The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables: More In-Depth Lean Techniques for Efficient Organic Production

All market gardeners need a physical copy of this book in their collection of practical guides to the process of running a market garden successfully. That being said you should start with and also own Ben's previous book The Lean Farm: How to minimize waste... . You will learn the principles of the Lean methodology and how they can be employed in small scale agriculture. With this current book you then can see how they are applied in detail. Those of you who are familiar with the principles of Essence and Application (aka Substance and Function, ti-yong) from Chinese philosophy will find Ben's companion books neatly embody this pair of concepts in contemporary agriculture. Certainly great innovators in market gardening like JM Fortier, Curtis Stone, and Richard Perkins all reference parts of Lean concepts in their writings and teaching, but Ben has taken the Essence of Lean and explained it clearly and concisely within the context of market gardening. This Guide to Growing Vegetables is the Application of Lean. Together both books provide a comprehensive framework to (quoting Diego Footer) "do some epic you know what".As a market gardener both books helped our farm eliminate 'muda' - waste at all stages of farming. I shrank the farm by a quarter and made more revenue and had more time. This is directly due to both of Ben's books. I am still learning and plan to implement more Lean techniques. I can't emphasize enough the effectiveness of these techniques in transforming the small market garden business.Certainly there are many "have to have" farming books out there. If market gardeners could only have a handful of books, 2 books would have to be Ben's books. There is so much in agriculture to consider, this book will continually help you to bring things to their essence to eliminate waste and grow excellent vegetables.

As a third year market gardener, I wish that I would have had this book three years ago. It would have saved me considerable time, money and anxiety. There are tons of books and websites about farming and gardening, but most are not comprehensive and succinct at the same time. Ones that are comprehensive are verbose but fail to include critical data. For example, I often hear or read "I seed these in early May" but are they in Texas or Maine??? Who knows?There is not a single farmer that I know of that's getting rich from growing and selling vegetables. All of us are doing it on a shoestring budget. However, there is a difference between price and value. One chapter that I spent more time on than the others relates to the paper pot transplanter. Other than my expenditure for deer fencing, a purchase of this type of transplanter was going to be most pricey investment. I appreciate this chapter more than the others and was able to make the investment without anxiety. The data, the charts, the narrative are excellent!From start to finish, this book is concise, straightforward, and pertinent. Why no one before Ben came up with the applying lean principles to farming is beyond me.

Here are four reasons why I like this book (as well as Hartman's first one).1) Hartman is a very good writer; his explanations are clear, concise, and concrete. 2) The editors and proofreaders did their jobs well; I noticed only one minor inconsistency in all the information provided in the 240+ pages of this book. 3) Like other books from Chelsea Green Publishing, this book is manufactured well, with a sturdy cover, quality paper, excellent printing, and a legible, readable type face. 4) It's clear that Hartman has studied and thought a lot about Lean thinking and methods; to learn the subject, he's gone directly to the works of the original teachers, people such as Toyota's Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990). Anyone interested in Lean Thinking will benefit from reading how Hartman applied these concepts to farming.The master-apprentice relationship is where a student lives the life of a particular craft next to a mentor. Since we all can't be Ben Hartman's apprentice, his two books are a great place to start.

Book arrived quickly. Just now reading it and it looks good so far other then one page being messed up, bent, which is a printing issue. I could not find anywhere to report this issue so it can be addressed with the printer.

Where would I be without Ben Hartman's books? I don't know and I don't want to know. He understands what is going on in the brain of farmers and what is important and what is not. Every word is thoughtful, resonates, and makes an effect on my farm. When I have questions, the answer is usually there. This book has been a huge help for our farm in many ways. Worth every penny times a few thousand. Thank you Ben Hartman!

really fabulous book, so far. not finished yet, but i'm so glad it finally came out on kindle. i jumped on it because after bens last book, i was so ready for more... i just don't buy physical books anymore. if i can't get it on kindle, i have to do without. leaning my clutter, lol.wait... you mean i can get a tractor, and a skid steer? wooo hooo! makes a lot of sense.

As a small flower, herb and vegetable grower I really appreciated the insights from his first book. I checked this edition out from the library and after reading it saw value in the updated insights, tables, approaches so I added it to my library. His style of writing makes everything easily digestible for me. I look forward to applying the content in 2020.

Compared to Ben's first book, this one is 10 times better. There are so many examples of farming efficiency along with tons of growing tips. Well worth reading for any small scale farming operation.

The perfect follow on to his other brilliant book "The Lean Farm" - that was published in 2015.This new book has lots of fresh content that is so practical it could only be written by someone who really knows and understands profitable organic farming.Ben also really knows his stuff on lean methods and efficient processing, and I say that as someone who was a consultant in lean manufacturing for over 20 years.So I'm recommending these two books as must haves to all Permaculture designers who wish to work professionally with smallholders and farms.

I've had it for a day and almost finished it : couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the first book but this one is much better, going into great details about how he uses the techniques in specific situations on his farm. There are many things in here which would take years of experimenting to find optimal efficiency, such as the amount of lettuce he can fit into his beds. Also there were many things which he transplants which I would always direct seed. After seeing his results, I'll be trying it his way next ! An absolute essential buy for anyone into small scale farming.

Es hilft, das andere Buch von Ben Hartman vorher gelesen zu haben, denn dann kann man besser verstehen, um was genau es hier in diesem Buch geht. Der Farm Guide ist sehr praxistauglich. Es finden sich in ihm viele Ideen, die sich einfach im Alltag umsetzen lassen und unnötige Arbeit verringern. Er enthält viele gute Fotos, die diese Ideen illustrieren.

Wonderful book!