Markham - Maximizing Your Mini Farm

Copyright 2012 by Brett L. Markham

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61608-610-7

Printed in China

It all starts with the people who read Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on Acre. Some folks who read it sent me questions asking for clarification of information I had included in the book. Others sent me questions about the specifics of growing particular crops. Some readers asked if I had any ideas for improving efficiency further, and still others asked if I had considered writing about topics such as making wine. Taken in aggregate, all of this input led me to the conclusion I needed to write another book, and I started preparing an outline that detailed what I would like to include.

Meanwhile, a lot of people read the book more people than I had imagined given that the subject matter seems somewhat off the beaten path. So many people bought and read the book that my editor asked if I would be interested in writing another!

I once saw a sign in a mans office that stated: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. My readers had already inspired the preparation, Jennifer McCartney at Skyhorse Publishing provided the opportunity, and this book was born.

Both preparation and opportunity were needed, so I gratefully acknowledge the support of both my readers and my publisher without whom this book would not exist.

But there is another element to preparation that I would like to acknowledge: three teachers.

Being a gifted child isnt all its cracked up to be, especially if instead of being well-off like Doogie Howser, your family belongs to that class commonly called the working poor in a rural area of Southwestern Virginia. Even though our country prides itself on equality of opportunity, the reality is that the opportunities for enrichment that exist for the children of doctors and lawyers are far greater than for the children of men who weld or drive trucks. There is often even a mindset among teachers whose expectations follow along socio-economic stereotypes rather than looking at the child individually and seeing what is really there.

My academic life really started in fifth grade with the advocacy of Miss Gwen Johnson who pulled out all the stops to get me the widest exposure possible. She made sure I had trips to major historic sites for cultural enrichment, was properly challenged, and had unlimited access to all the books my heart could desire on any subject. She made sure I had membership in the Science Explorers of Roanoke Valley and numerous other opportunities for enrichment. Miss Johnson, who I forgive for breaking my heart by becoming Mrs. Canaday, did more for me in less than a year than all of my prior education combined.

Mrs. Yola Lambert is a teacher of enormous accomplishment. She came from Barbados to teach Latin to English-speaking students in the Shenandoah Valley. She taught me Latin for four years and made special accommodations for my education when I was the only student taking Latin IV. Though I didnt realize it at the time, her instruction in things like the subjunctive tense, translating Ciceros orations against Catiline and the Aeneid of Virgil enhanced all of my other education and my understanding of language generally. When she introduced me to the Junior Classical League, she introduced me to all manner of ideas in realms as diverse as culture and engineering that continue to enhance my knowledge and life.

Ms. Sheila Brockmeyer went out of her way to advocate for me in high school, and she secured my access to self-directed and free-form study of everything under the sun that interested me at my own pace. Under her sponsorship I was able to study topics not officially offered as classes, including religions, philosophy and even relativity. Although it isnt always obvious, I still pull from that knowledge base today. In addition, even though she was a single mother whose time was precious, she served as our debate coach and dedicated many of her weekends to a debate team that helped me refine my logic skills and ability to research a variety of topics.

So this book is lovingly and thankfully dedicated to three teachers who advocated on my behalf and whose subsequent influence in my life, albeit indirect, has been positive and pervasive: Mrs. Gwen Canaday, Mrs. Yola Lambert and Ms. Sheila Brockmeyer.

Whenever you visit a small town in New England, you will inevitably encounter buildings with storefronts on the first floor and apartments on the second floor. At one time, the first floor was the shop of a blacksmith, seamstress, pharmacist or attorney while the second floor was living space. If you look in the backyard, you might still see evidence of extensive gardens. The home was not just a homeit was also a center of production for essentials needed by both the family and neighbors. In other words, the home paid for itself because it had been turned into an income-producing asset.

This was also the case with farmers. If you drive a little farther out of town, youll find homes that were obviously farms at one time, with barns attached to the dwelling through a covered breezeway. The home and the farm were extensions of each other in the countryside, just like the smithy and the home were extensions of each other in town.

Over time, as we have shifted from each person owning his or her own means of production to being employees who supply only labor, our approach to our dwellings has changed. In purely economic terms, the average suburban house is an expense more than anything else. Though at certain times the value of property has appreciated, this is far from a guaranteed outcome, as the millions of Americans who now owe the bank more than their house is worth can attest.

All of our economic production occurs someplace else and a portion of that outside production is used to pay for the house. The house is now used as a place to sleep and watch TV, or maybe invite some friends over for a barbecue. On average, it is owned (though I use that term very loosely) for five years before being turned over to someone else as a place to sleep. Economically, it is more akin to an expensive hotel than the homes of our not-so-distant ancestors.

When I first explained to a friend why it is important to reverse that trend by mini-farming, he stated that because he had a good-paying job, it was more economically efficient for him to buy his cucumbers at the supermarket for a dollar than to waste his valuable time growing them. There are a lot of errors in his reasoning.