The Tiny But Mighty Farm: Cultivating High Yields, Community, and Self-Sufficiency from a Home Farm

The Tiny But Mighty Farm: Cultivating High Yields, Community, and Self-Sufficiency from a Home Farm by Jill Ragan of Whispering Willow Farm

Quarto Publishing 2023

I've been on a farming and gardening kick in case you haven't noticed.  I think it is because at the end of harvest, I get this excitement for the next growing season and what I'm going to do differently....will I try to get my Rosemary to last the winter, will I try that new variety of mint next year, what lettuce variety will be the best???   So, this title caught my eye.  It is definitely a how-to book on the deep mechanics of growing.  And I'm talking about soil care, building structures, and how-to's of growing, along with details on turning your growing into a business.

You can tell that Jill loves to garden.  And she seems to be well-organized and efficient.  I could especially resonate with her thoughts on Systems.  Systems, she says, is her set list of what she does on what day.  For example, on Tuesdays she and her helpers harvests flowers.  No time is wasted on what they should do on what day.  

While I appreciated her enthusiasm for gardening, I didn't realize at first that this is more of a handbook on the business of gardening for the new gardener and small-acre gardener at that.  I guess I was looking for something more along the lines of a way of life since I can no longer do the physical work enabling me to make a business of growing.  I'm leaving that to the younger generation---which is why I was so glad that the author is sharing her wisdom and advice and how-to's of making a go of gardening as your career.  I always encourage an interest in the environment.

My takeaway is a new interest in microgreens and growing indoors.  This book just may have sparked a new way of doing things for me.  Now that is something I can do.   Yes, like she says, you are capable of mighty things!