A
Abelman, Michael, 5
“Advanced No-Till Mulching and Crimping Techniques” (Jadrnicek), 69–80
annual crops, soil balance for, 142–143
applied biodegradable mulch. See mulch, biodegradable applied
Archuleta, Ray, 132
armor on the soil, 125–126, 132
Armour, Polly and Jay, 145–162
benefit of OM level, 22
comfrey borders, 171
information from, 209
B
beds
altering shape, 228
preparation, 271–274, 285–287, 299–301
staking, 251–252, 264, 269–271
beetles, 299
Belk, Tim and Sarah, 65
beneficial insect habitats, 201, 220, 288
Bensel, Steve, x
Benson, Brinkley, 16–17 Berry, Wendell, 8
Biklé, Anne, 4
bindweed, 121, 124–125, 141, 196–197
biodegradable applied mulch. See mulch, biodegradable applied
biodegradable mulch grown in place, 36–42, 55–57, 72
The Bio-Integrated Farm (Jadrnicek), 6, 65
Bountiful Gardens, 211
Brinton, Will, 168
broadcast seeding, 126, 170, 243, 310
Brown, Gabe, 132
C
carbon dioxide, ix
cardboard, 60, 81–91, 100–102, 156, 220
carpetweed, 107
carrots, 160
cereal rye. See rye cover crops
chemical agriculture, 12–13, 22–23
civilizations, collapse of, 9–15
clay soil, 29, 131, 228–229, 231, 295–296
climate change, ix, 3, 13, 85, 146–147
Coleman, Eliot, 105
Collapse (Diamond), 11, 12, 14–15
Compact Farms (Volk), 5
compost
forced air system for, 145
high-carbon recipe, 241–243, 307–308
quality of, 177
unscreened, 151
conventional no-till agriculture, 33–36
cover crops
seeding, 170
using solarization, 239
into vegetable crops, 310
See also roller-crimper method
crabgrass, 157
crates, growing dahlias, 182
information from, 6
inspiration from, 304
production potential, 233
variations in no-till, 225
crimson clover, 72, 74, 166–167, 310
crop turnover
efficiency, 28–29, 49, 159–160
flowers vs. vegetables, 184–186
Cultivate Kansas City, 113–114
D
dahlias, 182
dandelions, 107
deep compost mulch system
amount of compost, 202–203, 228
breaking new ground, 134–137, 191–192, 226–228
crop rotation, 214
development of system, 276–280
getting started, 148–150, 156–157, 186, 216–218, 221–222, 294
spreading the compost, 174
transition of mulch, 306
deep straw mulch system
getting started, 111–112, 119–120
DeLuca, Tom, x
direct-seeded crops
adapting to soil conditions, 230–231
with solarization system, 243
with straw mulch, 109–110, 115–117
Dirt (Montgomery), 9, 11, 13–14
double digging, 277
drip irrigation, 204, 231, 266
Dripping Springs Garden, 105
E
Earth, carrying capacity of, 11, 13
The Earth Moved (Stewart), 89
economics. See finances
efficiency, 132, 134, 251–253, 259, 292
equipment
for applying mulches, 44
disadvantages of, 154
finances of, 25
as labor, 200
with mulch grown in place, 40–41
tillage and, 20
expansion, 215
F
farm machinery. See equipment
farm profitability. See finances
Farmer to Farmer podcast, 113, 119, 202, 299
farmers, lowering barriers to, 5–6
farmers markets, 190, 249, 255, 293
Farmers of Forty Centuries (King), 88
“Farming in the 21st Century” (USDA-NRCS), 19
farms
developing the market, 166, 235
viability of small-scale, 24–27, 163, 280
fertility, ix
fertilizers, xi, 80, 252, 255–256, 286
finances
advantages of no-till, 233–234
gross sales, 201–202, 215–216, 247–249
per acre, 281
tillage and, 20
flower crops, 49, 123–144, 175–186, 295–304
food production, effect of climate change, ix
Fortier, Jean-Martin, 45, 95–97, 199, 244, 304
Foundation Farm. See Gros, Patrice
Fukuoka, Masanobu, 8, 134, 224
Full Bloom Flower Farm and
fungus gnats, 78
G
Gaetz, Denise and Tony, 123–144
placeholders, 29
Garcia, Deborah Koons, 277
garlic, 55–56, 73, 155, 172, 241, 311
genetically modified crops, 33–36
glyphosate, 35
Gros, Patrice, 105, 113, 126, 299, 304
Growing a Revolution (Montgomery), 8–10
Growing for Market magazine, 17, 40, 69, 81, 86, 91, 225, 247, 250, 257, 260, 269
H
hardpan, 142
Hartman, Ben, 292
hedgerows, 133, 201, 279, 288–289
The Hidden Half of Nature (Montgomery, Biklé), 4
hoophouses, 90–94, 244, 252–254
hula hoes, 211
I
infrastructure investments, 266
Ingham, Elaine, 54
intensive production, 250, 280
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ix
irrigation
with deep compost mulch system, 252
with deep straw mulch system, 121–122
efficiency, 266
with roller-crimper method, 79
soil type and, 203–204, 231, 232–233
J
information from, 6
planning, 41
transplanting method, 38
K
Kaiser, Paul and Elizabeth, 275–294
clay soil, 29
information from, 6, 202, 205–206
inspiration of, 17, 126, 178–179, 188–189, 210
labor, 249
method, 214
production potential, 233
roots, 169
soil principles, 199
transplants, 243
weed management, 194
Korean Natural Farming, 305
L
landscape fabric, 61, 195–196, 290–291
The Lean Farm (Hartman), 292
leaves as mulch, 66–69, 72–75, 76–77, 78–79, 240–241
Leiss, Jonathan and Megan, 295–304
M
machinery. See equipment
manure spreaders, 44, 69, 73–74
“The Many Benefits of No-Till Farming” (Tanner), 17
The Market Gardener (Fortier), 45, 95–97, 199, 244
Mohonk Mountain House, 150
Montgomery, David R., 4, 8–10, 11, 13–14
mulch, biodegradable applied
disadvantages of, 240–241, 257
with roller-crimper method, 66–69, 72–75, 76–77, 78–79
mulch, non-biodegradable, 44–48
mulch grown in place, 36–42, 55–57, 72
mustard, 76
N
Natick Community Farm, 237–246
non-biodegradable mulch, 44–48
Nordell, Anne and Eric, 118–119
North Bay Flower Collective, 180
no-till systems
benefits of, xi–xii, 14, 211–212, 312
diversity among farmers, 48–50
organic vs. conventional, 33–36
philosophy of, 235
nurseries, 294
O
occultation
borders, 244
disadvantages of, 239
with rhizomatous weeds, 194–196
types of covers, 179
when to use, 85
information from, 6
learning no-till, 243
perennial weeds, 245
The One-Straw Revolution (Fukuoka), 8, 134, 224
organic matter (OM). See soil organic matter
Organic No-Till Farming (Moyer), 37
parsnips, 160
pathways, 217
perennial crops, soil balance for, 142–143
perennial flowers, 61, 134, 143, 176, 185
perennial weeds, 49, 124–125, 141, 245
Pesticide Action Network, 278
pigweed, 141
power harrows, 296
predator habitat, 134, 158, 288–289
“Preparing and Turning Over
No-Till Permanent Beds” (Crickmore), 269–274
R
raised beds, 48, 70–72, 86, 136, 153, 164, 227–228, 251, 298
record keeping, 267
Red H Farm, 180
roller-crimper method
cover crop requirements, 68–69
rototillers, 161
Rwanda, 14
rye cover crops, 57, 70, 71–72, 74–79, 166–167, 310
S
salad greens, 49, 92–93, 98–99, 102, 272–273
“The Search for Organic No-Till” (Morse), 40
seeds
broadcast seeding, 126, 170, 243, 310
size, 240
See also direct-seeded
crops Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, 82
Seeds of Solidarity Farm, 81–104
Selvaggio, Brooke, 113
silage tarps, 46, 91–92, 97, 179
See also occultation
simplicity, 262
soil
aggregation, xi
building water-holding capacity, 130–132
covering, 199
ecosystem, 23
improvement of, 29, 82–84, 268
mining of, 4
temperature, 77
soil biology
testing, 287
soil organic matter
effect of no-till, 30
effect of tillage, x, 4, 19–20
efficient level of, 287
increased level of, 27, 131–132
soil temperature, 32
soil testing, 135, 141, 168, 173, 206, 287
solarization
experiences with, 263
Spring Forth Farm, 123, 295–304
sprinklers, 139, 140, 142, 232–233, 266
stale seedbeds, 70–71, 143–144
Stewart, Amy, 89
Stone, Curtis, 133
straw, 299
See also deep straw mulch system
succession crops
flowers vs. vegetables, 184–185
turnover efficiency, 28–29, 49, 159–160
turnover method, 264–265, 285–287
Sudan grass, 125
summer squash, 117
The Symphony of Soil (film), 277
T
Tanner, Jane, 17
Tikopia, 14
tillage
effect of, ix–x, xii, 4, 63–64, 252
experiences with, 145–146, 260–262, 276–278, 306–307
Tilther, 129, 189, 192–193, 231–232, 252–253, 265, 273–274
timing
with crimped cover crops, 38–39, 40, 41, 58–59
flower vs. vegetables, 184–186
tractors
for compost application, 117, 158, 171, 174, 183, 191, 207, 209–210
optional, 24
with roller-crimper method, 40, 57, 60
size, 198
two-wheel, 264
in untraditional locations, 235
uses of, 242
transplanted crops
with cardboard, 85
control with, 214
with mulch grown in place, 39, 76–77
quality of, 294
with straw mulch, 109–110, 116, 117–118
tunnels, 133, 138–140, 266–267
U
The Urban Farmer (Stone), 133
V
Volk, Josh, 5
W
water, role of soil organic matter, xi, 130–132, 149, 284–285
weed management
barriers, 151
with deep compost mulch, 194–195
herbicide resistance, 35
weed pressure
with deep compost mulch, 151, 162
effect of bed shape, 228
effect of no-till, 30, 208, 245
new beds, 229
Weedless Gardening (Reich), 150 “Welcome to the No-Till Revolution” (Crickmore), 260–269
Whamond, Shanon and Michael, 187–204
winter rye. See rye cover crops
Woods End Laboratories, 168