The Veganic Grower's Handbook

"""Back in 2014, when Jimmy helped promote Cowspiracy's eastern Canadian tour, I learned of the veganic farm project, La Ferme de l'Aube. It was my hope that an eventual book would transpire. By the grace of their (Mélanie and Jimmy's) efforts, they are spreading the message of veganic growing, and shining the light on the suffering of the old ways of farming and transforming the evolution of small-scale compassionate farming. The Veganic Grower's Handbook is a step-by-step guidebook to a multitude of tools anyone can use to shift to a completely 100% plant-based system."" --Kip Andersen, co-director of Cowspiracy and What the Health and founder of AUM Films ""Mindful gardening can save the world and the way we garden affects the healthfulness of our food. Jimmy Videle knows this! His book is a guide to feed ourselves in a gentle way that allows other organisms to simply live. It also helps us to be better humans, delve more deeply, and ask questions about even ""natural"" and ""organic"" gardening inputs and practices. He helps us understand that when looked at closely, many of the inputs and practices we take for granted actually have a huge impact on our planet. Jimmy shows us that we can eat well, connect with the natural world, and be kind to all living things. What a relief!"" --Helen Atthowe, Woodleaf Farm, and author of Farming as If Ecological Relationships Mattered ""Although a great deal of the ink spilled on these pages deals with practices which are ""merely organic"", Jimmy Videle also makes convincing arguments for ""veganic"", the radical sub-cult of organic to which I belong and which gives the book its' title. I was particularly interested in following his personal journey of discovery which led him through several tropical and arid environments, eventually landing in Quebec, and en route, documenting his own evolving perspective regarding livestock-based fertility. An especially inspiring (for me) and radical feature of his writing is the veganic approach to pest management. While I embrace the ""harmless"" ethic, I have not practiced it to the extent he advocates (e.g., exclusionary row covers, etc.), partly due to laziness and lack of labor. Jimmy Videle is not against the idea of species being killed, he simply prefers the natural predators to eat them - after all, for them they are food, all we want is the crop plants and for all beings to thrive. Quite reasonable. I must re-think some things."" --Will Bonsall, Khadighar Farm and author of Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening ""Is a world without animal exploitation possible? The Veganic Grower's Handbook: Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs from Urban Backyard to Rural Farmyard shows us that it is. From the first-time urban gardener to the more seasoned gardener, this book provides the tools and advice needed to become truly self-sufficient in food. From soil preparation to pest management, including compost and the particularities of each crop, Jimmy Videle shows that veganic agriculture is not only possible. It is desirable for the good of the planet and its inhabitants."" --Elise Desaulniers, author and executive director of the Montreal SPCA ""Producing, raising, exploiting, and killing sentient animals for our purposes almost always violates their most fundamental interests. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is therefore morally desirable. Except, of course, that ""owe implies can"". Veganism is a requirement of justice only if it is possible to feed ourselves through veganic agriculture. The thorough and very precise work that Jimmy Videle presents in this book is thus of crucial importance. By showing us how to produce healthy food in sufficient quantity and diversity, even in difficult climates such as those of Canada and the United States, he gives us nothing less than the key to avoid causing untold harm to countless animals."" --Valéry Giroux, LLM and PhD of Philosophy, co-publisher of Le Véganisme and L'Antispécisme ""I wish this book had been available back when I was studying organic farming! With his rich knowledge and experience acquired over 20 years of farming, Jimmy Videle shares everything you need to know about the importance of growing food without animal inputs and how to do it. The Veganic Grower's Handbook covers all aspects of growing produce and gives a head start for anyone interested in growing their own food or starting a commercial farm. For us at the Veganic Agriculture Network, this book is particularly valuable, since it's a new reference for gardeners and farmers in cold Northern climates. And proof that veganic growing is not only possible in our region, but more ethical, economical and ecological than other farming approaches. We're grateful to Jimmy for writing this useful and comprehensive resource. His long-time commitment to animals and the planet will have far-reaching benefits for everyone."" --Stéphane Groleau, Veganic Agriculture Network ""The Veganic Grower's Handbook is an incredibly comprehensive companion to any aspiring or veteran grower alike. The breadth of information covered in the book is astounding and will be a resource returned to often during the years of planting and growing."" --Keegan Kuhn, co-director of Cowspiracy and What the Health, and former veganic farmer ""The ecological and social crises we are facing today can only be addressed from the ground up: by transforming our food systems, what we grow and how we treat the soil. An ever-larger number of people are becoming aware of this and are working towards a transition to small-scale, ecological farming, but very few include animals in their circle of compassion. In fact, as food system change and soil regeneration became hip topics, the myth that ecological farming required animal exploitation served as a buffer against the changes that the animal liberation movement has been pushing for. In maintaining this fundamental status quo in agriculture-the exploitation of other animals-the food and small farming movements have reproduced some of the problems they have purported to solve. The value of this book goes beyond its practical teachings-it is a testament that we can move on from animal exploitation, that veganic methods can yield healthy and abundant food while allowing us to liberate land for rewilding, and that ultimately this world can be one of abundance. Jimmy Videle has written not only a clear and accessible guide for veganic growing, but for a revolution."" --Nassim Nobari, co-founder of Seed the Commons and Veganic World ""The Veganic Grower's Handbook is an essential resource for independent cruelty-free gardening. Drawing on a quarter century of farming expertise, Jimmy Videle explains how to cultivate healthy ecosystems of edible plants and also clearly details the natural science that makes these methods work. A good choice for those looking to enrich their relationship to plants and the web of life that supports them."" --Margaret Robinson, PhD; Coordinator, Indigenous Studies Program ""I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jimmy Videle's The Veganic Grower's Handbook: Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs From Urban Backyard to Rural Farmyard. It provides an elegant solution to the enormous impact of industrial animal and plant agriculture on the environment. Instead of waging war on microbes, insects and animals who are seen as the enemy of agriculture, he shows that farming can be done coexisting peacefully with the many species who keep our planet alive and vibrant. He has taken organic agriculture critical step further and removed all animal products, resulting in the veganic approach. Veganic agriculture eliminates the cruel exploitation of farmed animals. Healthy food, healthy humans and a healthy planet. Thank you, Jimmy, for sharing your journey that makes the world a more compassionate place."" --Liz White, leader, Animal Protection Party of Canada"