The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm

No-till - a method of growing crops and providing pasture without disturbing the soil - has become an important alternative to standard farming practices. In this comprehensive guide to successful no-till vegetable farming for aspiring and beginning farmers, author Daniel Mays, owner and manager of an organic no-till farm in Maine, outlines the environmental, social, and economic benefits of this system. The methods described are designed for implementation at the human scale, relying primarily on human power, with minimal use of machinery. The book presents streamlined planning and record-keeping tools as well as marketing strategies, and outlines community engagement programs like CSA, food justice initiatives, and on-farm education. As more farmers recognize the benefits of no-till farming for soil health, water retention, and crop productivity, expert Daniel Mays provides an in-depth how-to manual on getting started with no-till techniques for successful vegetable production on a commercial scale. Daniel Mays is the author of The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm and the owner of Frith Farm, a no-till operation in southern Maine that produces food for hundreds of local families from three acres of vegetables and five acres of pasture. With a master's degree in environmental engineering, Mays has studied dozens of small organic farm operations throughout the world and is a frequent speaker at farm events, including the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Maine Farmland Trust, and the Maine State Agricultural Trade Show. He lives in Scarborough, Maine. Growing food in undisturbed soil is nature's model for success and a core concept of sustainable farming. No-till practices and plant diversity preserve soil structure, increase water absorption, reduce erosion, and allow microscopic life to flourish.



Learn how you can use this intensive approach to vegetable farming to increase production while maintaining a human-scale operation, with fields, tools, and methods sized for people rather than tractors and machinery.



In this in-depth manual, Daniel Mays shares his proven strategies for operating a thriving, no-till, small-scale commercial farm, including how to:



- Maximize production and efficiency through soil health and biodiversity

- Maintain a weed-free farm

- Integrate cover crops and livestock

- Increase resilience through interplanting, hedgerows, and beneficial insect habitat

- Build community and a vibrant customer base

- Make a good living from farming. Preface: From the Ground Up

1: Farming at a Human Scale

  Nature as Model

  Beyond Sustainability

  Rethinking Tillage

  Farming Values

2: Ecological Agriculture

  Science and Soil Health

  Succession and Disturbance

  Soil Creation and the Soil-Plant Food Web

  Nature's Principles of Soil Care

3: Getting Started

  Taking the Leap

  Start-Up Costs

  Acquiring Capital

  The Land Search

  Farm Design-Build

4: Establishing Beds

  Permanent Raised Beds

  Field Layout

  Jump-starting Soil Health

  Breaking Ground with and without Tilling

5: Planting

  Crop Planning

  The Seedling Greenhouse

  Transplanting

  Direct Seeding

6: Irrigation

  Water Resilience

  Irrigation Design

  Installation and Maintenance

7: Weeds

  Treating Symptoms vs. Causes (Killing vs. Preventing)

  Zero Seed Rain

  Mulching

  Methods of Manual Weeding

8: Methods of No-Till Disturbance

  Flipping Beds

  Compost as Mulch

  Mowing and Crimping

  Occultation and Solarization

  Breaking Up Compaction

  A Plantable Surface

9: Natural Soil Care in Action

  Principles of Soil Care

  Cover Cropping

  Multicropping

  Hedgerows and Other Beneficial Plantings

  Integrating Livestock

  Fertilizer and Fertility

  Pests and Disease (Symptoms of a Lack of Life)

10: H