nutrient requirements.
The GROW BIOINTENSIVE method of making
compost di<ers from the Rodale method; we use little or
no manure and usually no rock powder fertilizers or
nitrogen supplements.^5 Fertilizers do not need to be
added to the pile since successful compost can be made
from a mixture of ingredients. The nitrogen supplements
do, however, speed up the decomposition process. Both
the biodynamic and Rodale methods are good ones,
proven by use over a long period of time. Chadwick’s
Biointensive recipe seems simpler to use and equally
effective.
Some people use the sheet composting, a process of
spreading uncomposted organic materials over the soil
and then digging them into the soil, where they
decompose. The disadvantage of this method is that the
soil should not be planted for 3 months or so, until
decomposition has occurred. Soil bacteria tie up the
nitrogen during the decomposition process, thereby
making it unavailable to the plants. Sheet composting
may be bene9cial if it is used during the winter in cold
areas because the tie-up prevents the nitrogen from
leaching out during winter rains.
Other people use green manures—cover crops such as
vetch, clover, alfalfa, beans, peas, or other legumes,
grown until the plants are at 10% to 50% ower. The
nitrogen-rich plants are then dug into the soil. By using
these legumes in this manner, a maximum of nitrogen is
9xed in their root nodules. (The nitrogen is taken from
brent
(Brent)
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