A large part of my acre is in grass – all kinds of grass – whatever grass decides to grow there. If I were to use this place to produce for the market the incentive would be to plow fence line to fence line and then plant a few high value crops. I might be able to make a profit but I would be diminishing the life process of this place. This place would no longer be able to provide nutrients, and beneficial insects, and native pollinators – all that would need to be imported.

Instead, I let most of the acre be what it wants to be – grass. I spend nothing on it except my effort to cut it once a year and move it into my garden. In return for the welcome I give to all the plants and creatures who choose to live in this place – this place gives me all those things – nutrients, beneficial insects, native pollinators. Those things are inherent in the transactions that occur here. Each transaction is an exchange of resources and as the transactions occur and re-occur those resources accumulate in this place.

In this place we support more plants and creatures contributing to more and more transactions that occur and reoccur. Each cycle feeds the following cycle and that builds more resources. We increase fertility over time instead of depleting fertility.