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  • From: "Jeanne Driese" <jeanne13 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Has Anyone Read
  • Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:52:47 -0500

Lynda,
Forgot to add that I have never done the double digging! Gene is right about
all the tech info, but I found way more info to use than to discard. Besides
I was teaching folks who had no idea that soil was alive and really more
important than the plants when it comes to having a garden that feeds you
well.
Guess it is going to depend on what it is you are looking for!
Like James I tend toward mulch and trying not to disturb the soil.
Jeanne
tnhillwoman
North East TN zone 6
----- Original Message -----
From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Has Anyone Read




> Jeavon's book "How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible
> On
> Less Land Than You Can Imagine"?
>

That was my Bible for many gardening years. While still an unabashed
admirer
of Jeavons, I have come to realize that his "method" was ideally suited for
southering California and is less suited elsewhere.

After double-digging for a number of years, I came across a book "Better
Vegetables the Chinese Way" (Peter Chan) which closely approximates
Jeavon's
method sans the double digging.

My conclusion has been that in certain soils, double digging is worth while
*once*. With its roots literally in Jeavon's method, my way of gardening
now
is to do a modification of single digging (with a spade) and mulching
almost to
the point of the no-tillers. Thus Jeavons' 20"-24" of growing depth is
achieved partially from digging and mostly by the accumulation of organic
material.

One of Jeavon's best contributions is teaching that physical sides on
growing
beds are unnecessary at best and a detrement at worst. The sides of beds
in
practice do not erode.

I was much a fan and practicioner of his very close spacing, but as time
has
gone by, I have gravitated away from that in favor of more open spacing for
most things.

However, if space were the primary concern, I'd revert to it. </HTML>
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