Biointensive Gardening 2c - Deep Bed Prep

Double digging continued

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• garden
• farm
• organic
• sustainable
• permaculture
• biointensive
• double
• dig
• john
• jeavons
• raven

[AlexTrevelyan]

This is quite fascinating, but it is labor intensive and I think that's part of the problem with organic generally. I realize that for some, organic is as much a philosophical or spiritual exercise as an agricultural or ecological one, but certainly there must be more efficient methods that can be utilized in organic farming? Labor intensity might be the only thing holding organic back from industrial level production.

[ravenseen]

@AlexTrevelyan ... hmmn.... hi Alex.... thanks so much for joining the conversation and sharing yourself here. So... let's see if i'm hearing you... are you saying that when you see that digging a 5 x 20 foot bed takes several hours, and that it is done by hand, you feel a little concerned because you really value efficacy?

[AlexTrevelyan]

@ravenseen I have a real desire to experiment with some organic farming methods, but I approach it from the angle of its ecological utility foremost, in order for something to be widely adopted it's got to be efficient. I know organic to be superior in every way, but also labor intensive, which drives up costs thereby limiting its appeal. I'm just a hobbyist with the hope of yielding enough produce to significantly curb my shopping bill, but I'm not a glutton for punishment either.

[ravenseen]

@AlexTrevelyan ... hmmn... well... i think you're in the right place. "permaculture" is sometimes humourously refered to as "lazy man's farming" because various insights are applied to have the greatest effect with the least effort. I think that a true understanding of the soil is what's called for... Masanobu Fukuoka's "One Straw Revolution," is a delightful read and adresses these issues.

[EnchantedAlana]

liking the stand on the board method.....I've (pardon me, we've ) double dug our garden, adding a lot of composted chicken manure and peat moss (we've got gravel with some clay, and about 2-6 inches of top soil, depending on the spot).

Right now, we've got blue and russet potatoes, along with some cabbage and onion; once the rain stops, I'll be planting some carrots and beets. It's a little late in the season to be starting the carrots and beets, but better late than never....

[ravenseen]

@EnchantedAlana ... wow!!! sounds like a lot of fun... congratulations and please continue!!

[ravenseen]

@SnickityQuick I don't use a tiller because I love the intimacy that I get with the soil. I also love the sound of the birds when i'm working in the garden. I also love that children can be around me when I'm digging, but not when I'm tillering. I love the way that i feel after i dig. I love that i'm participating in a practice that doesn't have it's roots in reliance upon fossil fuels and petroleum. Also, I notice that after tillering, i smell like gas, i'm all jittery and my ears ring.

[wheelori814]

wow, i miss having easy soil to dig lol. I moved to arizona 9 years ago and am just not going to try gardening. Ground is hard here and has to be wet just to dig in it! Finding a lot of rocks, one so far as big as a basketball, hope there arent too many more!! It does feel good though just to use a shovel! labor intensive and more rewarding i think! So far ive gotten 5x15 ft done, have 2x more to do though! Hopefully I can get it all done including fence before planting!! back to work!

[SnickityQuick]

why dont you use a tiller?

[Boozbazz]

Labor intensive.