GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
by Ken Hargesheimer
minifarms@gmail.com
Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent bed gardening, mini-farming and mini-ranching worldwide in English & Español. USA: TX, MS, FL, CA, AR, WA; Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, Côté d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India, Uzbekistan.
Proven Practices for Mini-Farming
There is a grassroots movement, around the world, to "buy local, buy fresh, buy organic".
These are based on the internet, US & international agriculture magazines, experiences teaching agriculture in many countries, research and farmer experiences in those countries and a demonstration garden. They are ecologically sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially just and economically viable. There is unlimited, documented proof. On mini-farms the following can double the yields and reduce the labor by half compared to traditional methods. There are 200,000,000 no-till acres and 75,000,000 acres organic worldwide. The average gross sales per acre, selling at the farmer’s market in the USA, is $8,000 [2000], using tilling and chemicals. Profits will be higher with organic and no-till because they cut costs. ¡It works!
Mini-farms: Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years. As of 2000, an Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years. A Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years. A Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 10 years. In 2006 a Cal urban mini-farm of 1/10 acre produced 6,000 of vegetables [not organic; not no-till]. OSU/OARDC: gross $90,000 acre. Not organic; not no-till.
No technique yet devised by mankind has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable as No-till. (Baker)
- Willing to make changes (in the mind; in the field.)
- Financial: Little funds are needed. No tractor, no equipment, no fertilizers, no chemicals.
- Inter-urban, urban, peri-urban land [use free?]
- Restore the soil to its natural health. Contaminations: inorganic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers
- Maintain healthy soil: Healthy soil produces healthy plants, for highest yields, to have healthy people and prevents most diseases, pests, erosion and weed problems.
- Feed the soil; not the crop: Inorganics feed the plants and poisons the soil. Organics feed the soil which feeds the plants.
- Increase soil organic matter every year
- Soil always covered.
- Use mulch/green manure/cover crops.
- Little or no external inputs. Not necessary to buy anything, from anybody [seed?]. Certain things are recommended.
- Manage for highest profit per acre [not the highest yield per acre].
- Leave all crop residues on top of the soil
- No-till - no digging, no plowing, no cultivating
- Permanent beds
- Permanent paths
- Hand tools, power-hand tools and pedal-powered.
- DIY hoophouses, high tunnels, shade cloth, row covers, stakes, etc.
- Greenhouse [DIY]
- Organic fertilizers [19-23 probably not needed after the soil is healthy]
- Organic disease control
- Organic herbicides.
- Organic pesticides.
- Biological pest control.
- Attract beneficial insects.
- Protect pollinators
- Protect soil organisms
- Organic matter [Free? Delivered free? When economically feasible, transport to the mini-farm. Use as mulch]
- Compost [Do not make; requires too much time and labor except for special use. Pile surplus OM to use later as mulch.
- Vermiculture [Worms will be in the beds]
- Muscovies and Guineas should be on every minifarm
- Maintain crop diversity
- Annual & perennial crops/forages, etc.
- Crop rotation
- Inter-cropping
- Feed the soil through the mulch.
- Drip irrigation [Purchase or DIY drip lines]
- Orchards, vineyards, etc
- Labor: students interested in mini-farming [Future Organic Farmers of America is in planning stage for high schools and youth gardening groups. More than one chapter is already formed.]
- Marketing - sell direct [People want to buy local, buy fresh, buy organic.]
- Value-added products [very profitable]
- Organic certification [Selling locally? Not needed]
- Transportation–bicycle and bicycle trailer [DIY] with various units for harvesting, selling, cargo and/or a small pickup/trailer.
- Protect nature and the environment
- Imitate nature. Most farmers fight nature. ¡Nature always wins!
When Soil is Plowed
Dr. Elaine Ingham, describes an undisturbed grassland—where a wide diversity of plants grow, their roots mingling with a wide diversity of soil organisms—and how it changes when it is plowed.
A typical teaspoon of native grassland soil contains between 600 million and 800 million individual bacteria that are members of perhaps 10,000 species. Several miles of fungi are in that teaspoon of soil, as well as 10,000 individual protozoa. There are 20 to 30 beneficial nematodes from as many as 100 species. Root-feeding nematodes are quite scarce in truly healthy soils. They are present, but in numbers so low that it is rare to find them.
After only one plowing, a few species of bacteria and fungi disappear because the food they need is no longer put back in the system. But for the most part, all the suppressive organisms, all the nutrient cyclers, all the decomposers, all the soil organisms that rebuild good soil structure are still present and trying to do their jobs.
But tillage continues to deplete soil organic matter and kill fungi. The larger predators are crushed, their homes destroyed. The bacteria go through a bloom and blow off huge amounts of that savings-account organic matter. With continued tillage, the "policemen" (organisms) that compete with and inhibit disease are lost. The "architects" that build soil aggregates are lost. So are the "engineers"—the larger organisms that design and form the larger pores in soil. The predators that keep bacteria, fungi, and root-feeding organisms in check are lost. Disease suppression declines, soil structure erodes, and water infiltration decreases because mineral crusts form. Dr. Elaine Ingham, BioCycle, December 1998. (From ATTRA News, July 06)
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