Cathy Isom tells us some of the best ways to build fertile soil for your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Methods for Building Fertile Soil
Your garden cannot thrive unless you have healthy, nutrient-rich soil for your plantings. There are many ways of building a fertile soil without the use of chemical fertilizers.
First, always choose nitrogen-fixing plants – since nitrogen is the main ingredient in most fertilizers.
Plant green manure during rest periods when crops aren’t being produced.
Don’t forget to mulch – using organic matter such as coffee grounds, grass clippings, pine needles and ripped cardboard. Organic matter is what keeps soils rich.
Your garden soil will also greatly benefit from compost pits. Dig a hole and empty kitchen scraps. Then fill or cover with a carbon-rich material, such as the grass clippings or shredded leaves.
This compost will be a little slower, but as it breaks down, nutrients are leaking into the soil around it, which will then feed the vegetables growing in it.
Another way to deal with kitchen waste is using vermiculture buckets.
I’m Cathy Isom…