The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields [Paperback]

John Jeavons (Author), Carol Cox (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 1999

From the author of our best-selling and widely beloved HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES comes this "quick and dirty" introduction to biointensive gardening that shows it is not only possible but easy to grow astonishing crops of healthful organic vegetables and fruits, while conserving resources and actually helping the soil. A revolutionary approach to feeding ourselves and nurturing the land, this book includes:• Step-by-step illustrations and instructions that make these techniques simple for even the novice gardener.• Everything you need to know about planning crops, composting, harvesting, and more.• Complete resources for seeds, tools, and other garden supplies.Feed a family of four on the bounty of your backyard, or just get more out of your garden with less effort with this wonderful resource.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Jeavons and Cox offer a less technical version of Jeavons's best-selling book on biointensive gardening, How To Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine, published over 25 years ago. Written for both the beginner and the experienced gardener, this new book shows how to cultivate 11 commonly grown vegetables, calorie crops (beans), or compost crops in 100-square-foot plots using organic, soil-enriching methods. The authors discuss biointensive gardening theory, preparing garden beds, composting, starting seeds, growing crops, and collecting seeds. They offer detailed instructions and equations showing how to calculate how many seeds to plant to get the necessary seedlings to fill the suggested garden plans and suggest ways to customize garden plots. While the equations are easy to follow, the calculations and numerous charts may intimidate the beginner, who may also need more information on gardening techniques. Recommended especially for experienced gardeners interested in biointensive gardening.ASue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

More than 25 years ago, Jeavons wrote the best-selling How to Grow More Vegetables, which sold more than 350,000 copies in seven languages. It was a how-to book on high-yield, biologically intensive food-raising techniques. His new book, coauthored by Carol Cox, is a somewhat simpler book written for gardeners trying biointensive gardening for the first time. The focus is on the soil; and a good way to ensure sustainable soil fertility, the authors say, is the biointensive method of growing food. To achieve this, they give instructions and suggestions on what to grow; preparing biointensive beds, compost, and plating; growing compost crops, such as vetch, fava beans, wheat, and rye; and growing "calorie crops" (wheat, oats, dry beans, and corn). The authors make suggestions on companion planting--i.e., which crops to put beside each other for the best results. George Cohen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; Revised edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080162
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080163
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JOHN JEAVONS is a cofounder of the group Ecology Action and the father of the modern biointensive gardening movement. He lives in Willits, California, where he has been growing more vegetables for decades.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

187 of 199 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars An Engineer Plants Onions August 14, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is neither a book for beginners nor a book for experienced gardeners. There are some valuable concepts, quickly presented, but the book fails to connect with real life.

A four sentence quotation will speak for itself. These are "growing instructions" for green onions on page 62: "Use .39 ounce (1 tablespoon + 1 1/4 teaspoon)of seed per 100 square feet (col. BB) or .0078 ounce (1/8 teaspoon)for 2 square feet (.39 ounce x 2 sq ft [divided by] 100=.0078 ounce. On 3 inch centers (col. CC), a 100-square-foot area will hold a maximum of 50 plants (2,507 plants x 2 sq ft [divided by] 100 sq ft=50.14 plants). To ensure 50 green onion seedlings to transplant, you will need to sow 72 green onion seeds (50 [divided by] .70 germination rate [col.AA]=71.43). The 72 seeds broadcast (col. FF) in a flat will take up approximately 1/10 of a flat 6 to 8 weeks (col. HH) before the scheduled planting date."

The same sort of homey advice is offered for corn, beans, etc.

88 of 95 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Beginners Beware July 31, 2004

By Sandy Gardener

Format:Paperback

At best, this is a book an experienced gardener might pick up at the library to glean a few useful ideas about biointensive gardening (I found nothing that isn't presented better elsewhere). At worst, unsuspecting beginners will think this book is the authoritative source it claims to be, try to implement it's convoluted techniques, and fail miserably.
All gardening books convey a certain sensibility about gardening that sets the perspective for the endeavor. Sustainable Vegetable is weird mix of new age idealism and rocket science. Trust me, gardening is not as complicated as this book makes it sound!
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith is THE definitive title on the subject.Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is good for small gardens. Four Season Harvest by Elliott Coleman is excellent for winter gardening. Tanya Denckla's Gardener's A-Z Guides are excellent.

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For organic vegetables - start here! December 13, 2000

By R. Griffiths

Format:Paperback

What is 'biointensive vegetable gardening? In brief it features the following methods: - focus on the health of the soil as the starting point for a productive garden (this is the meaning of 'bio-'); - emphasis on growing the most vegetables in the least possible space for maximum efficiency (hence '-intensive'); - vegetables grown in narrow beds (for ease of access and positive microclimate)which have been 'double-dug' and composted; - closer spacing of plants than usual due to greater depth of soil, assisted by companion planting; -organic nutrition and pest control throughout.

This short book is a great introduction to organic vegetable growing, especially the 'biointensive' method. It is also a useful work for experienced gardeners who want to know about John Jeavons' highly successful methods, but don't have lots of time to study the weightier 'How to Grow More Vegetables'. That book is a real classic of organic gardening, and stands alongside Elliot Coleman's 'The New Organic Grower' as a 'must-have' reference book. However, 'The Sustainable Vegetable Garden' is more than just an abridged version of Jeavons' earlier book. It actually makes many of the key concepts easier to understand and put into practice. It is full of useful diagrams which will be invaluable to the novice and expert alike. You don't just read about how to 'double dig' a bed - there are step by step images to help you see exactly how it's done.

For beginners, just about everything you need to know is covered. Its rare to find a book that explains the details to clearly and concisely. For more experienced gardeners, you will almost certainly discover tools and methods you can use by reading this book.... I found I could more or less skip the chapter on composting but was particularly interested in Coleman & Cox's approach to planning how much of each crop to plant in a season. A number of charts and plans are included for you to photocopy and use yourself. In fact, the approah to planning a vegetable garden outlined here is a particular strength of the book.

Here's what the book includes: 1. Thinking about raising food sustainably 2. Before you start 3. What do you want to eat? Choosing what to grow 4. Preparing a biointensive bed: Double-Digging 5. What to feed a biointensive bed: Compost 6. Seedlings 7. Planning and planting crops 8. Growing compost crops 9. Growing more calories 10. Arranging what goes into a bed: Companion planting 11. Keeping the garden healthy 12. Seeds for next year's garden Appendices on supplies and resources and additional tools for garden planning.

So what are you waiting for? Buy it and get growing! Read more ›

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Introduction to Biointensive Gardening March 14, 2002

By Ken Scheffler

Format:Paperback

A revised edition of Lazy-bed Gardening (1993), The Sustainable Vegetable Garden is a concise and easy-to-read introduction to concept of biointensive gardening. Essentially a resurrection of ancient farming practices, biointensive gardening is supposed to increase yields (the authors claim four times higher than one should expect from a standard garden) while maintaining a garden ecosystem that preserves the vitality of the soil for future gardens and generations of gardeners. For one to be able to subscribe to the system that Jeavons and Cox outline, one really has to have a sizeable garden plot, so that one can grow calorie-crops as well as compost-crops, so in this respect the book is not suited for the typical urban backyard gardener with only a few square meters of plot. One thing that really put me off was the suggested calculation method for determining the numer of seeds that need to be planted in order to attain an optimal yield-rate. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book, and it has led me to rethink my approach to gardening.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth answers for NOW questions July 17, 2006

By A. Alhino

Format:Paperback

This is not a book to read in winter when you're dreaming of your perfect garden. This is a book that correctly lists the five plants that have been proven to help deter the Striped Bean Beetle when it's eating your garden down to the nubs. And the intercropping to keep the bean beetle away next year. And soil treatments to keep it from coming back. And what kinds of flowers will attract the beetle's predators. And did you know that veggies will generally produce just fine with up to 30% of their leaf surface eaten, or even produce more when it's attacked just like this? I didn't, until I read this book.

Great information, essential information, complicated information. If you're a dreamer who likes a couple of nice sprays of hybrid cherry tomatoes to munch on each September and want a nice book with pretty color pictures, this isn't the book for you. If you've got dirt under your fingernails and a problem with your French Intensive beds, you will eventually need exactly this book.