Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Self-Sufficiency from Asparagus to Zucchini

by Brett L. Markham

Overview

Make the most of your vegetable garden with Brett Markham, author Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre. This comprehensive new handbook covers everything you need to know about maximizing and harvesting the best vegetables you can possibly produce. With each chapter addressing a different vegetable, you’ll learn tips and tricks about varietal selection, nutritional merits, how to begin, special hints for growing, and how to deal with particular pests and diseases, plus one or two creative recipes to get you started. With over 150 of Markham’s own photographs guiding you every step of the way, you’ll find this an honest, straightforward guide and a must-have for any vegetable mini-farmer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620873786
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	05/22/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Brett L. Markham is an engineer, third-generation farmer, and polymath. The author of the bestselling Mini Farming series, he runs a profitable, Certified Naturally Grown mini farm on less than half an acre. Brett works full time as an engineer for a broadband ISP and farms in his spare time. He lives in New Ipswich, New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments and Dedication|vii

Foreword: Why Grow Your Own Vegetables? ix

Chapter 1 Soil and Fertility 3

Chapter 2 Asparagus 17

Chapter 3 Beans 25

Chapter 4 Beets and Chard 33

Chapter 5 Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower 41

Chapter 6 Carrots and Parsnips 51

Chapter 7 Corn 61

Chapter 8 Cucumbers 73

Chapter 9 Greens 83

Chapter 10 Herbs 93

Chapter 11 Melons 105

Chapter 12 Onions 113

Chapter 13 Peas 125

Chapter 14 Peppers 133

Chapter 15 Potatoes 143

Chapter 16 Squash 157

Chapter 17 Tomatoes 169

Chapter 18 Turnips, Rutabagas, and Radishes 183

Chapter 19 Permaculture with Perennial Vegetables 193

Index of Recipes 202

Alphabetical Index 203

Editorial Reviews

Markham is developing a franchise; this and two other books extend and focus the ideas in his earlier Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre. This book’s focus on veggies aims at a sweet spot: the millions of people who need to know how grandma (or great-grandma) grew all those wonderful tomatoes, and even more great produce, in the backyard in the summer. Gardeners who are familiar with intensive gardening methods won’t find a great deal, but newbies will love the commonsense systematic way Markham, an engineer and hobby farmer, explains what goes into successful cultivation: the chemistry and methods of soil preparation before a seed is put in the ground. His philosophy slides sometimes into oversimplification: an asparagus bed, for example, takes a few years to establish. And his criticism of the politics of contemporary farming is not deep. But readers wanting that should turn to Michael Pollan; readers looking to plant their first raised-bed garden should start here. A bonus is drop-dead simple recipes, again best for people becoming acquainted with growing and cooking their own food. (June)

Publishers Weekly