How to Grow More Vegetables

TOBACCO FAMILY (Solanaceae)

tomatoes / potatoes / peppers / eggplant

SQUASH FAMILY (Cucurbitaceae)

cucumbers / gourds / melons, including watermelons /

summer squash / winter squash / pumpkins

MINT FAMILY (Labiatae, Lamiaceae)

basil

MALO FAMILY (Malvaceae)

okra

LILY FAMILY

(Liliaceae)

asparagus

Caution: Some people of Mediterranean descent are fatally allergic to

fava beans, even though the beans are very popular and widely eaten in

that area. People on certain medications experience the same reaction.

Check with your physician first.

Nourishing the Soil

Over time—Companion planting over time has been
known for years as “crop rotation.” A major form of this
is given in the preceding pages. Another approach used
by some is described below.
After properly preparing the soil, heavy feeders are
planted. These are followed by heavy givers and then by
light feeders. This is a kind of agricultural recycling in
which people and plants participate to return as much to
the soil as has been taken out.
Heavy feeders—most of the vegetables we like and eat
(including corn, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, and cabbage)
—take large amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen,
from the soil. In the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method, after