Agriculture Philosophies

While we're waiting for the glacial bank to get back to us, I thought I'd put down how I see the different approaches to growing food.

Originally, 'organic' meant more than just 'no scary pesticides'. It was allowed to be regulated by the US government and the boundaries were, in my opinion, constricted and calcified. It's illegal for me to criticize food production in many states, which is ridiculous, but if this is organic then there's a problem.

I like SOLE better. Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical:

• Continually replenishes what is used
• incorporates organic methods
• is not shuttled so far that each calorie costs more in petroleum than the actual food value
• treats all aspects and beings in the process ethically

Here's a quick graph categorizing different approaches and growing models.

Beds or wide rows are rarely more than 4 feet wide, because that's how far into a bed you can reach from either side. Against fences or walls they are sometimes 2 feet wide, and of course they can be narrower depending on available space, asthetics, and whim.

Rows are the legacy of machinery running across fields; they need clear paths for the tires. (Don't ask me why backyards are planted in rows, I have no idea how that translated.)

Organic was a good idea in Rodale's time, and its wholesale introduction into the neighborhood store is excellent. SOLE is the soul (sorry) of the original philosophy.

My experiments won't be touching monoculture or row gardening, but the rest of the bubbles have a fair chance of being included. I'll be doing my best to be all SOLE about it, and while I think that raised beds are my best chance, there are a lot of different options... ah, the experiments begin to lay themselves out.

Fun Fact: It helps to make beds 4 feet wide by 25 feet long, or thereabouts, because amendment amounts are usually given for 100 square feet.