Amy Stross - The Suburban Micro-Farm

Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their lands inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows.

These farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery.

Wendell Berry

To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.

Sister Mary Lauretta

I would rather be on my farm, than be emperor of the world.

George Washington

T o say that Im shocked to call myself an author would be an understatement. Life has been a winding road, and many wonderful humans have supported me along my journey to this place, where I get to share my passion of growing edible things with the world in words.

To Vince, my companion and most faithful cheerleader, who never wavered in his confidence that I had something to offer the world: You gave me the space and the tools to explore this path, and the nudging I needed to turn it into something meaningful. This book is yours as much
as mine.

To my parents, who gifted me with a tenacious stubbornness to see any project through to completion. To Tim, Ben, Karyn, Lisa, Barb, and Lynn, who knew me before I knew myself and didnt balk (out loud) at my notion to farm my yard and then tell the world about it.

To Sharon, who taught me to love growing things, and to Jane and Randy, who gave me an opportunity to explore my writing voice.

To Braden and the Cincinnati permaculture community: Your presence has helped shape my path, and to John and Madeline, whose friendship began in that place. You gave this book a boost when I needed it most.

To the gardeners of Hillside Community Garden: Barb, Maria, Rose, Tim, Ron, and Patsy: Thanks for believing in me. And to Peter, Bill, and Winnie for supporting this project that enriched my understanding of the intersection between food production and ecology.

To Suellyn for encouraging me to keep writing, and all my friends of the Enright Ecovillage, whose many demonstrations of yard farming made an imprint on my mind and motivated me to continue working to supplant the suburban lawn.

Also thanks to my fellow local suburban homesteaders: Julie C and Mark, Julie R, Melanie, and Karen, and those afar on the interwebswho shine like beacons and assure me that there is a place for me in this world.

To the Supernaturalistsespecially Beth, Bob, Cam, and John, who have supported my journey carte blanche. To Ed and Julie, who never raised an eyebrow when we dug up our front yard.

To the readers of TenthAcreFarm.com: Your amazing loyalty and feedback is what encouraged me to put my words into long form.

To Julie, Brannan, Becky, Wendy, Melinda, and countless others who mentored me through book publishing: Thank you for your patience and for improving this work far beyond my expectations.

To Molly the cat, for being a mischievous writing companion and a distraction from my thoughts. Thanks, I guess.

And finally, to all of you who will find inspiration from this book, thank you for reading. May we all work together to take responsibility for our existence on Earth.

5 Most Profitable Nut Trees to Grow
http://www.profitableplants.com/5-most-profitable-nut-trees-to-grow/

2015 Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Above Average
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/080415-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-above-average.html

2015 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Ag 101 Demographics
http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/demographics.html

All New Square Foot Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space
by Mel Bartholomew

Americans in Debt
http://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in-debt/

Building Healthy Soils in Vegetable Gardens: Cover Crops Have Got it Covered Part 1: Introduction to Cover Cropping
http://blogs.extension.org/gardenprofessors/2015/03/19/building-healthy-soils-in
vegetable-gardens-cover-crops-have-got-it-covered-part-i-introduction-to-cover-cropping/

Can Cities Become Self-Reliant in Food?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275111000692

Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening
by Louise Riotte

Coffee Grounds Perk Up Compost Pile with Nitrogen
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2008/jul/coffee-grounds-perk-compost-pile-nitrogen

Cottage Food Production Operation
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/foodsafety/docs/CottageFoodOperation-factsheet.pdf

Crop Profile: Asparagus
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/growing-asparagus-14845.aspx

Crushed Eggshells in the Soil
http://www.aces.edu/timelyinfo/Ag%20Soil/2005/November/s-05-05.pdf

Cut Flower Production
http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/horticulture/cut-flower-production

Demographic Trends in the 20th Century
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/censr-4.pdf

Does Your Lawn or Garden Need Lime?
http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/01/does-your-lawn-or-garden-need-lime/

Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 2: Ecological Design and Practice for Temperate-Climate Permaculture
by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier

Edible Landscaping
by Rosalind Creasy

Environmental Benefits of Manure Application
http://www.extension.org/pages/14879/environmental
benefits-of-manure-application#.VZ8mHpNVhBf

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community
by H.C. Flores

Forest Farming Ramps
http://nac.unl.edu/documents/agroforestrynotes/an47ff08.pdf

Gaias Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, Second Edition
by Toby Hemenway

The Garden Controversy: A Critical Analysis of the Evidence and Arguments Relating to the
Production of Food from Gardens and Farmland
http://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-uic/Record/uic_1190545/Description

Guidance on Maple Syrup Production
http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/maple_syrup_guidance_final.pdf

Guide for Organic Crop Producers
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5101542

Greensand as a Soil Amendment
http://ucanr.org/sites/nm/files/76652.pdf

Growing Forest Botanicals and Medicinals
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/FOR/FOR91/FOR91.pdf

Growing Mushrooms Commercially
https://www.mushroompeople.com/growing-mushrooms-commercially/

Herbicide Carryover in Hay, Manure, Compost, and Grass Clippings
http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/herbicide-carryover.pdf

Herbicide Contaminants in Purchased Straw, Compost, Manure, and Dairy Waste
http://sustainableneseattle.ning.com/profiles/blogs/herbicide-contaminants-in

Herbicides in Compost
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/aminopyralid/CompostConcerns2010.pdf

Home Fruit GrowingMaking More Plants
http://pss.uvm.edu/homefruit/hfgprop.htm

How to Farm Your Parking Strip
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/24109664/list/How-to-Farm-Your-Parking-Strip

How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine