Bio-intensive Gardening Soil Preparation

The 8 Major Principles is a method of food-growing that helps revitalize our planet by building
soil, using a smaller area to produce higher yields than conventional methods, and minimizing
water, organic fertilizer, and biological pesticide use. It attends to the long-term sustainability of
farmland, so that food can be produced generation after generation. In near future, Green School
will have its own resource of fresh various vegetables. Those principles are:
1 Deep Soil Preparation
2 Composting
3 Intensive Planting
4 Companion Planting
5 Carbon Farming
6 Calorie Farming
7 Open-Pollinated Seeds
8 Whole System Method
Principle 1 Deep Soil Preparation (Double Dig)
Deep soil preparation builds soil and soil structure by loosening the soil to a depth of 60 cm.
Ideal soil structure has both pore space for air and water to move freely and soil particles that
hold together nicely. Air supports plant roots and soil organisms that give life to the soil and
enhance nutrient availability for the plants. Aerated soil holds water better than compacted soil,
requiring less watering. It also facilitates root penetration, supporting healthy plants and
minimizing erosion.
Principle 2 Composting
Bio-Intensive Gardening composting strives to produce the maximum amount of compost from
the materials used. It also maximizes microbial biodiversity through a correctly built and cured
compost pile using plant material from your farm, food scraps from your kitchen, and soil from
the beds.
Solid Organic Fertilizer : Layers of leguminous leaves, chopped banana tree trunks, kitchen
scraps, cow dung, charcoal, soil , small branches and dolomite lime.
Liquid Organic Fertilizer : Fermented livestock urine, water from boiled gingers, effective
micro-organism solution, and natural sugars.
Effective Micro-Organism : Mixing juice from banana tree trunks, shrimp paste, sugar, yeast
and water.

Principle 3 Intensive Planting

It creates enhanced and uninterrupted plant and root growth by transplanting seedlings in a close,
off-set spacing pattern so their leaves are barely touching at maturity, creating a living mulch
over the soil!
Principle 4 Companion Planting
Companion planting draws a diverse insect population to the garden by using plants of many
types and colors that flower all-season long. Additionally, a place for insects to drink water and
to be protected at night can be helpful. These actions will support a balance of beneficial insects
that prey on insect pests and pollinate the crops. Lastly, choosing strong-scented plants, like
marigolds, will help repel unwanted insects.
Principle 5 Carbon Farming
Carbon refers to plant material, also called biomass, that has a lot of complex cell structures
and meets the criteria for mature material for compost building. Carbon farming promotes
sustainable soil fertility by focusing on growing crops that produce a large amount of
carbonaceous material (mature material) for composting. A farmer in tune with producing
enough mature compost material will grow these crops in at least 60% of the cultivated area. By
focusing on growing enough compost material through choosing carbon-producing crops, a
farmer becomes more self-sufficient, relying on his/her own compost for soil fertility instead of
buying resources from off of the farm.
In addition, carbon farming has a diet element. The important cereal crops mentioned above also
produce an edible seed. Emphasizing crops that produce compost material and a significant
amount of calorie rich food sustains the soil and the farmer!
Principle 6 Calorie Farming
Calorie refers to the energy that is found in food we eat. Calories are essential for human life
and are in all food to some degree. Calorie farming produces a complete diet in the smallest
space possible by focusing on special root crops that are calorie-dense and yield well in a small
area. These specific crops are: potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, garlic, Jerusalem
artichoke, and salsify. A farm with 30% of its area in special root crops maximizes its areaefficient production of calories and can grow a complete diet in the smallest space possible.
After accounting for carbon crops and special root crops, the remaining 10% of area can grow
vegetable crops for a nutritionally diverse diet and a modest income. Orange and dark green
vegetables can help boost important vitamins and minerals in the diet, especially Vitamins A and
C and iron.

Principle 7 Open-pollinated Seeds

Using open-pollinated (OP) seeds allows the farmer to save seeds on the farm, providing for
future crops through growing healthy, locally acclimatized, fresh seeds. This helps create a selfsufficient closed system by reducing dependence on large or small seed vendors, and by saving
money. It is generally possible to grow all the seeds necessary for next years garden in about 3%
additional area.
Principle 8 Whole System Approach
Bio-Intensive Gardening requires farmers to act with thought and foresight, recognizing that the
farm itself is part of a greater ecosystem that should be thriving. Keeping half of your land in the
wild, if possible, nurtures the plant, insect, and animal diversity that surround the farm and
provides a buffer that allows it to exist and thrive.

Urban Gardening Soil Preparation

No matter how well you plan or how good the quality of the plants are, you will not succeed
without a good foundation and a good home for roots: a well-prepared soil. Prior to planting, it is
necessary to prepare the soil, especially if a flower bed has never been in that location before.
After laying out the area and determining what the flower bed will look like, remove all grass
and weeds prior to tilling the soil. An alternative to sod removal is to apply the herbicide
glyphosate to the area. It will kill off existing vegetation. After the vegetation is dead, it can then
be tilled into the soil. Read and follow label directions carefully to avoid misuse.
All gardens benefit from the incorporation of organic matter to help improve soil texture, tilth,
aeration and drainage. Apply materials such as peat, compost, leaves, grass clippings, and
manure. This will mean adding approximately 3-4 inches of organic matter tilled into the top 6-8
inches of soil. The area should also be fertilized using a general-purpose fertilizer such as 5-10-5,
10-10-10, 12-12-12 or similar analysis at a rate of 1-1/2 to 2 pounds per 100 sq. ft. of garden bed.
After thoroughly working all of the material into the bed, rake the area level and you are ready to
plant.
Most annuals will grow very well in soils with a pH between 6.5-7.5. Because most of our soils
in Illinois fall within this range there should be no cause for drastic pH adjustments. If improper
pH is a concern, then you should have your soil analyzed by a certified soil testing lab. Many
labs perform this service. After results are received, an informed decision can be made as to the
best course of action. Before blaming fertility or pH problems for poor annual performance, be
sure you have spent adequate time in soil preparation. That is the key to quality plant growth.
Always work soils that are of the proper moisture content. Working soils too soon in the spring
when they are still wet will result in damage to the soil structure. These soils become very hard,
poorly drained and poorly aerated. Test before you dig by taking some soil and squeezing it into

a ball in your hand. Touch the ball. If it crumbles readily the soil is safe to work. If it remains in a
tight ball, it is too wet and you should not work it until it has a chance to dry out further
The level of soil nutrients (minerals) is constantly in flux. Plant roots take up nutrients, and some
nutrients are easily washed away by rain and irrigation. Nature replenishes them through
decomposition of plant and animal matter (leaves, roots, bones, scat), atmospheric deposition
(rainfall, snow, dust storms), and the dissolution of rock into its mineral components. Some of
these natural processes take decades and will not be able to maintain equilibrium in your garden.
This is especially true if you grow heavy feeders like fruits and vegetable crops, sunflowers,
daffodils, and lilies. Their vigor and productivity will decline over time without the addition of
nutrients.

Because we don't garden by geologic time, gardeners must fertilize to replenish their soils.
Maintaining productive gardens requires stocking the pantry, a favorite euphemism from my
soil science professor, Dr. Howard Brown. In this case the pantry is the soil and the stock are
nutrients. Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) are the primary nutrients used in
plant development and the ones most likely to negatively affect plant growth if they are deficient.
N, P, and K are found in a wide variety of natural and processed fertilizers, both individually and
in combination, and the percentages are posted on the package. Gardeners can also make their
own organic fertilizer mixes by obtaining the primary nutrients individually from natural sources.
Organic amendments high in nitrogen include urea, guano, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, and
chicken litter. Phosphorous is found naturally in phosphate rock and bone meal. The minerals
glauconite (greensand), sylvinite, and langbeinite (Sul-Po-Mag), along with wood ash, are
organic sources of potassium.

Micronutrients are used in such tiny amounts that they are rarely deficient in garden soils. An
annual supply of compost or manure is usually sufficient to restock them. However, plants that
become chlorotic (yellow leaves with green veins) from lack of iron may require foliar sprays of
micronutrient solutions containing iron and magnesium to correct the problem during the season.
The acid-base dynamic is a little trickier. A soil's pH (potential hydrogen) is a measurement of
the availability of hydrogen ions (acidity) in the soil. The pH affects nutrient uptake by the
plants. The lower the number, the more acidic; and the higher the number, the more basic. For
example, sulfuric acid has a pH of 1, water is neutral at 7, and caustic lye is around 13.
A pH reading of 6.5 is ideal for garden soils. A level between 5.2 and 7.6 is generally acceptable
to most plants. Outside that range, certain nutrients bind to the soil and become unavailable to
plant roots. Acidifying products like ammonium sulfate, lower the pH, while lime products like
dolomite raise it.

Ideal topsoil has granular soil particles and plenty of pore spaces.

Organic Matter to the Rescue

There is no silver bullet for improving all soils, but it's safe to call organic matter (OM) the
stainless steel bullet. Organic matter is not quite magical, but it's very efficient and practical.
OM includes compost, animal manure, pine needles, seaweed, hay, shredded leaves, and grass
clippings. The availability depends on your region. People in Georgia have access to inexpensive
pine needles, while people along the coast of Oregon can collect washed-up seaweed. Regardless
of the type, incorporate some organic matter into your garden because it:

improves the texture (tilth) of compacted or heavy clay soils

increases water-holding capacity of sandy or rocky soils
supplies nutrients as it breaks down
buffers against pH problems
buffers against contaminants and toxins
A professional soil test every few years can help you detect and maintain the level of nutrients
required by the plants you are growing (see Reading a Soil Test in this issue). In between these
tests, an electronic soil tester can be a handy guide for correcting soil deficiencies (see Great
Garden Gadgets). Urban soils are often the worst, but all gardens benefit from organic matter and
added nutrients. Amending your soil now can help your garden fight disease, insects, and low
yields this season by giving your plants the nutrients they need to grow strong, healthy, resistant,
resilient, and productive.

Container Gardening Soil Preparation

Well prepared garden soil is great for growing things in the ground but when it comes to
growing things in containers, soil as you know it needs to be changed.
Soils for containers need to be well aerated and well drained while still being able to retain
enough moisture for plant growth.
When choosing what to use to fill containers, never use garden soil by itself no matter how
good it looks or how well things grow in it out in the garden. When put into a container both
drainage and aeration are severely impeded, and the results are that plants grow poorly or not
at all.
Soils for containers are always modified in some way to ensure proper drainage and aeration.
Container soils are often referred to as soilless or artificial media, because they contain no soil
at all. They are often composed of various things such as peat, vermiculite, bark, coir fiber
(ground coconut hulls) in a variety of recipes depending on the manufacture and the type of

plant material being grown. They can be found under a variety of trade names and in sizes
ranging from a few quarts to bales that are many cubic feet in size. Sometimes the choice of
media will be directed by what type of plants you are growing. Succulents, herbs, and
perennials tend to prefer soils that are well drained and not retaining a lot of moisture over a
long period of time. For them you might choose media that are courser in texture containing
more bark, perlite or sand. For tropicals and foliage plants, you might choose a media with
more peat and less course material as these plants tend to prefer moisture growing conditions.
When these mixes are used, they should be moistened slightly before planting. Fill a tub with
the media, add water and lightly fluff the media to dampen it.
Garden soil can be used as a container media but it needs to be modified or amended. An
acceptable soil based mix can be made by using one part garden soil, one part peat moss and
one part perlite or coarse builders sand. Don't use fine beach sand or play sand.
This media has advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that the soil you are using
may contain insects, weed seeds and disease organisms. Soilless medias are generally free of
these things. Soil based medias are heavier. This may be an advantage though especially if the
containers are used in a very windy location and the extra weight will help keep the pot
upright. Soil-based medias are also a bit more forgiving when it comes to water and fertility.
They tend not to dry out as fast, and they also tend to hold on to nutrients longer. Because
soilless medias can be a bit more costly, you could mix 25 percent soil with the soilless media
to stretch your soilless media for a few more pots.
Also, can soilless media be reused from year to year? To a certain extent, yes. If the plants in
the containers were healthy during the growing season with no major disease issues, you
could remove the plant material at the end of the season and reuse the media next season. You
may have to add some additional new media to fill the container. There will come a time
when the media in the container will need to be replaced. Over the course of time, the organic
materials that the soilless media is made from break down and decompose to the point where
you will loose the drainage and aeration properties that are inherent in soilless container
medias. When that happens, discard the media to the compost pile or to the garden and refill
the container with fresh media.
There are also bagged products labeled as top soil that tend to be largely sedge peat. While
they are inexpensive and look very good, once put into a pot they are poorly drained and
poorly aerated. They can be used in combination with soilless media products or amended
much the same way as if you were using garden soil.
When filling containers with media, don't fill the pot to the top. Leave about a one inch space
between the top of the soil and rim of the pot. This will help make watering the pot easier as it
provides a place to "put water" and not have it run over the edge.
Filling very large containers can be costly especially when using commercially prepared
media. To reduce the cost and also the weight of the container consider adding "filler" to the
bottom of the container to take up space. Many things can be used, but they should be
something that is inert, able to take up space and not break down over the course of the
growing season. While there are inserts made for this purpose, there are a lot of home
products that can be recycled for this use.

Items such as crushed aluminum cans, plastic milk jugs, and non-biodegradable "packing
peanuts" are usually readily available. Fill the bottom one-quarter to one-third of the container
with your choice of material. Lay a piece of landscape fabric over the top of the material and
fill the rest of the container with media. The filler takes up space the landscape fabric keeps
the soil from infiltrating the filler while allowing water to pass through, and there is still
ample space for roots to grow.