138 – Helen Atthowe Listener Questions

Paul Wheaton, Jocelyn Campbell, and Helen Atthowe respond to listener questions. Helen talks about soil testing and base saturation. Helen talks about “bad” compost, and the positive benefits of adding compost to your soil. They talk about some soils potentially being too rich. They discuss topsoil, and what is good or bad. Paul talks about organic matter for the soil, and the work of Ruth Stout. Helen shares what she has learned from Masanobu Fukuoka. Helen shares about Wes Jackson of the Land Institute, who has done work with perennial grains, and his analysis of human population numbers and what the world can handle. Paul thinks we can double the population and be fine. Helen talks about the value of forest gardens, and of thinking about a healthy population not just in terms of humans, but all sentient beings. Paul quotes Sepp Holzer saying that all the world’s food could be raised in Russia. They talk about whether polyculture yields more or less food.

Discussing the podcast.