Courtesy of Roxanne C., Philadelphia PA Arugula is one of those crossover crops that went from niche to mainstream. It found a fanatical following back in the late 90’s when it was the mark of distinction for artisanal farmers, and a symbol of enlightened eating among foodies. Over time it...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Market Garden, Pleasantdale, SK If my email is any indication, 2019 might produce another bumper crop of new farmers. Those who are finding their way to me for advice come well-equipped with best practices and lengthy to-do lists. Very little of it has to do...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Pleasantdale SK The planning questions keep coming, and last week the big one was, “How do I know if a crop is worth growing?” Getting an accurate read on your seed costs is a big part of the answer. In fact, knowing the...
A big benefit of backyard farming is that you can make the same level of income as traditional farmers, but eliminate their expensive and sometimes environmentally harmful practices. Take pest management. A lot of the concern about the safety and quality of our food is because of pesticides. Backyard Riches...
Courtesy of Roxanne C.,Philadelphia PA The beauty of SPIN-Farming is that it can use spaces that are not suitable for traditional farming. Any remnant of land that measures at least 1,000 sq. ft. can contribute enough production and revenue to be worth a farmer’s time. So when you put on...
Courtesy of John G. , JNJ Farms, Macomb IL We are working up our 2017 seed orders. First thing we do is to inventory leftover seeds from this season. We are not worried about loss of germination but we may slightly over plant just in case. For what will be...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Because of its backyard-size scale, SPIN-Farming emphasizes crops with very short growing times that can be grown and harvested very quickly, because that is the way to multiply your production from a small space. But perennial crops, like these sunchokes,...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Perennial weeds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are more controllable than others. In sub-segment size areas under 500 sq. ft. you can take try the Terminator approach to eradicate them completely to keep the plot in production. Larger...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK The advantage to backyard farming is that you can ramp it up or down, depending on your financial needs at any given time. If you don’t use it to provide your full-time income, you can use it to fund a...
Unheated high tunnel, or hoophouse, production is being practiced more widely because it is a profitable way to grow and sell year round. That requires extra attention to, and management of, soil health, as this Backyard Riches member explains. Courtesy of Adithya Ramachandran, Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens, Dundurn SK, Canada One...
