The Essential Guide to Hobby Farming PDF Download

Author: Carol Ekarius
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
ISBN: 1620081830
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Six containers of heirloom tomatoes, miniature squashes, and herbs on your back patio or six acres of beets, cabbages, and strawberries? Five chickens and a honey bee hive or a small farm with three dozen sheep and a couple of quarter horses? Regardless of the size of your ‘field of dreams’, Essential Guide to Hobby Farming is your best first step to making that hobby-farm aspiration a pleasurable and profitable reality. A hobby farmer for the past thirty years, Carol Ekarius shares the joys, challenges, and rewards of living the rural life. Hobby farming is as much a state of mind as it is an address in the country, and this instructive, beautifully photographed manual addresses every topic beginning hobby farmers need to know, from purchasing the right land and equipment to choosing and maintaining crops and livestock to marketing and selling your hobby farm’s yield. TOPICS DISCUSSED INSIDE: -Assessing finances and resources - land, water, tools of the trade (trucks, tractors, various implements) -Choosing the best crops for your land, climate, hardiness, and profitability -Selecting and caring for the livestock - chickens, goats, cows, sheep, etc - that best fits your hobby farm -Protecting crops and livestock against predators, pests, and disease -Business and marketing options for selling your local food directly to restaurants and farmers’ markets and through CSA programs -Preserving the harvest, through canning, drying, and freezing, plus over two dozen original recipes for your homegrown produce NEW FOR THE SECOND EDITION: Expanded section on chickens, including urban and suburban accommodations; honey bee keeping; adding a barn or annex building to the farm; trends in planting, including miniature vegetables, heirloom varieties, and ‘hot’ new vegetables and hybrids; adding flower beds to the property; getting involved with a CSA

Author: Will Bonsall
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603584420
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
"Society does not generally expect its farmers to be visionaries." Perhaps not, but longtime Maine farmer and homesteader Will Bonsall does possess a unique clarity of vision that extends all the way from the finer points of soil fertility and seed saving to exploring how we can transform civilization and make our world a better, more resilient place. In Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening, Bonsall maintains that to achieve real wealth we first need to understand the economy of the land, to realize that things that might make sense economically don't always make sense ecologically, and vice versa. The marketplace distorts our values, and our modern dependence on petroleum in particular presents a serious barrier to creating a truly sustainable agriculture. For him the solution is, first and foremost, greater self-reliance, especially in the areas of food and energy. By avoiding any off-farm inputs (fertilizers, minerals, and animal manures), Bonsall has learned how to practice a purely veganic, or plant-based, agriculture--not from a strictly moralistic or philosophical perspective, but because it makes good business sense: spend less instead of making more. What this means in practical terms is that Bonsall draws upon the fertility of on-farm plant materials: compost, green manures, perennial grasses, and forest products like leaves and ramial wood chips. And he grows and harvests a diversity of crops from both cultivated and perennial plants: vegetables, grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and nuts--even uncommon but useful permaculture plants like groundnut (Apios). In a friendly, almost conversational way, Bonsall imparts a wealth of knowledge drawn from his more than forty years of farming experience. "My goal," he writes, "is not to feed the world, but to feed myself and let others feed themselves. If we all did that, it might be a good beginning."

Author: Abigail Gehring
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1510764194
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Grow your own vegetables and herbs, indoors in containers or outside in a garden. Raise chickens or goats. Build a beehive. Make your own nontoxic cleaning sprays. And more! Gehring’s books on country living have sold more than 500,000 copies. In this book, she offers a guide to homesteading skills that is as charming as it is practical. Full of sweet illustrations and gorgeous photographs, step-by-step instructions for essential skills such as building a chicken coop are interspersed with country lore and old-fashioned tips and tricks. Readers will learn how to: Container garden Raise chickens Churn butter Grow vegetables Can tomatoes Brew kombucha Make shampoo Repel garden pests Milk a goat Improve garden soil Make strawberry-rhubarb jelly Ferment vegetables Make yogurt Sprout grains And more! The Essential Guide to Self-Sufficient Living combines the know-how of Back to Basics with the charm of The Farmer’s Almanac. This is the perfect gift for anyone interested in a more self-sufficient, greener, country lifestyle.

Author: Timothy Hunter
Publisher: Timothy Hunter
ISBN:
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Gardening is not only beautiful but also a very useful hobby. Nothing quite feels you up with a sense of pride like when you see your first plants growing and thriving. And just imagine picking up fresh tomatoes and having them for dinner! Certified organic and delicious, straight from your very own garden. Greenhouse gardening allows you to control the growing circumstances and have plants that yield crops all year round. Want to know how to build one of those yourself? This is the one and only book you will ever need to learn all about greenhouse gardening! Inside, you'll discover: • Fundamental techniques for setting up and maintaining your greenhouse, from structure selection to climate control mastery • In-depth guidance on soil management, watering strategies, and nutrient optimization • Effective approaches to pest and disease management that prioritize plant health naturally • Expert insights on plant selection and care, covering a spectrum from everyday vegetables to exotic ornamentals • Innovative methods for maximizing space and yield, including vertical gardening and succession planting The best solution is the greenhouse, which keeps your plants sheltered from the elements even when temperatures drop. Greenhouse gardening, until a few years ago, was the only possibility for producers of plants and vegetables who needed a protected and controlled environment to grow them even out of season. Recently, thanks to modern materials and new construction techniques, many types of greenhouses have become available for sale to anyone interested in the practice of gardening.

Author: Dueep J. Singh
Publisher: Mendon Cottage Books
ISBN: 1311406174
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
Table of Contents A Beginner’s Guide to Annuals and Biennials Introduction Choosing the Right Soil Soil Color and Fertility Humus Preparation of the Soil Best Time for Seed Sowing The Thinning Process Staking Your Annuals Why Mulch? Cultivation and Maintenance Watering your Plants List of Hardy annuals Half Hardy Annuals Annuals Suitable for Cutting Purposes – Annuals for autumn blooming – Half Hardy Annuals for Edging Your Border Knowing More about Biennials Sowing the seeds Preparing the Ground List of Popular Biennials Conclusion Author’s Bio Publisher Introduction There are far too many people out there who are under the impression that you cannot have a beautiful garden without spending huge amounts of money. That is so not true. A little bit of planning and this fallacy is going to fall to pieces by the wayside. Those who are grown annuals for years are going to give this statement the lie gladly. Their initial investment must have been just a packet of seeds. The next year, the plants were grown from the seeds collected from the previous years’ crop. Do not forget that the life of an annual is limited to just 12 months and so you must not expect them to grow up and bloom again the next year, unless of course you allowed the seeds to lie in the bed without collecting them. That is when they are going to bloom up just like weeds with a little bit of rain, and with the coming of the spring. One of the great advantages of annuals is that they are quite easy to grow and flourish in your garden over a long period. The most common are well known to even amateur gardeners who can recognize a cornflower, nasturtiums, Virginia stock and Candytuft. These are very beautiful in themselves, but every gardener is growing them in his garden. So be a little adventurous and grow annuals that are lesser-known, whose names you will find in seed catalogs, nursery catalogs and in nurseries online. There are two kinds of annuals – the hardy kind and the half hardy kind. The hardy annuals are sewn out of doors, either in the autumn are in the spring. The half-hardy annuals are normally raised in frames or under cloches if you are subject to a continuous frost. Half-hardy annuals may need a little bit more of extra care and coddling , but that extra is going to be worth it when you see the blossoms in your garden.

Author: Vernon T. Scott
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781736631904
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
If your main focus is to find love, then find love. If you are looking to have casual sex, say so. People are often surprised at what they find when they are honest about their intentions. The Essential Guide on How to be a Hoe is a modern look on one of the oldest states in the world. The hoe. No, I don't mean the gardening tool. I mean what it takes to become sexually positive and take ownership of our bodies in a world that is constantly violating us with new advice, old ideas, and outdated judgements. People say we can be free but how? This is the problem that this guide attempts to solve, not just logistically, but mentally and spiritually too. This book was not only practical and full of excellent guidance on how to discover oneself and stay safe in a world that is slowly throwing off the chains of sexual oppression, but it also looks at making peace within ourselves, setting boundaries, making sure we are able to identify our liberation from our wounds and treating others with tolerance and respect. It is not afraid to talk about the things that are still considered to be taboo. The narrator is spirited, authentic and hilarious, making difficult topics relatable and understandable

Author: Jaqui Hewitt-Taylor
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 131728612X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
This step-by-step guide takes the reader logically through the process of undertaking a literature review, from determining when this methodology might be useful, through to publishing the findings. It is designed particularly for students undertaking a dissertation using literature review methodology. However, it also caters to practitioners who wish to review the existing evidence in order to develop practice. Key features of the text include: a chapter on what makes a good literature review, so that readers are clear and confident about what they’re aiming for; discussion of the value of literature reviews, whether for fulfilling the requirements of a course or for developing practice; a chapter structure that reflects the structure of a typical dissertation by literature review, making the material intuitive and easy to navigate; case examples throughout to illustrate how methodological principles work in practice; a troubleshooting guide to provide support and advice on common problems when carrying out a literature review; advice on the dissemination of findings. Written by an established author with significant experience teaching and supervising students doing literature reviews, this invaluable text offers systematic and insightful advice on all aspects of literature review methodology, from problem identification to synthesizing information to forming conclusions. It is ideal for any student or practitioner in health and social care looking to undertake a literature review for study or practice purposes.

Author: Katherine K. Schlosser
Publisher: LSU Press
ISBN: 0807137294
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
Fresh herbs offer a healthy and delicious way to spice up any meal, but growing and cooking with these delectable plants are endeavors fraught with uncertainty. What herbs will grow year-round on my kitchen windowsill? What foods complement rosemary? Which part of a lemongrass plant has the best flavor? Can I really eat the geraniums growing in my flower bed? This indispensable guide from The Herb Society of America takes the guesswork out of using herbs in the garden and in the kitchen by providing detailed information for cultivating a wide variety of herbs, along with easy-to-follow recipes that will surely impress even the most discerning palate. Ranging from Alliums (onions, chives, and garlic) to Zingiber (ginger), the volume's first section provides horticultural information for each of the sixty-three herbs found in the National Herb Garden's Culinary Garden, including common and botanical names, family, place of origin, hardiness, and general light and soil requirements. Botanical sketches accompany many of the entries. Each entry also includes a short history of the herb, gardening basics, and suggestions for using the herb in your kitchen. Culinary herbs without Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Status are included in a separate section, with an explanation of their history and ornamental value. An informative introduction to this section compares several different definitions of the word herb, explains the advantages of fresh over dried herbs, describes the proper storage and use of spices, and suggests the best timing and methods for harvesting herbs. In the second part of the book, HSA members offer classic and creative recipes for more than two hundred dishes incorporating a variety of herbs. Learn how to use the aromatic and flavorful herbs in your garden to enhance stews and casseroles, create dips and pestos, and add a new dimension to your favorite liqueurs. Among the mouth-watering recipes featured are Lemon Basil Tea Bread, Chicken Linguine with Fennel and Tarragon, Five-Herb Pasta Salad, and Rosemary Fizz. The concluding section of the book contains a fascinating personal tour of the two-and-one-half-acre National Herb Garden, which lies in the heart of Washington, D.C., at the center of the United States National Arboretum, and of its various themed areas, including the Knot Garden, the Antique and Heritage Rose Garden, the Dye Garden, the Colonial Garden, the Native American Garden, the Beverage Garden, the Medicinal Garden, and many others. Complete plant lists accompany the description of each garden. Green thumbs and gourmets alike will find inspiration in these pages to look at herbs in new ways -- perhaps to see beyond their cupboards and into their own yards for ways to liven up their meals -- and will gain the knowledge and confidence to grow and use herbs effectively. More than a gardening book, more than a cookbook, The Herb Society of America's Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs will prove to be an indispensable companion for all herb lovers.

Author: Henry Veltmeyer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131704374X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 796

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Book Description
In recent years, much mainstream development discourse has sought to co-opt and neutralize key concepts relating to empowerment, participation, gender, sustainability and inclusivity in order to serve a market-driven, neoliberal agenda. Critical development studies now play a crucial role in combatting this by analyzing the systemic changes needed to transform the current world to one where economic and social justice and environmental integrity prevail. The Essential Guide to Critical Development Studies takes as its starting point the multiple crises – economic, political, social and environmental – of the dominant current global capitalist system. The chapters collectively document and analyze these crises and the need to find alternatives to the system(s) that generate them. To do so, analyses of class, gender and empire are placed at the centre of discussion, in contrast to markets, liberalization and convergence, which characterize mainstream development discourse. Each contributor supplements their overview with a guide to the critical development studies literature on the topic, thereby providing scholars and students not only with a precis of the key issues, but also a signpost to further readings. This is an important resource for academics, researchers, policymakers and professionals in the areas of development studies, political science, sociology, economics, gender studies, history, anthropology, agrarian studies, international relations and international political economy.

Author: Nicholas L. Waddy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351689592
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
The Essential Guide to Western Civilization offers a concise overview of European history developed to suit the undergraduate Western Civilization curriculum. Author Nicholas L. Waddy provides an accessible account of major developments in European history in a flexible format. The book will serve as a core text for instructors wishing to build a syllabus including primary sources, articles, and visual materials of their own choosing. Discussion questions and a list of key terms at the end of each chapter will help to guide conversation and assist students in navigating the Western Civilization survey.