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Mother Earth News Wiser Living
Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres
Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower.
Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres.
Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide
Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storageInformation about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varietiesFarm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterpriseWhether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres.
Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide
Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storageInformation about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varietiesFarm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterpriseWhether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.
912 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 31, 2013
This is a great great book. I don't usually review farming books here but this is such a significant contribution to the available literature on growing vegetables on the 1 to 5 acre scale that I want everyone who needs this book to know it exists.
Packed with data from the authors meticulous records of decades of growing. And thoroughly researched but most importantly very approachable and full of what can go wrong and how to deal with it as well as just how to farm when things are going well.
Packed with data from the authors meticulous records of decades of growing. And thoroughly researched but most importantly very approachable and full of what can go wrong and how to deal with it as well as just how to farm when things are going well.
March 10, 2017
Great read.
Loads of information. Well presented and easy to process the information. A great collection of resources as well. A +
Loads of information. Well presented and easy to process the information. A great collection of resources as well. A +
December 15, 2015
Definitely belongs in the "get" category. Lots of useful information. Despite the recommendation seal from "Mother Earth" News and the slightly delusional idealist impression that it gives, the book doesn't go on ranting about saving the world, Revolution, or repeating organic hippy slogans. It's practical, very informative, and budget conscious advice. Great book!
September 25, 2016
I have read this book several times and keep close by it as a reference. For anyone wanting to grow beyond a small backyard garden, it is a must-read.
September 17, 2026
### A Detailed Guide for Serious Vegetable Growers
*Sustainable Market Farming* is an impressive resource for anyone interested in intensive vegetable production and sustainable farming. I appreciated how thoroughly the book explores the practical side of making productive use of a relatively small amount of land.
What I found particularly valuable was the attention to planning, crop management, soil care, efficient production methods, and the many decisions involved in running a successful market garden. The book goes beyond basic gardening advice and provides a much broader look at the systems and practices that small-scale growers can consider.
The detailed approach makes this a useful reference to return to throughout the growing season. It encourages readers to think carefully about productivity, organization, sustainability, and the efficient use of available resources. I also liked that the material is focused on practical applications rather than simply presenting gardening concepts in isolation.
Overall, this is a comprehensive handbook for gardeners and growers who want to expand their knowledge of intensive vegetable production. It offers plenty of information to study, apply, and revisit over time.
**5 stars!**
*Sustainable Market Farming* is an impressive resource for anyone interested in intensive vegetable production and sustainable farming. I appreciated how thoroughly the book explores the practical side of making productive use of a relatively small amount of land.
What I found particularly valuable was the attention to planning, crop management, soil care, efficient production methods, and the many decisions involved in running a successful market garden. The book goes beyond basic gardening advice and provides a much broader look at the systems and practices that small-scale growers can consider.
The detailed approach makes this a useful reference to return to throughout the growing season. It encourages readers to think carefully about productivity, organization, sustainability, and the efficient use of available resources. I also liked that the material is focused on practical applications rather than simply presenting gardening concepts in isolation.
Overall, this is a comprehensive handbook for gardeners and growers who want to expand their knowledge of intensive vegetable production. It offers plenty of information to study, apply, and revisit over time.
**5 stars!**
January 13, 2020
While somewhat specific to her terroir, Dawlimg has laid out her very comprehensive 10 x 365 plan for supplying a 100-person CSA (a commune, actually). So while costs are minimally discussed - and profit not at all - there is a plethora of experienced-based advice here. I'm great detail, too... Honestly, I skimmed a lot, as it wasn't relevant to me right now. Nearly half the book consists of detailed discussion of all types of veg. Between the two, I'm convinced this will become a reference for me in years to come.
January 16, 2018
This is largely focused on the logistics of running a farm (true to title).
I was hoping that more of the information here would be applicable at a smaller scale, but some other books have handled gardening in more detail. There is a rather large section (1/3 of the book?) that describes individual plants; which is nice.
I was hoping that more of the information here would be applicable at a smaller scale, but some other books have handled gardening in more detail. There is a rather large section (1/3 of the book?) that describes individual plants; which is nice.
January 13, 2022
I had this book recommended to me as I'm looking at setting up (in a couple years) a small farm based business. This is incredibly detailed in its math, science, and business approach to small farming / farmer's market / restaurant supply. I need to purchase a copy of this to keep on hand -- easily the most comprehensive and best book I've read on the topic of hobby farming for profit.
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January 2, 2020By Twin Oaks author Pam Dawling. Focuses on growing for CSAs. Lots of good information in here but the focus on market gardening (I know it is in the title), wasn't what I was looking for this time round. Also many of the crop rotations they use at Twin Oaks are not applicable to my climate.
October 8, 2022
Excellent information for gardening. Details and tips for preparation of the property, planning the planting, recommendations for seed selection and where to purchase, care and feeding once planted, hoop houses, irrigation...on and on. A great resource for gardeners.
June 12, 2020
This book is excellent for anyone who enjoys gardening. It's full of useful information and helpful tips.
October 13, 2026
Super thorough, everything you might want to know about small scale farming in a harsh cold climate. Found some parts particularly dry but I’m certain would be useful for those who needed it
January 7, 2014
I loved this book! I've got a longer review coming out in Washington Gardener magazine (hopefully in the next issue) but short version is: this is not just a book for market farmers, it's for anyone who loves growing vegetables and wants to learn more and plan better. It's particularly good for those of us here in zone 7a, since Pam Dawling grows in central Virginia (I'm in Maryland). What I like most about this book is that it’s based in real-life experience, and the author never generalizes, but provides lots of detail and many specific examples from her years of growing vegetables. This does make for a long book, at over 400 pages, but it’s well-organized and the reader can flip easily to the part of the book that’s of most interest. It's full of enormously useful charts and crop descriptions and all sorts of great stuff.
I’d recommend this book mostly for readers who’ve been growing vegetables for a year or more, but it would probably be useful as well for beginners who are not easily overwhelmed by massive amounts of detail. This is a book I’ll take with me to demonstration garden planning meetings, and pore over while I’m deciding what to plant in my own community garden plot. And if I ever want to start a farm, I'll know where to go on the bookshelf.
I’d recommend this book mostly for readers who’ve been growing vegetables for a year or more, but it would probably be useful as well for beginners who are not easily overwhelmed by massive amounts of detail. This is a book I’ll take with me to demonstration garden planning meetings, and pore over while I’m deciding what to plant in my own community garden plot. And if I ever want to start a farm, I'll know where to go on the bookshelf.
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March 26, 2016This book is an amazing resource. Pam Dawling and the folks she farms with really have it together. Dawling shares a number of techniques that work for producing food, harvesting it, communicating with irregular helpers, storing food, seed saving, etc.
I learned a lot from the individual crop descriptions. The resources listed at the back of the book are amazing.
I learned a lot from the individual crop descriptions. The resources listed at the back of the book are amazing.
February 23, 2013
A wonderful book!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews