31-07-2004, 02:44 AM
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Best books for biointensive gardening?
ojunk (Tuckermor) wrote in message ...
how to grow a substantial percentage of my family's diet in my back
yard.
This is very possible, as long as you don't include grains, dairy products, and
oils.
chicken are a useful item in the garden. Let them loose into the
garden the month of april, and they will get all earwigs, many if not
most weed seeds, all grubs, and all slugs. Of course, you have to have
another place where to put them after you plant things.
Hardly ever mentioned in books, though, is the most time-consuming part of
all--harvesting, processing (culling, washing, chopping, etc.) and preserving
your harvest.
that's why I prefer tunnels, and fresh salads. Ten minutes of work
every night, or twenty on a winter sunday (harvesting for the whole
week), feel like nothing. the best way to preserve veggies is to leave
them in the garden.
Jeavons' Grow More Vegetables is excellent, but his yield calculations don't
seem to take into account the inevitable bumps along the way--poor weather,
insects, etc.
it takes maybe five years to become 90% efficient. In the meantime,
one learns to do away with all crops except those that are foolproof.
Plus, I always seed a tray of mixed greens in late june (288
seedlings), to fill gaps in july.
my garden does not look nearly like those in gardening books, all
perfect rows of uniform seedlings...
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