Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Therefore the best time to embark upon mini-farming is the
summer or fall before the first growing season. This way the
beds can be prepared in a more leisurely fashion and then
sowed with cover crops for overwintering. In the spring, you
only have to cut the cover crops and put them into the
compost pile, cultivate existing beds, and start planting.
(Cover crops are explained in the next chapter.)
It may be best to start mini-farming slowly—say, by initially
creating enough beds for just a single individual's food—and
then keep adding beds as time and materials allow until the
required number has been established. This is because of the
trade-off between time and money. If the prospective farmer
has the time to establish all of the required beds initially,
that's great. But if time is lacking, the only way to shortcut
the system is to pay for heavy equipment and truckloads of
compost.
I don't want the fact that fall is the best time to get started to
discourage you from starting in either the spring or summer if
that is when you want to start. It is always better to start than
to delay because even just a couple of raised beds can
produce a lot of food. If you get started in the spring or
summer, just keep in mind that you'll want to add new beds
in the fall as well.
Creating the Beds
For reasons of economy and productivity, I recommend
creating the beds initially by double-digging. Lay out the area
to be dug using stakes and string, then once it is dug, surround
that area with the material you have chosen to create the box
for the bed. Because the process of double-digging will
