Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

I've stressed before how Biointensive mitigates some of the most urgent problems of our time. Note their shot of permanent beds & aisles. We began experimenting with these methods several years ago. Should add of course that any system needs adapting to local conditions. In our case topsoil is way too thin for double-digging (Jeavons style) & we compensate by building framed beds above ground level with more soil building - the term this list once started with. I was skeptical of Jeavons' big claim of growing more on less land than you can imagine. Until I tried it. We get asked at mkts, how many acres do you farm? Uh - Less than 1/4 of one acre.   :-) 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
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http://www.growbiointensive.org/News_LA.html

"GROW BIOINTENSIVE® is unique among the organic small-farming methods available because it provides solutions not to one or two problems, but to such a wide range of challenges: it provides farmers with the ability to grow food security for themselves and their communities, build sustainable soil fertility, conserve resources, reduce agricultural water consumption and fuel use, and to help combate the causes and effects of climate change by sequestering large quantities of carbon in the soil and reducing the output of greenhouse gases."

That's a LOT.

I always push this book along the same line: High-Yield Gardening, Marjorie B. Hunt
http://www.bookfinder.com/ . Rodale Press, of course