Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

5 acres or whatever, some of his principles apply to smaller and larger 
parcels. Two Rodale Press books I have go into further detail on intensive 
growing. We misunderstand Jeavons if we think he was creating a 
one-size-fits-all model for the whole population. Ditto for Morris. For 
example, I work to adapt methods from all writers I've run into. But I don't 
double dig; I don't compost; I don't do cover crops; I don't use a tiller. 
But I do build healthy soil, use permanent beds, and concentrate amendments, 
water, and labor on growing beds instead of wasting it on aisles between. In 
those beds I plant intensively, mulch, and double crop, and I hold costs way 
down and get retail prices at growers markets. And we produce very large 
amounts on one-sixth of an acre. All by hand. With similar methods a younger 
couple could make a good living on one whole acre. And we're in a dry climate 
with a short season. And we're far from the only ones.

The point of these books is, we can do far more in less space than we once 
thought, if we don't dismiss the whole project as ridiculous and never try. 
The day is coming when those of us who do it will get ridiculously high 
prices for our work.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 6/15/2008 at 4:22 PM bruce smith wrote:

>the book was ok.. It doesn't deal within the natural world though.. 89% of
>people do not nor will the ever have 10 acres of land..
>Does anyone know of books that teach folks to grow on less..Not Jeavons
>books either, because he is 5 acres..that can't be realized in this modern
>age.
>
>On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 8:31 AM, TamesonOB <tamesonob@metrocast.net> wrote:
>
>> I LOVED!!!! this book. I have reread it 4 times. I think it's profoundly
>> better than anything the Nearings ever wrote (similar vein) IMNSHO. I
>> highly
>> recommend this book - I sound like I'm on reading rainbow or something
>but
>> it really is a super book.
>>
>> Tameson in NH
>>