My first job was to create a kitchen garden in a 30-by-50-feet plot of asphalt, adjacent to a popular Orange County Restaurant. We built 14 raised beds and used the biointensive gardening method to fill them with cut-and-come-again lettuces, lemon cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, radishes, melons, beets, herbs and more. Fresh, homegrown vegetables that are served in the restaurant. In each of the redwood beds, I dug down extra deep, loosening the soil to a depth of 24 inches. This aerates the soil, giving the roots plenty of space to grow straight down, improving water retention and allowing a healthy growth of microorganisms. Close spacing of plants increases the yield and creates a vibrant mini-ecosystem under the canopy of leaves. Companion planting attracts helpful insects and repels harmful ones, and planting items in rotation helps maintain soil health. We used a tape irrigation system, which is buried under the soil and delivers water directly to the root of each plant. I've been so pleased with the results.
