Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Feb 9, 2009, at 7:50 AM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> I want to throw out another observation in the 'for what it's worth'
> department.  One hears a lot about potting soil formulae.  The uber- 
> rich potting soil,
> says I, is a mistake.  I believe it was Rudolph Steiner that  
> promoted the
> breakfast-lunch-dinner pricincple of plant propogation. . . .
>
> So the potting soil I use is peat with a little wood ashes in it, or  
> creek
> sand with a very little compost added.

Seeds want to live and will sprout and attempt to live no matter  
conditions. All they need in the beginning is moisture, then a rooting  
medium and light. The roots are programmed to go to depth and width  
that has proved successful--alas, we don't always know what those  
successful conditions were. But that is one of the pleasures of  
gardening, the certain accretion of knowledge that comes each year to  
the observant gardener.

That moist beginning is the critical one. When you make your potting  
medium, include peat or screened woods duff and you will be fine if  
you water every day until the water runs through. Should plants show  
weakness, add a touch of compost tea to the water.

I never do the lunch period. The rooted plants go directly into garden  
soil in their final growing place.

Rudolph Steiner was a very intelligent, creative and productive dude  
who did much good work and inspired many people to do more. Keep in  
mind that he is also the one who advised gardeners to make compost  
elixer in a cow's horn under strict conditions. He also liked  
astrology and planting by various planetary alignments. I know people  
who do all that, for whom biodynamic gardening is as a religion. Among  
them were the neighbors who came to my garden one summer to harvest my  
excess tomatoes because their crops failed.

Gene GeRue
www.RURALIZE.com