Special Report

Grow Biointensive

John Jeavons is known around the world for his biologically intensive approach to farming. Jeavons says the technique draws upon Chinese, Greek and Mayan traditions from thousands of years ago.  “It was successful then and it is successful now.”  He has spent the last 44 years learning how to do it, discovering the principles behind it and teaching it around the world.  “It is being used now in 151 countries in virtually all climates and soils where food is grown.”

The principle is a concentration of plants on healthy soil using a fraction of the water, soil nutrients and energy compared to standard practices. Jeavons says “We now know how to grow all the food for one person for one year, a complete balanced diet on 4,000 square feet.  To grow the average U.S. diet takes 64,000 square feet.”  He admits; “It’s a different diet, but it’s yummy.”

He says nature fills-in where there are no plants, citing as an example the weeds that will cover the ground in between the rows of your garden. With biointensive, the plants are so close that the leaves touch or nearly touch when they mature so you get four-times the plants per unit of area.  Key to the technique is what is called “double-digging” the soil which delivers a bed that is 24 inches deep.  The soil is loosened but the strata is maintained to preserve the organic matter and soil microbes near the top.  The soil is sampled to specify what needs to be added plus compost is added.

Sixty percent of the crops grown are “compost crops” such as grains which produce calories and biomass. Thirty percent of the area is planted to special root crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic and others.  These produce a large amount of calories per unit of area.  Ten percent of the area is planted to vegetables.

Jeavons talks about the technique:

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