Soil, to me, is the living breathing skin of our planet. I worship it and believe soil health and mankind’s health is inextricably linked. I have never had more nutritious, delicious, less suspicious food than non-hybrid fruit and vegetables grown in beautiful soil. Furthermore, I prefer feeling connected with mother nature. Akin to making your own stocks for cooking compared to buying yeast and salt laden powders to be whisked with water to approximate the real stuff.
Great soil is rocks that have broken down over millennia, mixed with air, water and organic matter which supports not only the plants in it, but the incomprehensibly vast world of living organisms which work there symbiotically. My job is to get the balance just right. There are too many books and articles on this subject for me to write more. So instead, here is my journey.
Naume, 28 years ago, put me on the path to composts, manures, liquid manures, fish scraps and seaweeds. In his absence I experimented with organism-rich liquid composts, the use of potash from the fire and other black magic pagan ritualistic methods. So over the years, I have built up a soil the envy of many. This was confirmed when Noel from Elders Bairnsdale did a soil test. Please do a soil test before you begin your very first veggie garden bed. You never know, the previous occupant may have held agent orange parties or leaked sump oil there. Know what you’re starting with.
NEUTROG AND ME.
Please note, I love creating my black magic potions of composts, liquid manures, fish extracts and such. However, for maximum success nurturing soil and the plants within, practically everybody will need to seek the advice or research from a knowledgeable source regarding supplementing your self supply. My guys are Neutrog. Check out their site to get a feel for the approach, products and services. We will be using them on our farm and you will be able to gauge the results.
At the point of replanting an area that had been fallow for 4 years, I decided to super enrich my soil with an organic, microorganism friendly, water retaining product from Neutrog called SEAMUNGUS. All of the reviews read exceptionally well and it ticked all my boxes of sustainable practices. One of the German Frauleins (don’t ask) is seen here scattering the Seamungus pellets over the soil at the rate recommended to me by Vince from Neutrog. Vince and I will be getting our heads together with soil nurturing strategies.
Here you can see Charles (not a German Fraulein) applying Gyganic and GoGo Juice according to Vince from Neutrog’s recommendation for our beloved fruit trees. We are now expecting the world’s biggest, most flavoursome fruit. Otherwise I’ll be tracking Vince down! Really – our trees are incredibly healthy, having been pruned by Geoff Brookes, expert orchardist. They have plenty of fruit buds and with this delicious feed we’ve just given them, we’re looking forward to a bumper crop of outstanding apples, pears, plums, cherries, quinces and more.
