How to Grow More Vegetables : And Fruits, Nuts ... - Shroomery

Tip
Always be sure to add at least 3 different
kinds of crops to your compost
piles. Different microbes flourish in
specific kinds of crops. The result of
this crop diversity is microbe diversity
in the soil, which ensures better soil
and plant health.
Tip
You will probably want to build some
compost without soil for your perennial
growing areas. This is because you
cannot easily take soil from these areas
to build compost piles. Also, the perennial
roots will necessitate surface cultivation
to an approximately 2-inch depth
in most cases.
38 COMPOST
of free-living bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air in a form
available to plants. Many microorganisms tie up nitrogen
surpluses. The surpluses are released gradually as the plants
need nitrogen. An excessive concentration of available nitrogen
in the soil (which makes plants susceptible to disease) is therefore
avoided. There are predaceous fungi that attack and
devour nematodes, but these fungi are only found in large
amounts in a soil with adequate humus.
The microbial life provides a living pulsation in the soil that
preserves its vitality for the plants. The microbes tie up essential
nutrients in their own body tissues as they grow, and then
release them slowly as they die and decompose. In this way,
they help stabilize food release to the plants. These organisms
are also continuously excreting a whole range of organic
compounds into the soil. Sometimes described as “soil glue,”
these excretions contribute to the building of the soil structure.
The organic compounds also contain disease-curing antibiotics
and health-producing vitamins and enzymes that are integral
parts of biochemical reactions in a healthy soil.
Note that at least 3 different materials of 3 different textures
are used in the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method compost recipe
and in many other recipes. The varied textures will allow good
drainage and aeration in the pile. The compost will also have a
more diverse nutrient content and greater microbial diversity. A
pile made primarily of leaves or grass cuttings makes the
passage of water and air through the pile difficult without
frequent turning because both tend to mat. Good air and water
penetration are required for proper decomposition. The layering
of the materials further promotes a mixture of textures and
nutrients and helps ensure even decomposition.
Microbe diversity is very important in the growing soil.
Many microbes produce antibiotics that help plants resist
diseases, and healthy plants have fewer insect challenges. Each
microbe tends to have a food preference—some prefer beet
refuse, others wheat straw, and so on. Therefore, a way to maximize
microbe diversity in the compost pile is to build your
compost pile with a large variety of materials.
Building the Pile
One recipe for GROW BIOINTENSIVE compost is, by weight:
1⁄ 3 dry vegetation(which becomes rehydrated to full weight as
you water the compost pile), 1⁄ 3 green vegetation (including
kitchen wastes), and 1⁄ 3 soil 3 —though we have found with our
heavy clay soil that less soil produces better results. These
material amounts by volume are approximately equal parts of
green and dry materials to 1 ⁄ 4 part of soil. It is not necessary to
3. See Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer, The Compost Manufacturer’s Manual (Philadelphia: The Pfeiffer
Foundation, 1956), especially pp. 23–48.