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Click on any book cover for information on purchasing the book; please note that the book links open a new browser window to Amazon.com.
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BACKYARD MARKET GARDENING: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow
by Andy Lee, Jim Hightower
The greatest opportunities can sometimes be found in our own backyards. This is true for the small-scale farmer/gardener who dreams of selling the fruits of their labors to an appreciative public. Discover how easy and profitable it is to grow and sell vegetables, fruits, flower, Herbs and small livestock from your backyard market garden. Make Money at Home!
This inspirational, dirt-under-the-fingernails book with its earthy humor, has helped inspire "the gardener's next door" to grow food not only for themselves, but others as well and make money while doing what they love.
Written by "a master farmer who has walked his talk", Backyark Market Gardening is the flagship book that has helped spawn farmers' markets and community farms across America. It has inspired thousands of communities to pursue local food self-sufficiency. "An easy, entertaining read that is very rewarding to the soul, the soil and the flow of capital".
Twice selected by the Rodale Book Club as the Editors Choice for the Book of the Month. |
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The CONTRARY FARMER'S INVITATION TO GARDENING
by Gene Logsdon
Gene Logsdon has done it again! One of his earlier books, The Contrary Farmer, is one of the most moving, sensible, readable books about sustainable farming on the market. Now Logsdon successfully applies that wry wit, wisdom, and storytelling faculty to gardening. The result is a perceptive and inspirational volume: it is nearly impossible to resist dreaming about getting out there and raising your own food after reading this intelligent, enjoyable book.
Logsdon's voice is utterly personal and sensible: he uses his experiences as well as tales of people he knows to point out absurdities of modern agricultural horticultural silliness. This same humor and clear-headedness are employed in considering the futility of industrialized farming, pesticide use, and the highly destructive methods of corporate and commercial farming and gardening. (Amazon.com)
Gene Logsdon breaks down the garden walls and celebrates the side of gardening that isn't a finicky, style-obsessed, and expensive hobby but rather a hilarious, sensual, and endlessly satisfying way of life. The borders of the contrary garden are limited only by the imagination. Why should "crops" be merely common vegetables? Why not wheat? Why not the pigeons on the rafters of the barn, or bluegills and edible cattails from your own homestead pond? This is Gene Logsdon at his provocative best. Frequently irreverent, but always optimistic and practical, he uses the tools of good humor and common sense to smash conventional gardening to smithereens. (Card catalog description)
See also The CONTRARY FARMER ...by Gene Logsdon
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FOREST GARDENING: Cultivating an Edible Landscape
by Robert A. De J. Hart
A holistic approach encompassing health issues, spirituality, and environmental concerns governs Hart's philosophy of "forest gardening" --akin to multistory gardens maintained by certain indigenous societies. Hart and a partner have implemented just such a garden on a small farm in Shropshire, England, and Hart's ardent treatise champions a union of modern technological methods and machines with ecologically sound practices. Interplanting edible crops is utmost: herbs and fruiting shrubs, "fodder-bearing" trees, and a variety of perennial plants. Highlights include mention of other communities that have achieved great degrees of self-sufficiency, where a sacred view of man's connectedness to nature appears inextricably linked to low-maintenance symbiotic plantings, appreciation of handcrafted objects, a vegan diet, and independent lifestyle. (Alice Joyce)
The author believes harmony (peace) on this planet is highly correlated with an approach to gardening that recognizes the value of plants and all living things. He blends history, philosophy, and anthropology together as he talks about plants, vegetables, herbs, nuts, animals, and trees. He offers practical ways in dealing with "natural" problems associated with farming. Best part of the book is his appendixes where he lists drought resistant plants, wetland plants, sun loving herbs, shade loving herbs, etc. He provides an excellent bibliography. The author loves this planet. This is a thoughtful essay on the proper relationship of human beings to animals and plants on this planet. (maslow3@earthlink.net, Seattle, WA)
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FOUR SEASON HARVEST: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Eliot Coleman, Kathy Bray (Illustrator), Barbara Damrosch
Everyone who grows vegetables must know Coleman. He's the organic methods expert--the one who knows how to maximize both garden yield and gardening pleasure, year round. (Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.)
Shows home gardeners how to grow and harvest up to forty different vegetables in season all year round by using cold frames, mobile greenhouses, high-quality compost, and other simple and inexpensive tools and techniques. (Ingram)
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GARDENING for the FUTURE of the EARTH
by Howard-Yana Shapiro, Ph.D., John Harrisson
This inspirational collaboration between Shapiro and Harrisson puts forth principles of organic gardening techniques for gardeners to capitalize on at home. Valuable advice focuses on saving seed and preserving plant diversity, as well as methods for soil building, reusing water, preparing biointensive raised beds, and designing a plot for maximum productivity. The book contains profiles of individuals who have achieved sustainable gardening practices; the ideas of Bill Mollison, John Jeavons, and Carol Deppe figure prominently among the group of visionaries. With instruction on how to carefully assess site conditions while observing the patterns in nature that lead to the most efficient use of space, there is much to be learned about cultivating fruitful gardens and at the same time protecting the planet's flora and other resources. (Alice Joyce)
About the Authors
Howard-Yana Shapiro, Ph.D., is vice president of agriculture for Seeds of Change, the largest certified organic seed company in the United States. A two-time Ford Foundation Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, and a National Endowment for the Arts Award recipient, he is a former university professor and a respected expert in world sustainable agricultural systems.
Shapiro began his work in Europe more than twenty-five years ago and later moved to Latin America, particularly the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico, the highlands of Guatemala, and the altiplano of the Andes. In the United States, his work has been centered in northern New Mexico, where he lives with his wife, Nancy, on the banks of the Rio Grande on land that has been farmed continuously for more than 3,000 years.
He has been widely quoted in print and broadcast media, including Organic Gardening, Sunset, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, The Guardian, Australian Broadcast Corporation, CBS, and National Public Radio. He has also addressed agricultural/economics meetings in the United States, Latin America, Australia, and Asia.
John Harrisson is a freelance writer with more than fourteen books on Southwestern and Hawaiian foods and cooking to his credit. |
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HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES: (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and other crops)
by John Jeavons
A classic in the field of sustainable gardening, HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES shows how to produce a beautiful organic garden with minimal watering and care, whether it's just a few tomatoes in a tiny backyard or enough food to feed a family of four on less than half an acre. Updated with the latest biointensive tips and techniques, this is an essential reference for gardeners of all skill levels seeking to grow some or all of their own food.
Concise, Thorough Guide to Gardening for Sustenance
This book was loaned to me by a friend who has used it's techniques to produce high-yield growth in his gardens. I have always wanted to have a self sufficent garden, and land for this, but have always thought I would need a number of acres to do this. I am now planning on purchasing a home with one acre and am confident that with the techniques detailed in this book, I will be able to produce good crops for home-grown organic vegetables.
There is so much information here on composting, conpanion planting, how plants and thier root systems grow and interact, how to make the garden beds, why beds and clumps are better and yield more produce than planting in rows, soil composition, garden implements and more.
There are diagrams for everything you need to know presented in such a way that it's easy to understand and implement. There is so much information here, it would be usefull to a complete beginer like me or an experienced gardner. (- Joshua, Texas)
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LET IT ROT: The Gardener's Guide to Composting
by Stu Campbell
Book Description
In 1975, Let it Rot! helped start the composting movement and taught gardeners everywhere how to recycle waste to create soil-nourishing compost. Contains advice for starting and maintaining a composting system, building bins, and using compost. Third Edition. 267,000 copies in print.
From the Back Cover
This is the classic guide to turning household waste into gardener's gold! Since 1975, Let It Rot! has helped countless gardeners recycle waste materials like household garbage, grass clippings, and ashes to create useful, soil-nourishing compost.
About the Author
Stu Campbell's Let it Rot! is the classic guide to turning household waste into gardener's gold! He is an accomplished gardener, writer and skier who lives in Stowe, Vermont. He has written Storey's The Home Water Supply, The Mulch Book, Mulch It! and Improving Your Soil as well. Stu is also a compulsive composter -- collecting piles of particularly attractive leaves from the side of the road! |
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SECRETS TO A SUCCESSFUL GREENHOUSE AND BUSINESS: A Complete Guide to Starting and Operating A High-Profit Organic or Hydroponic Business That Benefits the Environment
by Ted M. Taylor
This book saved me ten years!
If you want the best info on greenhouses that was written in this country and is very up to date, this book is for you. Info on hydroponic tomatoes was the latest available (very important). The info on getting customers is the best that I have read. Real good ideas on building a greenhouse and the many extras you can get for this wonderful business. Suggestions on what to grow first for new growers and how many. Even what to say to prospect buyers. A buyers list that has real buyers! Just a great book and will save you many years. (Anonymous, Melbourne, FL)
The Answer To A Lifetime Dream!
If you want to know everything from the "how come?", to the "how to?", to the "how much?" of the greenhouse business then you want to order, "Secrets To A Successful Greenhouse and Business" by Ted M. Taylor. I always wanted to own a nursery or be in the greenhouse business but had convinced my self I couldn't afford the investment or the risk. I discovered a link to this book one night while searching for information on Hibiscus. I ordered one copy and then ordered another copy for a friend before the first one arrived. I read the book and can tell you first hand that you will learn everthing from the importance of developing a plan, to how to build an affordable greenhouse, to what plants to grow, to how to grow them, to how to market them plus a long list of references, buyers, workshops and seminars. Although the dates of the conferences will be different depending on the issue of the book, it is comforting to know these events are held each year and I feel sure it will be very easy to find the current year schedule.
In this day of technology, it is refreshing to find an author who writes with such understandable basics. It's obvious he has been a huge sucess in the greenhouse business. In a telephone conversation with Mr. Taylor, he assured me that the toughest part of the business is the decision to get started. That's the part I've had the biggest trouble with but will build my first greenhouse this year. The book showed me not only that the business is affordable but also can be profitable very early. (Dave Huffman, Palm Coast, FL)
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SQUARE FOOT GARDENING
by Mel Bartholomew
Square Foot Gardening presents a new way to garden in less space with less work. The book has been overwhelmingly accepted by gardeners across America. Bartholomew also hosted the popular PBS series of the same name. Truly, the largest selling garden book in America. 37 photos. 63 illustrations and charts.
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The SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE GARDEN: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields
by John Jeavons, Carol Cox
More than 25 years ago, Jeavons wrote the best-selling How to Grow More Vegetables, which sold more than 350,000 copies in seven languages. It was a how-to book on high-yield, biologically intensive food-raising techniques. His new book, coauthored by Carol Cox, is a somewhat simpler book written for gardeners trying biointensive gardening for the first time. The focus is on the soil; and a good way to ensure sustainable soil fertility, the authors say, is the biointensive method of growing food. To achieve this, they give instructions and suggestions on what to grow; preparing biointensive beds, compost, and plating; growing compost crops, such as vetch, fava beans, wheat, and rye; and growing "calorie crops" (wheat, oats, dry beans, and corn). The authors make suggestions on companion planting--i.e., which crops to put beside each other for the best results. (George Cohen)
This introduction to biointensive gardening shows that it is not only possible but easy to grow astonishing crops of healthful organic vegetable and fruits, while conserving resources and helping the soil. (Ingram) |
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