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:
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!
$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.
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.
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!
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!
Book Description
This popular and widely praised book describes everything you need to know about selecting and raising small livestock.
Long the primary reference for anyone who keeps animals as a sustainable food source, this latest edition includes up-to-date information on breeds and breeding, feed, disease prevention, housing, and management. The book also includes a chapter on growing feed; appendices covering disease identification and treatment, manure, tanning, incubators, and injections; and a catalog of supplemental resources. Country Journal calls it "a handbook in the true sense of the word. You can pick it up and turn to any section to find quickly the information needed." 55 black & white line illustrations, index.
Customer Reviews:
Everything you needed to know about raising your own animals.......2007-03-31
This is by far the best book I have ever read on the subject of raising your own livestock. The author not only put great information into the book, he also wrote it by telling stories that helped me to better understand and retain the information. I bought the book to learn more about raising a few cattle for both milk and beef, but after reading about other livestock, my wife and I are looking forward to raising a few other types. It even tought us how to save money on feed by giving recipes and directions for getting your animals feed from nature. A must have book if you want to raise your own poultry, or livestock.
Everything to get started!.......2005-11-17
#1 goes into breeds, #2 goes into needs, #3 goes into purchasing AND how to CHOOSE healthy animals, #4 how to house and care for them!! Everything! I am sure there is more to each animal, but this is THE best intro book! I am so happy with my nrew load of reading materials!! I cant wait to get this all started!!
This is the best of the best.......2003-06-28
Anyone who would like to put a few animals in the backyard for eggs or meat or milk or everything altogether, will save hundreds of headaches, and probably hundreds of dollars, by buying this book and taking Steven Thomas's suggestions seriously. There are now dozens of these kinds of books out there, and I own a number of them (including "Barnyard In Your Backyard" which is nowhere near as good as this) but none of them comes close to "Backyard Livestock" for practicality of advice, conciseness of expression, and comprehensiveness. I have sheep, chicken, etc., and this has been far more reliable than any competing manuals that I own or know of. You can't not get it! It's indispensable.
Great Starter Book!.......2003-05-13
To get information easily and quickly, this book is concise and informative. We bought this book when we first started our little farm and 10 years later are still referring to it! An excellent buy.
Great resource book!.......2002-05-02
This book was very beneficial in all aspects of raising small-farm animals. Great reference manual for beginners. I certainly listed this book in the resources directory of my new title, Farm Animals: Your Guide to Raising Livestock, because I felt it would be an awesome addition to my own farm related books!
Book Description
Microfarms—or small acreage farms—are gaining popularity across the country for their astoundingly high yields and great tasting produce, as well as their profitability. This handbook reveals the secrets of successful micro eco-farming and explains what eco-farmers need to know to start their own small agribusiness. Questions such as What can be grown? How do farmers reach their markets? and What sustainable production methods can be used? are answered in detail and supported be hundreds of real-life examples. A variety of unusual uses for crops are also provided, including producing organic spa products, building an urban greenhouse, creating a heritage rose farm, or cultivating a connoisseur apple orchard. Ecologists, amateur gardeners, farmers, and those interested in sustainable living will enjoy this in-depth look at the spiritually and financially rewarding aspects of this new field.
Customer Reviews:
Be careful about what you wish for.......2007-09-06
This is a very enchanting book, but I think the reader would be wise to take it with a grain of salt. The author makes a list of vegetables sound so good your mouth starts to water. Food literally comes to life. One farm has world class leafy lettuce. Another has miraculous tomatoes. A third has peppers for every taste. A fourth makes wool as smooth as silk.
On the other hand, some of the stories are fanciful at best. For example, there is the story of the 'good' coyote. A farmer takes pity on a limping coyote and offers it some food. The standard practice in the neighborhood was to shoot coyotes on sight, but this coyote touches the farmer somehow. The coyote mends. Once recovered, the coyote decides the farmer is 'one of the pack' and his chickens are 'his things'. Thus, she identifies the farmer's chickens as off limits and protects them from other coyotes, raccoons, and varmints. I've got chickens and cohabitate with coyotes. The idea of a coyote protecting the farmer's hens was good for a hearty laugh.
Another story concerns the 'good weed'. This story is part of section on letting plants restore soil depleted of essential trace minerals. The idea is that plants can concentrate trace minerals deep in the soil and deposit them on the surface. In this context, we meet the good thistle. The good thistle pulls out trace minerals out of the stony soil, then dies out as the soil returns to health. I had another good laugh with this story. In some ways there is truth in it, but let me tell you about my thistles. They are beautiful. Every year my soil gets better. I haven't noticed them dying out, though. Maybe next year!
Finally, there is the story of the weak plant calling out to nearby insects to end it's suffering. This theme is repeated numerous times. I guess it is the story of the 'good' bad insect. You see, those worms and beetles are not just eating any plant, they are consuming the suffering plant. I'm not going to argue that nature has a way of maintaining balance, but I had to laugh. I guess those squirrels that entirely consumed 3 trees of gorgeous, plump, red organic peaches were simply answering the peach trees cries of distress! I should have known!
If you want to grow your own food, more power to you. Don't be surprised if Mother Nature throws you a few curve balls along the way, though. Don't count on coyotes to protect your chickens, nor thistles to conveniently disappear.
Finally, Ms. Adams never mentions the local banker or tax man, which seems odd. I've never met a farmer that doesn't have something to say about these friendly folks.
Educational and Inspiring.......2007-03-09
If you've ever dreamed of having a small, productive farm but didn't know where to begin or how to creatively make money and have fun at the same time, this book is The Source for you. Barbara Berst Adams' "Micro Eco-Farming" is loaded with great ideas, sensible how-to information and strategies for starting, maintaining and expanding an environmentally friendly mini farm. The breadth of her knowledge is impressive. She obviously understands every aspect of small-scale farming from raising livestock and poultry to growing specialty herbs, flowers and vegetables. This is a practical handbook and a solid reference you will always want to keep on hand. It has earned a permanent place in my library.
Fantastic Resource for anyone wanting to get into agriculture.......2007-03-09
This is a must have book for anyone wanting to get more for less out of their garden, farm, or acreage. I loved it and found it interesting and informative. It'll stay on my shelf long after I pass it around to all of my friends and family! Bravo! The world would be a better place if more people read and would take to heart the message this book brings.
Make your dream come true.......2006-10-26
It has been my long-time dream to have a house in a rural place with a few acres and a cash crop. With this dream in mind, I read
"Micro Eco-Farming" by Barbara Berst Adams. It is a wonderful book. Besides great suggestions for types of small farm or backyard businesses that lend themself to success, the many real examples bring the possibilities to life. But, there is much more. The book describes how to go about setting up a small eco-business, why and how each one works, and how the benefits of such an endeavour go far beyond just cash. Of special interest to me is practical ways to make the most of a very small gardening plot or space. I don't have land yet (I'm still in a condo in a small city), but there was one tip that I used immediately. It was using trace minerals to help plants flourish, with sometimes dramatic results. I use trace minerals for my personal health, but never thought about my houseplants needing the same. This makes total sense, and I have just started adding trace minerals to their water! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Barbara's delightful book and can hardly wait until I get my
own small plot of land to make use of the wisdom she conveys through her own experience and that of others. I could almost taste the strawberries, smell the hay, and hear the sounds of the birds as I read her book. Ahhh.
Recommended reading ...I was not disappointed!.......2006-08-23
It made sense to me that I first saw this book recommended by the National Gardening Association. After all, some of the farms described in it successfully operate from backyard gardens and even urban lots. Later I saw that Rodale's New Farm magazine recommended it with the following quote:
"The author continually returns to the concept of the "whole farm," where each part integrates with the whole in a mutually beneficial relationship--from the animals, to the insects, to the soil, to the plants, to the farmer and his or her family, expanding outward to the local community and region. She offers an abundance of examples of how farmers have come up with one-of-a-kind products--from specialty wool to simply the experience of interacting with animals--or turned a problem into an advantage--such as the couple who sold homemade salsa "kits" like hotcakes right smack in the middle of a tomato glut."
I'm glad I now own a copy of this book. I was impressed to find out that the Trends Institute had correctly predicted a nationwide (if not worldwide) return to farms like these, or that a new world was opening up again for local farms. I liked learning what makes these new micro eco-farms very different from pre-industrial farms, as well as in what ways they are similar. I never expected it to be a step-by-step rehash of ag-extension grape-trellising or fence-making how-tos which are available free or low-cost to anyone, nor the details of just one person's farm that worked for that person in his or her location. It is non-technical and describes many microfarm examples, explains the concept of how they grow and expand continually (without getting physically larger). Most farms described are from backyard size to five acres, with some up to 15 acres or so, and even one larger farm that added a microfarm element that seemed to outdo its larger counterpart in business!
Book Description
Over-fishing and pollution of our waters has depleted natural stocks of fish and opened the door to commercial fish farms which will mass produce much of the fish we find in our local supermarkets. In this fascinating new book, Paul Bryant and Kim Jauncey explain how to build and maintain a smaller back-yard version of these fish farms. Includes everything you need to know from maintenance of tanks and ponds to breeding, feeding and general care of the fish.
Amazon.com
There have been many articles over the years about the benefits of composting for gardeners, but living in the city without a yard, this reviewer never really thought it was something that would apply to me with my handful of flower boxes and potted plants outside. Joke's on me! This book tells you everything you need to know about composting and household refuse, and most importantly, how to get STARTED, and will be enough to convince you to finally get organized and go for it.
Customer Reviews:
excellent for beginners.......2004-11-14
Earlier this summer I developed an interest in gardening, and especially the at-home composting. I found that this book was recommended to me more than any other.
I picked it up at my local library and was surprised at how thorough it was. After all, who knew that there were so many methods to composting?
This book helped me to quickly and easily set up my first compost pile, which is coming along great. It even has tips for indoor composters!
This book is like having a neighbor show us how to compost........1998-11-25
How do we demystify the simple act of home composting? This easy to read book is the next best thing to having a helpful neighbor show us how to compost. During my past 10 years as a compost evangelist, I have conducted home composting workshops for thousands of people. Backyard Composting is often distributed by sponsoring agencies for public education and included with the purchase of a compost bin. I like the way this book combines basic how-to's and a holistic perspective of how compost fits in to the notion of sustainability, recycling, and permaculture.
Average customer rating:
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Backyard Farming
Ann Williams
Manufacturer: Prism Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 090472767X |
Average customer rating:
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Backyard Farming (Urban life)
Lee Foster
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0877012245 |
Book Description
This third edition of Andrew Singer's is for anyone interested in keeping a few chickens to ensure an ongoing supply of fresh eggs. Even experienced poultry keepers can learn a trick or two from it and novices will find it invaluable. Singer covers his subject thoroughly from setting up a system and choosing chicks to caring for the egg-laying hens. Includes an introduction to other poultry-ducks geese turkeys and even peafowl.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-08-11
If you are interested in keeping chickens on a small scale then I cannot recommend this book enough. It is designed for the absolute beginner with a small amount of space and should be required reading by all who fall into this category. It is also ideal for those with some knowledge or who already have poultry as the information is excellent. The best book I have read in this category and well worth the effort of finding and buying.
Average customer rating:
- The emphasis of the title should be on retail small business
|
AMA Complete Guide To Marketing Research For Small Business
Holly Edmunds
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Systems & Planning
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Advertising
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Marketing
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Research
| Marketing
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Small Business & Entrepreneurship
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Marketing
| Small Business & Entrepreneurship
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0844235849 |
Book Description
"This book is a 'must-have' for any company interested in knowing more about its market. It contains very practical and proven strategies for powerful results." -- Fred Gerdes Director Business Services & Events Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce "This easy-to-read book answers a lot of questions and will make future research projects for us much less expensive-and much more effective." -- Carol Matheson Marketing Manager Pacific Northwest Ballet "In today's marketplace, research is a tactical necessity, and this book is a wellwritten 'how to' on the subject. I would have saved myself time, money, and frustration had I read it before attempting the research projects I've done in the past two years. Even the most experienced marketing professional will learn something new from the AMA Complete Guide to Marketing Research for Small Business. -- Jonna Lee Hough National Director of Customer Service AEI Music Network, Inc. "A much-needed book. It is equivalent to a top-quality marketing research course or textbook, but it is presented in a user-friendly, easy-to-follow format for business owners and managers. Examples and guidelines are excellent." -- Sharon Galbraith, PhD Assistant Professor of Marketing Seattle University "One of the most important messages in this book is that any business, regardless of size, can easily gather the information necesary to make informed business decisions. Businesses that follow the step-by-step approach presented here will learn about their business environment with a relatively low dollar investment. Research does not have to be complicated. The AMA Complete Guide to Marketing Research for Small Business proves it. -- Harriet Gallu Manager, Research Services Kelly Services, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
The emphasis of the title should be on retail small business.......1998-08-18
I was somewhat disappointed with the books information. Although I do market research for a small company I was looking for some helpful hints and frankly did not get that much from the book. The book is oriented twoards a retail establishment and while there were some good examples used in the book, they were not applicable to a manufacturing company. This book would be appropriate for someone about to start a business. The writing is simple to follow with some good suggestions for starting research but for a business searching for new markets or new approaches this would not be adequate.
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