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Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

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4.6 out of 5

6,235 global ratings

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Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

byBrett L. Markham

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Top positive review

Positive reviews›

Thank you Mr. Markham!

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024

I have been home gardening for 7 years and decided to take it seriously this season. I have read many other books, taken online classes and this book was such a joy to read. Not only did I learn alot of new information, I figured out many things I have been doing wrong. This book is easy to understand and a great read for anyone wanting to get started in farming/gardening. I loved all the charts and the author explained things so thoroughly without being boring. I can tell this book was written with passion, a pure heart and expertise. I won't lie, I skipped the chicken chapter but maybe one day I will change my mind!

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Not really enough information

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024

I didn’t feel this book had enough information that was helpful to someone wanting to learn great uses for small areas. It didn’t seem to be as practical as I thought it would be.

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From the United States

Thank you Mr. Markham!

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024

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I have been home gardening for 7 years and decided to take it seriously this season. I have read many other books, taken online classes and this book was such a joy to read. Not only did I learn alot of new information, I figured out many things I have been doing wrong. This book is easy to understand and a great read for anyone wanting to get started in farming/gardening. I loved all the charts and the author explained things so thoroughly without being boring. I can tell this book was written with passion, a pure heart and expertise. I won't lie, I skipped the chicken chapter but maybe one day I will change my mind!

Excellent, well-organized guide on moving from casual gardener to self-sufficient gardener

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2019

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While I've maintained small gardens and potted plants for years, for 5+ years I've casually kept a 1,000 square foot garden. I've mostly winged it... sometimes impressively, other times with dismally. But, never consistent year over year results.

I picked up this book to take my gardening to the next level and broaden my horizons.

In short, I'm very satisfied with the insights and guidance I've gleaned from this book. I'd go so far as to say that while you don't need a background in gardening to benefit from this book, this book is a perfect fit for people in my situation.

Here are the pros and cons from my perspective.

Pros:

- The content of each chapter is very well organized, with concepts building onto one another very neatly.

- The broader subject matter of the chapters takes one through the process of planning, preparing, selecting, timing, managing, etc. most everything one would need to successfully grow a garden.

- This book strikes a good balance between giving you the key information you need for any one aspect of self-sufficient gardening, but not inundating you with too much detail. (In other words, this book threads the needle on delivering a lot of helpful information, while still feeling like an easy read.)

- I've seen other reviews for this book that complain that the author 'rips off' others' ideas and re-packages them for profit. I read quite a bit and have over the years seen serious examples of what these other reviewers are claiming. But, in the case of this book, while the author informs on alternative (and even competing models) for gardening, the author always informs the user on what, in his experience, has or has NOT worked from various models; how he has modified some of those ideas to work in his growing climate; and where he completely parts ways from others' techniques and espouses his own approach (including very clear instruction on how to use his modified or totally unique processes).

- Finally, where possible, the author provides the equivalent of 'modified workouts' for those 'less fit' (MY WORDS, NOT HIS) in their gardening abilities. In other words, the author provides sufficient detail on what might be the most efficient and beneficial approach to say irrigation or composting, but then across the various subjects covered in the book, he provides a less expensive/quicker/initially easier alternative for those lacking the time, resources, space, skills, etc. to fully implement the best possible approach for one aspect or another of gardening. For example, as I'll be looking to expand my garden this next spring, I fully intend to utilize some of the quicker soil prep techniques offered up in this book for use in a pinch while I build up my long-term composting and soil amendment routines.

Cons:

- While some of the chapters really cover all the bases for the targeted subject matter (i.e. plant spacing, soil prep, etc.). Others give you just enough to run with but leave you wanting more. A good example of this would be Chapter 7 ("Time and Yield"). While the author gives a good and broad overview of timing techniques (i.e. succession planting, timed planting, interplanting etc.), for such an important subject matter, I was disappointed by just how short this chapter was. I live in Michigan, with a shorter growing season. I see this topic as critical for people in shorter growing zones like mine, and apart from a quick overview of each of the techniques used to maximize productivity, and a handful of real-world examples of plant groups that work well for things like succession planting (taking into consideration their hardiness in colder climates), this chapter really leaves readers wanting.

- While this book is beautifully illustrated, there's no doubting that the abundance of pretty pictures of garden produce, chickens, tools, etc. serve as fill to make the book feel a bit more substantial in size than it need be. I don't want to over play this point, as A LOT of the illustrations (pictures/graphics/tables) are pertinent to the content of the book (and in any event, some amount of artwork is always nice to have), BUT... I think you could produce this book, still with plenty of beautiful illustrations, and reduce it from its current 227 pages (including the index and notes pages) down to 175 pages.

295 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024

Verified Purchase

We are starting a medium sized garden this year and this book has been a great reference. It covers everything from prepping the beds, to seeding and planting, to canning your leftover produce. I'm excited to put it to good use as we further develop our garden.

9 people found this helpful

Good information in this book

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book offers great advice for anyone interested in learning and starting a garden in your yard. Good information for a small space. Well worth the money if you’re looking to start a garden on your property.

One person found this helpful

Great knowledge

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book is very informative and it terms anyone can understand. It has information that is actually useful

One person found this helpful

Full of Information

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024

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This book has everything you need to know. Very knowledgeable information. Easy to understand.

Excellent book with a ton of knowledge

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024

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This book covers so many things I never knew including different types of soil (based on US regions). This was super helpful to know how to make sure soil and nutrients are good for your plants. There is so much knowledge in this book that it was better than I ever thought.

Extrembly informative

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2024

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I was surprised with all the information contained in this book.

Deborah C Pacheco

Informative good book

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024

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Informative good book that helps beginners

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024

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Very educational and motivating to home farm. First listened to on Audible, then bought so I could easily get to sections for quick notes.

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