The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm: How to Start and Run a Profitable Market Garden That Builds Health in Soil, Crops, and Communities

by Daniel Mays

Overview

No-till — a method of growing crops and providing pasture without disturbing the soil — has become an important alternative to standard farming practices. In this comprehensive guide to successful no-till vegetable farming for aspiring and beginning farmers, author Daniel Mays, owner and manager of an organic no-till farm in Maine, outlines the environmental, social, and economic benefits of this system. The methods described are designed for implementation at the human scale, relying primarily on human power, with minimal use of machinery. The book presents streamlined planning and record-keeping tools as well as marketing strategies, and outlines community engagement programs like CSA, food justice initiatives, and on-farm education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635861891
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	236,606
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel Mays is the author of The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm and the owner of Frith Farm, a no-till operation in southern Maine that produces food for hundreds of local families from three acres of vegetables and five acres of pasture. With a master’s degree in environmental engineering, Mays has studied dozens of small organic farm operations throughout the world and is a frequent speaker at farm events, including the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Maine Farmland Trust, and the Maine State Agricultural Trade Show. He lives in Scarborough, Maine.

Table of Contents

Preface: From the Ground Up
1: Farming at a Human Scale
  Nature as Model
  Beyond Sustainability
  Rethinking Tillage
  Farming Values
2: Ecological Agriculture
  Science and Soil Health
  Succession and Disturbance
  Soil Creation and the Soil-Plant Food Web
  Nature's Principles of Soil Care
3: Getting Started
  Taking the Leap
  Start-Up Costs
  Acquiring Capital
  The Land Search
  Farm Design-Build
4: Establishing Beds
  Permanent Raised Beds
  Field Layout
  Jump-starting Soil Health
  Breaking Ground with and without Tilling
5: Planting
  Crop Planning
  The Seedling Greenhouse
  Transplanting
  Direct Seeding
6: Irrigation
  Water Resilience
  Irrigation Design
  Installation and Maintenance
7: Weeds
  Treating Symptoms vs. Causes (Killing vs. Preventing)
  Zero Seed Rain
  Mulching
  Methods of Manual Weeding
8: Methods of No-Till Disturbance
  Flipping Beds
  Compost as Mulch
  Mowing and Crimping
  Occultation and Solarization
  Breaking Up Compaction
  A Plantable Surface
9: Natural Soil Care in Action
  Principles of Soil Care
  Cover Cropping
  Multicropping
  Hedgerows and Other Beneficial Plantings
  Integrating Livestock
  Fertilizer and Fertility
  Pests and Disease (Symptoms of a Lack of Life)
10: Harvest and Handling
  Workflow and Efficiency
  Freshness
  Cleanliness
  Harvest Implements
  Wash Infrastructure
  Presentation and Delivery
11: Markets and Scale
  Location, Location
  Food with Context
  The Local Market Trifecta
  Spreading the Word
  Market-Based Growth
12: Labor
  Labor as Asset, Not Input
  The Right Work Environment
  Labor Models
  Attracting and Retaining Employees
  The Hiring Process
  Task Times
13:  Planning and Recordkeeping
  The Whole-Farm Organism
  Recordkeeping Strategies
  Collaborative Spreadsheets
  Production Records
14: Measures of Success: Profit, People, and Place
  Reinvestment
  Agriculture-Supported Community
  Spaceship Earth
  Quality of Life
Acknowledgments
Appendix
  Glossary
  Resources
  Metric Conversion Chart
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

08/17/2020

Farmer Mays draws from nearly a decade’s worth of experience running his five-acre Frith Farm in Maine for this useful primer on “intensive no-till vegetable production.” Arguing that large-scale agricultural production is at the heart of modern ecological problems, he proposes a less-is-more ideology that suggests “the best approach for caring for the soil is usually to stop messing with it” and employs a strict “no-spray policy.” The book’s definitions of farming terms nicely illuminate Mays’s philosophy; tillage is “a largely unnecessary application of mechanical power to a biological system,” which ends up killing beneficial organisms and driving erosion, while sustainability is “a comprehensive effort to maximize positive environmental, social, and economic impacts simultaneously.” He takes a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of soil science before advising on planting, irrigation, weeds, mulching, compost, cover crops, fertilizers, and harvesting. Candid about starting costs, he gives instructions on writing a business plan; keeping records; securing land, materials, and labor; and finding places to sell the harvest. Straightforward and encouraging, Mays’s insightful and detailed account is a one-stop source for small farmers looking for both inspiration and practical advice. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

“An exceptional book.” — Eliot Coleman, farmer and author of The New Organic Grower and Four Season Harvest
 
“A great treatise on the importance of a holistic approach to agriculture and a must-read for any serious market grower.” — Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer and author of The Market Gardener

“Daniel Mays has hit the ball out of the park. Home gardeners and market gardeners alike will learn much about honoring soil life while growing the best vegetables possible.” — Michael Phillips, farmer and author of The Holistic Orchard

“If you want to farm for a living, I highly recommend reading this book. It is one of the best guides for serious growers that I know of.” — Ben Hartman, farmer and author of The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables

"Farmer Mays draws from nearly a decade’s worth of experience running his five-acre Frith Farm in Maine for this useful primer on 'intensive no-till vegetable production'... Straightforward and encouraging, Mays’s insightful and detailed account is a one-stop source for small farmers looking for both inspiration and practical advice."
— Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher