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:
- Impedes topsoil from blowing away
- Stops weeds from growing
- Does not need upkeep
- Doesn't need watering
One side note here: it is clear that Paul is an exceedingly spiritual guy and there is a lot of bible quoting and talk about Jesus. For those of us who are either not non secular or not Christian, I'm able to say that I am normally put off by this kind of talk, but I was not here. Paul isn't preaching or bible thumping. He is just obviously enthusiastic about his relationship with his god and because his energy is positive and not at all preachy, it's not offensive in the least. In fact I revealed that if I substituted the word "universe" for each time he used "god" or "Jesus" that I really concluded with plenty of what he was announcing. And his zeal for nature and gardening is really infectious and inspiring and I found that I really liked him and found him to be a very galvanizing person.
How did Paul stumble upon this revolutionary method of gardening? About 17 years ago, Paul was annoyed when he wasn't having much success with his home garden. He looked around and asked G-d why it was not working. At this point he turned around and looked up at the attractive evergreen trees growing all around him (remember that he's in Washington state). He walked over and looked at the soil and noted a few key things: (1) it was not being tended by anybody; and (2) it was covered with a layer of needles and leaves and bark. This got him started on a new trail of growing and really appears to set the base for his philosophy.
For him, it is actually 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's grasses or trees or plants, they are not sitting in exposed topsoil. They grow in soil that is covered by their own waste whether it is needles or leaves or grass or fruit or plants. These things wilt and fall off and land on top of the soil in which the plant is growing. This is in sheer contrast to exposed topsoil which is hard and compressed and regularly dry and cracked. The miracle of coverage is in its capability to keep moisture in the soil and keep the bad stuff out. He suspects 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. Of course , plants are growing all over the planet without any assistance from man.
Inclining not ploughing
The idea is this covering of the topsoil is so revolutionary that we can throw out all of the traditional requirements of farming such as:
- soil preparation
- irrigation
- fertilization
- weed control
- pest management
- crop rotation
- Ph issues
And he suspects that topsoil is a precious commodity that is being depleted. Traditional methods of farming expose the topsoil which permits it to wear away and blow away. In nature it takes 100 years to make an inch of topsoil, so it's hard to credit that nature may be replenishing it at the rate that we are eroding it. He thinks it's tending the soil, not ploughing that creates the optimal ecological 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 in the soil and waters right after. But once the seeds are up in the form of little sprouts, he stops watering and just lets nature take over. He suspects that using woodchips you can reduce water usage by 95-99% since the moisture stays beneath the mulch, even in summer. The woodchips make a blanket and rain water will slowly work its way into the soil and will definitely be retained there to be used in dry periods.
The result? More tasty and better tasting food. Much of the soil that our food is grown in is deplete of minerals and nutrients. But Paul claims that his ecosystem keeps high levels of minerals and nutriments, and a soil test in the movie proved his claims.
The right way to start a Garden of Eden:
So if after watching this movie you are fired up about beginning your Garden of Eden, how does one do it? You can find any plot of land, including a grass lawn. Your steps would be as follows:
1. Paper- lay down newspaper over the whole area you want to garden. 4 sheets thick appeared to work the best.
2. Soil (compost)- Lay down 2-3 inches of rich composted soil on top of the newspaper.
3. Wood chips- Lay down about 3-4 inches of slightly composted woodchips on top of the soil. They should have different sizes and shapes of chips and should include wood and green leaves in the mulch.
4. Manure- scatter on top a light dusting of barely composted manure. Remember to plant new seeds directly into the soil level as they won't grow well in the wood chip layer. Water right after seeding and then basically just let it 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!
- Impedes topsoil from blowing away
- Stops weeds from growing
- Does not need upkeep
- Doesn't need watering
One side note here: it is clear that Paul is an exceedingly spiritual guy and there is a lot of bible quoting and talk about Jesus. For those of us who are either not non secular or not Christian, I'm able to say that I am normally put off by this kind of talk, but I was not here. Paul isn't preaching or bible thumping. He is just obviously enthusiastic about his relationship with his god and because his energy is positive and not at all preachy, it's not offensive in the least. In fact I revealed that if I substituted the word "universe" for each time he used "god" or "Jesus" that I really concluded with plenty of what he was announcing. And his zeal for nature and gardening is really infectious and inspiring and I found that I really liked him and found him to be a very galvanizing person.
How did Paul stumble upon this revolutionary method of gardening? About 17 years ago, Paul was annoyed when he wasn't having much success with his home garden. He looked around and asked G-d why it was not working. At this point he turned around and looked up at the attractive evergreen trees growing all around him (remember that he's in Washington state). He walked over and looked at the soil and noted a few key things: (1) it was not being tended by anybody; and (2) it was covered with a layer of needles and leaves and bark. This got him started on a new trail of growing and really appears to set the base for his philosophy.
For him, it is actually 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's grasses or trees or plants, they are not sitting in exposed topsoil. They grow in soil that is covered by their own waste whether it is needles or leaves or grass or fruit or plants. These things wilt and fall off and land on top of the soil in which the plant is growing. This is in sheer contrast to exposed topsoil which is hard and compressed and regularly dry and cracked. The miracle of coverage is in its capability to keep moisture in the soil and keep the bad stuff out. He suspects 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. Of course , plants are growing all over the planet without any assistance from man.
Inclining not ploughing
The idea is this covering of the topsoil is so revolutionary that we can throw out all of the traditional requirements of farming such as:
- soil preparation
- irrigation
- fertilization
- weed control
- pest management
- crop rotation
- Ph issues
And he suspects that topsoil is a precious commodity that is being depleted. Traditional methods of farming expose the topsoil which permits it to wear away and blow away. In nature it takes 100 years to make an inch of topsoil, so it's hard to credit that nature may be replenishing it at the rate that we are eroding it. He thinks it's tending the soil, not ploughing that creates the optimal ecological 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 in the soil and waters right after. But once the seeds are up in the form of little sprouts, he stops watering and just lets nature take over. He suspects that using woodchips you can reduce water usage by 95-99% since the moisture stays beneath the mulch, even in summer. The woodchips make a blanket and rain water will slowly work its way into the soil and will definitely be retained there to be used in dry periods.
The result? More tasty and better tasting food. Much of the soil that our food is grown in is deplete of minerals and nutrients. But Paul claims that his ecosystem keeps high levels of minerals and nutriments, and a soil test in the movie proved his claims.
The right way to start a Garden of Eden:
So if after watching this movie you are fired up about beginning your Garden of Eden, how does one do it? You can find any plot of land, including a grass lawn. Your steps would be as follows:
1. Paper- lay down newspaper over the whole area you want to garden. 4 sheets thick appeared to work the best.
2. Soil (compost)- Lay down 2-3 inches of rich composted soil on top of the newspaper.
3. Wood chips- Lay down about 3-4 inches of slightly composted woodchips on top of the soil. They should have different sizes and shapes of chips and should include wood and green leaves in the mulch.
4. Manure- scatter on top a light dusting of barely composted manure. Remember to plant new seeds directly into the soil level as they won't grow well in the wood chip layer. Water right after seeding and then basically just let it 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 thinks that healthy living comes naturally to those that are passionate about it. She adores everything from employing organic skin products to growing her very own vegetables.