Intro to Soil Health
Cabbage Plants and New Corn Plants
Soil health is key to healthy, happy, and vigorous plants. Maintaing healthy soil is not a one time thing, but a continuous, lifelong process, since soil nutrients can deplete after every growing season. However, its not as easy as going to the store and buying chemical fertilizers. Depending on what you buy, that might even make matters worse, as this may add harmful chemicals to your plants, particularly if you're using growing food. Even though it might be time consuming to get started, once you're on a roll it will be easy to maintain your soil fertile, your plants happy, and your body healthy. 🥳
Following are some simple tips to achieve this (*We will provide more detail in following posts):
1) *Start a compost pile. If done properly, this will not only give you healthier soil, but it can also save you money.
2) *Ask a friend, neighbor, or as a last resort buy bagged manure to make your soil nitrogen rich, which many plants require for beautiful, green foliage. But be careful, as for some plants too much nitrogen will hinder flowering and thus decrease fruit production. If possible, get the manure from organically fed cattle or horses.
3) *Buy worms and start you own little worm farm. These will multiply by the hundreds and help your plants grow beautiful and healthy by adding nutrients through their castings. I find this in my soil now everywhere I look in my garden.
4) *Mulching your plants not only keeps your soil moist, but starts breaking down in the soil which adds organic matter. This makes your soil fluffy and possibly adds nutrients, depending on what type of mulch you use. You can opt for alfalfa hay, grass clippings, wood chips or straw, which is more commonly used. Again, if possible, use an organically grown medium.
Mulched Potato Plants
5) *Make your own fertilizers with banana peels, grass clippings, chicken droppings, and eggshells, and many other mediums.
6) *No-till gardening is a good way to keep your soil’s beneficial micro-organisms alive and working for you.
7) Finally, (but not least 😁) at the end of the growing season, resist the urge to pull out your drying or wilted plant. I know you probably want to tidy up your garden for the winter, and you can still do that to a point, however, it's best to chop your plants to soil level, leaving the roots in the ground. Simply chop and drop, but only the tops. This leaves your beneficial micro-organisms with a place to thrive and continue to feed off of during the winter. Don't leave your friends without a home and food. You'll lose them if you do.
So, don’t pass up the chance to watch the miracle of life sprout and grow in front of your eyes. Praise God everyday for the opportunity he has given us to participate in this miraculous process!
- Vasti F, Main Gardner of SunFlores Farm
4/14/23
