Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

As it happens, we explored the Snowflake area a while back before settling
back in NM where we are now. Oddly, it was named for two LDS pioneers, a
Mr. Snow and a Mr. Flake (how Show Low got its name is another story). Some
of the alluvial land is so good they have an annual corn festival. But just
above the valleys are barren hills and plateaus that struggle to grow small
junipers and no grass at all. And some of it is so poisonous there are
eroded mounds and hills with colored chemicals in visible layers that
nothing will ever grown in. People buying acreage in those barren hills
don't garden. If they want to they can make fertile raised beds above
ground level, by lasagna layering, as if they're making beds on top of a
concrete driveway. They'd have to mulch and probably rotate cover crops to
attain humus-rich soil. And the Soil Secrets biologicals can speed up the
process no doubt, but you have to have some kind of soil base to start
with. But digging into straight barren  subsoil is useless, and double
digging would be twice as useless. For mixing compost and existing soil you
really need some sort of soil to start with. For example, my soil grows
rabbit brush and clump grass. I can improve it, but only because it's soil
to begin with, not barren caliche or gravelly sand that won't let a blade
of grass sprout. I can create healthy, productive soil in one season, and
so can anyone with a little effort. If it takes five years with the dirt
you've got to begin with, I think it's worse than pointless. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 12/4/2006 at 11:44 PM Tradingpost wrote:

>What I'd like to know is what kind of soil was she trying to improve to
>begin with, was she just adding compost and nothing else, what kind of
>compost, was she mixing it with the soil, was she keeping it moist enough
>to "cook" and get the biologicals going, and did she ever try grasses or
>legumes to build mycorrhyzal activity for humus building. Her use of your
>biologicals isn't the problem, but the photo shows about three inches of
>topsoil built over 4 or 5 years. In my book that would qualify as years
>totally wasted. Again, I don't question the effectiveness of your
>biologicals, just the futility of trying to make productive soil
>economically out of dead alkaline desert sand or caliche. Frankly, I'd
just
>move somewhere else. Anywhere else!
>
>paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
>
>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
>On 12/4/2006 at 9:32 PM Soilsecrets@aol.com wrote:
>
>>Hi Bob,
>> 
>>The picture I sent showing a farm in the desert of Northern Arizona is
not
>> 
>>really a commercial farm, but rather is a CSA Organic farm.  They grow
>>only  
>>for members!   It's about 1 difficult hour drive outside of Snowflake  as
>>the 
>>roads are extremely rough.  The farm is completely off the grid  which is
>>why 
>>they use solar powered well pumps to get water.  Another  interesting
>>point 
>>about the site is that for 15 years this person practiced an  intensive
>>double dug 
>>lasagna technique to try and develop the soils.  And  in fact even
>>developed 
>>a DVD and a class for the local community college called  'Double dug
>>lasagna 
>>for building your soils'.  She did this and also had  huge compost piles 
>>always in the works, adding the finished compost to the  soil.  She also
>>used 
>>Compost tea faithfully.  But after 15 years there  was still not that
much
>>humus 
>>soil formation found on the site.  Her  production was ok, but not great
>>and her 
>>water needs where high.  She has  now used our protocol on the site for 4
>>to 
>>5 years and there is now a thick A  horizon of humus rich topsoil and her

>>watering needs have dropped  significantly.  While this is exciting for
me
>>to see, 
>>it does not surprise  me as we've replicated this success in desert areas
>>all 
>>over the world.   Check out this photo of the soil. I'm sorry if the
image
>
>>does not email across  for you, it's the only way I know how to send
>>pictures.  
>> 
>>Michael Martin Melendrez
>>_www.soilsecrets.com_ (http://www.soilsecrets.com)  
>> 
>>
>> 
>> 
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
>
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