FRENCH INTENSIVE METHOD
A promoter of this system had this to say to his British compatriots about the French and their "stinkin’" cloches:
We have several important things to learn from the French, and not the least among these is the winter and spring culture of salads inasmuch as enormous quantities of these are sent from Paris to our markets during the spring months… The fact that we have to be supported by our neighbours with articles that could be so easily produced in this country is almost ridiculous. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this culture for a nation of gardeners like the British ; and if it were the only hint that we could take from the French cultivators with advantage, it would be well worth consideration.
French intensive gardening, also called Biointensive Gardening, is a gardening technique which is designed to maximize yields, using a combination of biodynamic agriculture and specific alterations to the normal garden layout and planting system. In addition to being very productive, French intensive gardening is also extremely efficient, and an astounding array of crops can be produced in a very small space when the garden laid out well. This form of gardening can also be beautiful, especially when gardeners take the time to plan and map before plunging into the project.
One of the defining features of French intensive gardening is the raised used. In this style of intensive gardening, the beds are very large, allowing gardeners to walk in the beds rather than along established pathways to perform garden maintenance. The beds are also double dug, which means that the soil is worked to twice the usual depth. The intensive working of the foil in French intensive gardening produces light, fluffy soil well amended with compost and humus, which encourages healthy plant growth and the production of deep roots.
The beds are also mounded, rather than flattened, creating more surface area for planting in each bed. While it takes a lot of work to establish the beds for French intensive gardening, many gardeners feel that it is worth it, especially in a small space. The garden is maintained with the addition of rich compost, organic fertilizers, and daily light watering.
Another important aspect of French intensive gardening is plant spacing. Plants are typically grown very close together, with the leaves of the plants creating a cover which reduces weeds and helps keep the soil moist, acting almost like mulch. Gardeners who use this system also utilize companion planting, a planting system which pairs plants to their mutual advantage, using things like beans to enrich the soil for energy hungry plants, for example, or scattering Marigolds in the garden to reduce insect pests.
You may also hear French intensive gardening called the Marais System, or just the System. This technique was adopted in France in the middle of the 19th century, and it spread to other regions of Europe such as Austria from there. In people with limited space for gardening, French intensive gardening is a great way to get the maximum benefit of a garden space. Fortunately, many companion plants are pretty as well as functional, so French intensive gardening can be used to create a form of landscaping as well as a source of food.
What are the features of bio intensive gardening?
1. Maximum utilization of soil especially in areas where enough space is impossible to obtain. All vacant spaces of the soil shall be utilized. The kind of plant that shall be planted is aligned on the features of the soil and the shape of the garden plot. All the space in the plot will be filled with assorted but fully organized plants and these are also interchangeably planted on different seasons. This method shall guarantee that all year round the gardener shall reap fruits and different types of vegetables.
2. Using the double-digging method. The soil is aerated and is more conducive to plant grow because the earth worms will be encouraged to reside in the garden plots hence in the long run the soil is sustain ably fertilized.
3. Use of compost and the use of organic fertilizers in the planting beds will ensure the nutrients supply needed by the plants. These will also help increase the volume of microscopic organism that are friendly to the plants, not unlike the use of synthetic fertilizers which will in the long run destroy the balance of the soil in terms of biodiversity of the microscopic organisms in the soil.
4. The use of indigenous cultivars; these are local vegetables that are resistant to pest due to their adaptability in the regions.
5. Sustenance for the balance diet of the family. Selecting the kind of vegetables that are highly nutritious and of good quality will ensure the source of nutrients for the whole family. It must include root crops, legumes, leafy veggies and fruit bearing crops.
6. Use of natural pest control without harming the environment and without side-effect to human health. This is done by planting crops that are naturally resistant to pest and also inserting plants in the garden rows that emits odors repellant to most insects, such as onions and garlic and ginger. In extreme cases where pesticide is necessary an organic component is used by utilizing the indigenous compounds. Pruning of the infected leaves of the plants is also manually done to suppress the spreading of plant disease.
7. The seeds of the plants must be collected from the matured crops in the garden to avoid unnecessary expense to buy the seed from the seed store. The gardener must reserve a certain plant for seed production, just a very small portion of the garden area. The cropping cycle must be ensured by creating a miniature seed bank of the indigenous plants.
8. Labor-intensive in the initial phase of gardening. But in the passing of times the method of bio-intensive gardening is not laborious anymore because it is not necessary to plow or shovel the soil for recultivation. This help a lot in the production of nutritious food for the small family and this is also practical for the poor family because they can resell the excess production of the veggies and at the same time almost all members of the family can help in gardening and eventually in reaping the fruits.
2. Using the double-digging method. The soil is aerated and is more conducive to plant grow because the earth worms will be encouraged to reside in the garden plots hence in the long run the soil is sustain ably fertilized.
3. Use of compost and the use of organic fertilizers in the planting beds will ensure the nutrients supply needed by the plants. These will also help increase the volume of microscopic organism that are friendly to the plants, not unlike the use of synthetic fertilizers which will in the long run destroy the balance of the soil in terms of biodiversity of the microscopic organisms in the soil.
4. The use of indigenous cultivars; these are local vegetables that are resistant to pest due to their adaptability in the regions.
5. Sustenance for the balance diet of the family. Selecting the kind of vegetables that are highly nutritious and of good quality will ensure the source of nutrients for the whole family. It must include root crops, legumes, leafy veggies and fruit bearing crops.
6. Use of natural pest control without harming the environment and without side-effect to human health. This is done by planting crops that are naturally resistant to pest and also inserting plants in the garden rows that emits odors repellant to most insects, such as onions and garlic and ginger. In extreme cases where pesticide is necessary an organic component is used by utilizing the indigenous compounds. Pruning of the infected leaves of the plants is also manually done to suppress the spreading of plant disease.
7. The seeds of the plants must be collected from the matured crops in the garden to avoid unnecessary expense to buy the seed from the seed store. The gardener must reserve a certain plant for seed production, just a very small portion of the garden area. The cropping cycle must be ensured by creating a miniature seed bank of the indigenous plants.
8. Labor-intensive in the initial phase of gardening. But in the passing of times the method of bio-intensive gardening is not laborious anymore because it is not necessary to plow or shovel the soil for recultivation. This help a lot in the production of nutritious food for the small family and this is also practical for the poor family because they can resell the excess production of the veggies and at the same time almost all members of the family can help in gardening and eventually in reaping the fruits.
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