Approaching Sustainability using Biointensive practices at Sonnewald Natural Foods

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Approaching Sustainability using Biointensive
practices at Sonnewald Natural Foods
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Farmer helpers

• Farmer Steve
• Elaine
• Interns
• Son Josh

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Farm Residents

• Grace- founding matriarch
• The Moores (Farmer Steve, Carol, Josh and Sarah)
• Willa and Bill- store managers
• Rich- produce manager

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Occupants of Sonnewald, cont.

• Cocoa and Ying-yang (whos camera-shy)

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Cultivated Land

• 2 acres total of produce
• 1.08 acres of biointensive beds
• Two 30 x 96 greenhouses for year-round
  harvesting
• Zero fossil fuel use!!

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Some of the crops

• Apples
• Apricot
• Arugula
• Asian pears
• Asparagus
• Basil
• Beans (Dragons Tongue, Yellow, Purple, Green)
• Beets
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boc choy
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chives
• Corn (sweet and flour)
• Cucumber
• Currants
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Gooseberries
• Grapes
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Kale (Siberian and red ursa)
• Kiwi

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And some more

• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Mizuna
• Onions (red, white, and yellow)
• Parsley
• Parsnips
• Peach
• Peas (sugar snap and snow)
• Peppers
• Persimmon
• Plum
• Potatoes (Red, white, sweet blue)
• Pumpkins
• Purslane

• Radishes
• Raspberries (red, black, purple, golden)
• Ruby Spinach
• Rye
• Salsify
• Salad mix
• Spinach
• Squash
• Strawberries
• Sunflowers
• Swiss chard
• Tomatoes
• Tot soi
• Turnips
• Zucchini

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The Soil

• Mont alto loam origin
• Garden Greenhouse- high pH
• Greenhouse- high nitrogen and salinity (EC)

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The Soil

• High OM is necessary for biointensive growing

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Insert Graces Video?
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Some of our daily tasksat Sonnewald Farm
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Harvesting
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Preparing Veggies for Store
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Planting
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Weeding
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We do have evidence of us actually weeding!
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And the tools we used
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Weeding Tools
hoe
Stirrup hoe
Roto-tiller
Wheelbarrow
Bucket for weeds
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Harvesting Tools
Pitch fork
Cart
Clippers
Crates
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Planting Growing Tools
Watering hose
Cold frame
Flats
Field notebook
Germinating room
15-inch stick
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BIOINTENSIVE AGRICULTURE An Overview
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Biointensive Defined

• Deep soil preparations
• Use of compost
• Close plant spacing
• Synergistic inter-planting
• Carbon-efficient crops
• Calorie-efficient crops
• Open-pollinated seeds used
• Interrelated farming system

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Methods

• Double-digging prepares the soil initially.
• Loosens the soil about 24inches deep
• U-barring Loosens the soil prior to seeding
• Compost Improves structure of soil and provides
  nutrients for plants

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Methods, contd

• Raised beds and close planting
• Hexagonal spacing of plants to ensure equal
  access to resources
• Companion planting

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Benefits of Biointensive

• Reduces weeds
• Holds moisture in soil
• Reduces water consumption
• More calories produced per area
• Increased income
• Reduced energy used
• Improved aeration in soil
• Increased soil fertility

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Insert Steves Video?
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Sonnewald Natural Food Store
Providing food the way nature intended- chemical
free! Sonnewald store is a full grocery store
plus more! Specialists are available to give
nutritional advice. The employees are dedicated
to healthy eating and living!
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Insert Dons Video?