returning all of the soil nutrients contained in the crop
to the soil through sufficient compost and the proper,
safe, and legal recycling of human waste.
If these two goals are accomplished, both humus and
nutrient levels of the soil can be replenished in a way
that is sustainable. That is, the fertility of the soil can be
maintained virtually inde3nitely, since these practices do
not rely on non-renewable resources directly (as in the
case of chemical fertilizers which are produced from
petroleum) or indirectly. Examples of practices that use
nonrenewable resources are:
the use of organic fertilizers which come from other
soils, and
the bringing in of organic matter from other soils—
therefore, depleting nutrients from those soils. Many
fertilizers used in organic agriculture are also finite.
These goals are lofty, but necessary if we are to think
of long-term soil fertility. Some e5orts, such as human
waste recycling, may not be possible for you. The key is
to be constantly asking oneself, “How sustainable is the
way I produce food? What can I do to make it more
sustainable?”
Unlike other fertilization strategies, GROW
BIOINTENSIVE uses an overall approach instead of a
case-by-case fertilization plan based on individual crops.
Crops rotate throughout the garden over time and
compost is created from the garden’s production which is
