Types of Deep Soil Preparation

Types of Deep Soil Preparation

The  double-dig  is  the  principal  way  one  prepares  a
GROW  BIOINTENSIVE  bed  until  good  structure  is
established.  Afterwards,  one  will  depend  on  surface
cultivating the top 2 to 4 inches. Another way to keep
cultivating the top 2 to 4 inches. Another way to keep
soil  loose  between  double-digging  is  to  single-dig
(loosening the top 12 inches with the spading fork). We
recommend doing so between crops in the same growing
year.

Laying Out Your Beds

Laying Out Your Beds

Carefully choose a place for your raised beds that has
access to water and sunlight—preferably 7 to 11 hours of
direct sunlight each day.

Choosing a composting method

Choose an approach that best suits your reasons for making compost, the location of the compost site and

the amount of  specialized equipment you have available to produce compost (the Figure). Where you

are located is important from environmental impact and potential nuisance perspectives. For example,

composters located in rural areas need to be concerned that composting activities don't adversely

affect surface and ground waters, but they usually are less concerned about neighbor complaints related to

odors, noise and dust.  Composting sites located in rural-urban and urban areas often are forced to use

high technology options to minimize nuisance complaints.

Easy way to make compost

When is the compost finished?

There is no fixed time to produce finished compost. Duration depends on feedstocks, composting method
used and management. It can take as little as three  months and as long as

The Role of Composting

As it will be described in other chapters, composting has been used for many years
throughout the world in the stabilization of organic residues. Initially, in the management
of municipal solid waste (MSW), the emphasis was on composting the organic fraction
of MSW; sewage sludge (biosolids) was regarded principally as a source of nitrogen and
phosphorous, and to a lesser extent of potassium for enriching the organic matter and
thus promoting the compost process (Rodale, 1943; Truman, 1949; Golueke, 1950, 1953,
1972, 1977).

Know your soil

The soil in our gardens is a mixture of
mineral particles derived from rock
weathering over millennia, air, water,
decomposed organic matter and living
organisms. Though all soils are based on the
same basic ingredients, they vary widely
because of differences in the way the
ingredients are combined.