At the summer solstice 2010, I began lettuce seedling trials in Accelerator trays with several types of biochar in the greenhouse at Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville, NY. I had no plan or prior intention to conduct any trials, and had only thre days to form a plan before the project began.

Results of these explorations are extra-ordinary and unexpected—all dramatic demonstrations of biochar's value in soil to enhance plant growth vigor and vitality. In fact, results contradict conventional wisdom about how biochar should be used in soil.

In her IBI Guide to Conduct Biochar Field Trials, Dr. Julie Major recommends a simple first test of each type of biochar to determine if it is suitable and safe for use with plants: seedling germination and growth. A few replications of a simple pot trial with germinating seeds can quickly highlight any potential plant toxicity. Most commonly this test is done with lettuce due to its sensitivity to soil metals, minerals and microbes, although radish or clover are often substituted. In this case, Johnny's Select Seeds donated a large pack with a wide assortment of lettuce seeds—a few thousand seeds, over two dozen varieties.

The first test began in late June, with composted chicken manure and an unusual fly ash "biochar" from NH (60% carbon fly ash). I had just landed at Saratoga Apple in early June, and this trial was an unplanned, spontaneous coincidence of opportunity and resources: a 1-year-old pile of chicken manure, a new greenhouse, a 1-gallon sample bag of "biochar", a complimentary jumbo pack of assorted lettuce seed, a stack of Accelerator trays resurrected from my house—all converged to contrive the launch of this series of unexpected experiments.

Below is my final photo of the first trial, taken July 14:

This year, Saratoga Apple owner Nate Darrow is erecting two 90x30 foot greenhouses to begin an attempt at 4-season farming. The first greenhouse was up and ready to plant by the end of spring. Growing beds were fertilized with an assortment of rockdusts, sea products and organic materials in a first step to implement "nutrient-dense" strategy for fertility and food quality. The second greenhouse will be completed by the end of October. Many plants in the third trial will be transplanted into this second greenhouse for a winter crop of greens.

One goal of this biochar effort is to design, build and test a burner to make biochar that also heats the greenhouse, both process heat for direct space heating, hot water from a heat exchanger for a secondary heating system, and by capturing combustible gases generated by pyrolysis. The goal is to capture carbon as biochar rather than expelling all the CO2 as combustion gases, for a carbon-negative greenhouse heater. Adding biochar to greenhouse and other farm soils will sequester that carbon, and begin the process of reversing the greenhouse gas effect. Through fall and winter, greenhouse production can be increased by the extra heat, enhancing regional food security, and amassing biochar to add to more soils in the spring.

Many practical questions must be addressed to effectively introduce biochar to Northeast farming practices. On one side is the simple question whether any specific biochar is suitable and safe for use with plants. On the other end, issues must be addressed to figure how to integrate biochar into farm soils and farming practices. These greenhouse trials can begin to resolve these issue and supply clear, reliable answers. In the process, we will learn and test the effective, efficient ways to incorporate biochar into farm operations.