Building healthy soil
For many years, more than 25, I have been growing edible crops and flowers (I dont grow flowers atm) and understand the needs of the soil some what. As I keep going, I learn more and from what I see that I have learned, I will keep on learning at this pace for as long as I live.
My current soil, when I started working it four years ago, when dug, was like slate. Very compresed and had no organic matter or life in in, save the bramble roots. It was about 18 inches deep, very few worms and sits on boulder clay and fragmented sandstone. A very cold, 'late' soil, very acid looking and very receptive to the likes of creeping buttercup.
Through adding leaf mould, lime, borax, well rotted stable manure, sand, crushed granite and double digging, I have brought it to life. On digging it today ( and it has rained near solid for 4 weeks here, common sense said not to dig), it was light and friable. You could have eaten the stuff, never mind growing things in it.
I put to you Zoklet, tell me your soil type, and I will try and offer an organic solution to get it to a decent standard - this is the type of soil I have worked with, being the predominant one in my area, but have also worked with chalk soils and beach gardens, maybe I can apply what I have learned to your situation.
Sounds like a load of hippy crap, but I believe rebuilding the soils of the world will be more beneficial than all the trees you could plant or all the diesel you wont use.
My current soil, when I started working it four years ago, when dug, was like slate. Very compresed and had no organic matter or life in in, save the bramble roots. It was about 18 inches deep, very few worms and sits on boulder clay and fragmented sandstone. A very cold, 'late' soil, very acid looking and very receptive to the likes of creeping buttercup.
Through adding leaf mould, lime, borax, well rotted stable manure, sand, crushed granite and double digging, I have brought it to life. On digging it today ( and it has rained near solid for 4 weeks here, common sense said not to dig), it was light and friable. You could have eaten the stuff, never mind growing things in it.
I put to you Zoklet, tell me your soil type, and I will try and offer an organic solution to get it to a decent standard - this is the type of soil I have worked with, being the predominant one in my area, but have also worked with chalk soils and beach gardens, maybe I can apply what I have learned to your situation.
Sounds like a load of hippy crap, but I believe rebuilding the soils of the world will be more beneficial than all the trees you could plant or all the diesel you wont use.