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Re: who is this Jeff Balls bloke?

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

> I may have missed the first of this/these thread(s)........who is Jeff
> Balls?  What is the ref?
> 
> Judy (zone 7, close-in SS, MD)

Author:  Jeff Ball
Book:  Jeff Ball's 60-minute vegatable garden.
ISBN 0-02-030376-9

I found it in a used bookstore for $6  printed in 85 by rodale
press printed in 92 by collier.
I just ran across this book.  Bill apparently had also bumped
into it in some compacity recently.  

Jeff does not bring much new to the subject of Sqft to those
who have read the Mel book, (of course Mel did not invent
most of that stuff either, he just combined it (and simplifed)
it into one book quite nicely I think) he basically reinforces
the same idea of intensive gardening with minimum inputs
especially of time.  The one thing he had (as mentioned 
in this group) that caught my (and I believe Bill's) eye
was his way of putting up a hoop greenhouse that was
also adaptible for other purposes.  It seemed quite 
appropriate to my garden (I hope so, I am trying it this
year) and I believe it is worth looking at, at least for
those of us who want to extend our growing season.

Jeff pushes some of Mel's idea a little further then Mel 
did.  For example Jeff suggests putting a soaker hose
down on your raised beds then covering the beds in plastic.
All planting is done right through the plastic.  This reduces
the water requirements quite a bit, not to forget that the 
plastic eliminates all weeding and helps the soil get
warm faster.  Come summer he just covers the plastic
with some mulch (purely to shade the plastic and defeat
it's heat gathering ability).  

Jeff also talks about a topic I have only heard mentioned
once or twice.  Forget about "starting" x weeks early or late
etc, but take the grounds temperature.  Certain plants will
thrive when the ground reaches a certain temperature,
If I use a hoop or plastic or other way of extending the season
the idea of a themometer gives me a possible way of 
determining how early I can plant, rather then say 4 weeks
early that may not take into account my current season
weather conditions.  

Jeff mentions putting your vertical structures on the
west or east ends of the beds.  This contradicts Mel
and I am still trying to collect data on which way is best.

As for why I kept mentioning his name in posts.  When
I use or talk about somebody elses ideas, I like to
give them credit.  

Well I have wasted enough of everyone's time with this
post.  Time to cut some PVC down to size and who
know maybe start some broccoli starts.  12 weeks to 
last frost here in Lincoln Nebraska.

Oh one other note.  If you read around on this topic
of intensive gardening, you quickly read the same back
ground in all the books (french bio intensive gardening,
the work of so and so back in the 60s in california, etc)
I get the impression that all these books try to improve
on each other, and some ideas get repeated and others
(say using non organic techniques) fade away in the 
later books.  I noticed in one of the pictures in Jeffs
book that he had in the pictures one of the pods and
pod extenders of elliot colemans book the four
season harvest.  (I think, I may have that citation
completely wrong)  Jeff does not mention this 
"appliance" at all but it does evidence that he had
been reading and trying out some of the gizmos
from the other literature.  Just interesting.

Ron Souliere


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