A wealth of information is available on the topics covered in this book, either in printed form or online. Here I have highlighted some of the resources that may prove to be most useful.
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
(AHDB)
UK levy board providing information on beef and lamb, pork, potatoes, cereals and horticulture. The sheep and grassland manuals of the Better Return Programme provide essential reading on pasture management.
Agroforestry Research Trust
UK charity that researches into temperate agroforestry, including tree, shrub and perennial crops. The Trust Director is Martin Crawford (see page 217).
Animal Welfare Approved
http://animalwelfareapproved.org
US-based organization providing the certification for the Animal Welfare Approved label. The website includes useful information regarding welfare standards.
The Aquaponic Source
A comprehensive website selling equipment, with extensive online information regarding the setting up and management of aquaponic systems. Based in the USA, but a valuable resource for would-be fish keepers around the world.
Australian Pig Breeders Association (APBA)
http://lbcentre.com.au/Australian_Pig_Breeders_Society_Australia.php
The APBA manages the herd book for nine breeds of pigs and promotes the pedigree pig.
Backyard Aquaponics
Essential resource if you are considering a small aquaponics system of your own. Based in Australia.
British Beekeepers Association
National organization supporting beekeepers and working to conserve bees.
British Pig Association (BPA)
The BPA maintains the herd book for most rare pig breeds, with information on the breeds and buying pedigree pigs.
Cotswold Grass Seeds
This is a commercial website, based in the UK, but it includes some really valuable web pages giving information on grass mixes, green manures and establishing nectar beds, with links to some excellent articles.
Empire Farm
My own website, featuring the one-acre plot, with a blog of activities that take place on the plot during the year.
Four Season Farm
The experimental organic market garden in Maine, USA, owned by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman.
Garden Organic
A UK campaigning and research charity. The website is full of information on all organic horticultural matters.
Haller Foundation
Charity promoting sustainable agriculture in Africa, with particular emphasis on aquaponics.
Holderread Farm
The Holderread Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center in Oregon, USA, is home to the well-known waterfowl expert Dave Holderread. Website includes information about pure-bred waterfowl.
Homestead
A library of short articles on a wide range of topics. Based in the USA.
UK charity. An essential website if you are planning to slaughter your own poultry or are considering the home slaughter of sheep, goats or pigs, with an online guide to the slaughter of poultry, including the use of electric stunners.
Kentish Cobnuts Association
http://kentishcobnutsassociation.org.uk
Plenty of information available as downloads if you intend to grow cobnuts.
My Pet Chicken
A useful website for the first-time chicken keeper, with some guides and FAQs, plus lists of suppliers. Based in the USA.
Permaculture Association
UK charity supporting the learning and use of permaculture.
Permaculture Institute USA
US non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of permaculture.
Permaculture Research Institute
Australian organization working with individuals and communities worldwide to expand the knowledge and use of permaculture.
Polyface Farms
Polyface Farm in Virginia, USA is the home of Joel Salatin, a low-carbon farming expert who lectures around the world on sustainable farming. His videos are essential viewing, especially those on his poultry chicken tractors.
Poultry Keeper
One of the most comprehensive websites on keeping poultry of all kinds, with a useful forum. Based in the UK.
Rodale Institute
Founded by organic pioneer J. I. Rodale, to study the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. Useful information on organic management, with webinars and online courses. Based in the USA.
Soil Association
The UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. The website has plenty of information and down-loadable pdfs on the organic management of farms.
Soil Foodweb
Website covering the work of the soil expert Dr Elaine Ingham. Based in the USA, but with many online resources and webinars.
Subscribing to a magazine can really boost your knowledge. It can also be useful to dip into magazines published in countries other than your own, for new approaches. You can buy one-off editions of some of the magazines listed below via digital newsstands or by contacting the publisher directly.
Acres USA
Published monthly in the USA (Austin, TX).
A leading publication covering organic and sustainable farming. Aimed at production-scale farms, many of the ideas can be applied to small-scale operations.
Country Smallholding
Published monthly in the UK (Barnstaple, Devon).
The UK’s leading monthly for smallholders, covering a range of topics.
Grow Your Own
Published monthly in the UK (Colchester, Essex).
Comprehensive coverage of topics relating to fruit and vegetable growing, plus flowers and chickens.
HomeFarmer
Published monthly in the UK (Preston, Lancashire).
The focus of this magazine is home-grown and homemade, with a lot of DIY ideas.
Kitchen Garden
Published monthly in the UK (Horncastle, Kent).
Down-to-earth advice on growing fruit and vegetables.
Permaculture: Practical solutions for self-reliance
Published quarterly in the UK (East Meon, Hampshire).
A variety of topics on the theme of permaculture from around the world.
Practical Pigs
Published quarterly in the UK (Kelsey Media, Cudham, Kent) in collaboration with the British Pig Association (BPA).
A great magazine for pig keepers, with lots of practical advice and guidance on breeds of pigs.
Practical Poultry
Published monthly in the UK (Kelsey Media, Cudham, Kent).
Informative and with lots of ideas, from incubation to showing and selling. Good advice on housing and food.
Small Farmer’s Journal
Published quarterly in the USA (Cedar Sisters, OR). https://smallfarmersjournal.com
Aimed at the homesteader and small farmer, the magazine covers lots of useful topics.
Small Farms
Published monthly in Australia (Bowral, NSW).
For the small farm owner, especially those entering the farming sector for the first time.
Smallholder
Published monthly in the UK (Falmouth, Cornwall).
A magazine for small producers and for the self-reliant household.
There is a vast range of books providing expert advice on all the topics covered in this book, of which a small selection is included here. In addition, I would recommend reading some of the classic books on soil and organic agriculture dating back to the 1940s and 1950s, especially those written by Sir Albert Howard, as well as by Lady Eve Balfour, Louis Bromfield, Jerome I. Rodale and Rudolf Steiner: all pioneers of the organic movement. Most are no longer in print, but may be found in second-hand bookshops and via specialist websites.
Gaia’s Garden: A guide to home-scale permaculture
Toby Hemenway (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2nd edition 2009)
A readable introduction to permaculture, helping you create an ecological home garden.
The New Organic Grower: A master’s manual of tools and techniques for the home and market gardener
Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2nd edition 1995)
If you aspire to grow organic vegetables, this may be the book for you: with everything about organic vegetable growing – from fertility and crop rotations to materials, costs and even marketing.
The One-Straw Revolution
Masanobu Fukuoka (New York Review Books Classics, 2009; first published 1978)
A revolutionary approach to sustainable agriculture, ‘natural farming’, developed by the author in Japan.
The Polytunnel Handbook
Andy McKee and Mark Gatter (Green Books, 2008)
A manual that covers all aspects of polytunnel ownership, from planning and building to cropping.
Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture: A practical guide for farms, orchards and gardens
Sepp Holzer (Permanent Publications, 2010)
The ‘rebel’ Austrian farmer writes about his natural approach to farming, including his use of hugelkultur and natural branch development.
Teaming with Microbes: The organic gardener’s guide to the soil food web
Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, revised edition 2010)
A great read in a chatty style that makes the technical stuff really easy. Full of essential information.
Charles Dowding’s Veg Journal: Expert no-dig advice, month by month
Charles Dowding (Frances Lincoln, 2014)
A month-by-month guide to growing vegetables.
Creating a Forest Garden: Working with nature to grow edible crops
Martin Crawford (Green Books, 2010)
One of the best books on forest gardening.
Edible Perennial Gardening: Growing successful polycultures in small spaces
Anni Kelsey (Permanent Publications, 2014)
Not everyone has space for trees, but this book shows the range of edible perennials that you can grow in a small space.
The Fruit Tree Handbook
Ben Pike (Green Books, 2011)
Expert guidance on growing fruit trees, from planning and planting to pruning and harvesting.
How to Grow Perennial Vegetables: Low-maintenance, low-impact vegetable gardening
Martin Crawford (Green Books, 2012)
An inspiration to grow a much wider range of long-lived plants, for a supply of edible shoots, fruits, roots, etc.
How to Make a Forest Garden
Patrick Whitefield (Permanent Publications, 3rd edition 2012)
An introduction to creating a forest garden.
Organic Gardening: The natural no-dig way
Charles Dowding (Green Books, 3rd edition 2013)
A great introduction to the no-dig or no-till approach.
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year-round vegetable production using deep-organic techniques and unheated greenhouses
Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009) Guidance on how to extend the growing season and grow vegetables through the winter months.
Aquaponic Gardening: A step-by-step guide to raising vegetables and fish together
Sylvia Bernstein (Saraband, 2013)
The best book on DIY aquaponics, based on the author’s many years of experience.
The Book of Geese: A complete guide to raising the home flock
Dave Holderread (Hen House Publishing, 1993) One of the best reference books on keeping geese.
A Guide to Traditional Pig Keeping
Carol Harris (The Good Life Press, 2009)
A good reference book for both the novice and the experienced pig keeper.
My Pet Chicken Handbook: Sensible advice and savvy answers for raising backyard chickens
Lissa Lucas and Traci Torres (Rodale Books, 2014) Novice and experienced chicken keepers alike get something from this book, with lots of practical and commonsense advice.
Sheep: Small-scale sheep keeping
Sue Weaver (Hobby Farms, 2nd edition 2014) Packed with information, with an easy-to-read approach.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks
Dave Holderread (Storey Publishing, 2nd edition 2011)
A detailed look at keeping ducks, from choosing the right breed to rearing and slaughter.
Most of the equipment mentioned in this book (e.g. fencing materials, feeders, water troughs, sheep hurdles, animal husbandry equipment, feedstuffs) can be obtained through agricultural merchants or through specialist websites. Poultry and pig housing, greenhouses, and polytunnel hoops and plastic are best purchased via specialist manufacturers, which can also be found online.
If you are looking to establish an orchard, grow soft fruits or plant an edible hedgerow, find a local nursery that is able to supply regional varieties suited to your growing conditions. Some of the perennial plants mentioned in Part Two of this book may be found in specialist nurseries or can be grown from seed.
Sourcing livestock can be trickier, especially if you are looking to buy a specific breed. One way to find breeders is to attend local agricultural shows and talk to the exhibitors about their animals. When I am buying animals I like to visit the breeder and assess the conditions in which animals are being raised, and only then commit to buying. If this is not possible for you, join a smallholder forum or a local smallholder group and ask questions. I find that people are more than willing to give recommendations.