Slideshow to accompany the Biointensive Gardening mini workshop and PDC module.

1. 22- 08- 15
● Pl ent y Permacul t ure PDC

2. Biointensive Gardening
Reduces:
● Water consumption
● Fertiliser cost
● Energy cost
Increases:
● Soil fertility
● Caloric production
● Income
Superefficient, low input, high output.
Regenerates and builds soil.

3. Biointensive Gardening
Nine main principles:
1. Deep soil preparation
2. High quality seeds and seedlings
3. Close plant spacing
4. Watering
5. Growing carbon crops
6. Compost
7. Crop rotation
8. Companion planting
9. Whole system approach

4. 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

5. Deep Soil Preparation
We double dig to add airto the soil.
50% of the soil needs to be airforveges 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

6. Deep Soil Preparation
How to double dig.

7. 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

8. 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

9. Deep Soil Preparation
U bar/broadfork
● For maintaining air in beds
● Not a replacement for double
digging

10. High quality
seeds & seedlings
Use the best local seed you can find.

11. 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 started
while 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Growing carbon crops
50% of yourgarden 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

16. 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

17. Compost
An art formall of it's own.
Referto notes fromprevious module.

18. 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.

19. Companion planting
Companion planting promotes:
● beneficial relationships between plants
● attraction of beneficial insects
● repulsion of pests & disease
● biodiversity within the garden, particularly the soil

20. Whole system approach
Biointensive gardening will only be successful if all of
the systemcomponents are used together.

21. Brief discussion points
● Collecting soil samples
● Tools
● Tool maintenance/care
● Weeding
● Harvesting
● Planning
● Bed prep between crops
● Perennial vegetables
● Garden structures

22. 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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www.craftygatherer.co.nz