Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

by Brett L. Markham Narrated by Christopher Solimene

Overview

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce eighty-five 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.



Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring.” ---Booklist

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring. —Booklist

Carol Haggas - Booklist

A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring.

Booklist - Carol Haggas

A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring.

Booklist

A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring.”— Carol Haggas

Library Journal

Intensive growing methods can allow gardeners with small lots to offset seriously the yearly grocery bill. Markham has adapted, through years of experimentation, the techniques developed by such gardener-authors as Mel Bartholomew (Square Foot Gardening) and John Jeavons (How To Grow More Vegetables and Fruits). In this revised and expanded version of his 2006 self-published book, now with almost double the text and with 250 color photographs, Markham suggests that a small family (with one outside income) can come out economically ahead by following his strategies, provided that their overhead is low and that they produce more calorie-dense foods in addition to vegetables and fruits. His instructions for projects show how to spend as little capital as possible in order to keep the operation economical, with plenty of references for more in-depth study. Although he does not cover wine and cheese making, there is plenty on soil minerals. VERDICT While not as hip as other recent books on urban homesteading, such as Carleen Madigan's The Backyard Homestead and Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen's The Urban Homestead, this differs by focusing on practicality and the bottom line. A helpful addition, alongside Bartholomew and Jeavons, for the serious DIY gardener.—Margaret Heller, Dominican Univ. Lib., River Forest, IL

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171214005
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/15/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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