Veganic Agriculture Network

Community composts

Meghan — 2012-01-16T18:01:20Z

Table of contents

Community composting is an option for composting collectively with others in our neighborhood. Community composts are especially suited to neighborhoods where there isn't appropriate space for individual backyard composts, such as apartment blocks or residential areas surrounded by asphalt. Community composts have the advantage of making composting accessible regardless of land access. They also reduce the overall surface area devoted to compost bins by using models with larger volumes where many people can compost together.

Types of collective composts

Collective composts can take many different forms. In its simplist form, you can begin a collective compost by gathering together a few friends or neighbours, and starting a communal compost bin in one person's backyard. Or collective composts can be run through an apartment building, a church or a school to offer composting options to this specific group of people. Community gardens often run collective composts, open to those who already garden at the site.

Though ideally, all citizens should have access to community compost projects in their neighborhood. We can start community compost bins in public spaces that are open to all citizens who choose to sign up. This type of project can be run by environmental groups, and offered to dozens or hundreds of citizens, with the possibility of receiving funding from the city or from grant programs. We've even seen community compost projects where the organic waste was picked up from people's homes by bicycle—there are many possibilities! Also, some collective compost projects are started by social enterprises, where the citizens pay a small fee for having access to the compost services and the resulting mature compost.

While many municipalities now offer curb-side pickup of organic waste, often this excludes apartment buildings and condos. Municipal compost also tends to accept animal products, diapers, etc., making the resulting compost less than ideal for aspiring organic and veganic gardeners. So even in cases where the city offers compost pickup, there are still compelling reasons to run community compost projects.

The following information gives the basics for starting non-profit community compost projects that are open to the public, though much of the same information applies to other types of collective compost projects.

Getting started

Community composts are often run by a local environmental group, a community garden or a neighborhood association. If you are interested in starting community composts, start either by approaching an existing group that may be interested in the project, or gather together a group of motivated citizens who would like to undertake and manage the project.

Managing a community compost project takes a group of active and committed volunteers, and larger-scale projects often require regular sources of funding in order to hire a project leader. When first embarking, ensure that the group has the passion and availability to start the project, as well as the intention to continue managing the site once it's up and running. Ideally, recruit volunteers with a mix of skills and interests: construction, fundraising, administration. You may have the most luck recruiting active gardeners, as they have a special interest in the resulting compost.

Finding a site

Scope out your neighborhood for locations where the land owners might be willing to accept a community compost project: churches, schools, non-profits, businesses, parks. Grassy surfaces are best, though asphalt surfaces are also a possibility. Community composts should be located in residential areas so that citizens can easily access the location on foot. Approach the land owners with a project proposal, being sure to emphasize the benefits of compost, and your plans for properly managing the compost site, free from odours.

Bins and materials

Look for funding opportunities and volunteer builders to construct the compost bins. You may find support through local businesses, the municipality, and environmental grant programs. You could run a fundraising event, or ask for a contribution from new members of the community compost.

There are generally three large bins per site. One is active, where people can add food scraps and dried leaves. One is in dormance, where the maturing compost sits for several months before being harvested. And a third bin or a shed holds all the collective materials: dried leaves or other carbon-rich materials, pitchforks and shovels, a log-book, etc. This could also take the form of one long bin with two or three separate compartments. Large wooden bins are especially appropriate, and can be repaired over the years. They will need to be changed every few years as the wood begins to decompose. Compost bins can be made out of reclaimed materials, such as wooden pallets. Though, attention should be paid to the workmanship and aesthetics of the compost bins to ensure they are appreciated by those who are lending you space. When deciding on the size of your bins, you may wish to perform a "waste audit" in advance to roughly anticipate the quantities of organic waste that will be added by the participants.

You will need sufficient carbon-rich materials for the entire year. Other people's bagged leaves are perfect: in the fall, you can collect enormous quantities of bagged leaves from the neighborhood. However, you'll need a location where you can store an entire year's supply of bagged leaves (a fourth bin, perhaps?) In the event that you don't have enough leaves, other carbon-rich materials are available, like cardboard and sawdust from untreated wood.

Members

The bins can be locked with combination locks. This way, the only people who have access are those who are registered members for the community compost. This avoids issues with non-members misusing the space as a garbage bin.

All new members should receive a basic orientation in how to compost, to ensure that they only add appropriate materials, as well as sufficient carbon-rich materials. You can leave an instruction list at the compost site clearly indicating which organic materials are allowed in the bins, as well as general guidelines about the do's and don'ts of composting.

Some community composts have log-books, where members indicate when they've brought organic waste, as well as when they've helped by aerating the compost. This gives a clearer picture of how many people are actively using or contributing to the site. Members can also be asked to weigh their organic waste with a scale in the materials bin. This can be helpful when searching for funding opportunities for community composts that are run by environmental organizations, to demonstrate the diversion of organic waste from the landfill sites.

The quantity of members should be regulated to ensure that the bins are neither significantly underused nor overused. You can add a sign on the bins giving a phone number or email address that people can contact if they'd like to join the community compost. Even if you've reached capacity, add their contact information to a waiting list in case space opens up.

Community compost bins often get completely filled with organic waste during the winter in cold climates, when decomposition is slower. Members will need to find alternative ways of dealing with their organic matter until the springtime.

Continued management

Community composts need active management in order to succeed, including registration, orientation for new members, and regularily managing the compost site. Ideally someone should aerate the compost every week or two (this is simple: take a pole or a compost aerator, and drive it into the compost to create air tunnels). A group volunteer-bee should be called three times a year: in the spring and the fall to turn and harvest the compost, and again in the fall to collect bagged leaves from around the neighborhood. While often one or two people are in charge of the administration, it's important to ensure that the members feel a sense of communal responsibility for helping to manage the site.

Further resources

The following resources show a variety of examples of composting initiatives offered at the community level. This includes guidelines for starting small collective compost bins, as well as examples of larger-scale initiatives from non-profit organizations and social enterprises.

City of Toronto: Starting a community compost

United Kingdom: Community Composting Network

Quebec City, Quebec: Example of a community compost project run by a non-profit in downtown Quebec (French only)

Montreal, Quebec: Example of a community composting project run by a non-profit in Montreal

St. Paul, Minnesota: Example of a pilot project for bicycle pick-up of organic waste by a non-profit in Minnesota

Craik, Saskatchewan: Example of a community composting project as part of an ecovillage and sustainable development plan in Craik in rural Saskatchewan

Winnipeg, Manitoba: Example of a community composting project run by a neighborhood association and community ministry in Winnepeg

Victoria, British Columbia: Example of a social enterprise for composting through residential pick-up

Courses and workshops

Meghan — 2012-01-07T03:12:00Z

Courses and workshops that teach veganic growing methods, including upcoming courses in 2012.

Table of contents

Upcoming talks

Veganic Agriculture
Saturday, February 4th, 2012, 8:30am-10:0am
Eco-Farm Conference, Pacific Grove, California
Speaker: Helen Atthowe, organic farming consultant, veganicpermaculture.com
Full talk description

Forest gardens: imitating diverse natural systems on a scale you can manage
Saturday, January 28th, 2012 - 1:30-3:00pm
Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph Ontario Canada.
Speaker: Shantree Kacera, veganic gardener and teacher at The Living Centre
Full talk description

Workshops, courses and certificate programs

The Living Centre - Ontario, Canada

www.thelivingcentre.com
Introduction to permaculture - February 25th/26th 2012
Four Season Permaculture Design Course - February 25th 2012 to November 26th 2012 - 7 weekends near London, Ontario
Varied workshops and training in permaculture, forest gardening and herbalism. Check for calendar updates, weekly series, correspondence courses, apprenticeship summer programs, and events.

Spiralseed - United Kingdom

www.spiralseed.co.uk
Introductory permaculture courses and permaculture design courses (PDC) with teacher Graham Burnett, a veganic permaculturalist and author of the book Permaculture: A Beginner's Guide.

Glyndwr University - United Kingdom

www.glyndwr.ac.uk
Glyndwr offers a two year program in Organic Horticulture Management, a strong element of which is learning plant-based stockfree agricultural techniques.
The Vegan Organic Network in England may have bursaries available for vegetarians and vegans who are interested in studying stockfree agriculture at Glyndwr University.

Self-fertilizing gardens

Stéphane — 2012-01-06T03:11:19Z

Table of contents

Quick intro

Self-fertilizing gardens are a way of growing fruits and vegetables through creating diverse ecosystems that rely mainly on natural processes. These gardens have permanent raised beds, with water points and trees, to create a system that largely self-regulates. Self-fertilizing gardens (SFG) are part of the wider world of permaculture, since this method of gardening minimizes human actions and management, and allows nature to play its role.

The self-fertilizing approach is based on the synergistic garden approach from Emilia Hazelip of France, and was further developed by Rejean Roy of Quebec (learn more here). Emilia's focus was adapting permaculture and Fukuoka's natural farming to temperate climates, and her first inspiration was nature itself, based on how undisturbed ecosystems would work.

The self-fertilizing garden approach has been taught for years in Quebec. This article focuses on sharing the principles, techniques and influences so that others can try the same method, in complement with the instructional article How to Make a Self-Fertilizing Garden.

The basics - Do's and don'ts

In self-fertilizing gardens, the soil is seen as a living organism that needs air, water and nourishment in order to thrive. The priority is to protect and care for the soil and the surrounding ecosystem, while also reducing the amount of time and hard work spent in the garden. Self-fertilizing gardens include:

Permanent raised beds
Permanent soil cover
Surface compost
Diversity of plants and families in each bed
The presence of living roots at all times in the beds (e.g. perennials plants, overlapping crops)
The use of the vertical plane (e.g. climbing plants in the centre of the beds)
Biodiversity settings (e.g. ponds, hedges, trees)

Self-fertilizing gardens work directly with natural processes to maintain fertility and equilibrium, so no inputs are used in the gardens, and we avoid interference with the natural cycles of the soil and the plants:

No chemicals (pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones)
No tilling
No digging (aside from the first year)
No bare soil
No monoculture
No compaction
No added compost (with the possible exception of demanding transplants)
No treating plants (i.e. for insects, illness, etc).
No pulling out plants (except for root vegetables)

Interrelated elements: beds, water points, trees

The three main elements that we find in self-fertilizing gardens are the beds, the water points and the trees.

The beds are the places for plants to grow. In each bed, we find annual and perennial plants from different families with different shapes and needs. Between them, paths allow us to walk and reach the middle of the beds without compacting the growing area.

The water points attract, retain and protect a diversity of animals, including natural predators. An irregular shape increases the pond's perimeter, creating a more productive environment from a similar area. The depth should also be irregular, offering a larger range of habitat. These small ponds (from a few centimetres deep to many meters deep) can have many positive effects:
Store water
Control competing species
Habitat for wildlife
Heat accumulator
Grey water treatment system
Reflect light for house and greenhouse
Can serve as a pool

Trees are another essential part in the design because of their multiple functions, not only as food, fuel and wood producers, but also for a wide range of other beneficial impacts. Here are a few of their functions:

Bring up nutrients from deep down
Fertilize soil by providing organic material: leaves, branches, bark, wood and root exudates
Encourage soil activity (micro-organisms, myccorhizal fungi)
Prevent soil erosion by keeping the soil together
Take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and give oxygen
Absorb atmospheric pollutants
Accumulate carbon
Host natural predators and attract natural pollinators
Create shade
Beautify the landscape
Act as a wind break (reduce soil erosion, reduce heat costs, allow snow accumulation to protect soil)
Provides food, medicinal compounds, building materials, energy, fertilizers

The interaction between these three elements (beds, water points and trees) produces a whole that is bigger than the sum of each separate part.

Creating a self-fertilizing garden

To create a self-fertilizing garden, we make permanent raised-beds and permanent pathways, as well as installing water points and planting supporting perennial plants. Check out the article Creating a self-fertilizing garden for detailed instructions with photos.

Nature's principles

According to practitioners of self-fertilizing gardens, certain principles need to be respected, in terms of soil, plants, landscape and biodiversity settings, and avoiding harm. If we have difficulties with diseases or insects, we should revisit these ideas and ask ourselves if certain principles have been neglected.

Soil principles

The soil is the most important aspect. All plants and animals originate from it. And like us, the soil breathes, drinks and eats.

Always keep the soil covered with organic material: this prevents the sun, the water and the wind from touching the ground. It prevents erosion, keeps moisture in, brings nourishment for the soil life and, as a side effect, brings nutrients to the plants.

How to keep the soil covered:
Living mulch, ground cover plants (i.e. strawberries, clover)
Mulch with dead plants (i.e. grass or meadow clippings, leaves, straw, hay)
The mulch needs to be produced in the surroundings of the garden.

The sun mustn't touch the ground: otherwise, it raises the soil temperature, which increases evaporation and hardens the soil. This creates an environment less favourable for life.
To be useful, the sun's light must touch the plants. Plants use the sun's energy to create new plant material and sugars through photosynthesis.. Sunlight that touches the ground is lost.

Weeding is done manually
In a non-compacted soil, weeds are easier to pull out

Plant principles

A diversity of plants is essential to keep the soil alive. Each species has a different root system; each one needs and produces different compounds; and each one attracts different insects and micro-organisms.

Polyculture
as opposed to monoculture, polyculture means there are a diversity of plants grown together, with no sizeable areas with only one type of crop.
Association (mixed cropping) with a minimum of three families of plants per bed, the best being seven per bed.
Density should be as dense as possible

Succession
In a succession, we just avoid planting the same kind of plant in the same place the following year, though there is no formal multi-year crop rotation.
Plan the succession for each bed (yearly), as well as ensuring there are plants growing everywhere throughout the seasons (spring, summer, autumn).
Think in three dimensions (including the vertical plane). Ex. A row of climbing beans in the middle of the bed, with cabbage on one side and carrots on the other, and courgettes on each end.

Keep roots permanently in the soil
The roots is the location in the soil where there is the most intense activity.
Never pull them out, apart from root crops like carrots or beetroot.

Never take the plants out of the growing area (i.e. to make compost)
Removing plants is time consuming
Taking them out means that the nutrients contained in the roots, leaves and stems are removed from the gardens
The micro-organisms are taken away
Composting these plants is less efficient and brings losses (i.e. heat, leakage).
To finish a crop, just cut the plants at their base and let them compost directly on the beds.

Varied types of roots
Ensure that plants with different types of root systems are planted in the same bed. In particular, do not plant several root vegetables side by side, as there will no longer be living plants in the soil when they're all pulled out. Plant a mixture of root systems together: nitrogen-fixers next to perennials next to root vegetables, etc.

Pulled out (i.e. radish, carrot, potato, parsnip, beetroot)
Dead and kept in place (i.e. tomato, sunflower, broccoli, lettuce)
Nitrogen fixing plants = legume (i.e. pea, bean, lupine, alder)
Roots that survive through winter = perennial or biannual (i.e. trees, rhubarb, gooseberry, forget-me-not)
Roots of the onion family protect other crops (i.e. onion, garlic, chive, leek)


Exemple a bed design

Introducing plants with complementary functions (mainly on the sides, ends and outline of the bed)
Flowers
Sweet smelling plants (herbs)
Medicinal plants
Climbing plants

Let plants finish their cycle
This also allows you to get seeds.

Introduce as many perennial plants as possible
They host wildlife, start earlier in the spring, and save time not having to restart them from seeds every year.

Permanent landscape

Start small: also keep in mind the development for the coming years.

Fill the beds with plants: these permanent beds are the space reserved for plants.

Keep pathways between the beds: these permanent pathways are the space reserved for humans.

Permanent watering systems: it's recommended to install drip systems under the mulch.

Develop a vertical plane: install permanent props and stakes.

Recreate natural landscapes: lets nature do the work.
water ponds: 10% of the area
trees: 10% of the area
habitat for allies (beneficial insects and others): piles of stones, heaps of old wood, perches for birds, sacred sites for humans.

Avoid harmful action in the garden

Let the organisms do the work for which they exist.

Care for the soil
No compaction
No tilling, never work the soil
Don't bury plant residues: leave them on the surface

Don't rest the soil (no fallow)
Without roots, the bacteria and micro-organisms will die
Without micro-organisms, the soil is dead
Only a dead, forced-fed and unbalanced soil needs rest
On the contrary, we must keep the soil active, like us!

No external inputs
No pesticides
No fertilizer (chemical, mineral, animal, compost, lime, basalt)
No inputs of mulch or leaves from outside the garden area (initially you can use local sources of leaves and mulch if needed, but make sure you plant perennials by the garden that will later provide mulch from your own land)
No wood ashes
No compost (except in the transplantation hole for demanding plants)
No purposeful additions of allies (i.e. natural predators)

Never regulate a deficiency
By correcting it, we create a new one

Use plants that are indicators
For acid soil, use for example mustard and buckwheat (cut it without burying it)

Accept intruders and some loss of plants
Accept certain plant losses without treating with organic pesticides, as this will help a more complex biodiversity become reinstated
Only treat with organic pesticides when you consider the losses significant or interruptive (e.g. when at least 10% of the crops are affected)

No sprinkled water
The plants should be watered with a drip-irrigation system, or by using a hose to water at the base of the plants. If we sprinkle water on the leaves and stems, this can lead to fungal growth.

Avoid buying any unnecessary materials

Source your plants and seeds
No use of hybrids (if you want to keep seeds)
No use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

A few words about compost

Compost is not a direct part of the fertility in this growing system, other than the plants which decompose straight in the garden as they would in nature. But for sustainability, having a compost pile is still an important action for the environment for any organic waste you have at home. Two different types of compost could be done.

Kitchen waste compost

To avoid filling the landfill and losing these precious nutrients, keep all your kitchen waste (i.e. peelings, rotting vegetables, leftovers) and make a compost heap. Attention should be given to having one part of green (nitrogen rich, soft or slimy) for about two parts of brown (carbon rich, dry and fibrous). Straw, leaf mould and dried grass clippings are particularly good when added to kitchen waste. Mix it well and let it compost. Cover the heap with plastic or a roof to prevent nutrient lost and water clogging.

The resulting compost is perfect to start seedlings. Potting mix can be made by mixing one part compost, one part soil and one part leaf mould. Also, for highly demanding plants (i.e. brassica), a handful of this compost can be added in the hole when transplanting.

Humanure compost

In order to close the cycle of nutrients, ideally human wastes should also be composted and returned to the soil. While this may seem unappealing at first, in our current system we defecate in our drinking water supply, which brings a heavy environmental toll for the resulting sewage treatment. In home gardening, composted humanure doesn't need to be used in the vegetable gardens: it can be used on surrounding trees and shrubs, eventually bringing nutrients back to the gardens through the leaves. To learn about the options available for composting humanure, check out the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins free online. Note that humanure must be composted using specific techniques in order to be safe, so proper research must be done ahead of time.

History and influences

At the Veganic Agriculture Network, we originally learned about self-fertilizing gardens through workshops being offered in Quebec by Rejean Roy. He was influenced by the work of Emilia Hazelip, who came to Quebec in the late 90's to teach her method called synergistic gardens, before she passed away in 2003. Emilia's work was inspired by permaculture principles and by Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming, and she aimed to adapt these ideas to temperate climates. From Emilia and Rejean's teachings, hundreds of people have taken classes in self-fertilizing techniques, mostly in Quebec and France.

While the ideas of self-fertilizing gardens may at first seem radical, their origins are numerous and many people directly or indirectly influenced them. To give an idea of this interconnected web of knowledge and experience, here are a few of the people that stand out:

Hans Peter Rusch (Switzerland) developed a method to evaluate the soil fecundity (productivity and fertility). He found similarities between the way the soil and the human body work. He described the two main zones that we find in the soil (the decomposition area = the litter; and the assimilation zone = the rhizosphere). He also observed and introduced the idea of the cycle of living compounds (plants don't build themselves only with mineral elements, but also with macromolecules and virus-like compounds). So he stressed the importance of doing surface compost to feed the soil and prevent soil disturbance.

Masanobu Fukuoka (Japan) developed the natural farming approach with the four do-nothing principles: no chemicals, no treatments, no compost and no till. He brought forward the importance of observing Nature.

David Holmgren and Bill Mollison (Australia) first introduced the concept of permaculture. This holistic approach for designing an integrated and sustainable environment rests on three core ethics: earthcare, peoplecare and fairshare.

John Jeavons (United States) stated the importance of a light, uncompacted and deep soil (he was using double digging) to produce more vegetables on a smaller area. He experimented with high density cropping with companion planting to increase productivity while creating a micro-climate.

Ruth Stout (United States) proved the feasibility of permanent mulches for vegetable growing and showed the efficiency in reducing time and hard work in the garden. Already in 1930, she was gardening stockfree (veganically).

Gilles Lemieux (Canada) did research on the importance of Chipped Branch Wood as a way of sustaining life in the soil, reversing the process of soil degradation (called aggradation) and ensuring long term fertility. All of our good quality soils comes first from forest land, and we can recreate this when fungus (basidiomycetes) transform this woody material into stable humus.

Robert Hart (England) presented forest gardening with the seven different layers of vegetation (canopy trees, dwarf trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, root plants, ground cover plants, climbers).

Robert Kourik (United States) has been designing diversified landscapes that can be both aesthetic and edible, with an emphasis on the importance of varied root systems.

Allan Smith (Australia) explained the existence and the importance of the ethylene cycle and the way it works. The natural cycling between oxygen and ethylene gases in untilled soils leads to increased mobilisation of nutrients and resistance to plant pathogens. It takes three years to come back after we stop disturbing the soil.

And even if none of these people were specifically focused on veganic techniques, these are great pieces of information from here and there that fit together into the larger picture of self-fertilizing gardens.

Creating a self-fertilizing garden

Meghan — 2012-01-06T02:35:12Z

Table of contents

This how-to guide gives instructions and a photojournal for beginning a self-fertilizing garden. In order to understand how self-fertilizing gardens work, and how to maintain them, it's also necessary to read the article self-fertilizing gardens: background, principles and maintenance.

Initial planning

The first step involves planning the position and layout of the garden. This includes the plans for the first year, and any additions foreseen in future years. We plan the position of the beds, the pathways, the outer edge, the water points, and the trees and other perennials.

Usually, we make the beds about 3-4 feet wide (1 - 1.2 m), so that our arm can reach the middle of the bed. It's important that we can easily reach all areas of the bed, as we should never put our feet or our knees on the bed since this compacts the soil. Between the beds, we leave a pathway that is at least one foot wide. You may prefer pathways that are two feet wide if you garden with children or if you'd like more room to manouver. Around the outside of the garden, you'll need to plan a 4 foot (1.2 m) edge to inhibit unwanted plants from creeping in.

Preparing the ground

If you are starting a self-fertilizing garden in an area where you previously had a vegetable garden (i.e. exposed soil, no grass) you can skip ahead to the step creating the beds.

If you'd like to add a self-fertlizing garden in an area where you currently have a lawn, there are two ways you could start: the patient approach, where we let the lawn decompose for several months under a layer of mulch; or a faster approach, where we remove the lawn with tools.

Option 1) Mulching to prepare the ground: On the chosen piece of land, we start by cutting down the existing plants, or we simply walk on the plants to lower them. If the ground is extremely dry we can add water. We cover the ground with two layers of cardboard and put a thick layer of organic material on top of it (like chipped branch wood, grass cuttings, straw, old hay, leaves). Then, we wait until the following year. This will suppress the weeds, keep the soil moist, create good conditions for worms and micro-organisms, lighten the soil, protect from erosion and bring nutrients to the soil. We have to be patient and let nature do the work. Nevertheless, even this first year can be productive. If prepared in the spring, little holes can be made through the cardboard and some plants can be grown (potatoes are especially easy, planted directly on the lawn under the cardboard; or, we can add transplants like cabbage and cucumbers). The following year, we can create the beds for the self-fertilizing garden.

Covering a lawn with cardboard and hay mulch

Option 2) Removing the lawn with tools: If we are in a hurry, it's possible to prepare the soil and shape the beds the first year by using a rototiller or a shovel to remove the lawn. But we must be careful to remove all perennial roots (i.e. couch grass, dandelion, thistle…) when shaping and moving the soil, otherwise they will grow again. Ideally any organic material that you remove from the lawn should be left to decompose on your land so the nutrients aren't lost (i.e. the removed lawn can be placed underneath of bushes or trees).

Creating the beds

With the help of stakes and string, mark the position of the beds and the pathways. Initially, mark the pathways as being 2 feet wide, as they often end up shrinking as we shape the beds.

In this picture, the grass is being removed with shovels to create the beds the same day.

Take the dirt from the pathways and add it to the center of the beds, making sure to remove all roots from perennial plants (couch grass, dandelion, thistle, milkweed...). This is the only time we will dig the soil: these are permanent beds that never need to be altered in subsequent years.

With the help of a rake, gently drag thin layers of soil from the center of the bed, and do this successively until a flat surface is attained for the bed. For each layer of soil, we rake the entire bed; then for the next layer of soil, we rake the entire bed again, and so on, until a uniform bed is formed. Between each passage of the rake, remove any rocks or roots from perennial plants. At the end of this process, the sides of the beds are inclined and form slopes. This is the ideal form—flat beds with slopes on each side—since rainwater won't run away too quickly, and the lost space of the paths is then recovered by growing plants on the sides. The height of the bed should be at least a few inches high, with pathways in between that are at least 1 foot wide. It's important that we keep our feet and knees on the paths at all times and never walk in the growing area: this will keep the soil light for years to come.

(Optional) Add two irrigation lines on the bed. In this picture, these are carlon polyethylene pipes in which holes were added every 30cm.

Installing the vertical plane

Two pieces of rebar are curved and crossed in the center of the bed (be careful when bending rebar). Rebar is an excellent material for creating a permanent vertical plane. Though, in the absence of rebar, other options exist for creating a vertical plane: see if you can find resistant materials that can be reclaimed from the waste stream.

A wire winds around the rebar stakes, from which we can hang strings for climbing plants.

Edge and pathways

Around the outside of the beds, an edge is added to impede undesirable plants from making their way to the garden. 4 feet wide of cardboard is added to create the edge.

The cardboard edge is covered in mulch. In this case, we used Chipped Branch Wood, which is ideal, though many other types of mulch are possible, including leaves.

Mulching the beds

On the beds, we add a mulch (chipped branch wood, old hay, straw, decomposing leaves, weeds that haven't gone to seed, etc).

If it's windy, watering the beds helps conserve the mulch.

Sowing seeds and transplants

Climbing plants at the base of the stake (in this case, peas).

Root vegetables in rectangles (in this case, carrots).

Add transplants through the mulch (in this case, a decorative cabbage).

Adding a water point

A water point is essential to the ecological balance of the garden. It attracts and shelters natural predators and other wildlife. Water points can be created by using kiddie pools or other basins.

The finished garden

Here is the completed garden in the springtime:

A full season: before and after

Here are photos from another self-fertilizing garden in Quebec, showing its progression throughout the season:

Creation in the spring:

Planting in the spring:

July 2nd:

July 19th:

August 1st:

September 3rd:

Fertilizing with human urine

Meghan — 2011-11-20T15:49:00Z

Table of contents

Using human urine can help us work toward a closed-loop fertility system. While not a plant-based technique per se, using their own urine is a way that veganic gardeners can cycle back the nutrients from the foods they consume, while also diverting their urine from the water system where it acts as a pollutant.

Nutrients in human urine

When we eat food, our kidneys filter out excess nutrients that our body is unable to use, and these nutrients are then expelled from the body in our urine. Our urine contains significant levels of nitrogen, as well as phosphorous and potassium (typically an N-P-K ratio around 11 – 1 – 2.5, similar to commercial fertilizers). Americans produce about 90 million gallons of urine a day, containing about 7 million pounds of nitrogen. Studies conducted in Sweden (Sundberg, 1995; Drangert, 1997) show that an adult's urine contains enough nutrients to fertilize 50-100% of the crops needed to feed one adult. Rather than importing nutrients for gardening, and exporting nutrients via the toilet, we can help close this loop by keeping our urine in the local food cycle. It can be especially beneficial for fertilizing in city environments where other local forms of fertility may be scarce due to lack of green spaces.

The truth about flushing

The high nitrogen levels in urine are favorable for plant growth, though this can actually pose a major environmental hazard when we flush urine down the toilet into the public water systems. After we flush, part of the nitrogen is removed during an energy-intensive denitrification process. The remaining nitrogen often makes its way to natural waterways, where it can off-balance the ecosystems through a process called eutrophication: the excess nitrogen causes increased algae and aquatic plant growth, and as these plants decompose it depletes the oxygen supply that is needed by aquatic animals, often causing death. So it's preferable to cycle the nutrients in our urine through terrestrial environments rather than aquatic environments, by fertilizing trees, bushes, wildflowers, lawns, and even our gardens.

Is it safe for our health?

Is urine safe to use in our gardens? Pretty much. In healthy populations, human urine is almost always sterile. In the rare cases when it isn't sterile, urine is generally still fine for personal use, or can be stored for several months to minimize pathogen risk. But you don't have to take our word for it: there are detailed resources available that give comprehensive information. The following is intended to be a brief and non-exhaustive overview of health concerns and solutions, though we ask that people do their own research and draw their own conclusions.

Health concerns and solutions:

Avoiding fecal contamination: this is the most important element in the safe use of urine. While pee is almost always sterile, feces contains dangerous pathogens. Make sure that you get a 100% stream of pure urine. Special toilets are available that will separate your urine and divert it into a holding tank, though a simple plastic jug probably works even better to avoid any chance of fecal contamination. You can also store urine in a sealed container for several months to minimize any potential pathogens. (Sidenote: feces can be made safe for gardening through a specific composting process described in the Humanure Handbook, though should otherwise be completely avoided in gardening).

Avoiding illness: If someone has a urinary tract infection, or is using medications, they should avoid using their urine in edible gardens. Though there are still advantages to using the urine on lawns or landscaping, to avoid sending it to aquatic environments.

Individual use: Urine is considered quite safe for individual use. Our urine is probably sterile, and even if it's not, we can't catch anything from our own urine that we don't already have. It's recommended that after applying urine, we wait a month before eating the crops as a simple precaution.

Group use: When mixing urine from multiple people, again, it's probably sterile, though there is more chance of pathogens, especially from accidental fecal contamination. Store the urine for 6 months in a sealed container before using it, and wait another month before eating the food crops as an added precaution.

Being extra safe and socially acceptable: Where safety and social acceptability are concerns for the user, there are a variety of ways of cycling the nutrients from urine. For those who choose to fertilize fruit and vegetable gardens, most people would focus on fruit-bearing crops like tomatoes and cucumbers rather than peeing by the root vegetables. Or, we can fertilize perennial plants like bushes and trees with urine, and later use the plants' leaves in our compost pile or as a mulch, as a very safe and socially-acceptable way to cycle the nutrients back to our gardens. Or, when cycling our urine for environmental reasons, there's no need to add it to our food crops: it can just as easily be applied to non-edible plants, like trees, wildflowers, lawns and landscaping projects.

Container gardens that occasionally receive watered-down pee

Using pee: A how-to guide

Keep in mind that urine is very high in nitrogen. You may need to pee daily, but your plants don't need your daily pee. Choose plants that need lots of nitrogen, such as corn and squash, tomatoes and cucumbers during their fruit-bearing stage, and older plants that need a boost. Signs of nitrogen deficiency include yellow or pale green leaves, and some plants have key signs, like pointed cucumbers. Don't overdo it at the beginning of the season, as excess nitrogen can lead to bushy, leafy plants that bear little fruit. Signs of excess nitrogen include curled leaves, and these plants may also attract aphids. For garden plants in need of a genuine nitrogen boost, once or twice a month is generally fine, though some people will add highly diluted pee a couple of times a week. If you have more pee to give, try your lawn, trees and bushes.

As a basic premise, the urine must be mixed with carbon-rich materials in order for the nitrogen to become accessible to the plants. Carbon-rich materials can include leaves, straw, or just good quality earthy soil. The nitrogen in urine is in the form of urea, creatine, and ammonia; when mixed with carbon-rich materials, the aerobic bacteria convert it into nitrates, which the plants can then uptake.

Here are a few possible ways to use pee in your garden or landscaping. Please read the safety guidelines too.

Recipe 1: Watered-down pee
For soil with good drainage that is crumbly and earthy-smelling. Also works well for container gardens.
Grab a reclaimed plastic container and take a pee. Dilute it with eight to ten parts water, and apply it to the soil. Easy peesy. Working the urine into the soil or applying the urine under the top layer of soil would ensure that less nitrogen is lost due to conversion to ammonia gas, and the presence of soil organisms would help neutralize the (rare chance of) pathogens, though just pouring it on the soil works okay too. After applying the pee, water the plant.

Recipe 2: Straight up pee
For soil with a thick layer of carbon-rich mulch, like wood chips and leaf mulch.
This is the easiest method. Just pee on the mulch. The mulch will stop the plants from receiving an overly-concentrated blast of urine, as well as helping to break down the nitrogen into a source the plants can use. Peeing between two layers of mulch will lessen nitrogen losses from conversion to ammonia gas.

Recipe 3: Compost pee
Urine can be composted. It's very high in nitrogen, so it counts as a "green" in the compost, and shouldn't be added to a compost bin that is already high in nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps. Be sure to add plenty of carbon-rich materials, like dry leaves, sawdust, straw and cardboard. Urine can act as a starter for a compost, encouraging the decomposition process, such as adding urine to a pile of leaves.

Recipe 4: Straw bale bathroom
You can urinate directly on a bale of straw until the straw decomposes, and this compost can later be added to your garden. We've even met a gardener from Montreal who plants directly in the decomposing straw bales to create a new garden.

Recipe 5: Greywater with a hint of yellow
Greywater is the waste water from showering, doing dishes, etc, and urine can be added to a greywater system. The greywater provides some carbon and significantly dilutes the urine. Ideally this should drain into an aerobic greywater system with natural filters like plants and gravel. Instructions for installing such a system can be purchased from the EcoWaters Project in the guide How to Build a Washwater Garden Plan.

Keep in mind: Urine is high in salt. This is one reason why it needs to be properly diluted. Not all plants respond well to high salt content. Reducing the salt in your diet can be helpful to your own health and improve the salt ratio in your urine.

Is it good for our gardens?

Pretty much. As long as we don't add excessive amounts.

Like all liquid nutrient sources, this shouldn't become the primary form of fertility for our gardens. In natural ecosystems the soil organisms break down organic matter, like leaves and food scraps, and make the nutrients accessible to plants: this is nature's digestive system. Liquid feeds (including urine, compost teas, chemical fertilizers...) bypass this natural system and feed the plants directly, much like a human receiving a liquid diet through an intravenous tube rather than eating lunch. We need to provide the soil organisms with organic matter in order to keep the soil healthy and biodiverse. So in general, liquid feeds should only be used as a complement to other forms of fertility, such as compost and mulch. On the upside, adding a little urine can help activate the decomposition of organic matter, so a wee bit of pee here and there is fine.

Adding too much urine can also affect plant health. Ever see a yellow patch on a lawn because a dog keeps peeing in the same spot? Too much nitrogen; it burns the plant roots. However, the reverse is true, that a lawn that is yellow because of a lack of nitrogen can have green patches where the dog pees. So, in order for urine to be helpful, we need to be observant of our gardens and moderate how much we apply.

Is this even veganic?

Sort of. That depends how you look at it.

Using human urine isn't a “plant-based technique,” so in its purest form it can't be considered “plant-based growing”. Though, all veganic gardens naturally contain free-living animals, like microorganisms, earthworms, and birds, who eat organic matter and create “micro-manure” as part of their normal daily life. So while veganic growing excludes the addition of waste products from animals that have been bred and raised, humans can be seen as “free-living animals” who voluntarily contribute their waste. This can also help reestablish humans as contributing members of a local ecosystem, rather than separating ourselves (and our bodily waste) through mechanized processes.

Here at the Veganic Agriculture Network, we keep our large countryside garden completely plant-based, to produce veganic food without the addition of any animal products (human or non-human). In the city, we use a little of our urine in our balcony container gardens to provide additional fertility to the plants, and to avoid the occasional flush in a highly urban environment.

Is urine gross? Does it smell?

Despite urine having an “ick” factor in many modern cultures, it's been used throughout history for a variety of purposes, including cleaning wounds, making bread, and in the process of dying clothing. There are even people who drink their own urine on a regular basis. While there are good reasons to be cautious around feces, urine is generally sterile and fine to use for a variety of purposes. To learn more about the history and culture of urine, see Liquid Gold and Life of Pee.

Urine does sometimes smell. There really isn't much problem if you use it immediately, especially if you dilute it. If you choose to store the urine (i.e. to eliminate potential pathogens) keep it in a closed container to reduce the smell. When applying it to the soil, it can help to slightly bury the urine in the soil or under mulch. We've used diluted urine in container gardens on a balcony for quite some time, and the neighbors haven't even noticed.

Is it allowed?

For home gardens it should be fine, especially if you keep it low-key, but what about commercial farms? In some countries urine is accepted in commercial farming, such as Sweden, where it's even applied mechanically to large-scale farms. The regulations vary from country to country, and using human urine could also affect the certification status of a farm. So if you are a commercial farmer, please contact the relevant local services to learn whether urine is an acceptable soil amendment in your region.

Further resources

Online resources

SSWM (Sustainable Sanitation and Water Management)
Urine Fertilisation (Small-Scale)
Urine Fertilization (Large-Scale)
Urine Storage

WestnetIndia
Pdf: Human urine harvesting and utilization as an organic fertilizer

EcoSanRes
Pdf: Guidelines on the use of urine and faeces in crop production

World Health Organization
42-page pdf: Urine Diversion: Hygienic risks and microbial guidelines for re-use

Avkopedia
Application of Urine

Books

Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants. Carol Steinfield, EcoWaters Project, 96 pages.

Lifting the Lid: An Ecological Approach to Toilet Systems. Peter Harper and Louise Halestrap, Centre for Alternative Technology, 160 pages.

Life of Pee: The Story of How Urine Got Everywhere. Sally Magnusson, Aurum Press, 208 pages.

Liquid Gold, the Lore & Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants

Stéphane — 2011-11-19T16:10:00Z

Carol Steinfield's book is a great introduction to the history and culture of human urine, focusing on its applications in growing food. While not a plant-based technique per se, using their own urine is a way that veganic gardeners can work toward a closed loop system through local nutrient cycling, and reduce their environmental impact by diverting their urine from the public water systems.

Urine is considered sterile in a healthy person—it's almost always sterile, and you can't catch new illnesses from your own urine. When we eat food, much of the nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients found in the food is excreted in our urine. When diluted with water (10:1) or added to a mulch, we can take advantage of urine as a complementary fertilizer in our gardens, or we can simply cycle the nutrients by applying it to trees, shrubs, or our lawn (learn more about the safety and techniques of using urine here online).

The book Liquid Gold presents different perceptions and uses of urine throughout history, and explains the benefits of using urine in contemporary society, with a variety of examples and techniques for agricultural applications.

See online : http://www.liquidgoldbook.com/

STEINFELD, Carol. Liquid Gold, the Lore & Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants, New Society Publishers, 1st edition, 2009, 36 p.

Le poireau préfère les fraises: les meilleures associations de plantes

Stéphane — 2011-11-14T15:55:00Z

Note: this book is only available in French and German

In this short book, Hans Wagner presents companion planting methods that are inspired by the principles of Gertrud Franck. Here, the gardens are always growing, there is never any digging, and there is only a small amount of surface work on the soil as needed. Fertility is based on green manures, surface composting and a little mature compost. No other amendments are used. The garden is organised with rows of vegetables that are 20cm to 25cm apart, and after every few rows there is a larger pathway of clover. In the spring, every second row is sown with spinach, which serves as a windbreak, as a path and as a mulch for future seedlings and plants.

The bulk of the book gives detailed information about individual plants with the aim of planning the garden well and maximising the positive associations between the plants. For each plant, the author summarizes the growing techniques, as well as the favorable and unfavorable associations. A number of useful tips are given throughout the book. A small section covers plant teas, mulch and green manures.

WAGNER, Hans. Le poireau préfère les fraises les meilleures associations de plantes. Éditions Terre Vivante, France, 2001, 112 p.

Translation of the German book : Karotte liebt Tomate.

Make a donation

Stéphane — 2011-11-13T18:03:39Z

The Veganic Agriculture Network is a young organization with limited resources. We have a small budget to cover website costs, transportation expenses, and to develop materials to promote veganic growing.

As our financing grows, so can our network, bringing more opportunities to develop and distribute materials and do public outreach.

All donations are much appreciated. Thanks!

How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

Stéphane — 2011-08-22T16:02:33Z

A practical guide (including charts and planning grids) for growing more food in a smaller area: double digging, compost making, plant spacing, and biodiversity settings. The biointensive method is based on the 40 years experience of John Jeavons with the non-profit Ecology Action. Biointensive growing aims for larger yields from smaller spaces while also improving soil quality, working toward a closed-loop system of fertility. Through minimizing land use for food production, more land can be set aside for biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration, while responding to the nutritional needs of a society faced with land scarcity and overpopulation in the coming post-fossil fuel era.

Exerpts can be seen here.

JEAVONS, John. How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine. Ten Speed Press, 7th edition, 2006, 288 p.

The Harmonious Wheatsmith

Stéphane — 2011-08-22T13:56:05Z

The Harmonious Wheatsmith explains a method for growing grains without ploughing. Developed by Marc Bonfils in France, this method promotes soil health and reduces nutrient leakage by growing wheat alongside perennial stands of clover. Bonfils experimented to find the optimal timing and spacing for a favorable harvest. With many parellels to the techniques of Masanobu Fukuoka from Japan (author of The One Straw Revolution), this is often referred to as the Fukuoka-Bonfils method.

A short introduction to this approach is available here, and the full e-book can be purchased here.

The Harmonious Wheatsmith, Mark Moodie - ed, ISBN - 0-9517890-0-7, 32 pages. Now only available as an ebook UK£3.00. http://www.moodie.biz/wheatsmith.html

Veganic Agriculture Network

Community composts

Types of collective composts

Getting started

Finding a site

Bins and materials

Members

Continued management

Further resources

Courses and workshops

Upcoming talks

Workshops, courses and certificate programs

Self-fertilizing gardens

Quick intro

The basics - Do's and don'ts

Interrelated elements: beds, water points, trees

Creating a self-fertilizing garden

Nature's principles

Soil principles

Plant principles

Permanent landscape

Avoid harmful action in the garden

A few words about compost

History and influences

Recommended links

Creating a self-fertilizing garden

Initial planning

Preparing the ground

Creating the beds

Installing the vertical plane

Edge and pathways

Mulching the beds

Sowing seeds and transplants

Adding a water point

The finished garden

A full season: before and after

Fertilizing with human urine

Nutrients in human urine

The truth about flushing

Is it safe for our health?

Using pee: A how-to guide

Is it good for our gardens?

Is this even veganic?

Is urine gross? Does it smell?

Is it allowed?

Further resources

Liquid Gold, the Lore & Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants

Le poireau préfère les fraises: les meilleures associations de plantes

Make a donation

How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

The Harmonious Wheatsmith