Welcome to the Best of the Country

Welcome to Best of the Country, a website devoted to everything country. Throughout this site you'll find all kinds of information about country life, small farms, farming, antique tractors and equipment, and virtually anything related to country life and small farming. You'll also find stories about people. People like you and me that are either living the country life or long to. It may take you back to a time, long ago, that you spent on a farm or may trigger a new dream for you. The site means alot of things to alot of different people, but hopefully will capure the "best of the country" and make you want to come back and visit us often.

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The Best of the Country Bookstore is now open. Feel free to check out the huge book selection we offer.

Ordering books through the BestOfTheCountry.com Bookstore helps support the site and our mission to bring you topics and content of interest to country people.

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Garden Tillers

Mantis tiller/cultivator

Some people swear they don't need a tiller to work their garden. A common reason I have heard several times is that they have raised garden beds or small flower beds that makes a garden tiller hard to maneuver. While I agree that you may not want to use one of the larger front or rear tine tillers, in this situation, there is another alternative you need to consider. If you are one of those that believe that a tiller is too big, too heavy, too hard to control, the small tiller/cultivator which Mantis made famous very well may change your mind.

Organic and Inorganic Methods

It's become fashionable to tout organic gardening as the only environmentally safe way to grow vegetables. Certainly organic gardening methods have many advantages. But several traditional and commercial compounds are safe and effective when properly used. In some cases, the line between organic and inorganic compounds and methods is even a little hard to draw.

Manure is an excellent fertilizer in many applications. It provides a nitrogen rich additive to the soil that helps many vegetables thrive. But the odor, and to a degree the toxicity to humans, can be drawbacks. Bird droppings and other forms of animal waste often contain viruses and parasites that can be harmful to humans and other animals. Used properly, it's an excellent tool. But nature is not always benign. It must be handled with care.

Building Compost

Creating your own compost is easy and provides an excellent natural fertilizer. Compost is a mixture of organic materials - leaves, manure, table scraps and more - left in a pile to decay. Naturally occurring soil organisms will work on the material and eventually break it down into a fine, homogeneous soil additive for your vegetable garden.

Making a compost pile takes only a modest amount of effort. Start small and work your way up. Select an area about 10 feet (3 m) on a side, or a circle about 10 feet in diameter. If you have a pile of leaves raked from Fall, that's a great beginning. Over the year you can add grass cuttings, straw, vegetable leftovers or any other organic material you have lying around.

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