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| If you are new to the term ORGANIC
GARDENING, this page is for you. If you are an ORGANIC GARDENER, we
hope you will enjoy picking up a new tip or two.
Why ORGANIC?
Raising
vegetables using commercial chemical fertilizers was introduced to the food
growing community shortly after World War II. It was believed that
through the miracle of chemistry, there could be a easy, push button,
predictable, get it
now with no chance of failure to successful growing of food. For the most part this
approach seemed to work. Only after a few decades did we really
realize what we were doing to the soil, the atmosphere and the quality of
the food being raised this way. Why
ORGANIC?
It's the only way to reverse
the down hill trend we are gong in. |
| Listed here are the intro approaches
to to ORGANIC GARDENING |
Let's start with the most logical beginning "THE
SOIL"
IMPROVE SOIL STRUCTURE
Unfortunately, you can't build loam by simply mixing the component parts. However, if you have a non-loam soil you can improve its
drainage while at the same time improving air circulation by adding organic matter such as compost, ground bark, sawdust, leaf mold,
manure, and peat moss; the goal---a crumbly, granular soil.
Two mineral compounds--gypsum and lime--can improve aeration and drainage of clay soils. Each contains calcium which causes
clay particles to group together, forming soil "crumbs" larger than the individual particles. That makes the air spaces between crumbs
bigger, too. Do not use gypsum and lime as substitutes for organic materials, because they do not directly aid soil microorganisms,
nor do they contribute to nutrient retention.
Use gypsum if your clay soil is highly alkaline because of excess sodium. Spread file gypsum on top of the soil (the usual
recommendation is "like a light snow") and spade it in. This will be approximately 35-50 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
If high acidity of clay soil is a problem, add lime. First, be sure to test your soil lo determine its pH A soil test with us will
recommend the quantity of lime to add to your soil for the plants you plan to grow.
A large amount of clay particles in a soil means limited air space. The tiny clay particles lump together, holding tightly to water, and
little space is left for air to enter. Spading decaying organic matter into this heavy soil "lightens" it in two ways: The coarse organic
particles act as temporary wedges between compacted soil particles; the very fine, more fully decomposed parts of the organic matter
(humus) are sticky and act as a glue to aggregate or hold the fine clay particles together in small crumbs. This loosens up the clay
and allows it to "breathe".
Sandy soils have the opposite problem from clay soils--there is too much space around the large irregular particles. This lets in plenty
of air but fails to hold water. Add a fine textured organic material to, sandy soil and particles will lodge in the large spaces between
the sand grains, acting as sponges to catch the water and keep it within the reach of roots
CLAY drains slowly SAND drains too rapidly. LOAM drains host.
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