Articles: Farming

Illustration of grassy hills and farmland

Sustain Your Land: Subsistence Strategies for the Long Haul

Peasants, indigenous agriculturalists, and old-time American farming families farmed first and foremost to feed their own families and those in need in their communities—only secondarily, if at…

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a couple gazing into the distance

New Age Farm Partnerships: Finding and Keeping One

Anything involving farming almost always requires the help of another person, whether you’re feeding the animals or trying to decide if you want to expand the barn.…

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hens eating food scraps

Composting with Animals: Common Applications

When you think of a typical farm, you probably think of going out to feed the animals with a bucket of scraps. This has been one of…

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teenage farmers sitting in the field

Young Farmers: Back to the Land and Down to Business

If you haven’t been working on a farm since childhood or weren’t lucky enough to inherit one from your family, it can be difficult to build one…

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Gateway to a garden

Permaculture Advice For Beginners

Trying something for the first time can be intimidating, especially when it’s something as big as learning how to live off your land. But like with any…

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Barn in a field

Why Farm Infrastructure is Important: A Farm is More Than Land

The basis for a good farm isn’t just about finding a piece of land with great soil. No, to truly succeed on the farm you need a…

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Tractor clearing a field

Farmers Aren’t Created Equal: The “American Farmer” Fallacy

For those who aren’t in the know, it may seem like all farmers are created equal, but that’s simply not the case. In fact, there is such…

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land

Black Rural Land: Black Land Matters

As a young black girl, Leah Penniman struggled to understand who she was and where she fit in with the world. There was one thing she did…

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Garbage truck with caption "What if everything could be used again?"

Composting: Breaking Down the Core Principles

Composting is about more than just flinging your food scraps into a heap in your backyard. It’s about figuring out a way to give your unwanted food…

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Lettuce growing in a deep water culture system

Hydroponic Versus Soil Growing: Which Should You Choose

You probably learned when you were young that plants need soil to get the essential nutrients needed to grow. However, there is another way you can give…

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Tomato Plants in a Greenhouse

Types of Tomatoes: Deciphering the Many Varieties

If you love tomatoes, you probably already know just how many varieties of these delicious summertime staples there are. But do you know what makes each one…

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harvesting

How to Use Climate Maps to Navigate the Winter Harvest

Continuing to grow your crops and harvest them well into the winter months seems like an impossible task. How can they grow when weather conditions are far…

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Sprouts Growing in a Greenhouse

Four Books for Growing Food in Winter

Don’t let cold weather stop you from enjoying and growing food! For many, the coming of winter simply means cultivation moves indoors or under cover. Small farmers,…

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cold frame with sprinkler system

Build Your Own Cold Frame, Part 2: Get a Jump on the Planting Season

The design of the cold box is the most important thing to keep in mind if you want it to be an effective tool for growing crops…

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eliot coleman

An Interview With Eliot Coleman: The Original Organic Pioneer

With over fifty years’ experience in agriculture and a penchant for inventing new tools and techniques, Eliot Coleman has solidly established himself as an organic farming pioneer.…

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Chelsea Green 2018 Blog in Review

Chelsea Green Publishing: A Year In Review

It’s been quite the year here at Chelsea Green! We opened our first international office in London, England, launched a brand new website, published a ton of…

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newspaper stack

Chelsea Green Authors in the News: Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

One of the most rewarding parts of our job is working with an amazing roster of authors who are not only leaders in their fields but also…

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youth group

How The Great Migration Led to Urban Farming

For centuries, humans have been migrating in search of better land, opportunities, and quality of life. For some, those migrations were voluntary while others were forced to…

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urban farming

A 15-Point Urban Food Manifesto

What if farms and food production were integrated into every aspect of urban living—from special assessments to create new farms and food businesses to teaching people how…

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business planning

Lessons in Resilience: How to Plan a Successful Farm Business

Humans specialize in resilience. We have the capability to create wondrous things out of seemingly nothing and continuously reinvent ourselves. However, when the world is against us,…

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Two farmers fist bump

How to End a Food Apartheid

Apartheid ended in 1994, right? Not according to Leah Penniman, a young, black farmer living in the South End of Albany, NY where a modern day apartheid…

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farm

Farming Against Nature

When you’re walking around the grocery store looking at all of the different vegetables, it’s probably hard to imagine that a century ago there was twice the…

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four season farm

Vegetable Farm Tips: The Keys to Efficient Veggie Production

If the idea of running a vegetable farm sounds daunting, you’re not alone. How can you ensure success while also being environmentally conscientious? What can you do…

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farm animals and a house

Celebrate Homesteading Month with Chelsea Green

That’s right, September is International Homesteading Education Month, and throughout the month we’ll be publishing some of our favorite homesteading tips, techniques, recipes, and more. We’ll be…

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agroforestry - public garden

Agroforestry Versus Permaculture: Which Approach to Use for a Community Food Forest

Ok, so we’ve gone over some basics of community food forests: Now it’s time to figure out how to plan one. There are two schools of thought…

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