Fiber Animals for the Backyard and Hobby Farm Raising backyard fiber animals is rising in popularity, as more and more people seek traditional textiles for yarn-focused crafts like knitting, crocheting, and weaving, as well as spinning, embroidery, needlepoint, needle felting, wet felting, and fiber dying. This book offers an essential reference for anyone who is considering their own production of animal fibers. Author and fiber farmer Chris McLaughlin provides a comprehensive introductio...

A single, information-packed volume with everything a hobby farmer needs to know about farm animals, this newly updated and comprehensive manual to selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock brings forth the expertise of five hobby farmers, each of whom has real-life on-the-farm experience with the animals discussed. Whether you're contemplating adding a small herd of sheep or goats to your existing hobby farm or you've always wondered about the benefits of raising angora rabbits or Mus...

Eggs, meat, milk, wool, fur, feathers, and some priceless bucolic bliss. No hobby farm is complete without critters…possibly a small herd peppering the field or a microflock flapping around the hen house or pond. A single information-packed volume with everything a hobby farmer needs to know about farm animals, this new comprehensive manual to selecting, caring for, and breeding livestock brings forth the expertise of five hobby farmers, each of whom has real-life on-the-farm experience wi...

Rabbit raisers will keep their rabbitries hopping and happy with the advice found in Rabbits, a Hobby Farm book. Rabbit breeder and exhibitor Chris McLaughlin offers years of experience and guidance on the many aspects of raising rabbits on a hobby farm, a livestock choice she considers perfect due to the limited space rabbits need to thrive. Whether the reader is raising rabbits for pets, fiber, or meat, there is much solid information and useful advice to be found in the pages of Rabbits...

**Grow up, not out!Are you a gardener (or aspiring gardener) who is short on space? Vertical methods and structures for growing plants are an ideal way to maximize your real estate, and they're eye-catching, too.**Vertical solutions deliver more yield in fewer square feet, especially perfect for the urban gardener. They're less work, too, so you can forget all-day weeding and watering. Some vegetables, such as tomatoes and pole beans, have been grown vertically for a very l...

Waste not, want notThe Complete Idiot's Guide® to Composting takes readers step by step through the process of selecting the right compost container, filling it with the right "ingredients," maintaining the mix at the right temperature and humidity, and using the end product.• A concise format, simplified approach, and thrift-conscious price Chris McLaughlin• Author is a Master Gardener and an expert on all forms of composting...

In A Garden to Dye For, author and gardener Chris McLaughlin showcases 40+ plants that the gardener-crafter can grow for an all-natural, customized color palette. The richly photographed book is divided between the garden and the dye process, with garden layouts, plant profiles, dye extraction and uses, step-by-step recipes and original, engaging DIY projects.

What makes a garden good? For Chris McLaughlin, it’s about growing the healthiest, most scrumptious fruits and veggies possible, but it’s also about giving back. How can your little patch of Earth become a sanctuary for threatened wildlife, sequester carbon, and nurture native plants?McLaughlin gives you all the tricks and tips you need to grow the sustainable garden of your dreams. Drawing from established traditions, such as permaculture and French intensive gardening, and McLaug...

Winner of a 2023 Best Book Award in the category of Animals/Pets: Narrative Nonfiction from American Book FestOn August 29, 2005, the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States devastated the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. Like many others in America and around the world, Chris McLaughlin watched the tragedy of Katrina unfold on a television screen from the comfort of her living room on Cape Cod in Massachusetts...

Growing Heirloom Flowers explains in simple terms how to grow the fullest, richest, and most aromatic blooms possible.Heirloom flowers have stood the test of time. Prized for their beauty, scent, hardiness, or other star qualities, these vintage varieties continue to capture our imaginations and decorate our gardens long after they first came to be. These flowers have experience, and now you can enjoy the ...

Derived from methods of foot massage used in some ancient societies, reflexology as we know it today was popularized in the 20th century. It involves the application of pressure to specific energy zones of a subject’s feet and hands by a practitioner, to pinpoint and treat health problems. If the flow in a zone is blocked or out of balance, it could affect the part of the body that particular reflex area relates to. Using this pocket guide, learn to identify the longitudinal and transverse...

The biggest mistake gardeners make each season is starting out too big and then quickly realizing their large plot requires too much weeding, watering, and backbreaking labor. Vertical gardening guarantees a better outcome from the day the trowel hits the soil—by shrinking the amount of "floor" space needed and focusing on climbing plants that are less prone to insects, diseases, and animal pests.Notable author and gardener Derek Fell has tried and tested thousands of varieties of ...