The Tiny But Mighty Farm

Book excerpt: In The Tiny But Mighty Farm, author Jill Ragan of YouTube’s Whispering Willow Farm teaches you how to turn a typical suburban backyard into a productive mini farm. Backyard mini farming is about regular people who live in regular houses turning all or part of their property into a productive, high-yielding mini farm. Unlike gardening, mini farming takes a very deliberate approach, with the main goal being to grow as much food as you can with as little land and as few resources as possible. Everything is done with planning and purpose, rather than as a hobby. Whether your property is one-tenth of an acre, one full acre, or somewhere in between, there are so many opportunities to grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in creative and high-yielding ways. If concerns about food security and the rising cost of food have you feeling uneasy, or if you just want to play a bigger role in feeding your family and your community, starting a backyard mini farm is the answer. With Jill as your friendly and encouraging guide, you’ll learn how to grow food for your family and, if you want, sell part of your harvest for a profit. From discovering what kind of mini farmer you want to be to selecting the best high-yielding varieties and planning out and preparing your growing spaces, it’s all covered in these pages. With Jill’s help you’ll learn: The best tools for running a successful mini farm (hint: a tractor isn’t on the list!) Advice on whether to grow in the ground, in raised beds, or indoors How soil health impacts the longevity of your backyard farm Whether heirlooms or hybrids bring bigger yields Ways to use structures like high tunnels and greenhouses to improve production The many satisfactions of growing food for others and how much money you can expect to earn In the process of cultivating food, you’ll also be cultivating yourself, your family, and your community in the most beautiful and inspiring ways. With help from The Tiny But Mighty Farm, food self-sufficiency and seasonal, organic eating is an achievable goal. Big yields from a typical backyard is what a well-designed, functional mini farm is all about.