I just observed a fairly great independent movie called Back to Eden and was so moved by it that I made up my mind to write a Back to Eden film review. The flick is about one hr and forty minutes long and mostly is focused on a guy named Paul Gautschi who resides in Washington. He isn't a farmer and he is not a trained horticulturist, but he has discovered an amazing method to farm that sounds too good to be true. His strategy of growing plants essentially requires no work: no watering, no fertilization, no pest control. And it's all based primarily on fundamentally one very simple principle: coverage. Does not sound exciting? Just wait, it is! This method:
- Prevents topsoil from blowing away
- Forestalls weeds from growing
- Doesn't require maintenance
- Does not require watering
One side note here: it is clear that Paul is a really religious guy and there is a lot of bible referencing and talk about Jesus. For those of us who are either not spiritual or not Christian, I am able to say that I'm typically put off by this sort of talk, but I was not here. Paul isn't preaching or bible thumping. He is just obviously enthused about his relationship with his god and because his energy is positive and not at all preachy, it is not offensive in the least. In reality I discovered that if I substituted the word "universe" for each time he used "god" or "Jesus" that I actually concluded with a lot of what he was saying. And his enthusiasm for nature and gardening is actually transmissible and inspiring and I revealed that I really liked him and found him to be a truly inspiring person.
How did Paul stumble on this revolutionary methodology of gardening? About seventeen years back, Paul was irritated when he was not having much success with his home garden. He looked around and asked G-d why it wasn't working. At that point he turned around and looked up at the beautiful evergreen trees growing all around him (remember that he is in Washington state). He walked over and looked at the soil and noticed a few key things: (one) it wasn't being inclined by anyone; and (two) it was covered with a layer of needles and leaves and bark. This got him started on a new path of growing and truly seems to set the foundation for his philosophy.
For him, it's all about coverage. When we look around in nature, we all know that no one is tending the soil or the plants. They just grow. And whether it is grasses or trees or plants, they are not sitting in exposed topsoil. They grow in soil that is covered by their own waste if it's needles or leaves or grass or fruit or veggies. These things wilt and fall off and land on top of the soil in which the plant is growing. This is in bleak contrast to exposed topsoil which is hard and compressed and frequently dry and cracked. The miracle of coverage is in its capability to keep moisture in the soil and keep the bad stuff out. He thinks that plants need this top layer on the soil for protection, in the same way that animals need fur or skin or hair. And when this coverage exists, then no extra work on the part of man is needed to make the system work. In fact , plants are growing all over the planet without any aid from man.
Tending not tilling
The theory is this covering of the topsoil is so revolutionary that we will toss out all of the conventional wants of farming such as:
- soil preparation
- irrigation
- fertilization
- weed control
- pest management
- crop rotation
- Ph issues
And he thinks that topsoil is a valuable commodity that's being exhausted. Standard systems of farming show the topsoil which allows it to erode and blow away. In nature it takes a hundred years to make an in. of topsoil, so it's hard to believe that nature could be replenishing it at the rate that we are eroding it. He believes it is inclining the soil, not tilling that creates the best eco-system for plants to grow.
Using woodchips to grow plants
Paul likes wood chips the best but he has used grasses, rocks, and animal fertilizer as coverage. For his wood chips he likes to use branches with green leaves that have been chipped. Luckily these are usually available without charge thru local tree services hoping to get rid of the chips. He also advocates that you can prune and mulch your own trees. Fundamentally the technique involves laying down a good soil level of compost and then spreading wood chips over it. He lays down compost every 3-5 years and finds that the longer it's there, the better the soil gets and less frequently he has to lay down compost. One thing that's interesting is that you can not until the wood. Chips into the soil or it'll basically rob the soil of the nitrogen to break down the wood chips. You would like to leave the wood chips on top to form the protective layer. And you let the leaves fall and go into the soil implying that there's no real need for fertilizer because it is not being taken out of the ground. And another benefit is that weeds can't take hold in the wood chip cover because when their seeds blow into your garden they can't get down to the soil level. It is the soil that provides the nutrients, and the woodchips that supply the cover.
He plants new seeds directly in the soil and waters straight after. But once the seeds are up in the shape of tiny seeds, he stops watering and just lets nature take over. He believes that using woodchips you can reduce water use by 95-99% since the moisture stays under the mulch, even in summer. The woodchips create a blanket and rain water will slowly work its way into the soil and will be kept there for use in dry periods.
The result? More nutritious and better tasting food. A lot of the soil that our food is grown in is exhaust of minerals and nutriments. But Paul claims that his ecological system retains elevated levels of minerals and nutrient elements, and a soil test in the film proved his claims.
How to start a Garden of Eden:
So if after watching this flick you are fired up about starting your Garden of Eden, how do you do it? You will find any plot of land, including a grass grass. Your steps would be as follows:
1. Newspaper- lay down paper over the entire area you would like to garden. Four sheets thick seemed to work best.
2. Soil (compost)- Lay down 2-3 inches of rich composted soil on top of the paper.
3. Wood chips- Lay down about 3-4 inches of moderately composted woodchips on top of the soil. They should have different shapes and sizes of chips and ought to include wood and green leaves in the mulch.
4. Fertilizer- spatter on top a light dusting of slightly composted dung. Do not forget to plant new seeds straight into the soil level as they will not grow well in the wood chip layer. Water shortly after seeding and then fundamentally just permit it to be.
For anyone who rejoices in the miracles of nature and loves to find easy answers to complex Problems, this will be a movie that you like. In reality be prepared that you'll possibly need to leap off our couch and try your own garden!
- Prevents topsoil from blowing away
- Forestalls weeds from growing
- Doesn't require maintenance
- Does not require watering
One side note here: it is clear that Paul is a really religious guy and there is a lot of bible referencing and talk about Jesus. For those of us who are either not spiritual or not Christian, I am able to say that I'm typically put off by this sort of talk, but I was not here. Paul isn't preaching or bible thumping. He is just obviously enthused about his relationship with his god and because his energy is positive and not at all preachy, it is not offensive in the least. In reality I discovered that if I substituted the word "universe" for each time he used "god" or "Jesus" that I actually concluded with a lot of what he was saying. And his enthusiasm for nature and gardening is actually transmissible and inspiring and I revealed that I really liked him and found him to be a truly inspiring person.
How did Paul stumble on this revolutionary methodology of gardening? About seventeen years back, Paul was irritated when he was not having much success with his home garden. He looked around and asked G-d why it wasn't working. At that point he turned around and looked up at the beautiful evergreen trees growing all around him (remember that he is in Washington state). He walked over and looked at the soil and noticed a few key things: (one) it wasn't being inclined by anyone; and (two) it was covered with a layer of needles and leaves and bark. This got him started on a new path of growing and truly seems to set the foundation for his philosophy.
For him, it's all about coverage. When we look around in nature, we all know that no one is tending the soil or the plants. They just grow. And whether it is grasses or trees or plants, they are not sitting in exposed topsoil. They grow in soil that is covered by their own waste if it's needles or leaves or grass or fruit or veggies. These things wilt and fall off and land on top of the soil in which the plant is growing. This is in bleak contrast to exposed topsoil which is hard and compressed and frequently dry and cracked. The miracle of coverage is in its capability to keep moisture in the soil and keep the bad stuff out. He thinks that plants need this top layer on the soil for protection, in the same way that animals need fur or skin or hair. And when this coverage exists, then no extra work on the part of man is needed to make the system work. In fact , plants are growing all over the planet without any aid from man.
Tending not tilling
The theory is this covering of the topsoil is so revolutionary that we will toss out all of the conventional wants of farming such as:
- soil preparation
- irrigation
- fertilization
- weed control
- pest management
- crop rotation
- Ph issues
And he thinks that topsoil is a valuable commodity that's being exhausted. Standard systems of farming show the topsoil which allows it to erode and blow away. In nature it takes a hundred years to make an in. of topsoil, so it's hard to believe that nature could be replenishing it at the rate that we are eroding it. He believes it is inclining the soil, not tilling that creates the best eco-system for plants to grow.
Using woodchips to grow plants
Paul likes wood chips the best but he has used grasses, rocks, and animal fertilizer as coverage. For his wood chips he likes to use branches with green leaves that have been chipped. Luckily these are usually available without charge thru local tree services hoping to get rid of the chips. He also advocates that you can prune and mulch your own trees. Fundamentally the technique involves laying down a good soil level of compost and then spreading wood chips over it. He lays down compost every 3-5 years and finds that the longer it's there, the better the soil gets and less frequently he has to lay down compost. One thing that's interesting is that you can not until the wood. Chips into the soil or it'll basically rob the soil of the nitrogen to break down the wood chips. You would like to leave the wood chips on top to form the protective layer. And you let the leaves fall and go into the soil implying that there's no real need for fertilizer because it is not being taken out of the ground. And another benefit is that weeds can't take hold in the wood chip cover because when their seeds blow into your garden they can't get down to the soil level. It is the soil that provides the nutrients, and the woodchips that supply the cover.
He plants new seeds directly in the soil and waters straight after. But once the seeds are up in the shape of tiny seeds, he stops watering and just lets nature take over. He believes that using woodchips you can reduce water use by 95-99% since the moisture stays under the mulch, even in summer. The woodchips create a blanket and rain water will slowly work its way into the soil and will be kept there for use in dry periods.
The result? More nutritious and better tasting food. A lot of the soil that our food is grown in is exhaust of minerals and nutriments. But Paul claims that his ecological system retains elevated levels of minerals and nutrient elements, and a soil test in the film proved his claims.
How to start a Garden of Eden:
So if after watching this flick you are fired up about starting your Garden of Eden, how do you do it? You will find any plot of land, including a grass grass. Your steps would be as follows:
1. Newspaper- lay down paper over the entire area you would like to garden. Four sheets thick seemed to work best.
2. Soil (compost)- Lay down 2-3 inches of rich composted soil on top of the paper.
3. Wood chips- Lay down about 3-4 inches of moderately composted woodchips on top of the soil. They should have different shapes and sizes of chips and ought to include wood and green leaves in the mulch.
4. Fertilizer- spatter on top a light dusting of slightly composted dung. Do not forget to plant new seeds straight into the soil level as they will not grow well in the wood chip layer. Water shortly after seeding and then fundamentally just permit it to be.
For anyone who rejoices in the miracles of nature and loves to find easy answers to complex Problems, this will be a movie that you like. In reality be prepared that you'll possibly need to leap off our couch and try your own garden!
About the Author:
Sady Bilkis loves gardening and she suspects that healthful living comes simply to people who are impassioned about it. She likes everything from using organic skin care to growing her own veggies.
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