Microfarming + Biochar 15-Oct-2025

Thanks to G. Edward Griffen for the lead to this story.
How a 1/10 Acre Microfarm Feeds 35 Families All Year Long in Los Angeles
https://needtoknow.news/2025/10/how-a-1-10-acre-microfarm-feeds-35-families-all-year-long-in-los-angeles/
Grow enough food in your yard to feed your family and more! See how this water-saving, nutrient-dense method grows more food in less space and learn how you can replicate it in your own yard.

Biochar: The Oldest New Thing You've Never Heard Of | Wae Nelson | TEDxOrlando
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0YNFn9Dloc
Jun 17, 2019
Wae Nelson was employed as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace and defense industries for many years, working both as a designer and as a manager in manufacturing. He then went on to publish a magazine beloved by local gardeners, Florida Gardening, and to pursue his passion for biochar — a diy, scalable technique to both improve horticultural yields and sequester carbon simultaneously. Wae Nelson was employed as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace and defense industries for many years, working both as a designer and as a manager in manufacturing. He then went on to publish a magazine beloved by local gardeners, Florida Gardening, and to pursue his passion for biochar — a diy, scalable technique to both improve horticultural yields and sequester carbon simultaneously. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Carbon in the soil is very advantageous.

There are pages of DIY instructions on how to build your own biochar/charcoal on YouTube. Store bought potting soil has been sterilized so it is not the best for plants because all the good bacteria along with the bad have been eradicated. You will need to find organic unsterilized soil to grow your garden. Carbon takes at least one year to sequester enough nutrients to be beneficial to plants. The good news is that by using this system you will need a lot less than planting in full soil.