22-08-15

Plenty Permaculture PDC

Biointensive Gardening

Reduces:Water consumption

Fertiliser cost

Energy cost

Increases:Soil fertility

Caloric production

Income

Super efficient, low input, high output.Regenerates and builds soil.

Biointensive Gardening

Nine main principles:

Deep soil preparation

High quality seeds and seedlings

Close plant spacing

Watering

Growing carbon crops

6. Compost7. Crop rotation 8. Companion planting9. Whole system approach

Deep Soil Preparation

When garden planning keep in mind:

Full sun

Shelter

Water supply

Contour

Bed size

Start small and add on as you gain mastery

Deep Soil Preparation

We double dig to add air to the soil. 50% of the soil needs to be air for veges to grow well.

Mark out garden beds with string lines

Remove/kill grass on new ground

Make sod piles for compost heaps

Double dig only when soil evenly moist

Shape dug beds into an arc

Add compost & fertiliser

Deep Soil Preparation

How to double dig.

Deep Soil Preparation

Adding compost & fertiliser

Spread your compost evenly over the whole garden area

Don't overdo the fertiliser

Get a soil test done if possible to determine amount of fertliser to apply

Apply fertiliser in the same way as compost

Compost and fertiliser is recommended unless soil is optimally balanced

Use fork to incorporate compost & fertiliser in top 100mm of soil

Deep Soil Preparation

Shaping beds

An arc increases surface area so more plants fit

Shape arc gently from path to path

Don't compact the bed while shaping

Deep Soil Preparation

U bar/broadfork

For maintaining air in beds

Not a replacement for double digging

High quality
seeds & seedlings

Use the best local seed you can find.

High quality
seeds & seedlings

Growing seedlings

Most seeds are started in flats rather than direct sown

A better use of garden space one crop can be startedwhile another is maturing in the garden bed

Allows you to plant only the best quality seedlings

Plants form a canopy quicker once in the soil

Canopy will shade out weeds and sun

High quality
seeds & seedlings

Flat size

Need to be 75mm deep

Use what size is manageable. Bigger flats are heavier.

Don't make any wider than your paths

Close plant spacing

Diagonal spacing fits more into a bed

Promotes living mulch

Planting space differs between crops

Start planting half a spacing width from the path

Use tools for spacing until you get an eye for it

Watering

An addition to Jeavon's principles as so important!

Under watering stresses plants

Stress makes plants more susceptible to disease etc

Use fine roses

Be like the rain!

Living mulch effect reduces water usage

Growing carbon crops

50% of your garden should be planted in carbon crops.

Used to create the amount of compost you need

Builds humus and microbe life in soil

Carbon production and compost application rates differ

Growing carbon crops

An intermediate level 10 sqm bed will yield:22kgs sorghum or

21 kgs corn or

18 kgs millet or

18kgs sunflower or

13.5 kgs of wheat/rye/barley/oats or

10kgs amaranth

Other good carbon crops include: Jerusalem & globe artichokes, lupins, alfalfa, broadbeans, cardoons

Compost

An art form all of it's own. Refer to notes from previous module.

Crop rotation

Ensures you are not mining the soil of its nutrients.Garden should at all times consist of 50% carbon, 25% heavy feeders, 25% roots and legumes.

Companion planting

Companion planting promotes:beneficial relationships between plants

attraction of beneficial insects

repulsion of pests & disease

biodiversity within the garden, particularly the soil

Whole system approach

Biointensive gardening will only be successful if all of the system components are used together.

Brief discussion points

Collecting soil samples

Tools

Tool maintenance/care

Weeding

Harvesting

Planning

Bed prep between crops

Perennial vegetables

Garden structures

Crafty Gatherer

The 'Window Sill' tray is 90mm x300mm - $15

The 'Home Hobbyist' tray is 300mm x 400mm - $20

The 'Large Grower' tray is 400mm x 600mm - $25

Made from recycled untreated vitex hardwood decking. Vitex is sustainably milled.

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