Every year about this time I get bitten by the “I gotta have it” bug. Stacks of plant and seed catalogs clutter every table and I spend hours, even days, dreaming of the season to come. The sting of last summer has faded and while the garden is fast asleep it’s easy to get carried […]
New cut flowers for 2012 Read More »
I’m always looking for clever tools and tool modifications for the farm, something that will cheaply and quickly save time and frustration, improve production and product quality and maybe even help the farm make more money. I’ve visited farm shows, including one claiming to be the largest in the world, that had little to offer
Developing tools for small farms Read More »
Planning is a cyclical process, and tweaking the plan for better results is an annual task. However, if you are starting from scratch, or if things are going really wrong, where should you start in planning your enterprise? ATTRA’s Market Gardening: A Start Up Guide has a set of questions to help clarify goals
Calculating how much to grow Read More »
The following is an excerpt from The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips, available now from Chelsea Green Publishing. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now. — Chinese proverb Fruit trees and berries should be planted as early in the spring as possible after the soil has
Take care when planting fruit Read More »
Review by Lynn Byczynski Occasionally a book comes along that bowls you over with its depth and breadth and authenticity. Michael Phillips new work The Holistic Orchard is such a book. The author, a longtime fruit grower, shares a vast store of experience about growing tree fruits and berries. He explains in detail how to
The Holistic Orchard: a patient teacher Read More »
Tomato grafting was late to arrive in the United States, long after it became common practice elsewhere in the world, and it is only now becoming popular among market farmers. But most small growers don’t have the time or facilities to graft their own tomatoes, which involves splicing the top of a desired variety onto
Grafted tomato transplants: a new economic opportunity Read More »
Tomatoes are the most profitable crop on many market farms — if you choose the right varieties. But with thousands of varieties on the market and hundreds of new ones introduced every year, how do you know which ones to grow? As the owner of a small market farm in Maine and the trial technician
How to choose tomato varieties Read More »
Growing for Market in partnership with Johnny’s Selected Seeds has created a library of expert information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. Subscribe to Growing for Market for more great ideas about growing and marketing! For more topics in the series, click on Market Farming
Pelleted Seeds for Accurate Sowing, Reduced Thinning Read More »
Growing for Market in partnership with Johnny’s Selected Seeds has created a library of expert information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. Subscribe to Growing for Market for more great ideas about growing and marketing! For more topics in the series, click on Market Farming
Choose Peppers to Support Local, Ethnic, and Regional Markets Read More »
Growing for Market in partnership with Johnny’s Selected Seeds has created a library of expert information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. Subscribe to Growing for Market for more great ideas about growing and marketing! For more topics in the series, click on Market Farming
AgSquared and Moveable caterpillar tunnels Read More »
