Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Interesting. You're right, Terry, row cultivation was there before tractors, 
even before Jethro Tull's standardized farm implements in England. I've been 
told that intensive beds are as ancient as row cropping though, practiced 
widely in Asia esp China. Before this century people the world over had to 
make the best use of the best land they could get.

>With today's understanding of soil
>biology, intercropping, successional planting, and
>hosts of other minutia, we can stay small, while still
>producing more than we need--our profit margin, so to
>speak.

Yes! I believe building on the past we should have the advanced knowledge now 
to live even better - and healthier - post-Peak.

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------
The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our 
most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its 
renewal is our only hope.
   - Wendell Berry
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 3/27/2006 at 7:58 AM Terry Wereb wrote:

>This brings to mind that even before farmers had
>tractors, that spacing between rows permitted room to
>walk for hoeing and picking.
>  I find myself designing planting areas based on my
>arm's reach-- I want to be able to reach just over the
>half way point. At Mom's place-- I permit room for a
>chair for her to sit in- and this is where raised beds
>come in especiallt handy-- they bring the ground up
>closer to the worker! So, At Mom's, I take a chair,
>and pretend my arm is about 7 inches shorter-- this
>accomodates for our height differences!
>  I remember stories about people laughing at "lazy
>gardeners-- those that gardened from chairs, only to
>find out that the person had no legs or other such
>'disability'  My ex's grandmother gardened from a
>chair-- it was the only way she could do it, but she
>managerd to put up enough food every year to get
>through the winter.
>  Many years ago, a "big" farm meant the family had a
>lot of family hands to work on it-- you know-- large
>numbers of children! The hired hand was rare- a luxury
>in some cases.  With today's understanding of soil
>biology, intercropping, successional planting, and
>hosts of other minutia, we can stay small, while still
>producing more than we need--our profit margin, so to
>speak.
>  My brother is still very much in to the "green
>revolution" mindset of tractors, tilling, waiting for
>the ground to dry up, etc. His one concession to
>"safe" agriculture is no chemicals. He does at least
>understand that process. Meanwhile, I am looking for
>old rolled hay bales!!!
>
>
>Terry W
>