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THE SMALLHOLDER'S MANUAL

By Katie Thear

Described as the smallholder's bible!

A practical handbook for the small farmer in the 21st century, this is the essential reference book for anyone working on a smallholding, whether the intention is just to reduce living costs by producing food at home, or to earn a supplementary income through the sale of produce.

Illustrated in colour throughout.

Katie starts by describing the practical requirements in terms of house, land, boundaries, buildings, tools and machinery, before moving on to the techniques of small-scale agriculture: tending the kitchen garden, orchard and pasture, growing fodder crops, and cultivation with the aid of greenhouses and poly-tunnels.

The coverage of livestock includes: bees, chickens, waterfowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, peacocks, pheasants, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and exotic species such as emus and alpacas.

List of Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Buying a smallholding
• The house
• Outbuilding, machinery and tools
• Boundaries
• The kitchen garden
• Protected cultivation
• The orchard
• Pasture and fodder crops
• Bees
• Chickens
• Rabbits
• Waterfowl
• Turkeys
• Guinea fowl
• Quail
• Peafowl and pheasants
• Pigs
• Sheep
• Goats
• Cattle
• Fleeces
• Exotic species
• Working in the countryside
• Regulations
• Coping with pests the organic way
• Glossary
• References and further information
• Index