Andrew Mefferd

Practical No-Till Farming (eBook, ePUB)

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Do less, produce more, and grow the soil life that feeds crops using chemical-free, organic no-till methods

A no-nonsense breakdown of no-till market gardening that gets straight to the point and stays there. Practical No-Till Farming is arguably the most devourable technical manual I've come across. A great read and an even greater asset to organic flower and vegetable growers everywhere.
- JESSE FROST, author, The Living Soil Handbook

This is a book I wish I had when I was starting out. Helps clarify what the big deal is about no-till, how it's being defined, and how folks are actually making it work.
- JOSH VOLK, author, Build Your Own Farm Tools and Compact Farms

NO-TILL FARMING methods are taking small-scale farming by storm, promising less work, higher productivity, improved soil health, carbon sequestration, and weed control for organic growers.

There are many ways to approach no-till, including mulching with compost, cardboard, straw, silage tarps, and more-and there is no shortage of conflicting advice on how to get started.

Practical No-Till Farming is here to help, sorting the wheat from the chaff and the horse manure from the plastic mulch. Coverage includes:

• How to assess your farm for no-till options considering climate, soil, and crop selection
• Detailed descriptions of common no-till methods, including pros and cons, materials, and relative costs
• Choosing the most appropriate methods for your context
• How-to for each no-till method, including what to do and when
• Dealing with bindweed, symphylans, and other difficult weeds and pests
• Maximizing productivity of no-till beds
• Special coverage of both organic vegetable and flower no-till market farming.

Ideal for small-scale growers everywhere, this one-of-a-kind manual is the ultimate guide to getting started with no-till farming.

If you're looking for a practical, down-to-earth book that explains both the whys and hows of no-till market gardening, this definitely is the book for you.
- JOHN IKERD, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri-Columbia

ANDREW MEFFERD is the editor of Growing for Market magazine and author of The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution and The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook. He lives and farms in Cornville, Maine.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: New Society Publishers
• Seitenzahl: 240
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. November 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781771423564
• Artikelnr.: 63412622

Autorenporträt

Andrew Mefferd is the editor of Growing for Market magazine and author of The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution and The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook. He spent seven years in the research department at Johnny's Selected Seeds, traveling internationally consulting with researchers and farmers on the best practices in organic farming. Before that he worked on the research farm at Virginia Tech, doing field work researching how organic no-till vegetable production compared to tilled organic production. He has worked on farms in Pennsylvania, California, Washington State, Virginia, Maine, and New York State. He now farms in Cornville, Maine.

Inhaltsangabe

Part 1: The Why of No-Till
INTRODUCTION
   Who This Book Is For
   Tilling Was Once the Only Answer
   Enthusiasm and Skepticism for No-Till
   Becoming a No-Till Farmer
   Defining No-Till: What Counts as Tillage Anyway?
   New Adaptation for Old Methods
   The Promise of No-Till
THE POWER OF THE SOIL
  Putting a Face on the Soil
   Soil: Where the Microbe Magic Happens
   Taking Care of Our Livestock
   Soil Life Drives the Success of No-Till Systems
   Soil Testing
   Healthy Soil Can Lead to Healthier Farmers
FARM SIZE
   Farming as a Career
NO-TILL: A GATEWAY METHOD
   Evolution of Your Farm
   Small Can Be Beautiful
NO-TILL VS. TILLAGE
   Tillage: The Agricultural Reset Button
   Tillage: An Ancient Practice We Might Want to Avoid
THE DISADVANTAGES OF TILLING
  Breakdown in the Nutrient Cycle
   Weeds
   Hard Work and Time-Consuming
   Physical, Chemical, and Biological Disadvantages
THE ADVANTAGES OF NO-TILL
   Advantages for the Environment
   Fungus: The Perennial Roots of the Soil
   Soil and Water Can Do Their Jobs
   Increase in Organic Matter
   Advantages for Growers
THE DISADVANTAGES OF NO-TILL
   Fields Are Slower to Warm in Spring
   Systems Can Take Some Time to Become Established
   Some Methods Are Hard to Scale Up
   Some Pests Can Flourish in High Residue
   Perennial Weeds
Part 2: The How of No-Till
GETTING STARTED: PRINCIPLES, TECHNIQUES, AND TOOLS
   Start with a Soil Test
   Clearing the Deck: Getting the Soil Ready
   Establishing New Fields
   Sod Bustin', No-Till Style
   Reduce the Weed Seed Bank First
TARPING
   Occultation
   Solarization
   Tarp Timing
   Decomposition Rates
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MULCHES
   Non-Decomposing Mulches
   Applied Organic Mulches
MULCH GROWN IN PLACE
   The Roller/Crimper Method
   Roller/Crimper Cons
   Winter-Killed Cover Mulch Crops
   Planting through a Cover Crop Mulch
   Which Crops Work Best in the Roller/Crimper System?
GETTING STARTED AND CROPPING STRATEGIES
   Composting in Place
   Compost as Mulch
   Ways to Improve Land and Exhaust the Weed Seed Bank
CROPS TO FOCUS ON
GOING FROM CROP TO CROP
   Dealing with Residue
   Planting
   Flowers in No-Till
CASE STUDY: GROWING HEMP
APPENDIX
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER