@jasonvivier IF you are of belief that solar energy makes nutrients, try again. Photosynthesis is the gas of the plant that allows it to convert the nutrients it gets from the ground (small amount through leaves) into the plant (& it's fruits). While air is mostly nitrogen, the plant gets most of its nitrogen through the root system. In trouble shooting problems, always look at pH and roots first-unless it's an insect problem.
On a personnal note, I use no commercial chemicals on my garden-never have. I do the old back breaking job of hoeing and mulching. My sand burns roots off if I don't mulch.
We will not be able to discuss this because of definitions you choose to use. Starting with monoculture. Just because a field is in corn doesn't mean that is the only crop that he grows and that field is in corn every year. You are limiting the size. Whether my garden is 1,000 acres or 10 sq. feet, at some point only one crop will be at a certain point. I use companion crops but I can tell you with 100% certainty that in Indiana, the moths will find tomatoes and you will have horn worms. IF you don't kill them, they will destroy your tomatos before the wasp finds them. Been there, done that.
What some refuse to understand is that predators only come in when the food source is plentiful-which means they have done their damage. I clearly prefer to take the damaging insects out before they get to that point.
I'm gone-peace.
And that applies to most anything in life. Most folks waste that much time watching TV every evening....there's ALWAYS time if what you want is in the balance. Folks spend more than 2 hrs watching a movie in a theater and on TV and don't consider it wasted because it was something they wanted to do. 
