Practical No-Till Farming
A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing
Do less, produce more, and grow soil that feeds crops using chemical-free, organic no-till methods
Andrew Mefferd, veteran farmer, author of The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution, and editor of Growing for Market magazine, brings you the ultimate guide to getting started with no-till farming.
Yet there are many ways to do no-till, including mulching with compost, cardboard, straw, silage tarps, and more. Plus plenty 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
- Assessment of common no-till methods, including pros and cons, materials, and the relative costs
- A decision-making matrix for 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
'Andrew Mefferd's new book is a no-nonsense breakdown of no-till market gardening that gets straight to the point and stays there. Mefferd's a gifted writer who smoothly communicates not only the principles that guide no-till gardening but the technical details in a way that makes you keep reading. 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. Even now it 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
'If you want to start farming but don't think you have enough money for land and machinery, this could be the book for you. If you're thinking about transitioning from conventional tillage to no-till farming, this could be the book for you as well. 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 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.
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