The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Amazing Book... A must have for organic gardening
  • Get This Book
  • Wooo...
  • My new constant companion
  • simply down to earth - literally
The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)
Eliot Coleman
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
OrganicOrganic | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
VegetablesVegetables | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Home & Garden BooksLook Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
  2. The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals
  3. Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
  4. How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops)
  5. Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow (Good Earth) Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow (Good Earth)

ASIN: 093003175X

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Amazing Book... A must have for organic gardening.......2007-07-15

This book is awesome. Eliot presents an abundance of information. The information is organized and clear. Eliot does not assume what we already know, and what we have at our disposal. For example, many books will tell you how to create a mulch pile. You need this much brown matter, this much green matter, ... . That is all fine and dandy, but where do I magically get all of this material! Eliot understands this and explains many ways we can obtain the mulch material. He also does not assume your knowledge basis. For example, he will explain what and how a lugume works. This book is a constant resource for the organic gardener.

A great book!

5 out of 5 stars Get This Book.......2007-03-17

I live in Northwest Washington. Cool, dry in July in August, generally mild and wet the rest of the year. If you are thinking tomatoes, long season sweet corn, peaches, melons, peppers, etc. you are on the wrong side of the state - try Eastern Washington. Either way, or where ever you grow, this is the bible. Its the most comprehensive, holistic guide I know. You might also read other guides, embellish or adapt Eliot's system to fit your situation, but you won't find a better collection of techniques to start from! Get this book!

5 out of 5 stars Wooo..........2007-02-09

Got me hiped up for my next several years here in Missouri. Practical, simplified systems for both the new and novice organic gardener. Definitely a fun read. Bring your highlighter. Thank you to the author, and all of the great shoulders that he stood on to get to this point...

5 out of 5 stars My new constant companion.......2006-12-22

Mr. Coleman has packed so much information into this wonderful book! I have started to use many of his suggestions. Keeping the costs of growing food down was one of the first subjects that caught my attention.

5 out of 5 stars simply down to earth - literally.......2006-08-11

This is absolutely the best, straightforward, down to earth, organic gardening book I have ever read. No hype, no buzzwords, no new age crap, no agenda. Simply down to earth - literally.
Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow (Good Earth)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepeneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow
  • $1 per square foot margin
  • Take in $36,000 From Your One-Acre Garden
  • Great information for gardeners hesitant to sell their product.
  • Great Collection of Advice
Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow (Good Earth)
Andrew W. Lee
Manufacturer: Good Earth Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ReferenceReference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Home & Garden BooksLook Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature BooksLook Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book) The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)
  2. Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth
  3. Sell What You Sow: The Grower's Guide to Successful Produce Marketing Sell What You Sow: The Grower's Guide to Successful Produce Marketing
  4. Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre
  5. Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long

ASIN: 0962464805

Book Description

Discover how easy and profitable it is to grow and sell vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and small livestock from your own backyard market garden. Learn how to:

• Earn top dollar, with minimum effort and maximum profits.
• Improve your garden soil for super yields and superb flavor.
• Buy or build tools that speed your work and increase profits.
• Enjoy a guaranteed salary from community supported agriculture or a membership garden.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepeneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow.......2007-07-15

My Husband has not put this book down since it arrived! It contains exactly the information he's been looking for to help him make the right decisions about selling what we grow. Needless to say, this book gets a very high rating for content!

5 out of 5 stars $1 per square foot margin.......2006-08-18

For eight years, Lee averaged 110 cubic years of compost per season. Each year Lee added 5,000 square feet of garden. The idea was to cash in on new farmer markets in Boston Neighborhoods. In 1988, Lee had nearly one acre planted and grossed $36,000 and that average out to 50 hours a week or 12 an hour. Don't be afraid of creating too much competition. Growers are currently only serving 1 to 3 percent of the market with organic foods. The number of acres dedicated to growing organic foods amounts to less than 1 percent of the national agricultural land base. Organic foods include more than 200 varieties of vegetables, 1,000 varieties of flowers, and close to 100 different herbs, several distinct growing methods, and at least 10 prime marketing methods. 97 percent of the market buys from the supermarket.

Tomatoes grown organically have five times more calcium and 2,000 times more iron than conventionally grown tomatoes. 16 commonly known trace elements are: boron, calcium, carbon, chlorine, copper, hydrogen, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and zinc. Without the proper balance of soil pH, moisture, naturally occurring soil minerals, and biological activity, the nutrients may remain locked in the soil and usages of compost is one of the best ways to increase humus levels. Compost provides a healthy, nutrient-filled environment for the plant roots. You need 3 cubic yards of cow manure for every 1,000 square feet of garden. A 1,000 square feet of garden can grow 100 tomato plants. After three years of manure, tomato plants yield 14 pounds per plant; and in super rich soil, potatoes yield 5 pounds per plant. To get 65 yards of compost, 200 cubic yards of raw materials will need to be formed into a 4 foot piles, 10 feet wide, and 200 feet long.

In 1990 the farm had four hogs. After a year the hogs are moved and rock phosphate is added. Potatoes and strawberries are planted first; wood ash is added and two years of peas and beans replenish nitrogen in the soil; and in the fourth year the plot is ready for any crop.

5 out of 5 stars Take in $36,000 From Your One-Acre Garden.......2006-01-09

After five years of backyard gardening and selling his produce, author Andrew W. Lee took in $36,000 from his one-acre garden. That is quite an increase from the $1,700 he made in his first year in addition to that being one VERY productive acre! This is a very good book, covering nearly everything a farm marketeer might want to consider before starting a garden and setting up a roadside stand. If you are considering venturing into the lucrative business of growing and selling your own produce, this book will be valuable.

There are over 200 pages on how to market your produce. "Fix the soil and get close to your customers", Lee advises. He shares many of his experiences and entertains numerous marketing ventures from setting out a curb-side table to community-supported farms, cooperatives, sales to restaurants and other farm markets, and peddling door to door (although today this works better through the pre-paid subscription method).

Even if you're not going to plant a garden, this book is well worth looking over as a clear and pragamatic account of how to start your own business. Lee tells how he successfully did that.

5 out of 5 stars Great information for gardeners hesitant to sell their product........2005-10-09

I found this book very informative, inspiring and motivational. I have been gardening for 7 or 8 years (started when corporate America was killing me)just for relaxation. Now I am retired and have a very big garden, but more than my family and my neighbors can eat. I'm seriously considering a greenhouse, but before such an investment needed some research. This book really helped me make the decision to proceed with the greenhouse. Our Farmers Market kicks in next week and I can't wait. This book will make you think of things you hadn't considered, the ups and downs. I really enjoyed it. Wish me luck!

5 out of 5 stars Great Collection of Advice.......2002-02-07

It's not a step by step guide to how to do it, but more a collection of interesting articles on many aspects of market farming. I love all the conflicting ideas that leads one to believe there is no one way to do this. But you should do it and have fun and hopefully make some money!
The Apple Grower: Guide for the Organic Orchardist
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Chock full of Great Information
  • Love it!
  • A lot of information here
  • Excellent guide for an amateur
  • A Must for all Apple Growers
The Apple Grower: Guide for the Organic Orchardist
Michael Phillips
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

FruitFruit | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
OrganicOrganic | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Home & Garden BooksLook Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden
  2. Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own
  3. Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, Third Edition Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, Third Edition
  4. The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden
  5. The Pruning Book The Pruning Book

ASIN: 1931498911

Book Description

For decades fruit growers have sprayed their trees with toxic chemicals in an attempt to control a range of insect and fungal pests. Yet it is possible to grow apples responsibly, by applying the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation.
Since The Apple Grower first appeared in 1998, orchardist Michael Phillips has continued his research with apples, which have been called “organic's final frontier.” In this new edition of his widely acclaimed work, Phillips delves even deeper into the mysteries of growing good fruit with minimal inputs. Some of the cuttingedge topics he explores include:
  • The use of kaolin clay as an effective strategy against curculio and borers, as well as its limitations

  • Creating a diverse, healthy orchard ecosystem through understory management of plants, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms

  • How to make a small apple business viable by focusing on heritage and regional varieties, value-added products, and the “community orchard” model

  • The author's personal voice and clear-eyed advice have already made The Apple Grower a classic among small-scale growers and home orchardists. In fact, anyone serious about succeeding with apples needs to have this updated edition on their bookshelf.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Chock full of Great Information.......2007-07-15

    This is a great book. Indispensible for anyone attempting to grow organic apples. The one drawback is the book is somewhat disorganized and some information is hard to decipher. In any case, I constantly refer to this book in my organic orcharding. A must have for Organic Orcharding!

    5 out of 5 stars Love it!.......2007-07-12

    I have only read the first few chapters, (and have browsed ahead), but so far it's great! They really go into detail about how apple trees grow.
    It reads a little like a textbook, but not too dry. We have 9 apple trees in Mid-Missouri and are hoping to expand and improve in the future. I think this book will be a big help. If you just have a couple trees in your yard and just want to know how to prevent disease, repel bugs, or what fertilizer to use, this book may be a little more in-depth than what you're looking for. No doubt you would find useful information here, but it may be a little more detail than you needed.

    5 out of 5 stars A lot of information here.......2007-05-16

    This is a great book with more information than i needed. A good reference as well.

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent guide for an amateur.......2007-05-12

    All you need to know about apples and apple growing.

    5 out of 5 stars A Must for all Apple Growers.......2007-03-12

    I've heard about this book for several years and it is truly a must read, everything I was led to anticipate. It is loaded with facts and experiential info. It's also fun to read. Don't be intimidated by how much info there is. Just use it and keep going back into it as you get more familiar with Michael's approach. I teach at The Meeting School, a little Quaker farm school in southern NH. I'm definitely using this book with my students from here on in. Happy orcharding.
    The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Let the Revolution Begin
    • Seeing reality as it is
    • Zen and the Art of Farming?
    • my little green book
    • Phenomenology or Farming?
    The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming
    Masanobu Fukuoka
    Manufacturer: Rodale Pr
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    AgronomyAgronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    Crop ScienceCrop Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Fiction BooksLook Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy The Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy
    2. Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability
    3. One-straw Revolution One-straw Revolution
    4. The Road Back to Nature: Regaining the Paradise Lost The Road Back to Nature: Regaining the Paradise Lost
    5. Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

    ASIN: 0878572201

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Let the Revolution Begin.......2005-10-31

    This book is revolutionary. It really shows us how to get back to the natural way of farming and living. Like Thoreau once said Simplify, simplify, simplify. Fukuoka brings one back to the essence of life. Life was not meant ot be difficult, we must simplify to succeed, the more complex tends to be more difficult. Nature does not need the hand of man to thrive. She only needs to be. In mans pursuit to control and dominate we have succeeded in corrupting. Fukuoka's natural way would help humanity to redeem themselves and reach a state of peace.

    5 out of 5 stars Seeing reality as it is.......2004-12-31

    There are thousands of Self-realized people , but only a handful of those have experienced that. This Japanese farmer/scientist is one among the rare who understood the truth that unless one put the "Truth" (Self-realization) into practise in daily life, one cannot experience it. He used farming to validate his realization and shares great truth to us through this book. The truth he shares about natrual food is amazing and is in tune with the truth given by other cultures. This book is highly recommended for someone who seeks Truth in every moment of life.

    5 out of 5 stars Zen and the Art of Farming?.......2004-06-22

    Masanobu Fukoka was a laboratory agricultural scientist who worked on fighting plant diseases. He also had many unanswered questions about the interrelationship between man and nature. After a long sabbatical he resigned his position and took over his father's rice and mandarin orange farm. Fukuoka thought that by putting the subjects of his questions into actual material challenges he might find the answers he sought.

    Fukoka was immediately drawn to organic and natural farming methods, and over the years developed a type of natural farming that he refers to as "do-nothing farming". Contrary to what you may imagine, this method does involve work, much of it menial, but at least in Fukoka's experience the benefits outweight the negatives. His method of farming is thus:

    After the seasonal heavy rains, the rice is planted by scattering it by hand throughout the farming area. The planting rice is rolled in a type of clay that will help prevent animals from eating it but will not inhibit sprouting. Clover seeds are also sewn at the same time in the same method. The clover acts as a natural barrier to the young rice shoots, and helps the soil from eroding.

    The rice will grow naturally over the course of the next few months without constant pools of water as are often seen in traditional(from 1600-1940s) Japanese rice farming, albeit shorter and stockier than the cultivated rice. After the rice harvest, the leftover straw is scattered over the field to decompose, adding nutrients back into the soil. Afterwards, barley is planted as a winter crop and to further enrich the soil for the next rice season.

    Fukoka does not use compost on his rice fields or on his citrus orchard as he finds that the byproducts of the plant provides all the soil nutrients needed. He does maintain a small compost pile for his vegetable garden, however. Outside of the rice season, he tends to his mandarin orange orchard, which is also kept on a "do-nothing" method of growth. From using this technique, he has not only kept up with modern(tractor, fertilizer, pesticide) farmers in quantity, but has a much higher quality of rice, barley, and oranges. He spends very little out of pocket and sells his produce for a very fair price.

    The great thing about this short book (192pp) is that it is not exclusively about farming. In fact, there are many pages where Fukoka expands on philosophy, history, nutricion, intentional communities, and sustainibility. There is also an excellent forward by Wendell Berry, one of my favorite authors(Jayber Crow is a must read) Highly reccomended although it seems to be out of print. I borrowed mine from a local library.

    5 out of 5 stars my little green book.......2004-03-04

    A critique of current farming practices as well as consumer values, Masanobu Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming outlines a more simple life that strives to work with the earth rather than against it. Mr. Fukuoka states that natural farming is not just a method of agricultural production but it is a way of life.
    In The One Straw Revolution Mr. Fukuoka explains that modern methods of agriculture work to control nature with the assumption that humans can understand nature and there by improve on it, but modern techniques using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are only temporary solutions that humans have discovered in order to correct the imbalance they have caused. "Human Beings with their tampering do something wrong, leave the damage unrepaired (SIC), and when the adverse results accumulate, work with all their might to correct them. When the corrective actions appear to be successful, they come to view these measures as splendid accomplishments."
    Natural farming allows for nature's processes to take care of most of the work that farmers find necessary in conventional methods of agriculture. Mr. Fukuoka claims "there is no time in modern agriculture for a farmer to write a poem or compose a song." When he first began, Mr. Fukuoka thought, "How about not doing this? How about not doing that?" By allowing for the natural processes of decomposition and growth to occur there is very little work to be done and the farmers have more time to enjoy life. This line of thought has been central to Mr. Fukuoka's natural farming philosophy. Eventually he came to the realization that "there are few agricultural practices that are really necessary."
    Mr. Fukuoka's method of natural farming follows four basic principals; "No Cultivation", "No Chemical Fertilizer Or Prepared Compost", "No Weeding By Tillage Or Herbicides", and "No Dependence On Chemicals". Although many of the practices described in the book relate specifically to farming rice, wheat, roots, and oranges in southern Japan, it is these four principals that can be applied to farming anywhere in the world.
    To give a good example of natural farming, Mr. Fukuoka's method of cultivating rice and winter grain is as follows. In the fall Mr. Fukuoka sows the seeds of white clover, rice, and winter grain onto the same fields and covers them with a mulch of rice straw. The grains and the clover sprout up right away but the rice seeds will lie dormant until spring. When spring arrives the grains are harvested and the straw is scattered over the fields as mulch. The fields are flooded for a short period during the monsoon season giving the rice a chance to sprout through the cover. Once the fields are drained the clover recovers and spreads beneath the growing rice plants. As you can see, this is a far cry from the labor-intensive methods of paddy farming that is common throughout Southeast Asia.

    The One Straw Revolution is a great book, it is insightful, practical, easy to read, and the chapters are short and give the reader concise, to the point information. Mr. Fukuoka gives readers a viable alternative to the current consumer lifestyle. The strong beliefs and successes of natural farming found in this book make Mr. Fukuoka's arguments extremely convincing. However, I'm sure the sheer simplicity will create doubt among readers, as we are used to the complexities of fertilization and pesticide use. Even organic farmers who swear by compost and manure are doing unnecessary work according to Mr. Fukuoka.
    The farming techniques found in this book are extremely important as our use of fertilizers and pesticide use has skyrocketed over the past century creating many environmental problems, and life on earth is facing serious consequences as a result.
    Another important point made in the book is "Humanity must stop indulging the desire for material possessions and personal gain and move instead toward spiritual awareness." This sentence outlines what I feel to be the reason for the problems of humanity today. Without a deep respect for nature and our place within her we have no limits on what we expect from her. We have increased our material wealth greatly and yet we have not become more contented, in fact we become more stressed. By creating a simpler life where our days are spent outside tending to the fields under natures guidance. We not only would curb the destruction that is related to consumption but we also are given a chance to breathe and become truly aware of our surroundings and ourselves.
    I feel that the words of Masanobu Fukuoka have only increased in importance since the time in which they were written. People's lives have become increasingly urbanized and we now have generations of people who have been cut off from Mother Nature's wisdom. Although Mr. Fukuoka's sentiment that "if 100% of the people were farming it would be ideal." may seem extreme to some, it would be a plausible solution to many of the problems we face today.
    The environmental movement was just beginning when The One Straw Revolution was first printed we now have scientific studies reinforcing what people have been noticing for years and the lands and waters that were once healthy are now being poisoned. I would recommend reading The One Straw Revolution to anyone interested in spirituality, globalization, farming or the environment, but I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in preserving the quality of life on earth.

    5 out of 5 stars Phenomenology or Farming?.......2003-04-07

    Some have said that the Fukuokan philosophy is the tap root of what is now more broadly called Permaculture, only Masanobu Fukuoka was a Japanese farmer, working with rice and winter grain in a southern Japanese climate. Both are no-till methods that shun the use of chemicals. However, Fukuoka should be set apart from farming in general and Permaculture in particular, in that The One-Straw Revolution is essentially a profound work of literary philosophy. Indeed, in many cases it reads like a naturalist's bible. Although the book is dressed in the language and anecdotes of a farmer, the message looms much larger. We read of a man who came to terms with the problem of death, and then decided to form a profoundly new (or is it old?) relationship with nature. In essence, the nugget of his wisdom is that, instead of struggling to control and command nature, we must learn to work with and learn from nature. Allow me to share one quote:"To build a fortress is wrong from the start. Even though he gives the excuse that it is for the city's defense, the castle is the outcome of the ruling lord's personality, and exerts a coercive force on the surrounding area. Saying he is afraid of attack and that fortification is for the town's protection, the bully stocks up weapons and puts the key in the door." Now I ask you, does the following paragraph sound like the words of a farmer or a philosopher? From the face of it, one might think Fukuoka is here criticizing the nuclear arms race, but he is actually talking about the warlike mindset of farmers who see leaf-munching pests as evil enemies that must be fortified against, sought out and destroyed. Whether we are talking about bull weevils or communities, though, his advice is sound. We must change our frame of reference and establish a different relationship with the world. Concise and yet elegant, Fukuoka's prose is pregnant with meaning. Altogether, this work provides poetic an intelligent critique of industrial agricultural practices and the linear notions of nature and progress that underlay those practices. In fact, Fukuoka goes as far as to declare that the scientific method itself limits our experience and knowledge of nature. An invaluable, timeless work that will move you, even if you have never picked up a hoe.

    j.w.k.
    New Complete Self-sufficiency
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Satisfied Customer
    • Greatest Book Ever Written
    New Complete Self-sufficiency
    John Seymour
    Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    ReferenceReference | Subjects | Books | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Atlases & Maps | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Business Skills | Careers | Catalogs & Directories | Consumer Guides | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Education | Encyclopedias | Etiquette | Foreign Languages | Fun Facts | Genealogy | General | Job Hunting | Large Print | Law | Publishing & Books | Quotations | Spanish-Language Reference | Study Guides | Test Prep Central | Words & Language | Writing
    GeneralGeneral | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    OrganicOrganic | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Business BooksLook Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Health BooksLook Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Home & Garden BooksLook Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Reference BooksLook Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It
    2. Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
    3. Forgotten Household Crafts Forgotten Household Crafts
    4. Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
    5. The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living: Advice and Information on Just About Everything You Need to Know to Live on Planet Earth The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living: Advice and Information on Just About Everything You Need to Know to Live on Planet Earth

    ASIN: 0751364428

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Satisfied Customer.......2007-09-27

    I haven't completed reading this book, however, the introduction, which provides the author's philosophy, is excellent. The chapters that I've read (about half the book) are giving me the information I hoped for. In that I am looking for a piece of rural land on which to build an organic, family farm, it will take some time to apply all that this book has to offer. I am confident it will.

    5 out of 5 stars Greatest Book Ever Written.......2007-01-05

    This is the greatest self-sufficiency book ever written. That's my opinion. :) I highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to become less impactful on the environment and to have more money in their pockets thanks to this style of living. You can do a little or a lot, depending on what you have to work with initially. This is an awesome, non-hippie/tree-hugger book about self-sufficiency free of all of the "lefty green" dogma you usually have to put up with. Great stuff!!!
    The Biological Farmer: A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Great details
    • Accurate, scientific in a simple comprehensive manner
    The Biological Farmer: A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming
    Gary F. Zimmer
    Manufacturer: Acres USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Soil ScienceSoil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    jp-unknown2jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Eco-Farm, An Acres U.S.A. Primer: The definitive guide to managing farm and ranch soil fertility, crops, fertilizers, weeds and insects while avoiding dangerous chemicals Eco-Farm, An Acres U.S.A. Primer: The definitive guide to managing farm and ranch soil fertility, crops, fertilizers, weeds and insects while avoiding dangerous chemicals
    2. Hands-On Agronomy Hands-On Agronomy
    3. Weeds: Control Without Poisons Weeds: Control Without Poisons
    4. Building Soils for Better Crops (Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series, Bk. 4) Building Soils for Better Crops (Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series, Bk. 4)
    5. Soil Science Simplified Soil Science Simplified

    ASIN: 0911311629

    Book Description

    Biological farmers work with nature, feeding soil life, balancing soil minerals and tilling soils with a purpose. The methods they apply involve a unique system of beliefs, observations and guidelines that result in increased production and profit. This practical how-to guide elucidates their methods and will help you make farming fun and profitable.

    A safe and sustainable system designed to keep production up. Biological farming does not mean less production; it means eliminating obstacles to healthy, efficient production. Once the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil are in balance, you can expect optimal outputs, even in bad years. Biological farming improves the environment, reduces erosion, reduces disease and insect problems, and alters weed pressure and it accomplishes this by working in harmony with nature.

    A common-sense approach. Biological farming focuses on ways to reduce input costs and to increase profits while improving soil conditions and livestock health.

    Taking care of the soil. Skilled biological farmers learn how to take care of soil life they nurture it, feed it a balanced diet, and use tillage tools and methods to enhance soil life.

    Learn how to fertilize. Biological farmers learn proper fertilizer uses to correct mineral and nutrient imbalances and to feed plants and soil life.

    This is the farming consultant's bible. It schools the interested grower in methods of maintaining a balanced, healthy soil that promises greater productivity at lower costs, and it covers some of the pitfalls of conventional farming practices. Zimmer knows how to make responsible farming work. His extensive knowledge of biological farming and consulting experience come through in this complete, practical guide to making farming fun and profitable.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Great details.......2006-02-25

    Gary Zimmer goes in depth, yet remains understandable in his description of biological farming. I say four stars, at least.

    4 out of 5 stars Accurate, scientific in a simple comprehensive manner.......2003-01-24

    A book focusing in improving the soil quality in field farming. Very detailed but at the same time extremely coprehensible even for begginers in organic farming. Although the major reference of the book is concerning soils the writer offers a very practical approach to the whole aspect of sustainable organic farming.
    It remains to me (an organic fruit farmer) to set all the knowledge offered in the book working in my tree farm.
    Under the strictest examination it easily achieves 4 stars.
    Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture (Cabi Publishing)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture (Cabi Publishing)

      Manufacturer: CABI
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
      AgronomyAgronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
      Animal HusbandryAnimal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
      Animal HusbandryAnimal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books | Animal Production | Bees | Breeding | Dairy Science | Livestock Management | Meat | Nutrition | Poultry | Range Management
      GeneralGeneral | Veterinary Medicine | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Optics | Electrical & Electronics | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      Look Inside Art BooksLook Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
      Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
      All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      Arts & PhotographyArts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      MedicineMedicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      ProfessionalProfessional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      ScienceScience | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      ASIN: 085199668X

      Book Description

      The rapid growth of organic farming has been among the most remarkable changes in global agriculture in recent decades. However, more attention was initially aid to the crop side of organic systems, and animals are a lower priority in formal research and the development of organic farming. But now, that has changed. There is now greater recognition of the need to understand animal health and welfare better. The purpose of this book is to further the understanding of organic animal husbandry and to demonstrate practical solutions and innovative methods, drawing mainly on research and practical experience with organic farming in Europe.
      Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach
      • So, you think you wanna be a farmer?
      • A dreamers book with few details
      • No b.s, uh....manure!
      • A Classic!
      Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)
      Karl Schwenke
      Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Five Acres and Independence Five Acres and Independence
      2. Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre
      3. You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise
      4. Small Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit Small Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit
      5. The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book) The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)

      ASIN: 0882666428

      Book Description

      This inspiring handbook contains everything small-farm owners need to know, from buying land to organic growing methods and selling cash crops.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach.......2007-07-15

      This book is chock full of great advice! Add it to your library and refer to it often.

      3 out of 5 stars So, you think you wanna be a farmer?.......2007-01-06

      Written in the late '70s, this book will scare you off the idealistic vision of farming and tune you into some of the economic and other realities. It's dry. It's nuts-and-bolts. It's not groovy. It's about dirt and tractors and seed.

      The book attempts to give you a complete how-to, but instead you walk away realizing there is a lot to learn.

      2 out of 5 stars A dreamers book with few details.......2002-08-20

      The book started off getting me real excited about sustainable farming. I was eager to turn the page and learn more, but as i turned the page, nothing materialized. I learned a lot about soil health and management, but when it got around to details about specific vegetables, growing seasons, and pest prevention, the book was lacking.

      4 out of 5 stars No b.s, uh....manure!.......2000-07-16

      This book is for people who either live and farm in the country already, or have some realastic experience about what it is to work for a living. Anyone who has ever tried to bring in a crop, will appreciate the down-to-earth basic information provided. If you are looking for information about how to make a pretty garden, look elsewhere. this is a not to be missed reference, right up there with your county extension agent's telephone number.

      5 out of 5 stars A Classic!.......1999-02-09

      Anyone owning or planning to own a small farm will find this handbook an invaluable guide to both the real potential and the harsh realities in making a full or part-time living on the land - buying land, growing and marketing your crops. Concise how-to. 134 pages.
      Secrets of the Soil: A Fascinating Account of Recent Breakthroughs-Scientific and Spiritual-That Can Save Your Garden or Farm
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Secrets of the Soil: A Fascinating Account of Recent Breakthroughs-Scientific and Spiritual-That Can Save Your Garden or Farm
        Peter Tompkins , and Christopher Bird
        Manufacturer: HarperCollins
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        GeneralGeneral | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
        SoilSoil | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
        Soil ScienceSoil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
        AgronomyAgronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
        Look Inside Home & Garden BooksLook Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside Religion & Spirituality BooksLook Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. The Secret Life of Plants The Secret Life of Plants
        2. Secrets of the Soil : New Solutions for Restoring Our Planet Secrets of the Soil : New Solutions for Restoring Our Planet
        3. Primary Perception: Biocommunication with Plants, Living Foods, and Human Cells Primary Perception: Biocommunication with Plants, Living Foods, and Human Cells

        ASIN: 0060158174
        Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California (California Studies in Critical Human Geography, 11)
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Original, Intellectually Engaging: It Rips Stale Myths Apart
        Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California (California Studies in Critical Human Geography, 11)
        Julie Guthman
        Manufacturer: University of California Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
        CaliforniaCalifornia | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
        Public Affairs & AdministrationPublic Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
        History of TechnologyHistory of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
        AgronomyAgronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
        Look Inside Art BooksLook Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside History BooksLook Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside Nonfiction BooksLook Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside Outdoors & Nature BooksLook Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
        All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
        Arts & PhotographyArts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
        NonfictionNonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
        ProfessionalProfessional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
        ScienceScience | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew
        2. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
        3. Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community (Civil Society Series) Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community (Civil Society Series)
        4. Hungry for Profit: The Agribusiness Threat to Farmers, Food, and the Environment Hungry for Profit: The Agribusiness Threat to Farmers, Food, and the Environment
        5. Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America, Revised Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture) Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America, Revised Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture)

        ASIN: 0520240952

        Book Description

        In an era of escalating food politics, many believe organic farming to be the agrarian answer. In this first comprehensive study of organic farming in California, Julie Guthman casts doubt on the current wisdom about organic food and agriculture, at least as it has evolved in the Golden State. Refuting popular portrayals of organic agriculture as a small-scale family farm endeavor in opposition to "industrial" agriculture, Guthman explains how organic farming has replicated what it set out to oppose.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Original, Intellectually Engaging: It Rips Stale Myths Apart.......2004-07-30

        Well, everything you think you know about organic agriculture gets brilliantly demolished and reformulated in this innovative and ground breaking book. Think you know about small family farmers in California? Well, get ready to learn about the real corporate farming tradition, especially in the Central Valley. Think a new generation of organic farms makes for some sort of new utopia? Well, you're living in an "agrarian dream" if you think conditions for agricultural workers get transformed automatically in a more "organic" world.

        I eat organic food all the time and myth after myth that I have accepted gets exposed in this book. Think the regulators are always on the side of the little guy? Think eating organic food automatically creates a more sustainable food system? Think you're "going back to nature" if you eat organic? Well, Guthman lays out how all of us have to think critically and take concerted action if we really want to change the power relations of today's industrial agriculture.

        And yet I finished this book more exhilirated and inspired to
        think about and work toward a new world of sustainable agriculture. And with my eyes now wide open that when I'm eating an organic apple that doesn't transform the world or ease the exploitation of those working the land. I see this as a seminal work in showing us clearly how to tear off our blinders and move from our agrarian "dreams' to a new agrarian reality.

        Books:

        1. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
        2. Tile Your World: John Bridge's New Tile Setting Book
        3. Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization
        4. Turfgrass Management (7th Edition)
        5. Under the Radar: Talking to Today's Cynical Consumer
        6. Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology
        7. Unsaturated Zone Hydrology for Scientists and Engineers
        8. Unsaturated Zone Hydrology for Scientists and Engineers
        9. Waiting for Wings
        10. Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business

        Books Index

        Books Home

        Recommended Books

        1. Re-Creating the Corporation: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century
        2. Less Than Zero
        3. Energetic Materials, Volume 13: Part 2. Detonation, Combustion
        4. Kafka on the Shore
        5. It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God
        6. Laboratory Hamsters
        7. Marital-relationship Therapy Casebook: THEORY & APPLICATION OF THE INTERSYSTEM MODEL
        8. The Tears of Things: Melancholy and Physical Objects
        9. Faces of Time: 75 Years of Time Magazine Cover Portraits
        10. Flowering Plants. Eudicots