Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

By intensive organic I don't mean double digging at all. People have to
decide whether that's needed where they are. In some places you can't dig
six inches. By intensive I mean building soil deep enough for optimum
planting distances, and permanent beds that allow close, wide row planting
to shade soil and weeds, plus planting schedules that cover the beds all
season. To accomplish that usually involves season extension such as
transplants, cold frames, and/or floating row covers and so forth. To me
intensive means making the fullest use of available land - not more work.  

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 2/7/2007 at 9:19 PM Dieter Brand wrote:

>Paul,
>
>I sent my query in May last year. Amazing that it should turn up after all
>that time. I wonder if this message will take as long as that.
>
>
>
>I agree that close spacing and mixed planting is useful for conserving
>humidity. In fact, I have practiced it for years; that is perhaps why I
>forgot to mention it in my list of water-saving measures. I don't know
>what you mean by intensive gardening though. If this means double digging,
>I would only consider it as a first time measure, if at all, since
>experience shows that nothing will improve the soil and conserve humidity
>as does no-till.
>
>
>
>Another summer has passed since I sent my query, but I'm still looking for
>ways of improving water efficiency.  My aim is to eliminate or at least
>reduce the need for irrigation.  I still haven't found answers to my
>specific questions though, well, perhaps there aren't any.
>
>
>
>Cheers, Dieter Brand
>
>Portugal
>
>
>
>
>
>Your wrote:
>
>Well, Dieter, good to have someone from Portugal. I hear they grow some
>fine wine grapes. Here's something I wrote that should shed some light.
I'm
>not an expert so I do a lot of researching.
>
>paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>-------------------------------------
>
>Optimum spacing, intensive interplanting increases overall yields, reduces

>moisture loss, losses to pests & weeds, & keeps all bed areas producing
all
>season. 
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Intensive planting techniques are those intended to maximize yields of a
>given planting area over the growing season. Besides increasing
production,
>intensive gardening can save time, space, energy, fertilizer and water.
>Intensive techniques can solve drainage problems, enable use of
>inhospitable sites, minimize soil compaction, *eliminate the need for
power
>equipment* and extend the length of the growing season. Intensive growing
>techniques also transfer well to raised beds or containers adapted to
>disabled gardeners. Careful planning is essential for successful intensive
>gardening, which relies on high yield practices such as wide-row planting,
>staggered planting, succession planting, interplanting and growing upward.
>Anna Carr in her Companion Planting for Gardeners defines multicropping,
>succession planting, sequential planting, interplanting, and companion
>planting.
>
>
>
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