Yesterday I watched a short video about a family in California who have turned their city garden into a modern-day Eden which sustains up to 90% of their food needs on just 1/5 acre! They replaced their lawn with edible flowers and the whole garden bursts forth with fruits and vegetables to feed the family. It further inspired me to keep planting in my own garden and do my part to combat the constant news of rising food prices and shortages. Food growing really is a quiet revolution that I want to be a part of!

Of course being a person who always aims to be in tune with nature, our garden is 100% organic. Organic farming or gardening is a practice which has numerous benefits for producers, consumers and the Earth. The chemicals in artificial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides ultimately leach into the soil and our water and whatever we do to the Earth we do to ourselves. I know that I’d rather eat some food that has a few bug bites on it than consume produce that is saturated and laden with toxic formula.

A key philosophy and practice of the organic approach is to gradually build up the natural fertility of the soil so that it comprises the right nutrients to yield healthy produce and is resistant to disease and pest attacks. One great way to enrich the soil is to create compost and I’m pleased to report that with thanks to the constant weekend work of my partner, our 3 bin system is now up and running! Now I’m being tutored on other ways to achieve the goal of naturally enhancing the plants directly with a number of liquid botanical fertilizing agents.

To start with, our first compost pile has been set up with a pipe at the bottom to collect the liquid that leaches as the material breaks down. The dark coloured liquid that emerges is often referred to as ‘tea manure’ or, to emphasize its incredible value, ‘liquid gold’. This liquid is one of the best things you can apply to your plants for a quick boost as the nutrients are readily available in the water and are quickly taken up by the plants. The tea should be diluted to a 25/75 ratio for use as a foliage spray or 50/50 for directly on the soil. Apparently most root crops will be spoiled by the application of the tea so use it only for your veggies sprouting above ground. Continue reading "Liquid Gold – Making & Using Organic Fertilizers."

I like to be creative in the kitchen and I use what seems like a ton of fruits and vegetables each day. What I love about these fruits and veggies is that as well as being wholesome, tasty and nutritious, they still have a great value after being eaten...in a compost pile.

The skin and peel of a juicy mango, sweet banana, crispy carrot, succulent pineapple or any other delicious gifts of nature are a storehouse of nutrients. Each of these can be organically broken down to provide rich compost that will positively enhance the next cycle of growing and harvesting. Compost improves soil quality and thus naturally enhances crop yield and quantity. So the more I put on my plants, the more I will get back in return – it sounds like a very fair deal to me. It’s also another contribution to my environmental care ethic, keeping my organic waste out of the landfill and using it purposefully in a rejuvenating cycle, so I feel good about that too!

However, although it appears to be a seemingly simple process, I am discovering that making compost comes with some great complexities! Firstly, there is the dilemma of where to place the pile. It can not be too close to the house lest it attracts critters but not too far that it’s a burden to visit each time. It also needs to be placed out of direct sunlight, away from large trees which steal nutrients and wooden structures that could rot from contact with the pile.

There are also so many choices of how to build the pile…do we just put it in an open heap, make a wooden box, get a plastic bin or create a wire mesh container? All have their advantages and disadvantages with regards to air circulation, moisture of the pile and ultimately the speed of the process. Since we live in a wet area our pile needs to be enclosed and covered to prevent it from becoming a soggy mush that leaches out slime everywhere, which would not be much fun! If we were in a drier place then we would likely need to add a little water once in a while to keep the pile moist as compost is a fussy creature that likes to be damp but not saturated. Continue reading "Creating Soil - Making Organic Compost in the Tropics"