Overview

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

Full Product Details

Author:   Andrew Mefferd
Publisher:   New Society Publishers
Imprint:   New Society Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 22.90cm , Height: 1.60cm , Length: 19.10cm
Weight:   0.576kg
ISBN:  

9780865719668

ISBN 10:   0865719667
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   01 November 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

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

Reviews

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

Author Information

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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