Tag: Biointensive

Whole Farm Management: Growing A Sustainable Business

As you probably already know, the GROW BIOINTENSIVE (GB) Sustainable Mini-Farming method I developed with Ecology Action over the past 48 years of research and fieldwork is designed primarily to grow a complete diet, along with soil-building compost crops for sustainability. But it also… Continue Reading “Whole Farm Management: Growing A Sustainable Business”

Miraculous Abundance: 1/4 Acre, Two French Farmers, and Enough Food to Feed the World

Miraculous Abundance Book Cover

For years, scientists and practitioners of sustainable agriculture have been aware that our food chain is vulnerable. Soil depletion, resource scarcity, population growth, and the many and varied impacts of global climate disruption can and do impact our ability to grow and source food.… Continue Reading “Miraculous Abundance: 1/4 Acre, Two French Farmers, and Enough Food to Feed the World”

Save Water! Use Seedling Flats!

Or: How to feed an extra person and still save over 5,000 gallons per year. It may be a little late in the season for this post (at least in this hemisphere), but we just had a series of storms that would feel right… Continue Reading “Save Water! Use Seedling Flats!”

Can You Dig It? How Deep Soil Preparation and Structure Makes All the Difference to Your Plants

These images are from the section “Living Quarters for Plant Roots—A Picture Story of How Soil Conditions Determine Root Development” by Henry C. De Roo

So, here’s another post about roots. This time, I want to talk about how deep soil preparation (double-digging) works to increase the health and yields of plants by giving them room to spread out. Did you know that the average carrot puts down an… Continue Reading “Can You Dig It? How Deep Soil Preparation and Structure Makes All the Difference to Your Plants”

“Pricking Out”: Greatly Increase Plant Health and Yields by Transferring Seedlings from Flat to Flat Before Final Transplanting

“Pricking Out” Greatly Increase Plant Health and Yields by Transferring Seedlings from Flat to Flat Before Final Transplanting

Spring has sprung, and it’s time to get your seedlings in gear for a productive year! In keeping with the season, I thought that this would be a good time to discuss the benefits of pricking out your seedlings before you transplant them. Many… Continue Reading ““Pricking Out”: Greatly Increase Plant Health and Yields by Transferring Seedlings from Flat to Flat Before Final Transplanting”

Feed the Soil

Feed the Soil - little-known soil-building legumes and other crops, as well as enhanced descriptions of well-known ones

In the 1980s, Ron Whitehurst of ACRES U.S.A. wrote: “Central Florida is being mined down sea level for phosphate clay; and spiraling natural gas prices are making synthetic nitrogen fertilizer exorbitantly priced. Even using all the solid and liquid wastes from the cities, there… Continue Reading “Feed the Soil”

Urban Farms Podcast! And Gardenerd! And TUC Radio!

  423: John Jeavons on Biologically Intensive Gardening & Farming (Part 1)   More recent podcast interviews with John: Online: John Jeavons is featured on TUC Radio John Jeavons was featured as a part of a TUC Radio mini series on Soil, a response… Continue Reading “Urban Farms Podcast! And Gardenerd! And TUC Radio!”

30 Generations of Farming

Nora Waln was an unusual and adventurous woman. A Philadelphia Quaker and best-selling writer and journalist in the 1930s–60s, she was the first to report on the spread of Nazism in the lead up to WWII, and wrote on Mongolia, communism in China, and… Continue Reading “30 Generations of Farming”

Grow Hope

In this beautiful film produced by the talented Amy Melious, I have the honor of introducing four remarkable individuals making a difference in the world through their involvement in the Biointensive farming movement. Meet Mary Zellachild from California, Samuel and Perris Nderitu from Kenya,… Continue Reading “Grow Hope”

Sweet Potatoes!

Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are starchy root vegetables originating from Central or South America. Not to be confused with starchier and drier yams (Dioscorea) from Africa and Asia, sweet potatoes have a long shelf life and are usually sweeter and moister than regular white potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). In addition to being delicious, they are a very important crop in diet planning, because of the number of calories they contain per pound, and for overall sustainable gardening and farming!