Compost Tea
There’s been a lot of excitement in the last 15 years about the benefits of compost tea and nearly as much confusion about what it is. The benefits are all the same as those things microbes do in the...
View ArticleCover Crops
Cover crops are traditionally thought of as plants used when the garden or field is empty, such as over winter and sometimes over summer. But I like to broaden this definition to also include plants...
View ArticleIndoor Composting
Perhaps you don’t have the room or inclination to make a full-sized outdoor compost pile. Fortunately, even a small amount of compost can be highly beneficial. This article outlines two methods of...
View ArticleMicroorganism Inoculants
Do you have too much compost? I know I don’t. It’s always in short supply. Most of us don’t have too much organic matter in our soil either. In fact, most of us don’t have nearly enough. Microbes are...
View ArticleEffective Microorganisms
Dr. Teruo Higa started studying microorganisms in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly at Ryukyus University in Okinawa, Japan. By the early 1980s, he was perfecting his liquid culture of specific “facultative...
View ArticleSupplementing Nutrients
Microbes and plants need nutrients. We can supply most of these nutrients through good mulches and well-made compost, but not only do we need the nutrients, we need them in specific amounts in relation...
View ArticleCalcium and Phosphorus
Calcium and phosphorus are two of the most important nutrients for plants. One of the most common “disease” symptoms in tomatoes – blossom end rot – is really a sign of calcium deficiency. Conventional...
View ArticleMajor Plant Nutrients
While calcium and phosphorus are often considered the most important minerals among organic and biological gardeners and farmers, we know it’s not that simple. A granite quarry in Madrid province,...
View ArticleWhat’s the most important thing you want to know?
Spring is finally here! And that means my online organic gardening course is now open for enrolment! The Academy Sunday, Apr 7 – Trench Composting Here’s the low down… When? Any time of year – whenever...
View ArticleMaking Compost
The last post was an intro to compost and now it’s time to make it. There are many composting methods, but the most common is probably the outdoor, above-ground compost pile, and it’s a good method....
View Article
