Susanacha
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Location: Urubamba, Peru

Biointensive Gardening Question

I am learning about Biointensive Gardening and reading this article. It says that 50 percent of what I plant should be large compostable grains such as corn or rice. 30 percent should be roots vegetables and 20 percent other vegetables. My question is what if I want to plants 75 percent “other vegetables” and only a few roots? Of the large compostable sort, there is only corn which I like to plant but that is only once a year and I scatter them around the property not in my vegetable bed area. Any comments on any of this? Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Susan

DoubleDogFarm
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Welcome Susan

Sounds like John Jeavons
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Definition
In order to achieve these benefits, the biointensive method uses an eight-part integrated system of deep soil cultivation (“double-digging”) to create raised, aerated beds; intensive planting; companion planting; composting; the use of open-pollinated seeds; and a carefully balanced planting ratio of 60% Carbon-Rich Crops (for compost production) 30% Calorie-Rich Crops (for food) and an optional 10% planted in Income Crops (for sale). The following outline of the methods approximates the descriptions found in the popular biointensive handbook, How to Grow More Vegetables (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains and other crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine, by John Jeavons,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biointensive

Eric

DoubleDogFarm
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My question is what if I want to plants 75 percent “other vegetables” and only a few roots?
You can, but you are cutting out the closed loop biomass, composting, soil building aspect of Biointensive gardening.

You can call it organic but not the true definition of biointensive.

Eric

imafan26
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Biointensive tries to balance resources so that they can be recycled to maximize yield of calorie crops and sustainability by improving the soil at the same time with minimal land. Once it is established there are few outside inputs like fertilizer. Unlike permaculture that shares some of these principles, animals are not necessarily a part of the program since keeping animals require more land and most of the biointensive farms promote a vegan lifestyle.

If you want to plant 75% other crops you could, but the formula is designed to maximize the return to the soil. It all depends on your goals and the crops you choose.

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rainbowgardener
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It sounds like worthy ideas, but depends on your situation.

I certainly like the ideas about sustaining your soil, but I am a small scale city gardener, without room to grow corn and grains. It sounds like Jeavon's point in growing all that corn/grains (along with food production) is to have cornstalks, etc as carbon rich biomass for compost. What I have instead is lots of trees and shrubbery, fall leaves, wood chips, hedge trimmings.

So you use what you have! I grow mostly herbs and vegetables that would be in his 10%, a few root crops, and no corn/grains. But I feed my soil and my compost pile with all the stuff listed above, so I think it all works out.



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