Practical No-Till Farming: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing

— —

Andrew Mefferd

Practical No-Till Farming

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing

Andrew Mefferd

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English

New Society Publishers
01 April 2023

Sustainable agriculture; Organic farming; Gardening: flowers; Organic gardening

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

By: Andrew Mefferd
Imprint: New Society Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 191mm, Width: 229mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 576g
ISBN: 9780865719668
ISBN 10: 0865719667
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 April 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

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.

Reviews for Practical No-Till Farming: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing

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