By David Hewitt
It takes many thousands, or even millions, of years for the soils of our earth to be created. The basic process is one of decaying organic matter, such as fallen trees, grasses, shrubs, animal matter, to mix with weathered rock mineral. Soils may be acidic or alkaline in pH value. The desert soil is a good example of alkaline soil. Our jungles, full of thick vegetation, will typically yield more acidic soil. There are many different factors that come into play when determining how fertile a soil is, and what type of plants and produce it will yield.
Our planet has a natural recycling action that rejuvenates depleted and dead soils. Volcanic action, earthquakes, floods, etc. will create a process whereby what was surface land becomes river or ocean bottom, and what was river bed or sea bed now rises up, full of rich nutrients. This is the reason that old river beds make such incredibly rich and fertile agricultural soil. It’s that thick, black, “loamy” soil that is full of nutrients and trace minerals. There are areas of the United States, such as southern California, and the Midwest plains, that were once river bottom, and at one time produced spectacular crops.
Modern farming methods have become big agri-business. Old- time farmers would rotate their crops, so as to utilize all the different types of plants in replenishing the soil. Plants take minerals and nutrients out of the soil as they grow. These nutrients can be added through organic farming techniques that use compost and natural additives that rejuvenate the soil. Modern farming methods get huge crop yields by using CHEMICAL additives and fertilizers. This is what truly distinguishes ORGANIC farming from industrial farming.
Anyone who has done even some basic gardening will know that not only must the soil conditions be correct, but there are also pests and diseases that can afflict the various crop types. Modern “agri-farming” uses toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to deal with these crop problems. How many remember the Vietnam War and the use of “Agent Orange”, a chemical defoliant to destroy foliage that might be hiding the Viet Cong? That was essentially 2-4 –T, a lethal herbicide, that caused all kinds of neurological damage to our troops. All these chemicals contain organophosphates, which have turned the Mississippi Delta into a dead zone!
Organic farming methods avoid all the chemical additives. There is the method of “companion planting”, which places different plants next to each other, as there seems to be a synergistic effect. Various rock minerals are ground up and added as a powerful nutrient boost. To control pests, there are “good” insects (such as lady bugs, preying mantis, bumblebees, even spiders!), which eat or destroy the “bad” insects (e.g., grasshopper, aphids, etc.). One of the best organic gardening additives in the world is compost “tea”, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. The USDA certifies soils as organic if no chemical additives or methods are used in the growing of crops. Organic growing methods, and permaculture, are the only real choices we have for a “green” and sustainable future!
It takes many thousands, or even millions, of years for the soils of our earth to be created. The basic process is one of decaying organic matter, such as fallen trees, grasses, shrubs, animal matter, to mix with weathered rock mineral. Soils may be acidic or alkaline in pH value. The desert soil is a good example of alkaline soil. Our jungles, full of thick vegetation, will typically yield more acidic soil. There are many different factors that come into play when determining how fertile a soil is, and what type of plants and produce it will yield.
Our planet has a natural recycling action that rejuvenates depleted and dead soils. Volcanic action, earthquakes, floods, etc. will create a process whereby what was surface land becomes river or ocean bottom, and what was river bed or sea bed now rises up, full of rich nutrients. This is the reason that old river beds make such incredibly rich and fertile agricultural soil. It’s that thick, black, “loamy” soil that is full of nutrients and trace minerals. There are areas of the United States, such as southern California, and the Midwest plains, that were once river bottom, and at one time produced spectacular crops.
Modern farming methods have become big agri-business. Old- time farmers would rotate their crops, so as to utilize all the different types of plants in replenishing the soil. Plants take minerals and nutrients out of the soil as they grow. These nutrients can be added through organic farming techniques that use compost and natural additives that rejuvenate the soil. Modern farming methods get huge crop yields by using CHEMICAL additives and fertilizers. This is what truly distinguishes ORGANIC farming from industrial farming.
Anyone who has done even some basic gardening will know that not only must the soil conditions be correct, but there are also pests and diseases that can afflict the various crop types. Modern “agri-farming” uses toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to deal with these crop problems. How many remember the Vietnam War and the use of “Agent Orange”, a chemical defoliant to destroy foliage that might be hiding the Viet Cong? That was essentially 2-4 –T, a lethal herbicide, that caused all kinds of neurological damage to our troops. All these chemicals contain organophosphates, which have turned the Mississippi Delta into a dead zone!
Organic farming methods avoid all the chemical additives. There is the method of “companion planting”, which places different plants next to each other, as there seems to be a synergistic effect. Various rock minerals are ground up and added as a powerful nutrient boost. To control pests, there are “good” insects (such as lady bugs, preying mantis, bumblebees, even spiders!), which eat or destroy the “bad” insects (e.g., grasshopper, aphids, etc.). One of the best organic gardening additives in the world is compost “tea”, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. The USDA certifies soils as organic if no chemical additives or methods are used in the growing of crops. Organic growing methods, and permaculture, are the only real choices we have for a “green” and sustainable future!
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