Organic Hobby Farming

A Practical Guide to Earth-Friendly Farming in Any Space

Andy Tomolonis

• Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781933958583
• eBook ISBN:
  9781620081259
• Topic: Biowissenschaften
• Subtopic: Gartenbau

In Organic Hobby Farming, Andy Tomolonis, a longtime organic gardener, part-time hobby farmer, and award-winning Boston-area journalist, strips down the concept of "organic" and explains why natural farming has emerged as the healthiest and most viable method of growing for hobby farms and other small-scale operations. In addition to the improved taste and the appeal of excluding toxic materials, organic farming benefits farmers, their families, and the environment. It offers economic plusses as well. The current consumer demand for "local" and "organic" food underscores the need for small hobby farms that offer unique high-end goods. Tomolonis explains the basic principles of organic farming and describes how hobby farmers and their families can eat healthier, save money, help preserve the environment, and even turn their passion into a small-scale side business. Chapter 1 will help you assess the land you live on to determine whether it's suited for organic vegetables, fruit, berries, or livestock. Farmers who are looking to lease or buy land will find practical advice on how to evaluate properties and find their best use, taking climate, soil, water and geography into consideration. In Chapter 2, Tomolonis continues with practical advice on how to choose the right tools without overspending—starting slowly with quality hand implements and then expanding as you determine the need for costlier power equipment. Chapter 3 moves on to the heart of any successful organic farm—building the soil. "The Good Earth" brings readers down to earth, i.e., the soil. You'll learn how to evaluate and improve your soil with compost and cover crops and protect it from erosion, chemical contamination and other harm. The author also stresses the importance of understanding the complex relationship between underground soil organisms that play such a crucial role in natural plant health. The best soil, with the right balance of nutrients and a healthy population of microbes, will help your plants survive hardship, resist diseases and produce healthier more bountiful harvests, the author explains. Chapter 4 walks you through the steps needed to develop an organized farm plan. The chapter presents a convenient month-by-month overview of the farmer's year, offering a timeline and detailed instructions for sowing seeds indoors, transplanting seedlings, guarding against insects and weeds, harvesting, planting cover crops extending the season and developing a schedule for successive food crops. Whether you want to feed your growing family all summer long or produce enough food for a small-scale agribusiness, the information here is invaluable. This chapter also covers organic methods for harnessing the power of nature by luring beneficial insects that will help control farm and garden pests. Learn about heirlooms, hybrids, and eclectic vegetable varieties in the comprehensive directory of vegetable crops and herbs introduced in Chapter 5. Tomolonis reveals his favorite varieties, including many alluring heirlooms that have grown in popularity. Each crop description offers detailed information on soil preparation, sowing, companion planting, and battling weeds and insects without harmful chemicals. The author, a former produce manager for a national grocery chain, also includes tips for harvesting crops, prepping them for display, and bringing the goods to market. If you're looking for advice on fruits and berries, Organic Hobby Farms introduces new options in Chapter 6, where the author suggests ways to branch out with Asian pears, peaches, and apples, as well as nutritious blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. As he does in other chapters, Tomolonis explains in common terms, how to choose the best varieties for your region, prepare the soil for maximum production, and deal with pests and diseases organically.

Whatever your dream farm encompasses—peach grove, poultry farm, or mixed-vegetable market garden—nothing is more important than its location. The right property forms the foundation for everything else you do on a farm. You can tear down small buildings; you can clear and plow fields; you can grade roads and string fences. But features such as clean well water, shelter from prevailing winds, soil that drains well, a southern exposure, and proximity to a population center with potential customers are all attributes that can’t be altered once you settle in and begin farming. So before you even pick up a shovel or place your first seed order, you need to do some research.

Assessing Your Own Property

Dreaming of an organic farm on land you already own? You may be able to make it happen. Just consider some basic information about the property. You might find that the land is perfectly suited to an organic farm, you may need to make a few adjustments to make it work, or you may decide that you’re better off purchasing more suitable land. Start your assessment by asking the same questions you might ponder when scouting a new property:

• • Is there enough level land with a sunny exposure to provide growing space for all of your vegetables?
• • Is the earth beneath your lawn, backyard, or field deep.and loamy? Or is it lean, thin, compacted, and riddled with rocks?
• • What is the climate? Is the season long enough to grow the crops you want to produce? Is the seasonal rainfall adequate?
• • If you need to irrigate, will there be ample water, either from a public supply or a pond and private wells?
• • If you want to farm commercially, are there enough customers living within your geographical area? When you answer this question, consider whether you will farm for yourself, sell to restaurants and farmers’ markets, run a farm stand, or sell CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) shares to customers who buy a season’s worth of vegetables and to pick up their goods each week.
• • Is the property zoned for agriculture? Can you keep chickens, goats, cows, or other animals? If so, how many can you have?
• • If you want to keep animals, is there enough land to grow hay? Or are there nearby growers who can supply it?
• • What kinds of shelters are allowed on your land? Can you have a barn, stable, chicken coop, greenhouse, and storage shed for tools and equipment?
• • Is your land safe for growing fruits and vegetables? Has it been contaminated with lead, heavy metals, or other pollutants that will make it difficult to grow and market food?
• • Does it border a farm that uses pesticides? If you want to be certified organic, you will need to create buffer areas that stop pesticide drift.

Chances are you already know the answer to some of these questions, but it pays to look at your own property with the same critical eye that you would use on other land. The conditions could be enough to warrant a move.

Issues beyond the Land

It’s true that land issues are the primary concerns when looking for an organic farm property. But there are other things to think about, too—the farmhouse, the community, the neighborhood, and your personal preferences. Some things to consider:

• • Is the farmhouse up to your standards? Many farm homes are older and may need upgrades to heating, electricity, plumbing, and structure. The cost of fixes in the first few years could add significantly to your overall price.
• • Is the house’s foundation strong? Does the basement leak? Is the roof in good shape? Hire a good home inspector.
• • Are the outbuildings in need of repair? A barn, shed, greenhouse, and any other structures that need work will add to your financial burden.
• • Is the property fenced and is the fencing adequate? If you’re keeping livestock on a large piece of land, fencing can become a big expense.
• • Does the climate suit you? If it’s snowy and you’re located at the end of a private road, your most valuable piece of equipment may be a four-wheel–drive truck with a plow.
• • Beyond irrigation needs, how is the water? Is it potable or are there too many minerals? Have the wells been tainted by fertilizer or chemical runoff? Check municipal water records.
• • Is the community to your liking? Consider your proximity to neighbors, shopping, good schools, hospital, and your place of worship.
  

Your land may have everything you need for an organic hobby farm. Check zoning regulations to find out if you can build a chicken coop and raise layer hens.

Assessing New Property

One sure way to get information on a piece of farm property is to interview previous owners, who should be able to tell you everything from the approximate date of the first frost to the spot-on location of each submerged boulder in the fields.

Organic farmer John Mitchell, owner of Heirloom Harvest CSA in Westborough, Massachusetts, says there is no substitute for the information you can glean from a farmer who has worked the land before you. Mitchell leases his farmland from a church parish and says he is fortunate that the previous lessee was also a certified organic farmer. To maintain their certification, organic farmers must keep records of crop rotations, soil tests, and types of fertilizers used, along with information on weeds, pests, and diseases and how each problem encountered during the growing season was solved organically. Such meticulous records are like having a two-way crystal ball that looks into a property’s past and can help you divine its future.

Even without records, the previous owner should have answers to the following critical questions.

Is the Acreage Right?

This is more a question about you and your ambitions than the actual size of the property. Many new farmers find that too much land turns into too much work. Maybe you should look for 5 acres (2 ha) instead of 20 (8 ha).

How Was the Land Farmed?

If the land wasn’t farmed organically and you want to market your produce as organic, you’ll need a three-year transitional period before you can legally advertise your goods as USDA Certified Organic. In addition, land that has been farmed with conventional practices may need cover cropping and repeated applications of manure or compost to eliminate weeds and regenerate the soil microbes that play such a crucial role in sustainable agriculture.

When looking at a new piece of land, find out how it was farmed. Repeated use of machinery could mean compacted soils. If chemicals were used to control insects, weeds, or diseases, you will have to farm organically for three years before you can legally call your goods organic.

Has Anyone Plowed the Land Before?

A field that has been used for pasture may not have been plowed or renovated. If so, boulders or even ledge may be lurking just beneath the surface. One indication that rocks have already been cleared is the presence of stone walls. The picturesque walls around New England that date back to colonial times were built more out of necessity than for aesthetics. Rocks in the field were lugged to the perimeter and stacked in rows to create those now-scenic walls.

How Frequently Was the Land Tilled?

There are good and bad answers to this question. Land that has been cleared, plowed, and tilled should be relatively free of rocks. But a long history of being worked by farm machinery could mean compacted soil, erosion, and the loss of nutrients and humus. The ideal field is one that has been used in a regular crop rotation, with minimal tilling performed to incorporate cover crops and organic matter into the topsoil.

Are Any Diseases Lingering in the Soil?

Knowing about past diseases will help you prevent them in the future—or could give you pause about whether the land is right for your purpose. For example, one of the worst diseases for a vegetable farmer is clubroot, which affects cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard...

Table of contents

• CoverImage
• Title Page
• Introduction
• 1 The Good Earth
• 2 Tools That Rock the Farm
• 3 The Living Soil
• 4 We Plow the Field
• 5 Vegetables and Herbs
• 6 Fruits of the Earth
• 7 Chickens in Your Backyard
• 8 Branching Out—Honeybees, Rabbits, and Goats
• 9 To Market, to Market
• 10 Foundation for a Business Plan
• Acknowledgments
• Resources
• Bibliography