Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[paul@oneseedling.com]

One of the extra nutrient inputs we have access to is mountains of composted 
horse manure. But again that is stealing from Peter to pay Paul. 
"An Agricultural Testament" by Sir Albert Howard is a good reference for how 
to do it. Paul 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 25, 2010, at 4:05 AM, Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> --- On Fri, 9/24/10, pbunch@cox.net <pbunch@cox.net> wrote:
>> Clearly importing nutrients from neighbors is a mid-term
>> solution but what will the situation be if everyone in a
>> given area is recycling the nutrients present in their
>> systems? I suspect they will not give them up at a
>> reasonable price. 
> 
> Exactly!  Importing organic matter free of charge is only possible in a 
> wasteful society that considers "organic matter" as "waste" to be gotten 
> rid off.  I now live in one of the poorest regions of Europe, if I were to 
> ask my neighbor, who is a cattle farmer, for a load of manure; he would 
> charge me 100 Euros.  In Germany, most farmers would just give me a load of 
> manure free of charge.  Another example, when we first moved here, I asked 
> the local joiner's shop if I could have some saw dust and wood shavings for 
> mulching.  They told me to come and get as much as I wanted.  When I went 
> back to the same shop two years later, they sold bags of the same stuff for 
> 10 Euros a piece. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
> 
> Dieter Brand
> Portugal
> 
> 
> 
> While good soil structure and a healthy
>> flora and fauna provide optimal condition for local nutrient
>> cycling, nutrients are inevitably lost to leaching and where
>> produce is sold they are exported from the farm with the
>> vegetables and other products. Sustainability is a long-term
>> project and things like potassium and easily leached trace
>> minerals may become limiting factors. Calcium also can be a
>> problem in high rainfall areas. The natural geochemical
>> cycles are the ultimate constraints on what we can do. Mass
>> is conserved.
>> 
>> Eventually, and perhaps sooner than later the
>> throughput  via the human population has to be
>> addressed. I doubt if 6 billion people, with 9 billion in
>> the near future, can be supported even with the best
>> methods. 
>> 
>> 
>> ---- Tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net>
>> wrote: 
>>> 
>>> Intensive gardens can also be the cash crops, as it is
>> with us. Since we don't have fields we import free
>> amendments and mulch for intensive. In both cases nearby
>> farmers have excess to get rid of and it gets recycled. The
>> sources don't have to be esp fertile. Fertility - the crumb
>> sructure and biologicals - is built up in the beds. 
>>> 
>>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Livingontheland mailing list
>>> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Livingontheland mailing list
>> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland