An intensive garden is, quite simply, one in which the most produce possible is grown in a given space. Our Sattwic Peace Gardens are closely modeled after Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardens.  The only differences are in the soil mixtures and the fact that we use biodynamic seed, that is seed that has been grown by a very special process, without any artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides or additives of any kind.     

 We also use some special  all-natural preparations on the compost and the soil.

We are very grateful to Mel Bartholmew and the Square Foot Garden organization for all the wonderful work they have done in developing this intensive gardening technique which has proven to be successful all over the world.

Instead of long rows of vegetables and herbs, intensive gardens are usually 3-4 foot square.  A garden can consist of one square or many, depending upon the needs of the gardener.  It has been demonstrated that this process will produce five times the amount that can be grown on the same surface using standard gardening methods. 

 Intensive gardening is done on raised beds.  The soil is double-dug, meaning that the top twelve inches of soil is removed from the bed; a spade or spading fork is inserted into the next 10-12” of soil at 6-8” intervals and the fork is wiggled around to break up the compacted soil. The top soil is then mixed with generous amounts of compost and loosely piled back into the bed.  The resulting soil mixture should be fluffy and raised above ground level.  The raised bed may be free-standing or have a solid frame of wood, stone, brick, etc. to hold it in place.  In hot, dry areas where the soil tends to dry out very quickly, a lowered bed may be preferable simply because raised beds tend to get hotter and dry out quicker.  With lowered beds more soil is removed from the garden site but the rest of the process is the same, resulting in a bed that is slightly below ground level. 

Probably the most important component of intensive gardening is the production of the compost.  Compost has a dual purpose.  It improves the structure of the soil, in other words, makes it easier to work with, and it provides nutrients for plant growth.  As plants and organic materials contain different ingredients because they are produced in varied conditions and places, the more variety you use in your compost pile the richer and more nutritious it will be.

What to Put in It: “Dry” high-carbons: hay, straw, leaves, sawdust and wood shavings, shredded newspaper, pine needles, shredded branches and bark, corncobs, hulls from grains, dried vines and plant parts, etc.

“Wet” high-nitrogens: grass clippings, green plants and leaves (weeds too), fruits, vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, seaweed, feathers, hair.

 What Not to Put in It: – milk products; bread and baked goods; animal fat, bones, meat or skin; dog, cat or human manure; diseased plants.  Why not? These may attract pests, rodents or carry disease.

How to Construct It:  Make a pile about 3’ x 3’ x 3’, enclosed or not, convenient to both kitchen and garden.   Layer dry materials, wet materials and a thin layer of soil.  Chop large or whole items.  Keep moist, but not too wet, and turn often to add air.  Let the first pile “cook” when it reaches the desired size and start another pile.  In 4 – 6 weeks you should have a dark, crumbly, pleasant smelling, nutritious, composted product.

 Why Compost?  It’s the best soil and fertilizer possible for your garden.  It’s organic, inexpensive, earth-friendly, and made from natural materials available all around the world.

The garden is divided into squares, each square devoted to a different plant.  Plants are spaced equal distance from each other on all sides.  Mel Bartholomew, originator of Square Foot Gardening and Author of the book by the same name, suggests that rather than planting many seeds and then thinning the sprouts, only as many seeds should be planted as the gardener expects to harvest.  Some gardeners might get a little nervous about this and wish to plant at least two seeds in each spot, thinning down to one plant if both seeds sprout.  Thin the plants with scissors rather than pulling them out so you won’t disturb the roots of the other plants. 

 Succession planting is employed to maintain a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.  This means that  new seeds or transplants are planted whenever one area is completely harvested.  Since every crop adds and subtracts different elements to and from the soil, the location of a particular kind of plant should be rotated from one square to another.  Through crop rotation and the regular addition of rich compost to the garden (work a little bit of compost into a square each time you are ready to replant that square) the soil will not become depleted. 

 To make the most use of space, vertical gardening (using trellises, cages, or poles for vining or sprawling plants) and  inter-planting (growing two or more types of vegetables in the same place at the same time) are commonly used techniques. 

 Plants such as cucumbers, tomatoes, melons and pole beans are obvious candidates for vertical gardening.  Some plants will entwine themselves onto the support while others will need to be coaxed or tied.  Vertical planting will cast a shadow so avoid shading sun-loving plants or take advantage of the shade by planting shade-tolerant crops such as lettuce or spinach in the shadow of  the vertical ones.  Vertically growing plants will dry out more quickly and may need to be watered more often.  The soil in the vertical section of the garden should be deeper to allow the roots to extend vertically rather than competing with other plants.  It is also important that this area of the garden is well-drained. 

 Successful interplanting requires knowledge and planning.  The factors that must be taken into account for each plant are the length of the growth period, its growth pattern (tall, short, below or above ground), possible negative effects of one plant on another, preferred season and light, nutrient and moisture requirements.  Interplanting can be done by alternating rows within a bed (a row of peppers alongside a row of onions) by mixing plants within a bed (radishes and carrots), or by distributing various species throughout the bed.  Carrots and radishes work well together because radishes have a short growing season while carrots require a longer season.  When the radishes are ready to harvest, the carrots will be ready to be thinned.  Radishes can also be grown at the base of larger plants such as broccoli.   Shade tolerant plants such as lettuce and spinach can be grown in the shadow of taller or vining plants. 

 One benefit of interplanting is that it helps keep insect and disease problems under control.  Pests like large areas of the same crop. When plants are intermixed, if a pest problem does occur it is likely to be contained within a small area, giving the gardener the opportunity to deal with it before it gets out of control.

 Intensive gardening is a low-tech way of growing produce.  Hand tools and a watering can are about all the necessary equipment.  John Jeavons, who has been developing and teaching bio-intensive gardening for the past thirty years points out that, “Rather than shirking human labor, trying to reduce the amount of it used or to increase its productivity in unsustainable ways, we need to exalt in its proper use and the maintenance of the very muscles involved in an effective human life.”  Yet, intensive gardening is not really work-intensive.  There is very little weeding due to the fact that the entire area is planted, as opposed to rows of un-planted, weed-generating space between the rows of vegetables.  In addition, the spacing of the plants creates a nearly perfect leaf canopy which decreases both water loss and weed growth. 

 Many believe that this type of gardening could go a long way towards solving the world’s hunger problems.  Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland said of John Jeavons’  work, "There are probably a billion people in the world who are malnourished. The Jeavons approach could enable that segment of the population to feed itself adequately for the first time ever. That would be a remarkable development in this world, and would do more to solve the problems of poverty, misery and hunger than anything else we've done."

 Intensive gardening uses a fraction of the water used by conventional growing techniques.  It builds soil rather than depleting it.  It does not consume non-renewable energy and it produces far more food in the space used, thereby allowing much more of our planet to exist in it’s naturally beautiful state.

 Some unique features of the Sattwic Peace Garden are:

• We do not use any artificially produced substances to enhance the soil; compost, crop rotation and inter-planting are employed to bring the soil to a healthy state and keep it that way.
• We use all natural preparations to enhance the development of the compost.*
• We use seed that has been grown biodynamically

What is Biodynamics?

The term biodynamic farming sounds like some high-tech agricultural process. In fact, it is quite the opposite.  It is an acknowledgment of the basic principles at work in nature and the application of those principles to the growing of food. The impetus for this movement was provided by the scientist, philosopher and mystic, Rudolph Steiner. Steiner’s 1924 Agriculture Lectures outlined the process that was to become known as biodynamic farming. His predominant message was, "Heal the soil."

In addition to rejecting the chemical solution to the problems that agriculture was experiencing, Steiner emphasized the importance of cosmic, telluric (earth-related) and spiritual influences on the production of healthy, life-enhancing food. Like the farmers who adhere to the Farmer’s Almanac, Biodynamic farmers and gardeners believe in the rhythmic influence of the sun, moon, planets and stars on the growth of plant life. Ground preparation, planting, cultivation and harvesting are done according to these rhythms. The natural, soil-enriching preparations developed by Steiner and his followers produce a humus-forming organic fertilizer that energizes the soil and the plants that grow in it. Add to these practices the spiritual mission to produce the purest, most vital food for humankind and you have some insight into what biodynamic farming is all about.

Biodynamic farmers believe that healthy soil and a respect for the natural forces that influence plant growth will produce more complete and vital food for the nourishment of man and animals. The ideal biodynamic farm is totally self-sufficient, growing all the food needed for its people and animals, producing its own compost and fertilizer and financially supporting the owners.

 *The preparations we use may be biodynamic or agnihotra ash. 

Description of biodynamic preparations: :”Naturally occurring plant and animal materials are combined in specific recipes in certain seasons of the year and then placed in compost piles. These preparations bear concentrated forces within them and are used to organize the chaotic elements within the compost piles. When the process is complete, the resulting preparations are medicines for the Earth which draw new life forces from the cosmos.”

                                    From the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening website by Sherry Wildfeuer

Agnihotra ash is the ash from an ancient Vedic ceremony wherein dried cow dung is burnt in a specific manner at sunrise and sunset.  This ash product has been known to enhance plant growth for centuries.