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Products tagged with: small
Build Your Own Small Wind Power System
Harness the wind to generate clean, safe, and reliable energy "Build Your Own Small Wind Power System" focuses on the untapped potential for small wind power closer to home. This hands-on guide shows you how to install a grid-connected, residential-scale, wind power system. You'll get step-by-step details on the "how to" basics of getting your own systems up and running, including how to evaluate your site for wind power potential, getting permits, and financing it. You'll also find out how to help promote more wind-friendly public policies, from local permitting and zoning to working with local utilities. The book serves as a valuable toolbox to help you get things done and make a difference. The final chapters analyze the breakthroughs in wind technology that are just around the corner, as well as provide a list of resources. "Build Your Own Small Wind Power System" Lays out the basic science of wind energy Discusses the technical aspects of small wind, including demonstrating how to evaluate a site, how to get permits, the major components of the system, and exactly how to set it up and connect it Shows you how to overcome zoning hurdles, take advantage of available tax credits and governmental incentives, and work with your existing utilities to get the most out of your wind system Offers a global perspective, with sources and cases from around the world Covers all the technical aspects of wind power--including height, lot size, aesthetics, sound, property values, insurance, installation, and potential of structural/electrical failure Filled with practical details: Wind Power Basics; Why Wind Power is Soaring; Intro to Wind Science; Nuts and Blades; Install Your Own Small Wind Power; How to Evaluate Your Site for Wind; How to Get the Permits to Install Small Wind Power; Financing Small Wind Power; Let's Build One; How to Connect Your System; Make Your Community Small Wind Power Friendly; Overcoming Zoning Hurdles; Working with Your Utility; Tapping into Green Power Markets; What's Around the Corner; The Future of Wind Power; Resources
Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces
Your patio, balcony, rooftop, front stoop, boulevard, windowsill, planter box, or fire escape is a potential fresh food garden waiting to happen. In "Grow Great Grub," Gayla Trail, the founder of the leading online gardening community (YouGrowGirl.com), shows you how to grow your own delicious, affordable, organic edibles virtually anywhere. "Grow Great Grub" packs in tips and essential information about: - Choosing a location and making the most of your soil (even if it's less than perfect) - Building a raised bed, compost bin, and self-watering container using recycled materials - Keeping pests and diseases away from your plants--the toxin-free way - Growing bountiful crops in pots and selecting the best heirloom varieties - Cultivating hundreds of plants, from blueberries to Thai basil, to the best tomatoes you'll ever taste - Canning, and preserving to make the most of your garden's generosity - Green-friendly, cost-saving, growing, and building projects that are smart and stylish "- And much more " Whether you're looking to eat on a budget or simply experience the pleasure of picking tonight's meal from right outside your door, this is the must-have book for small-space gardeners--no backyard required. GAYLA TRAIL is the creator of the acclaimed top gardening website yougrowgirl.com. Her work as a writer and photographer has appeared in publications including "The New York Times," "Newsweek," "Budget Living," and "ReadyMade." A resident of Toronto who has grown a garden on her rooftop for more than 10 years, she is the author of "You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening. "
Small Livestock Housing: A Construction Guide
Anyone who is interested in keeping birds, poultry, and other outdoor varieties of caged animal will know that the most expensive part of their hobby is probably purchasing the housing. However, for a modest financial outlay it is possible to make your own livestock housing and this practical book shows you exactly how to do it. What sets the book apart from others is that the author has taken the time to try his own ideas out. He has actually built all the housing projects that are described and has taken photographs at the important stages of construction. The ethos of this book is that simplicity of design is the key to helping most readers to have a go. The projects include a chicken house, a chicken run, a dog kennel, a bantam house, a dovecote, a rabbit hutch, an aviary, a ferret hutch, a brooder box, a duck house, a goose hut, and a quail cage.
Small-Scale Grain Raising: An Organic Guide to Growing, Processing, and Using Nutritious Whole Grains for Home Gardeners and Local
First published in 1977, this bookafrom one of Americaas most famous and prolific agricultural writersabecame an almost instant classic among homestead gardeners and small farmers. Now fully updated and available once more, "Small-Scale Grain Raising" offers an entirely new generation of readers the best introduction to a wide range of both common and lesser-known specialty grains and related field crops, from corn, wheat, and rye to buckwheat, millet, rice, spelt, flax, and even beans and sunflowers.More and more Americans are seeking out locally grown foods, yet one of the real stumbling blocks to their efforts has been finding local sources for grains, which are grown mainly on large, distant corporate farms. At the same time, commodity prices for grainsaand the products made from themahave skyrocketed due to rising energy costs and increased demand. In this book, Gene Logsdon proves that anyone who has access to a large garden or small farm can (and should) think outside the agribusiness box and learn to grow healthy whole grains or beansathe base of our culinary food pyramidaalongside their fruits and vegetables.Starting from the simple but revolutionary concept of the garden apancake patch, a Logsdon opens up our eyes to a whole world of plants that we wrongly assume only the agricultural abig boysa can grow. He succinctly covers all the basics, from planting and dealing with pests, weeds, and diseases to harvesting, processing, storing, and using whole grains. There are even a few recipes sprinkled throughout, along with more than a little wit and wisdom.Never has there been a better time, or a more receptive audience, for this book. Localvores, serious home gardeners, CSA farmers, and whole-foods advocatesain fact, all people who value fresh, high-quality foodsawill find a field full of information and ideas in this once and future classic.
Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens
Home vegetable gardening is all the rage. Millions of Americans have picked up spade and hoe and are digging into the soil for the first time. But starting a garden isn't always simple. Many hopeful growers find themselves confused by the dizzying array of things to know about soil quality, garden layout, seeds, temperatures, planting schedules, fertilizer, pests, watering, and harvesting. Still other first-time gardeners plant too much, only to find themselves overwhelmed and exhausted by July. Barbara Pleasant is here to help. In "Starter Vegetable Gardens," Pleasant a master gardener and award-winning gardening writer takes the guesswork out of growing food, explaining in simple, straightforward language how to start, maintain, and expand a bountiful vegetable garden in small, manageable spaces. Pleasant presents 24 no-fail, small-scale garden plans from a simple bag garden (planted right in soil bags ) to an orderly border and from a family food factory to specialty beds for salads, Cajun flavors, and Italian cuisine. For each plan she provides plant and material lists, a plot layout, four-color photographs, and tips for succession planting to keep the garden productive all season long. Her all-organic approach ensures that the harvest is not simply tasty but also chemical-free. Pleasant anticipates and answers novice gardeners myriad questions, guiding readers through the complexities of assessing site and soil, understanding the climate, choosing the very best vegetable varieties, starting seeds, identifying insect friends and foes, watering, fertilizing, mulching, and harvesting. The books layout is friendly and accessible, filled with detailed images that bring the concepts to life. Both instructive and inspiring, "Starter Vegetable Gardens" is an essential one-stop resource for anyone just beginning to cultivate a vegetable-gardening green thumb. Includes 24 illustrated planting plans including: Easy-Care Bag Garden Backyard Veggie Border Front-Yard Food Supply Family Food Factory Paintbrush Beds High-Value Verticals Marinara Medley Managed Mulch Garden Sweet Corn & Company Cajun Spice Six-Weeks-Sooner Salad Garden
The Homeowner's Handbook to Energy Efficiency: A Guide to Big and Small Improvements
In The Homeowner's Guide to Energy Efficiency, John Krigger and Chris Dorsi help homeowners set realistic personal goals for reducing their energy consumption. Their methods for making homes more energy efficient will also improve comfort, safety, durability, and resale value. They guide readers through the process of assessing current energy usage and predicting the benefits and estimating the costs of remodeling options. With projects ranging from simple fixes to large-scale renovations, this book offers solutions for the energy-conscious homeowner, regardless of budget, technical ability, or time.
The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: An All-Natural Approach to Raising Chickens and Other Fowl for Home and Market Growers
The most comprehensive guide to date on raising all-natural poultry for the small-scale farmer, homesteader, and professional grower. "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock" offers a practical and integrative model for working with chickens and other domestic fowl, based entirely on natural systems.Readers will find information on growing (and sourcing) feed on a small scale, brooding (and breeding) at home, and using poultry as insect and weed managers in the garden and orchard. Ussery's model presents an entirely sustainable system that can be adapted and utilized in a variety of scales, and will prove invaluable for beginner homesteaders, growers looking to incorporate poultry into their farm, or poultry farmers seeking to close their loop. Ussery offers extensive information on: The definition of an integrated poultry flock (imitation of natural systems, integrating patterns, and closing the circle)Everything you need to know about your basic chicken (including distinctive points about anatomy and behavior that are critical to management)Extended information on poultry health and holistic health care, with a focus on preventionPlanning your flock (flock size, choosing breeds, fowl useful for egg vs. meat production, sourcing stock)How to breed and brood the flock (including breeding for genetic conservation), including the most complete guide to working with broody hens available anywhereMaking and mixing your own feed (with tips on equipment, storage, basic ingredients, technique, grinding and mixing)Providing more of the flock's feed from sources grown or self-foraged on the homestead or farm, including production of live protein feeds using earthworms and soldier grubsUsing poultry to increase soil fertility, control crop damaging insects, and to make compost-including systems for pasturing and for tillage of cover crops and weedsRecipes for great egg and poultry dishes (including Ussery's famous chicken stock )And one of the best step-by-step poultry butchering guides available, complete with extensive illustrative photos.No other book on raising poultry takes an entirely whole-systems approach, or discusses producing homegrown feed and breeding in such detail. This is a truly invaluable guide that will lead farmers and homesteaders into a new world of self-reliance and enjoyment.
Vertical Vegetables & Fruit: Creative Gardening Techniques for Growing Up in Small Spaces
At last, an innovative solution for urbanites, apartment dwellers, and anyone who wants to grow food in small spaces -- grow up "Vertical Vegetables & Fruit" shows how easy and fun small-footprint food gardening can be. Low maintenance and big harvests are just two of the benefits of using teepees, trellises, cages, hanging baskets, wall pockets, stacking pots, and multilevel raised beds to grow vegetables and fruit. Whether your soon-to-be garden is an alley, a balcony, a rooftop, or just a windowsill, master gardener Rhonda Massingham Hart provides expert advice for constructing the site, preparing the soil, and planting and caring for vegetables and fruits to produce a hearty harvest. From beans on a tepee to tomatoes on a wire archway, melons on a slanted fence to cucumbers on a trellis, kiwis on a clothesline to strawberries in a pot, there are simple growing guidelines here to fit every gardener's favorite tastes and site. For experienced gardeners looking to try new techniques as well as first-time growers with tiny growing spaces, "Vertical Vegetables & Fruit" is the space-saving, harvest-enhancing guide to producing a bounty of fresh food in any location.
Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Small and Micro Wind Systems
Wind Energy Basics is an excellent introduction to wind power for educational programs concerned with state-of-the-art renewable energy options, and will be indispensable for those considering today's generation of quiet, efficient, and reliable "micro" wind turbines. In addition to Chelsea Green's Wind Power for Home & Business, Paul Gipe is the author of the landmark Wind Energy Comes of Age, which was selected by the American Library Association as one of the outstanding academic books of 1995. In 1998, the World Renewable Energy Conference hailed him as a "pioneer in renewable energy, " awarding Gipe one of the organization's highest honors for his two decades of writing and lecturing about wind energy. Gipe lives in Bakersfield, California.