Planting Overview

This week we learned about planting seeds and transplanting. One of the main focuses of Biointensive gardening is how you plant. In John Jeavons, How to Grow More Vegetables, it describes the prefered method for planting on a Grow Biointensive farm, which is the intensive planting method. The intensive planting method focuses on planting as many plants as possible in a single bed. In class, we used spacing sticks to measure the right space between each hole before planting the seeds in the hole. The key to intensive planting is to stagger your holes so that you maximize space. Depending on how wide your bed is you may be able to make 3-4 holes across the width of your bed. The next row you stagger so that the holes become arranged in a octagon pattern.

Another tool that will help you to plant your plants with proper spacing is a spacing board. A spacing board has pegs that are all an equal distance from each other. To use the spacing board you put the peg side down into the soil and push down on the top in order to create a bunch of holes in your soil all at once, rather than doing it individually with a spacing stick.

The main purpose for using the intensive planting method is to use your bed's space as efficiently as possible. Also, using this method will allow the plant's leaves to touch once they grow, which creates an important mini-climate under the plant's leaves. This touching of the plants retains moisture in the soil, which is important to help aid in the growing of plants. Using these techniques will help to plant more plants in your bed than planting in rows.

Maggie Robison