Maintainig your soil

[Chuck]

A healthy soil is a balanced soil. By that I mean a balance of Organic Material, micro-nutrients and micro-organisms. How, you ask, do I do this juggling act? The easiest way is to just keep a lot of Organic Material incorporated into your soil and the easiest way to do this is composting and Mother Nature will do the rest. There are many ways and techniques of composting and everyone has their favorite method. All composting is, is basically rotting organic wastes and it is simple to do. There are other threads in the gardening forums describing how. What is important is keeping it incorporated into you soil. There are ways to enhance your compost, whether you make your own or buy it at a store and that is by using compost tea.

 

[Trellum]

Thanks, Chuck. I want to become an organic gardener someday (I plan to grow a few edibles) so this kind of tips will definitely help I don't want to use commercial fertilizers of any kind, do you think having a good soil quality will be enough for my edibles? Or got more tips to share regarding to that?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, Chuck. I want to become an organic gardener someday (I plan to grow a few edibles) so this kind of tips will definitely help I don't want to use commercial fertilizers of any kind, do you think having a good soil quality will be enough for my edibles? Or got more tips to share regarding to that?

As long as you maintain proper balance you will need little if any "fertilizer'. Organic methods act as fertilizers. I have had the garden I have now for 9 years and at first getting it balanced was a job and I actually had to buy quite a bit of Organic fertilizer. I don't need much at all now and my garden is just a tad shy of 1/4 acre. I am going to be posting new Organic Threads for the forseeable future. I am just getting started. Stay tuned

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

Composting is good for the organic components in a garden. If you are looking to improve inorganic components such as minerals, one thing to do is to water and let the soil dry out (and repeat). The water dissolves the minerals in the soil to a small degree and the evaporation of the water draws those minerals up towards the surface and into your planting region of the soil. One common error is to continually over-water and to effectively flush the minerals out of the soil. Doing it right can alleviate the necessity for adding bone or blood meal to the soil.

 

[headfullofbees]

Seaweed is excellent for replacing soil minerals, as is seaweed extract.
It picks up all of these minerals from the sea.
It also contains natural plant growth hormone and a low, but available amount of potash.

 

[Chuck]

Seaweed is excellent for replacing soil minerals, as is seaweed extract.
It picks up all of these minerals from the sea.
It also contains natural plant growth hormone and a low, but available amount of potash.

Yes it is, and one of the best amendments to the soil out there, plus its other uses are very helpful as well

 

[headfullofbees]

Yes it is, and one of the best amendments to the soil out there, plus its other uses are very helpful as well

Do you mean its ability to help light/sandy soils retain more water?

I'm fortunate enough to have a static caravan (trailer) holiday home 10ft from the sea in Luce Bay South-west Scotland, where seaweed grows in abundance and no-one minds me taking a bit.
I inherited an apple tree when I recently got my allotment, an apple tree which had never fruited or blossomed much.
Any way, I cleared away the weeds from around it, forked in some fb&b and volcanic rockdust, gave it a good drink of a-a compost tea with some seaweed extract, and mulched it with well-rotted horse manure and seaweed.
They were all looking at me like I was but the blossom!!!! Thousands of blossoms!!!
They come and ask.
I tell you, the best form of advertising is doing, then letting them come and ask.

 

[Chuck]

Do you mean its ability to help light/sandy soils retain more water?

I'm fortunate enough to have a static caravan (trailer) holiday home 10ft from the sea in Luce Bay South-west Scotland, where seaweed grows in abundance and no-one minds me taking a bit.
I inherited an apple tree when I recently got my allotment, an apple tree which had never fruited or blossomed much.
Any way, I cleared away the weeds from around it, forked in some fb&b and volcanic rockdust, gave it a good drink of a-a compost tea with some seaweed extract, and mulched it with well-rotted horse manure and seaweed.
They were all looking at me like I was but the blossom!!!! Thousands of blossoms!!!
They come and ask.
I tell you, the best form of advertising is doing, then letting them come and ask.

I hadn't thought much about about water retention bu yes, that and the ability to physically help and protect the actual plants themselves.

 

[Trellum]

As long as you maintain proper balance you will need little if any "fertilizer'. Organic methods act as fertilizers. I have had the garden I have now for 9 years and at first getting it balanced was a job and I actually had to buy quite a bit of Organic fertilizer. I don't need much at all now and my garden is just a tad shy of 1/4 acre. I am going to be posting new Organic Threads for the forseeable future. I am just getting started. Stay tuned

Awesome, Chuck! You are my hero!!!! I was a bit disappointed to see most people here don't believe organic gardening is that feasible long term, but you came in here like a light of hope! It's great to have someone who knows it's possible and can be done!

 

[Chuck]

Awesome, Chuck! You are my hero!!!! I was a bit disappointed to see most people here don't believe organic gardening is that feasible long term, but you came in here like a light of hope! It's great to have someone who knows it's possible and can be done!

That is one of my goals in this forum---to show that organic gardening can be self sustaining.. Even large growers are starting to use a few organic methods now. I am just a very faint almost invisible light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Trellum]

You are like a huge shining sun to me in this forum Since I think there is maybe only one member who practices completely organic gardening? But I think he is no longer an active member of this forum. You are too modest