Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
by Brett Markham
Self-Sufficiency, the ability to grow your own food, is an important aspect of a Prepper Lifestyle. Now, you may feel that you could just live on canned goods, or count on your stockpile to get you through hard times, but the truth is, your best source for fresh vegetables is your own yard. You don’t need to have acres of land to feed your family, mini-farming is effective, if you do it right.
Brett Markham’s book “Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre” is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to grow their own vegetables, but is a little short on space. It’s not enough to dig a hole, and drop in a seed. Preparation of the soil is vitally important to small space gardening, and he described the process of composting, ph levels, how to double dig and how to build raised beds in great detail. (Remember, prior preparation prevents piss-poor performance!). With a mini-farm, you have to combine plantings, rotate crops and stagger harvests. Markham includes charts that help you do just that.
“Mini-Farming” covers topics like starting seedlings, building a cold-frame, bed size, dealing with pests and harvesting. You also learn how and when to harvest your vegetables, and what to DO with them once you have them. Markham even suggests growing extras to sell for extra income.
Now, this book is not a one-size fits all…. more of a one size fits most. The section on raising animals is not as complete as it could be, but I imagine the book would be unwieldy if every last bit of information was included. Also, he touches on the basics of canning, preserving and drying your harvest. For more detailed information, and for a wider variety of recipes, I’d supplement with other books.
What makes this book special is how personal it is. Markham obviously devoted a great deal of time and energy to his garden, and kept multiple journals. He shares his successes, and lets us know which things didn’t work out as well. Lots of photos throughout make this book a joy to page through, and the high quality of the book make it nice enough to keep on your coffee table. You will find yourself referring to “Mini-Farming” over and over for years to come.
Get your copy today:
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre – Paperback
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre – Kindle
