knock yourself out digging beds, buy a better shovel. If you're looking for a no-nonsense alternative, buy this book!" -Ketzel Levine, National Public Radio's Doyenne of Dirt) "Thoroughly practical, easy-to-follow guide to good gardening Lee Reich make it sound simple, and if you follow his methods and philosophy, it is." -Dora Galitzki, Gardening Columnist, The New York Times, and Author of The Gardener's Essential Companion "Finally, a book filled with science-based information that insures success and frees us from busywork in the garden." - Dr. H. March Cathey, President Emeritus, American Horticultural Society

The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening
The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening

Author: Charlie Nardozzi

Publisher: Cool Springs Press

Published: 2020-12-15

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 0760367914

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A lush, productive vegetable, herb, and flower garden doesn’t have to require endless hours of time and unlimited energy. No-dig gardening methods let you keep the rototiller in the shed and focus on what you like best—planting and harvesting! With the step-by-step instructions in The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening, you’ll discover how to build healthy, easy-to-plant garden soil by adding layers of organic matter using one of several different no-dig techniques. Whether you garden in a small, urban backyard or on several acres in the country, this simple approach lets you grow more food and blooms than ever before, and leave the gas-guzzling tiller behind forever. Plus, when you don't disturb the soil, weed seeds stay buried deep where they can't germinate and carbon is kept sequestered in the ground. No-dig gardening techniques also lead to reduced watering needs and a healthy population of beneficial soil microbes that help feed your plants by breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients. In addition to extolling the endless benefits of no-dig growing, author and veggie-growing expert Charlie Nardozzi hands you the tools you need to: Create a new no-dig garden from scratch Transition an existing garden to the no-dig method Build the most productive, nutrient-rich soil possible Recycle yard waste by building a Hugelkultur planting mound Discover more about some great variations of no-dig gardening, including raised beds and containers Bring your no-dig garden indoors for a continuous harvest Welcome oodles of fresh, homegrown veggies, herbs, and flowers into your life—with no back-breaking work required!

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book
The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book

Author: Ruth Stout

Publisher:

Published: 2021-06-09

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9781927458365

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Can you really have a productive garden without plowing, hoeing, weeding, cultivating, and all the other bothersome rituals that most gardeners suffer through every growing season? "Sure," says Ruth Stout, a prolific author and writer at 80 years young. The reason that Ruth can throw away her spade and hoe and do her gardening from a couch is a year-round mulch covering, 6 to 8 inches thick, that covers her garden like a blanket. Thousands of curious gardeners have visited her Redding, Connecticut garden, including university scientists and horticulture experts. The experts have been dazzled by the technique used by the queen of mulch! But the results of 41 years of gardening experience can't be denied. The Ruth Stout No-Work Gardening Book gives Ruth's unique advice on growing techniques and tells how she has escaped the bugaboos that haunt most gardeners. Her poison-free method of combating slugs and other insects, her scheme for growing tasty vegetables all year, her method of foiling both drought and frost -- these and many other growing secrets are revealed -- secrets that have brought this perky organic gardener season after season of growing pleasure. If you're tired of being a slave to your garden, yet still want to enjoy it without the bother of sprays, weeding, hoeing or other toilsome garden chores, The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Books has the information you need. It's completely tested gardening method, perfected during more than 40 years experience and reported in the pages of Organic Gardening magazine, eliminates gardening strain and toil, and does it organically with no dangerous chemical fertilizers or toxic sprays. Take it easy. Put nature to work in your garden.