Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Easy. If plants grow exceptionally well and are reasonably free from pests
and disease, the soil is healthy. But the complete absence of bugs and
disease is not the goal, nor should it be. A natural ecological balance has
lots of bugs of all sorts as well as predators that eat bugs, and others
that eat them. Spraying for bugs disturbs the natural balance. Some bugs
are needed to keep the predators alive that prevent catastrophic outbreaks.


We're blanketed with grasshoppers right now, with plenty of squash bugs,
bean beetles, and who knows what else. But almost no damage. It's healthy
soil, without added synthetic nitrogen that attracts pests, and plenty of
trace minerals added from organic sources. Production is high and the taste
of every veggie is outstanding. And this is land that grew nothing but
rabbit brush. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 9/3/2007 at 1:34 PM Ryan Albinger wrote:

>How do you describe healthy soil?  Where is the defining line between a
>healthy and unhealthy soil and what is the grey area between?  Numbers,
>characteristics, or is it a race without a finish line?  Is a crop healthy
>because it has no bugs or disease or is a crop without bugs or disease
>because it is healthy and is the absence of bugs and disease the only
>defining line to healthy crops?
>Ryan
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: TradingPostPaul <tradingpost@riseup.net>
>> Can't raise healthy crops without healthy soil. And we can't raise
>healthy
>> children without healthy crops. 
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
>
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