Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Apr 30, 2008, at 7:26 PM, Lisa K.V. Perry wrote:

> Thought it was interesting that you add calcium to broccoli to help  
> it grow
> and that it ends up being a good source of calcium.

The vast majority of people do not make the connection between soil  
constituent parts and plant nutrient parts. Plants are miraculous in  
genetic uniqueness and photosynthesis. But they cannot manufacture  
minerals. If the soil is lacking, the plants and fruits will be  
lacking. Monoculture of any plant mines the soil. Very few commercial  
farmers replace all the various micronutrients taken up by the plants.  
All those cute nutrition books that purport to tell what various  
nutrients foods provide are based on old data derived from the  
analysis of plants from decades ago, useless today. If you want your  
garden to do its part to help maintain your optimal health, you will  
provide a wide range of mineral products to the soil.