Gardening--The New Compost Pile

So...I've always been a composter, and that's probably thanks to my grandma and grandpa.  Their farm was huge, and all the vegetables they ate were grown by hand (no machines or grocery stores).  It was impressive.  I remember my grandma putting vegetable scraps in a jug that she'd carry over to the large garden area (although she often gave them to her chickens too), and I also remember grandpa putting corn stalks in a pile for composting, along with other vegetable matter.  What a great garden that was.  What was cool was their land--between the chickens (plus their eggs), the cows (plus their milk), their vegetables and fruits, and wild game--fully sustained them.  I know my grandma bought sugar, coffee, and flour, but even then, I'm sure their earnings from making Christmas wreaths and selling firewood allowed them those amenities.

Anyway, back to composting...I started composting on my own right after I got married.  I became active in environmentalism and realized that I could send less trash to the landfill if I composted all vegetable scraps.  I've gotten better at my techniques over the years, but I really like the Biointensive way of doing it. 

Your bottom layer is comprised of sticks and twigs, because they allow the air to circulate.  Then you have a layer of brown (mature dead vegetation) and then green (fresh grass trimmings, garden clippings, and kitchen scraps--immature).  Then you have a thin layer of dirt (which contains the microbes that will cook the compost into humus).  I'll keep adding to this pile, layer by layer, until it's about four feet high (although it's already starting to compress).  It's under a tree, which is recommended by this method as well.  I won't use the compost from this pile until probably next year, but I'll start a new pile once this one gets big.  I won't turn it or anything.  Again, that's because Biointensive advocates mimicking nature as much as possible.  Turning the pile would make it compost faster, but I would end up with less carbon in the compost, so it's better to let nature take its course.

If you're interested in Biointensive gardening, their website is at Ecology Action.  If you're interested in these techniques, you can buy the book How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, which is what I'm basing all my gardening on this year.  I can't wait to see how this year's garden compares to those of the past.

Gardening--Week One

So last week I started working on my Biointensive garden.  The first thing I had to do was plot out the area.  My old garden area was not wide or long enough (though it was probably big enough in square feet).  I needed an area that was 5 by 20 feet.  So I plotted out the area (which last year was overrun with weeds).  The next thing I had to do was soak the ground for up to two hours (I did it about one hour and had to move the sprinkler several times to get it all). 

Then, two days later, I had to start loosening up the soil.  The idea with Biointensive is to disturb the soil as little as possible (like nature), so there's no turning of the soil or anything like that.  However, my dirt is hard and clay-ey, so I have a lot of work to do.  So, two days after the soak (so it's not too wet and not too dry), I had to start working the pitchfork in to start breaking up the soil.

Now, I just have to let the sun, wind, and rain continue doing the work on the land.  In about a week I'll start the double digging process.  I've already started a pretty significant compost pile, and I have an old compost pile I can draw from for this year's garden.

Changing the World

Those of you who read my blog fairly regularly know that I also write for Natural News as a Citizen Journalist.  Recently, I wrote an article about Biointensive Gardening.  In January, I went to a local workshop on this method of mini-farming here in my community and I got excited.  Why?  Because it appears to be a way to sustain the planet.  The method focuses on sustainable agriculture, and it mainly focuses on mini-farms, that is, backyard gardens that you and I can grow ourselves.  What excited me about this method is that we can use less space and less water, yet grow more in a sustainable, healthier environment.  I plan to begin gardening this way this year, and I have, in fact, started my compost pile (not the way I used to but following the method I learned in the workshop).  I have since purchased organic seeds and planned my entire season; I will begin growing seeds indoors in about two weeks.  Since Vegi Lover deals on occasion with our impact on the environment, I thought this might be a good forum in which to share this info.  If time permits, I will probably also be blogging about my ventures in this new realm.  I think it promises to be fun!

If you'd like to read the article on Natural News (which provides more information about Biointensive gardening), you can click on this link: 

Biointensive Agriculture Could Save the Planet