The Tiny But Mighty Farm: Cultivating High Yields, Community, and Self-Sufficiency from a Home Farm - Start growing food today - Meet the best varieties, ... yourself, your family, and your neighbors

by Jill Ragan

In The Tiny But Mighty Farm, author Jill Ragan of YouTube’s Whispering Willow Farm teaches you how to turn a typical suburban backyard into a productive mini farm.

Backyard mini farming is about regular people who live in regular houses turning all or part of their property into a productive, high-yielding mini farm. Unlike gardening, mini farming takes a very deliberate approach, with the main goal being to grow as much food as you can with as little land and as few resources as possible. Everything is done with planning and purpose, rather than as a hobby. Whether your property is one-tenth of an acre, one full acre, or somewhere in between, there are so many opportunities to grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in creative and high-yielding ways.

If concerns about food security and the rising cost of food have you feeling uneasy, or if you just want to play a bigger role in feeding your family and your community, starting a backyard mini farm is the answer. With Jill as your friendly and encouraging guide, you’ll learn how to grow food for your family and, if you want, sell part of your harvest for a profit. From discovering what kind of mini farmer you want to be to selecting the best high-yielding varieties and planning out and preparing your growing spaces, it’s all covered in these pages.
 
With Jill’s help you’ll
  The best tools for running a successful mini farm ( a tractor isn’t on the list!)Advice on whether to grow in the ground, in raised beds, or indoorsHow soil health impacts the longevity of your backyard farmWhether heirlooms or hybrids bring bigger yieldsWays to use structures like high tunnels and greenhouses to improve productionThe many satisfactions of growing food for others and how much money you can expect to earn
In the process of cultivating food, you’ll also be cultivating yourself, your family, and your community in the most beautiful and inspiring ways. With help from The Tiny But Mighty Farm, food self-sufficiency and seasonal, organic eating is an achievable goal. Big yields from a typical backyard is what a well-designed, functional mini farm is all about.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2023

Reviews

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated the maximizing small spaces and making them work for you take in this book. I especially appreciated the chapters dedicated to soil, soil health and building community. A great gardening book!

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review here.
In this fairly slim volume (200 pages) loaded with gorgeous photos of greenery, food, and what appears to be a happy cadre of helpful children, she guides you through the process of developing a garden that maximizes food production whatever your space, feeding your family while nourishing your soul, and perhaps even making some money. The book is most useful for those starting their first food garden, but more experienced growers will find some helpful tips, and she offers thoughtful advice for those thinking of taking it up a notch, business-wise. The book is organized into seven chapters – Small-Farm Values; What Kind of Farmer and Gardener Do You Want to Be?; Grow With Purpose; Soil: The Health & Longevity of Your Farm; In-Ground, Raised Beds & Indoor Growing: Which Is Right for You?; Growing from Seed; Tools & Efficient Systems to Grow On; How Structures, High Tunnels and Greenhouses Help; and finally, Growing for Community: Turning your Tiny Farm Into a Business. Ragan devotes a good amount of space offering comparisons of different approaches – tunnels versus greenhouses, as one example – emphasizing there is no wrong choice, but there is likely a best one for each situation. The index is quite good, I’m happy to say, and there is also a section for making your own notes. Overall, I think the book has a lot of value for new gardeners; wanna-be farmers will find it inspiring but it won’t meet their full information needs. My thanks to Cool Springs Press for the digital copy provided temporarily through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Mallory Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book!!! Perfect for anyone dreaming of starting a garden, new to gardening, or looking to grow their practice. It is so obvious that Jill poured her heart into this book and truly wants to help others succeed. I greatly appreciate how she discussed so many important aspects of farming that are often overlooked. She emphasizes the need to make your garden a place of respite. It’s not just a business, but a lifestyle and passion. She covers ways to improve efficiency, how to set goals, and forever dream. Jill takes the areas of farming that seem overwhelming and rarely discussed, and makes them so simple and obtainable. This is a great resource to add to your book shelf. Jill, thank you for sharing your passion and your knowledge.

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is packed with information that is encouraging and inspiring for gardeners, especially at the beginning of the process. There are so many decisions to make, it can be overwhelming. The author walks the reader through the pros and cons of various styles, and shares what has brought them success in their farming journey. Our purpose and motivation for gardening and farming is important, and will determine the choices we make and prevent burnout. I read the book from beginning to end, but it is definitely one that I will go back to and use as a reference as I establish my own mini-farm for our family.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

[Abbey Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for those interested in gardening/small-scale farming. We've been gardening for a few years so probably half of the information was repetitive for me, but there was a lot of good info and questions to guide you as you walk this journey. Jill presents it all in a very conversational and friendly way - no pressure but lots to think about.

I really appreciated the charts and pictures and tips and sidebars throughout the book. It's very pretty and well-done. This is not a problem unique to this book, but sometimes these features would distract from the main writing or even interrupt it, and that made it hard for the book to flow really well.

I could have done with a little more structure to the writing. It felt a little jumpy at times, like we weren't quite done before we moved on to the next topic.

I really liked the book, though. Would recommend to all gardeners, especially those in their first several years.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiny, but mighty indeed! The author describes how she, not having grown up on a farm but coming from a family of avid "backyard gardeners", gave her the bug to try making food and growing things in general. Over the course of time she becomes more drawn to gardening and it turns into farming. She meets someone who supports her goal of self a sustaining homesteading, and out of it a business is made. Ragan discusses everything from soil content to structural design and from supplies needed to turn your farm into a business to community engagement to help your business grow, and she does it all while reminding the reader that turning your life into that of a farmer is no small feat. It takes a lot of effort, though you can see by the many images of smiles and fun within the book that she has an amazing time being a farmer.

[Susan Bewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are serious about starting a mini farm, this book is definitely for you. I was honestly impressed by how the author made the topic so approachable. I loved how she broke things down into various steps and clarified that owning a farm takes much work, care, and community. The book is also filled with gorgeous pictures of plants, the author’s own family taking part in the farm, beautiful charts, and diagrams that are great for reference. With the author’s detailed information and storytelling approach to learning about growing a garden, I consider The Tiny But Mighty Farm: Cultivating High Yields, Community, and Self-Sufficiency from a Home Farm, a must for beginner homesteaders.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a good, broad overview of how to set up a home based farm. It offers information on how to choose between raised beds and in-ground containers for perennials and annuals and which plant fits each choice best.

You will find information on using a greenhouse which helps to extend a growing season.

What I really appreciated were the sections on cultivating a community family. This type of set up is going to be very helpful and probably vital as we are challenged going into the future of climate change.

I received a free copy for my honest review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read many gardening books and most of them left me scratching my head in confusion. This book doesn’t go into extreme detail about the different aspects of gardening but it covers the basics so well that I feel like I would be able to understand the information I have read in the past in a new light! This book is inspirational especially if you are planning on starting a farm of any kind. Her focus is growing produce but I have been able to take the principles and apply them to other areas that we want to pursue with our tiny but mighty farm.

[Lablover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book even though I am not setting up a farm. I have a fairly large garden. I live in a rural area and keep expanding the garden. The author has good information on succession planting, keeping to what you are capable of doing. She also has some great charts. Since I have been gardening for many years, the technical information on soil, composting etc. wasn't new to me. However, I still found the graphs, and charts helpful. This is also a good book if you are starting out.

[T Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, with a wealth of information and beautiful layout and illustrations. If you'd like to produce your own vegetables, this book won't stay much on a bookshelf, and it will look good on any table.
The book has a nice personal touch, even though I find the authors' message a little unrealistic. Our food isn't all vegetables, and personal gardening isn't efficient enough for our society. But if you are concerned with food quality, this is a book for you.

[Bookgrrl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I misunderstood what this book was about. Based on the cover and title I thought it was more of a memoir style, and would contain stories about the author’s experiences on her farm. However, this is really a how-to on setting up your own small farm (not really applicable to a home garden).

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Keli Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically encouraging, informative and inspiring. Jill provided several ideas for me to think about related to my backyard gardening. Even if you're just into flowers and plants, this book has great ideas and pictures to challenge your ways of planting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was so inspiring and had me asking questions of myself throughout it. It was written wonderfully. You could feel the love out into it.

[Amber Rieger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of all the basics. Jill Goes into selling your products as well.

[Amelia Maness-Gilliland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is filled with beautiful images that make it a pleasure to read. It is filled with valuable information, especially for someone new to growing gardens. She gives great tips on being organized, planning your garden and succession planting. What a great resource!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are learning how to garden this is a great book that talks about all details from beginning to end.

[DESIREE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

an awesome book with lots of great tips and information. highly recommend to anyone interested in farming for yourself or the community

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, beautiful photos, valuable information, fun read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring yet realistic look at home food growing, Ragan shares her experiences but also asks the reader to reflect on specific questions and ideas around the "home farm" dream. She also shares some good ideas, and the photos of her home farm are delightful.

[growingwithbeccalynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORE JILL! I’ve been watching her YouTube for a long while and to have all her knowledge in the palm of my head is *chefs kisses*