Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

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 (Library Journal)
Request Mini Farming from the catalog