Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Apple
Android
Windows Phone
Android
To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
$10.17
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Only 10 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Frequently Bought Together
{"currencyCode":"USD","itemData":[{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":10.17,"ASIN":"1616082283","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":12.3,"ASIN":"0470281723","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0}],"shippingId":"1616082283::5LHrr9cALzeuF7sAiTgEbcWPs%2BteJUUmU3nSc6tXDyhgL7WtXSj4HYFvNQu1cNbOw8cp%2BenSsdFCZzpj6GGlZw5IS8EQj%2FBP4%2FnfBD6WbvakwGyGfWyutw%3D%3D,0470281723::GWUlw66lq4N0uORnRDp0QcN8GaFNOfe1juQXHeXgMGG%2F%2BhxC5W9Emk3Bvwd4sd09GGAT6Qh8bbYT1iot%2FqjME9msYm5M8B6oS%2BrNpTeB0zU%3D","sprites":{"addToWishlist":["wl_one","wl_two","wl_three"],"addToCart":["s_addToCart","s_addBothToCart","s_add3ToCart"],"preorder":["s_preorderThis","s_preorderBoth","s_preorderAll3"]},"shippingDetails":{"xy":"same"},"tags":["x","y","z","w"],"strings":{"addToWishlist":["Add to Wish List","Add both to Wish List","Add all three to Wish List","Add all four to Wish List"],"addToCart":["Add to Cart","Add both to Cart","Add all three to Cart","Add all four to Cart"],"showDetailsDefault":"Show availability and shipping details","shippingError":"An error occurred, please try again","hideDetailsDefault":"Hide availability and shipping details","priceLabel":["Price:","Price for both:","Price for all three:","Price For All Four:"],"preorder":["Pre-order this item","Pre-order both items","Pre-order all three items","Pre-order all four items"]}}
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
“The Joy of Hobby Farming will guide you toward self-sufficiency and restore your faith in your own two hands, if you’d just start digging.” (Ferenc Maté, author of A Vineyard in Tuscany and A Real Life)
“As the title of the book suggests, this is not a guide for those who want to become full-time, year-round farmers. It’s for those who want the ground they live on to nourish their bodies as well as their spirit.” (The Daily Progress)
“Detailed but never excessively so, and richly illustrated with color photos, the Levatinos' book is a useful manual for would-be hobby farmers and a world of entertainment for readers with a passion for going green or simply with fond recollections of farm life.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
“…in this book, they provide tips for everything from growing your own food to choosing the right blooms for your garden to running your farm as a business for additional revenue.” (North Jersey Record)
About the Author
Michael Levatino works off the farm at a major publishing house. His twenty-three-acre farm, Ted’s Last Stand, is located outside of Gordonsville, Virginia.
Audrey Levatino has hobby farming for almost fifteen years, producing and selling flowers, vegetables, honey, eggs, and hand-made jewelry and crafts at several local farmer’s markets. She and her husband, Michael, tend their crops and animals on their twenty-three-acre farm, Ted’s Last Stand, located outside of Gordonsville, Virginia.
Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
Product Details
Series: The Joy of Series
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing; First Edition edition (April 1, 2011)
The Joy of Hobby Farming conveys the charm and honesty of its authors, while offering the seeker of information a truckload of good advice, ideas,and a few facts. The bright design and the engaging abundance of photos sets TJoHF apart from its peers. Better than the rest, and a great primer on leading a sustainable life in the 21st century.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
If you want to expand your backyard country garden into something a little more ambitious, you'll need a bit of guidance, and Michael and Audrey Levatino explain it all for you in this comprehensive and friendly guide. They cover all the basics: expanding or extending your range of produce production, small farm animal keeping and care, with thorough guidance and information on everything from irrigation to selling your bounty of your harvest. Economics, seasonal and climate concerns, choosing the right land for your intentions (and the right intentions for your land) are all covered. The Levatinos briefly cover more advanced technical and agricultural topics you may want to research to take your plans to the next level, but for beginners, planners and dreamers this is the ideal starting book with a solid range. It's a gentle and friendly guide that champions the self-sufficiency movement, with realism and optimism. It's for all levels of ambition and interest, with sufficient encouragement and friendly warnings about how to keep your dreams in line with reality and not to overextend yourself.
Now, at last, I am one step closer to my dream of raising prize pigs!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
The Joy of Hobby Farming is a beautifully presented, wonderfully illustrated introductory guide to hobby farming. The author's sparkling personalities permeate their writing, making it both a fun and informative read. It's a great book for people who have even the slightest interest in farming -- the authors' tips and advice can be incorporated into a simple backyard garden or used as the basis for a larger scale farming operation. You'll enjoy reading about the authors' own experiences on their farm and appreciate learning truly useful, straightforward facts about farming. I do not work on a farm (although this made me want to!) but I valued the honest advice about the struggles and rewards involved with gardening and raising small animals. Much better, more informative, and fun to look at than other, similar books I have read.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Imagine having a good time reading about hobby farming. I did not think it was possible until i picked up this page turner. The photos really bring alive the farming concepts discussed in the book. It is a how to book that can turn any city slicker into a hobby farmer. I catch my children and wife reading the book, so I know from first hand experience it has a broad appeal. I liked the information about growing tomatoes which have been rather elusive to grow in my part of the country. I also like the information on crop rotation and natural fertilizer. It is a well written book and I highly recommend it.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
This book was a little hit and miss for me, and while there were things about it I didn't like, there were enjoyable, informative aspects about it as well:
PROS: - Beginning the book with the caution to start slowly was fantastic. Anyone reading this book most likely has dreams of their own hobby farm and the idea of buying everything at once is very tempting, and a good way to fail.
- A good, overall approach to hobby farming, touching on many different aspects including buying/renting your farm, equipment, safety, as well as producing your product and creating a business from your venture.
- Although the section on 'growing things' could've been larger, it touched on a lot of different ideas. The usual veggies and fruits were there, but it was very interesting to see the sections on mushrooms and flowers as well - something that doesn't always get touched on in these types of books.
CONS: - The section on raising animals was very preachy and repetitive. They cover occasionally by talking about others who raise animals for different purposes and about their own occasional non-vegan indulgences, but the preachy tone is VERY pervasive throughout the entire section, to the point of annoying.
- While it's true that companion animals can be an important personal benefit to a hobby farm, I felt the authors dwelled on this topic excessively, especially considering that their opinions on these types of animals are followed by a substantial section on running your farm as a business. Certainly there can be room for these animals, but for people just starting a business, every penny counts.
Overall, I liked the book, but I think it would be something I'd reference in sections as opposed to using it as a full resource book.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
The Joy of Hobby Farming is a great starter book for anyone who is thinking about taking the plunge into living a more sustainable life, growing their own food, taking care of their home and land, and maybe making a bit of money off of it in the process.
If you have been raising your own chickens for a while, or gardening a lot, you are not necessarily going to take a lot out of this book. It has a good buildup of what to look for when buying a property, how to fix it up the way you want it, what to buy and how to do it, picking livestock and that sort of thing. But it's not the most in depth book every published.
I really like the format of this book, being that it's compact and entertaining to browse through. I also like all of the extra sidenotes thrown in to teach you things quickly and provide anecdotes.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone just getting started on their sustainable journey.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: The Joy of Hobby Farming: Grow Food, Raise Animals, and Enjoy a Sustainable Life (The Joy of Series)
