Do-nothing farming recognized that there was a natural intelligence at work in the land, and therefore the most intelligent thing for the farmer to do was to interfere as little as possible.

But surely this is better than suffocating the land with concrete and herbaceous borders? That method tends to be fast and convenient, and may be more accepted by our culture and the gardening industry, but it doesn’t encourage an intimate relationship between you and the land – or any connection at all, for that matter.

Fuller, the old-schooler that he is, buries compost that is at the height of its decomposing process under a shallow layer of dirt inside his hothouses. The compost, which is biodegrading and making heat, will keep the hothouse warm enough for most of the winter.