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Name: Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre: Markham, Brett L.: 9781602399846: Amazon.com: Books
Price: 10.49 USD
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Rating: 4.6 (6634 reviews)

Brett L. Markham

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Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre Paperback – Illustrated, April 1, 2010

by Brett L. Markham (Author)

6,634 ratings

#1 Best Seller in Sustainable Agriculture

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Go back to basics—compost, raising chickens, water and irrigation, dealing with pests, and much more—with this unique, full color bestseller (over 400,000 sold).

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.

Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started:

Buying and saving seeds
Starting seedlings
Establishing raised beds
Soil fertility practices
Composting
Dealing with pest and disease problems
Crop rotation
Selling your produce arm planning, and much more.

Because self-sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

From the Publisher

	Essential Guide to Self-Sufficient Living	Simpler Living	Homesteading Handbook	Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living	Back to Basics

Customer Reviews	184	20	732	519	4,937
Price	$12.82	$18.77	$12.89	$25.75	$16.76
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A concept destined to appeal to that intrepid individual whose independent nature finds the idea of abandoning the grocery store alluring.” (Carol Haggas - Booklist)

“A helpful addition, alongside Bartholomew and Jeavons, for the serious DIY gardener.” (Margaret Heller - Library Journal)

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2010
Edition ‏ : ‎ Illustrated
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1602399840
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1602399846
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.68 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.6 x 11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Sustainable Agriculture (Books)
- #2 in Organic & Sustainable Gardening & Horticulture
- #4 in Garden Design (Books)

Customer Reviews:
6,634 ratings

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Brett L. Markham

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Hi! I'm Brett, your friendly mini-farming guru! I really have no idea what to say about myself that others might find useful or interesting, but I'll give it a try.

I'm interested in almost everything. I play lots of instruments and compose music, design custom embedded microcontrollers, have a ham radio license etc. etc. etc. But along with being a "thing" person I am a people person in that I care a lot about people and their wellbeing in the world around us.

That is what led me to write books. I have published other material under various pseudonyms; but the central idea is that these books, in some way, are intended to either help people help themselves or make sense of a world that can seem very chaotic.

I live on a mini-farm in New Hampshire where I grow a ton of food for purposes of self sufficiency plus raise some livestock. I shovel chicken manure about once a month, and believe (or hope) it is good for my character.

I do a lot of experimentation and research, and when I hit on something that will help people, I write about it.

I'm an intrinsically helpful guy; so feel free to send me inquiries about gardening via my website at www.markhamfarm.com.

Customer reviews

6,634 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this gardening book to be a practical guide that addresses a wide range of information on crop cultivation and is easy to understand for beginners. The book is beautifully illustrated with many pictures, provides cost-saving solutions, and serves as a great starting point for gardening. They appreciate its focus on intensive vegetable gardening and preserving food, with one customer noting it covers primary methods of organic farming.

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Information quality Readability Ease of reading Reliance on farming Pictures quality Value for money Start date Savanna

468 customers mention "Information quality"425 positive43 negative

Customers find the book filled with very useful information and consider it one of the most practical guides available.

"...tea with a simple and inexpensive homemade system; the best media for seed starting; an introduction to saving and storing seeds, and references to..." Read more

"...detail on what might be the most efficient and beneficial approach to say irrigation or composting, but then across the various subjects covered in..." Read more

"...But if a person is looking for good, common sense ideas to benefit his/her gardening technique, this book fills the bill...." Read more

"...There is information all the way from set up, through growing or raising, and preserving. Very interesting...." Read more

366 customers mention "Readability"348 positive18 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging, noting it serves as a great resource with references to other excellent books, making it particularly suitable for those wanting to get started with gardening.

"...starting; an introduction to saving and storing seeds, and references to excellent books that provide more information (such as [..." Read more

"...I've given it five stars because it's written clearly, has some very pleasant and thoughtful ideas for increasing yields and some decent..." Read more

"I appreciate this book. It is a lot of information in a small amount of space. I really like that the author has experience...." Read more

"Great book to have. Some of the things in here I can't personally utilize, but we'll written and easy to follow and scale up or down." Read more

212 customers mention "Ease of reading"183 positive29 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, with a well-organized layout and chapters that are clearly laid out.

"...This book contains the simplest and most understandble description of double-digging that I have ever read, and the simplest way of placing seeds at..." Read more

"...Pros: - The content of each chapter is very well organized, with concepts building onto one another very neatly. -..." Read more

"...I'm reviewing this one and I've given it five stars because it's written clearly, has some very pleasant and thoughtful ideas for increasing yields..." Read more

"I absolutely loved the charts and photos included. There is information all the way from set up, through growing or raising, and preserving...." Read more

120 customers mention "Reliance on farming"120 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on intensive vegetable gardening and maximizing food production, with one customer noting it's a great addition to their mini farm hobby.

"...of double-digging that I have ever read, and the simplest way of placing seeds at the correct spacing in intensive gardening...." Read more

"...it's written clearly, has some very pleasant and thoughtful ideas for increasing yields and some decent illustrations to support them...." Read more

"...There is information all the way from set up, through growing or raising, and preserving. Very interesting...." Read more

"...Basic outdoor knowledge some learn this as kids doing chores and playing on the farm and in the yard...." Read more

90 customers mention "Pictures quality"74 positive16 negative

Customers appreciate the pictures in the book, describing them as beautifully illustrated with many images throughout. One customer notes that the photos help clarify less understandable elements.

"...- While this book is beautifully illustrated, there's no doubting that the abundance of pretty pictures of garden produce, chickens, tools, etc...." Read more

"...and thoughtful ideas for increasing yields and some decent illustrations to support them...." Read more

"I absolutely loved the charts and photos included. There is information all the way from set up, through growing or raising, and preserving...." Read more

"...'s laid out beautifully, the tips are practical and useful, the photos are gorgeous, and he tells you stuff you didn't even think to think about but..." Read more

55 customers mention "Value for money"51 positive4 negative

Customers find the book worth its price, with multiple reviews noting it provides cost-saving solutions. One customer mentions it offers inexpensive ways to extend the growing season.

"...to Grow More Vegetables: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains,)]], less expensive and resource-hogging (in terms of peat moss, vermiculite, and grids)..." Read more

"...The book is worth the money. Enjoy it. After all, we garden because we like it, don't we?" Read more

"...in here from dehydrating vegetables, intensive gardening, growing crops for sales, to raising chickens for eggs or meat...." Read more

"...Don't judge a book by its cost. This lovely volume is worth a lot more. It is straight to the point in a pleasant, readable fashion...." Read more

36 customers mention "Start date"33 positive3 negative

Customers find the book serves as a great starting point for gardening, with one customer noting it provides specific dates and timing for planting.

"...While the author gives a good and broad overview of timing techniques (i.e. succession planting, timed planting, interplanting etc.),..." Read more

"...It's definitely not an in depth encyclopedic tome, but it is a great start and will help people make up their minds as to how they'd like to farm..." Read more

"...This lovely volume is worth a lot more. It is straight to the point in a pleasant, readable fashion. I was raised on a small farm...." Read more

"...You're covered. This is the perfect entry point for anyone who is interested in growing some of their own food." Read more

22 customers mention "Savanna"22 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on sustainable farming practices, including preserving food and using organic methods, with one customer highlighting the use of common sense reuse and recycling sources.

"...from prepping the beds, to seeding and planting, to canning your leftover produce. I'm excited to put it to good use as we further develop our garden." Read more

"...The book covers primary methods of organic, responsible, high yield farming...." Read more

"...Has a very explicit bias towards organic methods but was not dogmatic--he outlined which semi-synthetic pesticides, for instance, might be used that..." Read more

"...intensive vegetable gardening; these are covered and harvesting and storage and preserving...." Read more

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MYOB
One of the best on gardening, mini-farming, food self-sufficiency
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2008
Verified Purchase

I just read this book and I am very impressed. It compares favorably both to classics of intensive gardening and to classics on self sufficiency. Less complicated than How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) (How to Grow More Vegetables: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains,), less expensive and resource-hogging (in terms of peat moss, vermiculite, and grids) than All New Square Foot Gardening (which is still well worth buying for the beginning gardener; the charts on planting for a continuous three-season harvest alone are probably worth the price of the book). More focused and with more current (though perhaps still debatable) numbers than One Acre and Security: How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining It, and written for an even smaller (and tractor-free) scale than Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book).

This book contains the simplest and most understandble description of double-digging that I have ever read, and the simplest way of placing seeds at the correct spacing in intensive gardening. It has good discussions of thermophilic composting and of the importance of aging compost; various types of irrigation systems; food requirements per person and practical ways of meeting them (including the economic infeasibility of growing wheat in the home garden); making aerated compost tea with a simple and inexpensive homemade system; the best media for seed starting; an introduction to saving and storing seeds, and references to excellent books that provide more information (such as Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners and Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's & Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding & Seed Saving); inexpensive ways to extend the growing season; fruit trees, bushes, and vines; raising poultry for eggs and/or meat; organic and certified naturally grown; and maximizing the money you make selling produce. The chapter on preserving the harvest by canning, freezing, and dehydrating (no mention of Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables) is not in-depth and will not take the place of other books on the subject, but serves as a good introduction. The only disappointment to me was that there was no mention of sheet composting (see Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling,No Weeding, No Kidding!); I might suggest building your raised beds in that way rather than by double digging.

If you are trying to move off the grid, grow 100% of your own food, and make your own clothes, this may not be the book for you. If you'd like to raise a lot of your own food in a garden that will fit in the typical suburban yard (the actual number of square feet he suggests cultivating for a family of three is just under 1/20th of an acre), this book is a great place to start.

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Matt Marshall
Excellent, well-organized guide on moving from casual gardener to self-sufficient gardener
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
While I've maintained small gardens and potted plants for years, for 5+ years I've casually kept a 1,000 square foot garden. I've mostly winged it... sometimes impressively, other times with dismally. But, never consistent year over year results.

I picked up this book to take my gardening to the next level and broaden my horizons.

In short, I'm very satisfied with the insights and guidance I've gleaned from this book. I'd go so far as to say that while you don't need a background in gardening to benefit from this book, this book is a perfect fit for people in my situation.

Here are the pros and cons from my perspective.

Pros:

- The content of each chapter is very well organized, with concepts building onto one another very neatly.

- The broader subject matter of the chapters takes one through the process of planning, preparing, selecting, timing, managing, etc. most everything one would need to successfully grow a garden.

- This book strikes a good balance between giving you the key information you need for any one aspect of self-sufficient gardening, but not inundating you with too much detail. (In other words, this book threads the needle on delivering a lot of helpful information, while still feeling like an easy read.)

- I've seen other reviews for this book that complain that the author 'rips off' others' ideas and re-packages them for profit. I read quite a bit and have over the years seen serious examples of what these other reviewers are claiming. But, in the case of this book, while the author informs on alternative (and even competing models) for gardening, the author always informs the user on what, in his experience, has or has NOT worked from various models; how he has modified some of those ideas to work in his growing climate; and where he completely parts ways from others' techniques and espouses his own approach (including very clear instruction on how to use his modified or totally unique processes).

- Finally, where possible, the author provides the equivalent of 'modified workouts' for those 'less fit' (MY WORDS, NOT HIS) in their gardening abilities. In other words, the author provides sufficient detail on what might be the most efficient and beneficial approach to say irrigation or composting, but then across the various subjects covered in the book, he provides a less expensive/quicker/initially easier alternative for those lacking the time, resources, space, skills, etc. to fully implement the best possible approach for one aspect or another of gardening. For example, as I'll be looking to expand my garden this next spring, I fully intend to utilize some of the quicker soil prep techniques offered up in this book for use in a pinch while I build up my long-term composting and soil amendment routines.

Cons:

- While some of the chapters really cover all the bases for the targeted subject matter (i.e. plant spacing, soil prep, etc.). Others give you just enough to run with but leave you wanting more. A good example of this would be Chapter 7 ("Time and Yield"). While the author gives a good and broad overview of timing techniques (i.e. succession planting, timed planting, interplanting etc.), for such an important subject matter, I was disappointed by just how short this chapter was. I live in Michigan, with a shorter growing season. I see this topic as critical for people in shorter growing zones like mine, and apart from a quick overview of each of the techniques used to maximize productivity, and a handful of real-world examples of plant groups that work well for things like succession planting (taking into consideration their hardiness in colder climates), this chapter really leaves readers wanting.

- While this book is beautifully illustrated, there's no doubting that the abundance of pretty pictures of garden produce, chickens, tools, etc. serve as fill to make the book feel a bit more substantial in size than it need be. I don't want to over play this point, as A LOT of the illustrations (pictures/graphics/tables) are pertinent to the content of the book (and in any event, some amount of artwork is always nice to have), BUT... I think you could produce this book, still with plenty of beautiful illustrations, and reduce it from its current 227 pages (including the index and notes pages) down to 175 pages.

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Angelo
Amazing read!
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2025
Verified Purchase

Love the book! High quality publication. Fits large on a bookshelf but a great book to learn more about how to maximize a small parcel of land to produce as much as possible! Great for homesteaders and folks entering the farming world.

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Patrick Hall
Very practical introduction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is a thoroughly good read to introduce you to the idea of efficient food production on a small plot, and effectively bypasses the more traditional folklore-based practices of traditional home veg growers. Various named theories of intensive growing are explained and appraised.

There is good science here, explained clearly, and with sufficient information and references to explore further. Although the writer's experience is in New England, the book makes it very simple to convert everything to a place with different climate.

I read the book through in a couple of days. It was something of a page turner! I am now using it as a reference for development of my own far-from-perfect plot.

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Evin
Thanks
Reviewed in Singapore on April 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Good

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Neeraj
Good but not best.
Reviewed in India on December 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Good but not best.'' All new square foot gardening'' is much better.

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Amazon Kunde
Tolle Anregungen
Reviewed in Germany on August 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Das Buch ist für Anfänger geschrieben. Sehr viele interessante Denkansätze und eine solide Einführung In den modernen Mini-Garten. Mit einer Tabelle über Fruchtfolgen und sich Gegenseitig fördernde Pflanzen wäre das Buch perfekt.

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best on gardening, mini-farming, food self-sufficiency

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, well-organized guide on moving from casual gardener to self-sufficient gardener

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very practical introduction

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not best.

5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle Anregungen

One of the best on gardening, mini-farming, food self-sufficiency

Excellent, well-organized guide on moving from casual gardener to self-sufficient gardener

Amazing read!

Very practical introduction

Thanks

Good but not best.

Tolle Anregungen