Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Standard advice from organic advocates has long been keep the soil covered
with organic material to decompose, use green matter to decompose browns,
keep compost and soil moist but not waterlogged, and avoid monoculture that
makes an entire crop vulnerable to pests or disease. There's more and many
variations but that's pretty universal, and good practices go way back long
before we ever heard the word organic. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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On 12/14/2007 at 8:57 PM TradingPostPaul wrote:

>As you say, soil biology is quite complex and tilling definitely messes up
>soil biology. Complete understanding of soil biology is way beyond the
>state of our so-called science, so we're all in the same boat, aren't we.
>So where do we go from here? How can we know anything? 
>
>Let's put it this way: the theory may be difficult, but the growing is
not.
> People without scientists the world over have used many different
methods,
>but the essential principles are the same in any language. 
>
>paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
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>
>On 12/14/2007 at 7:00 PM Aliza wrote:
>
>>So is he saying that he thinks organics should till?  organic No till is
>>the ticket but you have to make sure the minerals are bioavailable to the
>>plant.  It is not just as easy as popping your seeds into your last crop
>>LOL.  I am not the most knowlegeable about this but I do know that the
>>plants dont give up their goodies until they are dead and are best left
in
>>and on the soil to enrich the next crop.  Just because someone uses
>>organic methods does not mean that the food they create will have high
>>amounts of vitamins and minerals.  Soil biology is quite complex and
>>tilling definately messes up soil biology.
>>
>>aliza
>>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>>  From: Marty Kraft