Garden On, Vashon

Sprouting Broccoli on left was planted in soil enriched with biochar

Turn brush and scraps into a useful soil amendment with Biochar.

Biochar is a charcoal fired in a low-oxygen stove at temperatures twice as hot as fuel charcoal, which makes a cleaner product (I rubbed it in my fingers, see photos below). The burn method sequesters carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere as does brush-fires, burning the Amazon, or letting brush decay over time.

Creating biochar can make use of scrap wood, bones, woody brush such as blackberry vines and scotch broom. Making bio-char could solve a common disposal problem for Islanders and create a useful amendment for acid soils in the garden.

Biochar makes a long-lasting soil amendment that can raise pH in soils, store water, and create in-soil habitat for soil microbes. It can substitute for liming in acidic soils and has an immediate and long-lasting effect.

At the Sustainable Practices meeting, Art Donnelly of SeaChar.org will talk about bio-char: what it is, what it’s good for, how to use it in the garden and for carbon sequestration. He’ll bring examples plus a couple models of biochar stoves. 

In the “with/without” photo above, Islander Ken Miller shows the difference between sprouting broccoli planted in a bed that contains biochar, and a bed without. He told me the major difference between these beds is the biochar in the bed with the bigger broccoli—even though the other broccoli was planted earlier and in more sunlight. 

I saw Ken demonstrate his biochar stove at the Compost Fest (photos below). His five-gallon metal bucket can, within approx. an hour, render scrap wood like alder or blackberry vines into biochar at temperatures reaching 800°. Similar stoves will be at the Thursday demonstration.

Ken plans on holding a stove-making workshop in January: for a nominal fee of $35-40 (estimated at this time), you will walk away with a biochar stove (see photos of the demonstration below). He says “People should see a demonstration before doing biochar production at home; I’d hate to see somebody go home and light up their garbage can with a bunch of wood in it.”

Here’s a link to a 10-minute video on biochar, showing the burning process and results: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMUmby8PpU

For more information, contact Sustainable Practices chair Kyle Cruver at kyle@cruverdesign.com or phone him at 567-4068. Or contact Ken Miller (my source), who demonstrated his biochar stove at the Compost Fest:  islandcanyons@yahoo.com.

Ken Miller shows off his biochar stove at Compost Fest. From upper left: loaded stove with oxygen exposure; the burn begins; stack in position (no burning happening); a clean piece of biochar AFTER I've rubbed it around in my hand.