"How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine"
Lisa Van Cleef, Special to SF Gate
Wednesday, April 19, 2000
)2000 SF Gate

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2000/04/19/green.DTL

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

"How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine." The title of John Jeavons' classic gardening book says it all.

Jeavons is the world's leading developer and advocate of biointensive gardening, a system designed to produce enormous yields from postage stamp sized gardens. Since San Francisco is one of the densest cities in America, this method is ideal for local gardeners with small backyards and community garden plots.

Recently in Palo Alto to teach a biointensive workshop at Common Ground Garden Supply, Jeavons says, "Using biointensive methods, a garden the size of a city driveway, approximately 10 by 10 feet, can grow 300 to 600 pounds of food requiring only 15 to 30 minutes a day of the gardener's time."

And, he says the urban gardener can produce a substantial crop on a plot as small as 3 by 3 feet.

Biointensive gardening, or "mini-farming," is based on an ancient method of food gardening that dates back 4,000 years in China, and 2,500 years in Central America and Greece.

Revitalized in Europe in the early 1900s, the method was brought to the States by master gardener Alan Chadwick, who developed a four-acre garden at UC Santa Cruz in the 1960's. The garden has since expanded and evolved into the University's 27-acre Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

Jeavons' interest in biointensive gardening arose from his concern for the world's hunger problem. He was determined to discover the smallest amount of land and resources needed for one person to meet his or her needs in a sustainable fashion.

It has been a 29-year quest, and Jeavons now travels the world working with governments and other organizations teaching his "Grow Biointensive" method.

Biointensive gardening has had a dramatic impact in Kenya, India, Russia and Mexico. Thousands of people now utilize these methods to grow food for their families and communities. Jeavons is currently working with the government of Ethiopia to introduce these practices to that nation.

Biointensive gardening is used in over 110 countries worldwide, and Jeavons' book, How To Grow More Vegetables is published in English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Hindi, Arabic and Braille.

Grow Soil, Not Crops

One of the fundamental tenets of biointensive gardening is the practice of growing crops specifically for compost. Crops deplete the soil of nutrients which must be replenished to keep the soil alive; to keep it "growing." Compost provides those vital nutrients.

In biointensive gardening, the gardener dedicates at least 60 percent of his or her garden year-round to growing crops specifically for the compost bin. According to Jeavons, "The single most important thing we can do is not grow crops, but grow soil."

Without proper soil nutrient maintenance, depleted topsoil is lost to wind and water erosion. Using conventional farming methods, every pound of food eaten in the U.S. results in the loss of six pounds of farmable topsoil.

"We're losing our topsoil approximately 70 to 80 times faster than nature can rebuild it," says Jeavons. He believes that the biointensive method can reverse this loss. "In fact, if done correctly," Jeavons remarks, "it can produce 20 pounds of farmable soil per pound of food eaten."

A biointensive garden bed is a beautiful, well-planned tapestry tightly packed with vegetables of every shape and texture.

Yet, Jeavons stresses, "It is important to realize that the Biointensive Food-Raising Method is a whole system and that the components of the method must all be used together for the optimum effect. If not used properly, biointensive techniques can destroy soil faster than anything else because of their intensive practices."

Key aspects of the method include:

Double-dug beds

The soil in a biointensive bed is dug up and loosened to a depth of 24 inches deep. This is done so plant roots can easily grow straight down, which allows for denser plantings because the roots are not spreading out horizontally. Double-digging also greatly improves aeration and moisture retention, and it makes weeding much easier.

Intensive Planting

If plants are grown in a hexagonal spacing pattern, Jeavons says you can get 10 percent more plants in a bed than if you were using traditional rows.

In this hexagonal or offset pattern, the leaves of the mature plants touch one another, creating a mini microclimate underneath which moisture is retained, your compost's nutrients are protected and weed growth is inhibited. Intensive planting works like a mulch.

Growing compost crops

The higher yields of biointensive gardening are made possible only by richly replenishing the soil with compost. Jeavons suggests planting at least 60 percent of the growing area year-round in crops specifically for the compost pile. These include: fava beans, vetch, clover and cereal rye.

Calorie farming

In many of the countries where Jeavons travels, starvation is a chronic issue. These biointensive gardeners must produce high calorie foods to stay alive. For example, while lettuce may be nutritious, it is low in calories and not the most valuable food to grow in a subsistence situation.

Jeavons suggests planting 30 percent of the garden in high caloric root crops including potatoes, sweet potatoes, burdock, garlic and parsnips.

In these regions, he also recommends planting dual-purpose crops that produce outstanding material for the compost pile, as well as producing food that contains a significant amount of calories. These include: corn, wheat, amaranth and millet.

Companion Planting

Companion planting, another ancient practice, involves planting certain crops next to each other for optimum growth. For example, green beans and strawberries grow better when placed beside each other. The asparagus beetle is repelled by tomatoes, and borage helps control tomato worm. Lettuce likes carrots and cucumbers as its companions.

Deep rooted native plants are also used because they loosen the subsoil, which provides previously unavailable trace minerals and nutrients to shallow rooted plants.

Using Open Pollinated Seeds

Open pollinated plants are naturally pollinated by insects and wind, unlike hybrids whose pollination is controlled by humans. Because hybrid seeds are produced from two genetically different parents, it is difficult to determine the characteristics that the new plant will display. Second generation seeds of hybrid plants often bring forth recessive genes such as smaller fruit or late bloom.

In contrast, open pollinated plants produce offspring with similar characteristics to the parent plant. It means that seeds can be saved and planted reliably year after year.

Biointensive gardening is based on a philosophy of sustainability. It provides a new role for the gardener.

By focusing on growing compost crops year-round, the gardener changes his relationship with the soil. This is a major shift in farming as the farmer or gardener is no longer growing purely for consumption, but focusing on creating healthy, sustainable soil at the same time.

Biointensive gardening is a whole, interconnected system that must be used in its entirety. Jeavons' books are clearly written and illustrated, and he regularly holds workshops and open houses at Ecology Action, his non-profit center and research garden in Willits. In Palo Alto, the organic gardening store, Common Ground, a project of Ecology Action, sponsors very affordable classes most weekends.

Common Ground, 2225 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, CA. Phone (650) 328-6752

Ecology Action, 5798 Ridegewood Road, Willits, CA 95490-9730 (707) 459-5409
http://solstice.crest.org/sustainable/ecology_action/index.html
Tours of the research gardens are held monthly. Contact Ecology Action for details.

Bountiful Gardens, a mail order service for seeds, book and supplies
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
18001 Shafer Ranch Road, Willits, CA 95490 (707) 459-6410

Books Include:
"How to Grow More Vegetables," fifth edition, published by Ten Speed Press, 1995.

"The Sustainable Vegetable Garden," By Jeavons and Carol Cox, published by Ten Speed Press, 1999.

Organic gardening news, views and tips every Wednesday.

Silent Spring no more. We're loud and we're proud. We're organic. Send your comments, suggestions and organic gardening tips to green@sfgate.com

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

Answers

Amazon.com list of John Jeavons books...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ 102-6923832-2713644

(If this link doesnt work, just search Amazon on keywords John Jeavons)

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

1. How to Grow More Vegetables : Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops
by John Jeavons. Paperback (October 1995)
Our Price:$13.56
You Save: $3.39 (20%)
Usually ships in 24 hours

2. The Sustainable Vegetable Garden : A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields
by John Jeavons, Carol Cox. Paperback (February 1999)
Our Price:$9.56
You Save: $2.39 (20%)
Usually ships in 24 hours

3. The Backyard Homestead : Mini Farm and Garden Log Book
by John Jeavons, et al. Paperback (April 1983)
Our Price:$16.95
Special Order

4. Lazy-Bed Gardening : The Quick and Dirty Guide
by John Jeavons, et al. Paperback (October 1992)
Publisher Out Of Stock

5. How to grow more vegetables than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine : a primer on the life-giving biodynamic/ French intensive method of organic horticulture
by John Jeavons.
Out of Print--Try our out-of-print search service!

6. The Seed Finder
by John Jeavons, Robin Leler.
Out of Print--Try our out-of-print search service!

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

Soil
The big mama god of the garden
Lisa Van Cleef, Special to SF Gate
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
)2000 SF Gate

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ gate/archive/2000/04/12/green.DTL

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

Preparing your soil for spring planting means developing a relationship with it. Since soil will only grow what it can support, you need to nourish your soil.

All the plants that cleanse our air and produce our oxygen, all of the plants that we eat and feed to our animals receive their nutrients, their life from the soil.

Soil is the big mama god of the garden; be good to her.

Preparing to prepare

Plants regularly deplete the soil of nutrients so it needs to be fed before your spring planting. But before you start, consider how you're going to use your garden bed.

Are you growing produce, ornamentals or a combination of the two? (If you're going ornamental, you may want to wait and do your shrub and perennial planting in fall depending on your plant choices.)

An active vegetable garden uses more nutrients than a staid bed of shrubs. In deciding what you want in your garden, be sure to take into consideration how much time you will realistically be spending in it.

Look at your soil

Look at a handful of soil from your garden, does it have organic matter in it? Do you see soft velvety-black fragments of twigs, tiny bits of an old rotted leaf? Does it look like there is any life, any biological matter in your soil?

Variations in soil are easy to recognize. If you have an opportunity to take a peek at soils in various gardens, do so. Go beneath the mulch layer if there is one, grab a handful of soil and study its color, texture, and weight.

It's an instant lesson in soil science.

Clay, sand and silt

Soil is made up of clay, sand and silt particles. Most of us in the Bay Area have soil that is either sandy or clay-like.

Sandy soils are well aerated and drain well, sometimes too well and it can be difficult to keep them moist. Nutrients also wash out quickly from sandy soils.

And then there's clay, which holds water so well it keeps air out. Over-watered clay soils can easily become waterlogged and drown your plants. Roots have nowhere to grow in thick clay soil and become stunted.

Loam is the ideal soil. It's what you strive for in your vegetable garden. Loam is 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. Hardly anyone outside a fairyland forest has loam naturally. (That alone makes you appreciate our rugged natives who grow in our rough and ragged soil.)

Soil texture

Soil texture refers to the relative proportions of clay, sand and silt in your soil. To determine your soil texture, take a wet handful of soil and roll it into a tootsie roll. Clay soil will make a lovely tootsie roll which holds its form perfectly. It's a heavy, dense soil that dries rock hard -- like clay.

Wet sandy soil won't hold a tootsie roll shape, it will crumble immediately. You'll be able to see the grains of sand. When dry, it's soft and runs easily through your fingers.

After working in clay, you'll be thankful for the ease of sand. Weeds are easier to pull and the soil is lighter to shovel. But it too needs improving.

Soil structure

Soil structure is the arrangement or grouping of those individual particles in the soil. It is easier to change soil structure than soil texture.

Soil structure determines how well your soil holds water, how well it drains, and how easily roots can access nutrients. A granular, loose, crumb-like structure is desired as it aerates well and holds nutrients. A dense, tightly packed structure inhibits aeration and hydration.

The best way to change your soil structure is to add organic matter -- compost, preferably homemade, but store-bought is nice, too. No matter which way your soil swings, compost is the great equalizer because it changes your soil structure.

Don't add sand to clay to amend the structure. It's occasionally recommended, but that's how bricks are made.

Preparing your garden bed

The main goals of soil preparation are to add nutrients via organic matter, to aerate the soil (plants pull oxygen through their roots for photosynthesis) and to loosen the soil for root growth.

There are as many methods for soil preparation as there are gardeners. And every gardener has an opinion on the right way to proceed. Experiment and let your freak flag fly. Divide your bed in half and try two different systems. Choose the method that suits you and your garden.

Appropriate tools are important. Use a D-handled spade to dig. A D-handled garden fork is another useful soil preparation tool.

Double Digging

Double digging is the basis of the bio-intensive gardening technique. Promoted by gardeners Alan Chadwick and John Jeavons, bio- intensive gardening is a sustainable system that provides maximum yield in a minimum of space. (Next week's Green Gardener column will feature an interview with Jeavons.)

When you double dig, you loosen the soil which enables plant roots to penetrate easily. It also allows more air into the soil and helps it retain moisture. You can plant more densely with this technique as roots can grow down, instead of out. Double digging is a lot of labor, but extremely useful for the aeration it allows in clay soil.

Double digging involves digging 12 inches down and then loosening the soil with a garden fork to a depth of 24 inches. Jeavons uses a system in which you work across your garden bed a row at a time.

Dig your first 12 " deep row across one end of your garden bed. Dump that soil into a wheelbarrow or onto a tarp. There will probably be leftover soil you won't need because double digging fluffs up your soil tremendously and increases its volume.

Next, using your gardening fork, loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench you've dug by pushing the fork in all the way with your foot and pulling back on the handle. Proceed to the next row and begin shoveling 12" deep again.

p This time, shovel the soil into the first trench you just dug. Proceed across your garden bed, digging and transferring soil from one trench to the next until finished.

When your digging is complete, add at least an inch of compost to the top of your bed and rake in at least 8". Some people add their compost row by row. Lightly rake the bed when finished and shape it into a mound, like a loaf of bread, so water runs down the sides and doesn't pool in the center.

The No Till Method

Ruth Stout popularized this method in her book, "How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back." Stout gardened for over 50 years, many of them from her wheelchair. The principle behind the No Till method is to garden with as little effort as possible.

To start, lay a thick carpet of organic mulch over the entire garden without digging it in. Organic mulches include compost, seedless straw, shredded leaves, wood chips, bark, dried grass clippings or other degradable material.

Then plant right through the mulch. For some of our heavier clay soils, you will need to dig initially. Turn compost into the soil about the depth of a shovel and then layer the mulch on deep, up to six inches. Maintain the depth as the mulch decomposes.

Sheet Mulching

Somewhat similar to the No Till method, sheet mulching is like making lasagna.

Here's the recipe from Bill Mollison's Introduction to Permaculture: sprinkle bed with blood and bonemeal, then layer dried leaves or grass clippings. Cover with newspaper or cardboard. Mollison says you can even use old cotton clothes and wool carpets.

Water well. Next, layer with manure, then add a layer of pine needles or straw, finish with a cosmetic layer of bark chips, cocoa hulls or wood chips. Mollison, like Stout, plants right through the layers.

There are many variations on this layering method including simpler stacks of layers of manure, grass clippings, and seedless straw, and various two-layer combinations. Use what ever organic materials are available to you. This kind of mulching is like composting where you're mixing your browns (carbon source) and greens (nitrogen source), it just hasn't decayed, yet.

Soil Amendment

If you already have a mature planted garden and don't raise vegetables, this is a good time to amend your soil by adding compost.

First take a look at the plant and determine its drip line. This is the circle around the plant where rain captured by the plant's leaves will fall. Then pull back your mulch layer and add an inch of compost around your plants in the drip line. Putting compost here will ensure that nutrients are washed into the soil.

Resources include:

Class:
May 20, Starting an Organic Garden at Common Ground in Palo Alto (650) 328-6752

Websites:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/ easygardening/mulching/mulching1.html
A highly informative and well written explanation of mulching.

http:// www.gardenweb.com/forums/soil/
Gardenweb's forum on soil is active and useful.

http:// www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html
Good, basic information on permaculture.

Books:
"Golden Gate Gardening" by Pam Pierce
"How To Grow More Vegetables" by John Jeavons
"The Sustainable Vegetable Garden" by John Jeavons and Carol Cox
"Introduction to Permaculture" by Bill Mollison
"Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" Rodale Press

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

Thanks Diane, gardening is my passion. I always like to read about more veggies with less work, and better results.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2000

gilda,

It's a "growing" interest of mine. Looks like I'll be spending the summer near an organic farm, and learning a lot about composting, etc.

Oh joy! ;-D

I'm particularly interested in the square-foot gardening ideas. (Not to mention growing herbs and creating essential oils).

Diane

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2000

Diane & Gilda,

Here are a few links I have on square foot gardening:

Square Foot Gardening

Yahoo! Clubs: squarefootgardening

Plant Spacings in a Square Foot Garden

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

BTW, this is my second year using sqare foot gardening combined with raised beds - with higher yields and less work it's the way to go in my opinion.

-Jim

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2000

Thanks Jim!

Will have fun perusing those links... and planning.

Diane

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2000

Wow! this gives new meaning to the term 'dirt-rich!'

I can't decide whether to read or dig in the yard!

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

A question on compost. You can take ordinary food leftovers and use them to make compost, correct? How do you go about doing this? I can't imagine where I would store the stuff while it breaks down. Can you just dig a hole in the soil and toss it in there?

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

kritter,

Will try and find some links for you later (gotta run).

My parents always had organic gardens, and used to keep a compost pile. It needs the heat generated by decomosition, a bit of moisture and regular turning to break down into good soil. Earthworms help too.

This summer, when I'll be staying near a large organic farm, I'll be re-learning a whole lot more about composting techniques, and will continue to link the findings here.

As a quick reference, try the Real Goods site and look at their book collection...

http:// www.realgoods.com/shop/shop4.cfm?dp=401

Food & Farming books...

http:// www.realgoods.com/shop/shop4.cfm?dv=4&dp=407

(Some fancy products... a soil pile and chicken wire works too)...

Product: Spinning composter...

http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop2.cfm?dp=201&ts=1065362

Product: Garden Gourmet Composter

http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop2.cfm?dp=201&ts=1054300

Have fun.

Diane

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

kritter,

Ive sent an info e-mail request to someone whose business is in soil and composting.

Diane

BTW... Composting products from Planet Natural...

http:// www.planetnatural.com/composting.html

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

Soil, Compost and Mulch (GardenWeb Forum)

http:// www.gardenweb.com/forums/soil/

This forum is for the discussion of all aspects of soil--including topics like creating a healthy, balanced soil, methods of composting and using mulches effectively.

GardenWeb
The Internets Garden Community

http://www.gardenweb.com/

The GardenWeb Forums

http://www.gardenweb.com/ forums/

The GardenWeb Forums comprise the largest community of gardeners on the Internet. Covering more than 90 different plants, regions and topics, the forums allow you to tap the collective wisdom of the thousands of other users who visit GardenWeb each day. You can post queries on plant care, how to deal with a landscaping problem or perhaps initiate a discussion on your favorite subject.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

kritter... an e-mail response...

...Can you just dig a hole in the soil and toss it in there?...

[snip]

Yep, little holes scattered through-out the garden are perfect, close to plants, kind of like a side-dressing of fertilizer. Or blend it and pour, but that pointlessly wastes energy. Best if meat is separated and buried in a way that keeps it from being dug up by beasties.

Or make a meat tea if you have the stomach, high nitrogen, like fish emulsion, I make mammal emulsion from road kill if its too ripe for dinner. [Note: Hope hes kidding about that!]

Or raise worms, again exclude meat. Fats too are hard, feed to a dog or cat or person or bird, etc.

[snip]

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2000