Resources

Want to know how I started my farm?

Books. Over the past 15 years, I’ve read 100’s of books that have helped to educate and influence (often rising at 5am so I could read for a few hours before my kids woke up)… and our farm is a culmination of all these ideas.

I encourage you to not only read daily, but also take notes on WHAT you are reading. Designate a notebook for this and before long, you’ll have pages and pages of lifechanging, valuable, actionable material you can reference at any time.

Here are a few of my favorite books, podcasts and garden supply sources to help you along on your journey!

P.S. If you’re ready to get serious growing your cut flower garden (and don’t want it to take 15 years. Ha!)… be sure to check out my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. It’s everything you need to know to grow the garden of your dreams!

Farming Books

• “The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook” by Richard Wiswall

• “The Flower Farmer” by Lynn Byczynski

• “The Market Gardener” by Jean Martin Fortier

• “Cool Flowers” by Lisa Mason Ziegler

• “You Can Farm” by Joel Salatin

• “The Winter Harvest Handbook” by Eliot Coleman

• “Backyard Market Gardening” by Andrew W. Lee

• “Growing a Farmer” by Kurt Timmermeister

• “The Dirty Life” by Kristin Kimball

• “Rebirth of the Small Family Farm” by Bob and Bonnie Gregson

• “Restoration Agriculture” by Mark Shepherd

• “The Lean Farm” by Ben Hartman

• “The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution” by Andrew Mefferd

• “The Urban Farmer” by Curtis Stone

• “Compact Farms: 15 Proven Plans for Market Farms on 5 Acres or Less” by Josh Volk

• “Four-Season Harvest” by Eliot Coleman

• “Specialty Cut Flowers” by Allan Armitage and Judy Laushman

  
  
  
  

Gardening Books

• “Cut Flower Garden” by Erin Benzakien

• “A Year in Flowers” by Erin Benzakien

• “Carrots Love Tomatoes” by Louise Riotte

• “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” by Ed Smith

• “Eat More Dirt” by Ellen Sandbeck

• “The Heirloom Life Gardener” by Jere and Emilee Gettle

• “How to Grow More Vegetables….” by John Jeavons

• “The Holistic Orchard” by Michael Phillips

• “Seedswap” by Josie Jeffery

• “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew

• “Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture” by Toby Hemenway

• “Practical Permaculture” by Jessi Bloom

Homesteading/Food Production Books

• “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by Carla Emery

• “The Backyard Homestead” by Carla Madigan

• “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver

• “Barnyard in Your Backyard” by Gail Damerow

• “A Time to Plant” by Kyle T. Kramer

• “Homesteading in the 21st Century” by George Nash

• “A Householder’s Guide to the Universe” by Harriet Fasenfest

• “Small Scale Poultry Flock” by Harvey Ussery

• “Homegrown and Handmade” by Deborah Niemann

• “Mini-Farming: Self Sufficiency on ¼ Acre” by Brett L. Markham

• “Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century” by Dick and James Strawbridge
  
  
  
  

business and Professional Development Books

• “Business Boutique” by Christy Wright

• “Farm Marketing from the Heart” by Charlotte Smith

• “Deep Work” by Cal Newport

• “Boss Up” by Lindsay Teague Moreno

• “Free to Focus” by Michael Hyatt

• “Getting Things Done” by David Allen

• “Building a Storybrand” by Donald Miller

• “Find Your Why” by Simon Sinek

• “Influence” by Kate Montaung and Shannon Popkin

• “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz

• “Entrepreneurs Will Save the World” by Michal Hyatt

  
  
  

Personal Development Books

• “Make It Happen” by Lara Casey

• “It’s About Time” by Valorie Burton

• “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer

• “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert

• “Visioneering” by Andy Stanley

• “StrengthsFinder 2.0” by Tom Rath

• “The Road Back to You” by Ian Morgan Cron

• “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo

• “High Performance Habits” by Brendon Burchard

• “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

• “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg

• “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen

• “Money: A Love Story” by Kate Northup

• “Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport

• “Your Best Year Ever” by Michael Hyatt

• “Quiet: The Power of Introverts...” by Susan Cain

• “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown

• “Anatomy of the Soul” by Curt Thompson, M.D.

• “Winning the War in Your Mind” by Craig Groeschel

• “Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen

• “Indistractable” by Nir Eyal

• “Wake Up” by Lindsay Teague Moreno

• “Be” by Jessica Zweig

• “You are a Badass at Making Money” by Jen Sincero

• “Do Less” by Kate Northup

• “The Choice” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger

Podcasts

• “Profitable Mindset with Charlotte Smith” 

• “No-Till Flowers”

• “The Dirt on Flowers”

• “Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast”

• “The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast”

• “The Marie Forleo Podcast”

• “Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield”

Seed/Bulb Companies for the Home Gardener

• Johnny’s Selected Seeds

• Floret Flowers

• High Mowing Organic Seeds

• Territorial Seed Company

• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

• Seed Savers Exchange

• Select Seeds 

• Burpee

• Botanical Interests

• Old House Gardens

• Longfield Gardens

• John Scheepers Beauty from Bulbs

• John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds

• Eden Brothers

• Pinetree Garden Seeds and Accessories

• Renee’s Garden Seeds

Garden Supply Companies

• Dripworks

• Irrigation King

• Johnny’s Selected Seeds

• Peaceful Valley/Grow Organic

• Gardener’s Supply Co.

• Burpee

• Growers Supply/Farm Tek

My Amazon Store

Overwhelmed with choices for tools and supplies? Here are the product we use on our farm:

• Farm and Garden Tools

• Harvesting Supplies

• Work Gear

• Fertilizers and Amendments

• Seed Starting Supplies
  

 *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.