Biointensive Gardening: Deep Soil, Close Spacing, Maximum Yields

Biointensive gardening (John Jeavons’ method) builds deep, fertile soil through double-digging (24 in) and heavy composting, then plants crops in close, hexagonal spacing—interplanting tall and short species (e.g., peppers above lettuce)—to maximize yields in minimal space without machinery.

Core Principles

• Deep soil prep: Double-dig to 2 ft; roots access deep moisture/nutrients.
• Compost cycling: Return all biomass (crop residues, kitchen scraps, leaves) as compost.
• Close spacing: Hexagonal/offset patterns; living mulch canopy shades soil.
• Companion/interplanting: Vertical layering (tall + short), nutrient cycling.
• Open-pollinated seeds: Save seeds; adapt to your microclimate.
• No machinery: Avoids compaction and fossil fuel use.

Example Combination

Lettuce (low, fast) + peppers (tall, slow) + onions (bulb barrier) + basil (pest deterrent) in one bed. Each occupies a different niche; together they yield more than monoculture rows.

Biointensive is a holistic system for small-scale, high-nutrition food production—soil-building and space-efficient by design.