Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Very true. As Ken stated you can make productive soil anywhere, and he
knows.  I think everybody should grow something wherever they are. You can
do it on bad land if you're just growing for yourself, or if you're in a
country where labor and land is almost free. 

But growing for market is a special problem, like that Kim's CSA. If you're
growing for market, in this country, you simply won't survive as a business
if you have to spend too many years and too much money making good soil out
of dead dirt. Why not? Because most market growers work on a slim profit
margin to begin with. Starting with dead dirt is two strikes before you
start. It's bad business. I keep repeating, if we don't treat market
growing as a business we'll be out of business. Then who'll provide the
fresh, local, organic produce? 

And while we're on the subject, how many growers have any clue about cost
accounting? How many don't even realize they're losing money on it? How
many know all the best practices to raise marketable production per unit of
land, to control costs, to reduce labor, water use, and losses to pests? 

We recognize that not all land, not every part of the country can support
local market growing. In some places, the soil can't produce profitably for
the grower at a price most people can afford to pay. Try it if you've got
money to burn. Otherwise, just improve your own soil to grow for yourself.
And add to our knowledge base, as Laura put it. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 12/8/2006 at 12:12 AM Laura McKenzie wrote:

>Keep in mind, too, that not all of us have a choice as to where we live. 
>Sometimes we have to make the best out of where we're at.  And when we do 
>that, we're adding to a knowledge base that is going to come in handy
>sooner 
>or later.
>
>  I like the idea that some of can say," what do you mean you can't grow 
>anything on your land (in your yard)? If I can do it on my land, anyone 
>can."  No excuses left.
>
>[Steve, I haven't answered your hugelkultur questions yet.  That's because

>we're about to build some new beds and I thought photos would be more 
>helpful than my descriptions.   I'll let you know when we get this done.]