Only two more segments left. You are doing great.
In this segment we are going to learn about the different categories of plants in the BI method. The BI method divide crops up into three main categories;
60% compost crops
30% calorie crops
10% nutrition crops
The vast majority of gardeners, and gardening methods, only focus on the nutrition crops.
One of the hallmarks of the BI method is that it is truly sustainable system. Once it has been setup (and most people do need to get some soil amendments at the very beginning) you should never need to import anything else – no fertilizers, no minerals, etc. This is a highly desirable system for those of us who are considering that getting soil amendments may become very difficult in the future.
Because the BI method is a truly sustainable system, although i personally don’t use this method exclusively for my food production, I find it invaluable for anyone who is interested in sustainability, and survivability.
The key to this level of sustainability requires you to find a way to maintain and/or improve your soils’ fertility. And to maintain soil fertility you need to be generating a lot of compost.
Did you ever watch that video I did in The Instant Master Gardener expedition where I show you the secret to a green thumb? I’ll put the link to the video down below in the resources section for you. But the punch line ( and the big secret) is “soil fertility”. The more rich and fertile your soil is, the bigger a yield you will get.
The BI method focuses on continually cycling nutrients by growing a lot of plants just for the sole purpose of composting them. It takes a surprisingly large amount of compost to maintain and/or improve your soil fertility. What I’ve found astonishing is that the BI method has actually quantified it. Their research shows you need to dedicate at least 60% of your gardening areas primarily for generating compost.
In my systems, I use animals for both the food source they provide (meat, eggs, etc.) and for the fertility they create. I use the manure they generate to make compost. As you recall, the BI method is a plant based system which does not include animals. I don’t have solid research, but my experience is that you still need place about 60% of your space and efforts into growing crops that aren’t directly for you to eat. These ‘compost crops’ are what needs to be grown to feed the livestock.
The next big area for you to focus on is growing calories. I know many people who have a small garden out back and they grow their tomatoes and peppers every year for salsa. That is a wonderful thing – no doubt. But you cannot live off tomatoes and peppers. You’ve got to have sheer numbers of calories in your diet somewhere.
A really good practice is to grow at least one calorie crop every season. In the videos below Jeavon’s focuses a lot on root crops for calories. And for good reason, potatoes and sweet potatoes are the highest caloric density crops you can grow.
A third category is growing plants just for nutrition. This is where the kale, lettuce, spinach, and collards come in. And let us not forget the strawberries! This is the part of the garden which most people focus on entirely. And with the sorry state of nutrition in the commercial food supply, growing your own nutrition is a very wise thing to do.
Hopefully through this segment, you see the importance of the other categories of crops – especially for growing fertility (compost) and calories.
Fun fact: The “Irish” potato was originally cultivated by Inca Indians in Peru around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. It wasn’t until the sixteenth century when Spanish Conquistadors conquered Peru, that the potato traveled to Europe.
Watch the two videos below and then do your homework and take the quiz!
Homework – Optional:
This is for those who purchased the book by John Jeavon’s. Missed that in lesson 1? Here it is again: How to Grow More Vegetables
Check this book out at your local library if you are not interested in purchasing it. I know you will love it.
OK, lets break open that book you ordered as a part of the very first homework assignment. This is the book titled “How To Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible”. There will be a chapter titled “Master Charts and Planning” which is typically chapter 6 in most versions of the book. These charts are a goldmine of information. Don’t let the sheer amount of data overwhelm you. It’s actually pretty easy to navigate.
As you flip through the pages, notice that there are several categories of charts. Jeavon’s breaks these down into more than the standard three we’ve talked about above.
He lists:
Vegetables and Garden Crops
Calorie, Grain, Protein Source, and Vegetable Oil Crops
Compost, Carbon, Organic Matter, Fodder, and Cover Crops
Energy, Paper, and Fiber Crops
Tree and Cane crops
Over the years, I have found it invaluable to think in terms of these kinds of categories. Some of the categories are a little blurred though. For example, the rye is grown both for the seed and for the massive amount of organic matter it produces. But when I am planting, I try to have a specific purpose in mind. I am sure you’ve heard of that basic principle of begin with the end in mind. So when planting I’ll take the attitude “I am growing this rye primarily as a compost crop, and if I get some seed from it, all the better”.
Spend a few moments skimming through your book and familiarize yourself with what is there.
You know, I’ve read and re-read that book many times, and I am still finding new stuff. As I mentioned in the very beginning of this expedition, this is a resource you will return to again and again over the years. So feel free to repeat this part of the homework again on your own.
You’ll get extra credit in the sky 🙂
Resources:
Want to know how many tomato plants to grow in order to get 24 pints of tomato sauce? Here is an article that gives you a very clear application of how to best use the charts and data in the book “How To Grow More Vegetables”. In the article, I show how many plants are needed to grow to produce the tomato sauce my family would like to eat. Most of the data (numbers) were taken directly from Jeavon’s book.
John Jeavon’s – How to Grow More Vegetables