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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Drought preparation

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Drought preparation
  • Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:30:32 -0700


Let's add that decomposed organic matter is the kind that retains moisture
and builds production. It can be finished compost - manure or plant based -
or green vegetation worked into the top inches of soil, or better yet just
added as mulch on top for rain and microbes to do their thing without
disturbing the soil profile. We've learned that cover crops that make root
mass and/or fix nitrogen also add decomposing organic matter, and the
mychorrizal symbiosis goes further to produce glomalin and build humus. You
end with the rich, black growing soil that can hold 80% of its weight in
water without waterlogging and will not leach nutrients appreciably. Soil
building is *the* indispensable key to sustaining our populations with
dwindling surface water, depleting aquifers, and disastrous climate swings.
Few things could be more vital to the health and diet of all people.

As for innovations in drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting, we need all
the best practices we can develop, and that kind of information needs to be
shared as widely as possible. And as quickly as possible. Climate and
weather problems are suddenly becoming more unpredictable.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 11/12/2006 at 12:58 PM Laura McKenzie wrote:

>Gloria beat me to it. Everything I've read says the more OM the better
>in
>drought situations. We also had a drought from May until mid October.
>I'm
>going to have to do some serious thinking about how to irrigate everything

>better. We use raised beds. Usually in Alabama this is ideal given the
>amounts of rain we get. But this year the raised beds had big evaporation

>problems even with heavy mulching.
>
> Laura
>><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>`` ><>``
>Laura's Homeschooling, Garden, and Genealogy Site
>is found here: http://home.att.net/~ekyorigins
>``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<>< ``<><
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Livingontheland mailing list
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