The Berry Grower: Small Scale Organic Fruit Production in the 21st Century Paperback - 2022

Dig into the fruits of your labor! Profitable, innovative organic fruit farming strategies and skills for modern growers of any scale

Blake has done an amazing job at compiling an enormous amount of information into an easy-to-follow resource that anyone can use.
-- Rob Avis, PEng, co-author, Building Your Permaculture Property and

Valuable practical, effective, up-to-date information, including addressing climate chaos, to encourage more localized and resilient organic food production, garden by garden.
-- Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming

AN INNOVATIVE GUIDE for growing and marketing organic small fruits and berries, The Berry Grower offers intelligent strategies and solutions for successful small-scale, non-chemical fruit production in the 21st century. Coverage includes:

• History, innovations, and 21st century challenges in modern fruit farming
• Creating your own market farming reality
• Farm planning for efficiency and profitability
• Factoring in climate change, drought, and extreme weather
• Soil fertility, efficient weed management, and organic pest control
• Modern tools of the trade for efficiency
• Harvesting, fruit handling, and packing
• Fruit profiles including raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, figs, tomatoes, and more, including new cultivars
• Innovative marketing methods and thinking beyond fresh fruit with multi-product strategies to maximize profit
• Learn from other experts through interviews with successful growers and marketers from diverse areas around the USA.

From the market garden and small farm to the homestead and backyard, The Berry Grower is the essential guide for both new and aspiring organic small fruit growers and seasoned farmers looking to produce high- quality organic fruits and products for local markets and self-sufficiency.

Blake covers everything from soup to nuts, figuratively, in growing these fruits in various settings for home use or markets.
-- Lee Reich, PhD, author, Growing Figs in Cold Climates and The Ever Curious Gardener

A terrific resource ... loaded with helpful background, tips, tricks, and recommendations that will benefit small fruit growers of any scale or level of experience!
-- Dan Dalton, PASA Sustainable Agriculture

BLAKE COTHRON owns Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA Certified Organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery. He shares his two decades of experience in organic agriculture and horticulture through magazine articles, public speaking engagements, and blogging. Blake is the author of Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide. He lives with his wife and son in Kentucky.