Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>]

On 12/08/2010 07:33 PM, Debbie McDonald wrote:
> When the forest decayed constantly, it kept it's mineral content 
> right. When man started to export from that land, the minerals were 
> never replenished. How does composting overcome that.? Or if the 
> animals graze it and are moved away, same thing. I have this sandy 
> soil,  I need to know.

Composting that ground will be exactly getting back to the continually 
"decaying forest" where the soil is concerned. No part of the organic 
matter you put into that soil will be lost. It seems to disappear but 
will be retained as humus, which is no longer visible as particles but 
only as a darkening of the soil. To the maximum extent you're able: 
Composts, cover crops every chance you get, and yes, grazing animals on 
it--how do you suppose the plains of the Midwest got so deep and 
fertile?--bison in herds up to a million individuals grazing them and 
pooping on them, one of the most beautiful examples of a symbiotic 
ecology you could find anywhere.


>   I have one of the books by Prince Charles about his land Highgrove. 
> In that book that I have, they talk about oak leaves not being good 
> for compost as the high tannic acid content would not be good. I have 
> not found answers to that here.

Please do *not* incorporate oak leaves *into* the soil which haven't 
completely decomposed. I did that once and it seriously limited 
availability of N for an entire year. Using oak leaves whole or in any 
stage of breakdown on *top* of the soil as a mulch should be fine.

Best luck.

~Harvey


--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

My book, THE MODERN HOMESTEAD POULTRY FLOCK, will be published next year by 
Chelsea Green Publishing.