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"I see a
man's native stock is perennial, and our creative winged seed can
strive a root in anything."
- Cecil Day
Lewis
In 1994, six MS3 students
under the supervision of Tom DeLuca established two new
biointensive beds adjacent to Harmony Homestead. These and the
existing beds were planted with a variety of herbs, flowers, and
vegetables. The student team consisted of chairpersons Mike Gable
and Marian Farrior with Mary Beth Steisslinger, Casandra Cole, Mark
Licklider and Robert Silber. Areas have also been designated for
cut flowers, perennial vegetables, a salsa bed and culinary herbs.-
Source: Alternator Article, May/June 1994
The goal of biointensive
gardening is to recycle all nutrients, grow compost crops to build
and maintain a healthy soil, and provide nutritious food for
people. (Source: http://www.seattletilth.org/sustgrow/biointsv.htm)
Five Components of
Biointensive Food Growing
- Double-dug, Raised
Beds
Crops are planted in beds
that are "duble-dug"–the gardener digs 12 inches
down and then loosens the soil to an additional 12 inches. Having
loose soil 24" down enables plant roots to penetrate easily and
incorporates air into the soil, creating a "raised bed"
effect.
- Intensive
Planting
Seeds or seedlings are
planted in 3 to 5 food-wide beds using a hexagonal spacing pattern.
Each plant is placed the same distance from all seeds nearest to it
so that when the plants mature, their leaves touch. This provides a
"mini-climate" under the leaves that retains moisture, protects the
valuable microbiotic life of the soil, retards weed growth, and
provides for high yields. The method avoids problems encounterd
when planting in narrow rows.
- Composting
Garbage, manure,
vegetation, and many other forms of organic matter, when properly
composted, provide the elements necessary to maintain and even
improve soil structure and the biological cycles of life that exist
in the soil. Compost also creates better aeration and water
retention. As the soil's health improves, optimum plant health is
maintained and garden yields are maximized.
The Biointensive gardener concerned with sustainability will plant
crops specifically for use in the compost pile, rather than
importing materials and thus depleting soils elsewhere.
- Companion
Planting
Research has shown that
many plants grow better when near certain other plants. Green beans
and strawberries, for instance, thrive better when they are grown
together. Some plants are useful in repelling pests, while others
attract beneficial insect life. Borage, for example, helps control
tomato worms while its blue flowers attract bees. Also, many wild
plants have a healthy effect on the soil; their deep roots loosen
the subsoil and bring up previously unavailable trace minerals and
nutriments. Use of companion planting aids the gardener in
producing fine quality vegetables and helps create and maintain a
healthy, vibrant soil.
- Whole System
Synergy
Biointensive is a whole
system food raising method in which all components must be used
together for the optimum effect. Merely spacing your garden plants
closer together, for example, is not enough. Farmers experimenting
with such intensive spacing in Europe, while not using companion
planting and still employing chemical fertilizers, found themselves
beset with deteriorating soil fertility. As soil fertility decines,
quality and yields diminish, populations of beneficial insects are
reduced, and plant resistance to disease and pests is
lowered.
A sources for biointensive
gardening supplies, seeds and books: http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
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