Comments on: 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Soil and Grow Better Food https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/ Dive into a vast collection of free permaculture resources to help you get your permaculture life and edible gardens thriving with global permaculture educator & ambassador, Morag Gamble. Thu, 02 Jul 2020 01:23:11 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Morag Gamble https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-945 Sat, 25 Jun 2016 15:14:54 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-945 Thanks for writing and good luck with all your soil building. Sounds like you are on the right track in supporting the soil life.

]]> By: Taylor-Made Homestead https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-947 Sat, 25 Jun 2016 15:11:09 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-947 I'm located in NE Texas (USA) and although I've always had trees & plants all around me, for some reason the location we decided to build our home when we moved here to the country is what I've termed the 'botanical hole of death'. LOL Grass grows ok until the heat of summer, but anything with deeper roots simply doesn't survive. Recently my hubby bought me a Red Oak tree and we're babying it, determined to make it thrive! We staked it on 3 sides and now I'm focusing on just what you're talking about here – feeding the soil. I've heaped the hay mulch in a large circle around it, being careful to keep it away from the actual trunk. My hope is that as the hay decomposes it will activate the microscopic life in the soil. Fingers crossed! I'm so glad Rhonda @ Down To Earth suggested I check out your post, love it!

~Taylor-Made Homestead~
Texas

]]> By: africanaussie https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-992 Thu, 09 Jun 2016 01:56:39 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-992 I use buckets to make similar worm towers, and then I can move them around as needed, and harvest the castings. I noticed how much more fertile the soil is in those areas that have had the worm bucket treatment.

]]> By: Morag Gamble https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1005 Sat, 04 Jun 2016 21:26:20 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1005 Love it!! Weeds are so useful and can add so much to the soil, also give you good information about how your soil is going. Weeds that are seeding go into my liquid fertiliser bucket to make use of their nutrients but neutralise their seeds.

]]> By: Meg42 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1006 Sat, 04 Jun 2016 21:23:22 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1006 My favourite method is to let the weeds grow. They attract birds and other animals (they'll leave a little manure for you) and the roots of the weeds mine nutrients for you. When you're getting ready to garden, just heavily mulch over the whole lot. You can turn some of it over to make the surface rougher if you like but it's not essential. If you're planting tubers or big seeds you can scatter them under the mulch. If not, wait about four weeks for everything to settle in and then plant out. This method traps the nitrogen and other nutrients in the weeds and returns them to the soil. I use mulch that has stood long enough to be colonised with fungus, which further improves the soil. The result is highly productive gardens that I rarely water. Work with nature!

]]> By: eternalbloomfarm https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1010 Sat, 04 Jun 2016 09:26:11 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1010 I love love love the Worm Tower idea!

]]> By: Unknown https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1009 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 23:26:11 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1009 Thank you for this I love getting ideas from everyone. Must try worm towers in my new beds.

]]> By: Farmer Liz https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1011 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:35:02 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1011 Great post. I need more compost sites!

]]> By: Meg Hopeful https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1015 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 15:07:01 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1015 I really like the idea of having compost sites throughout the garden. I have two compost bins and a worm farm (in our garage) but I think I'm going to try some worm towers in an area of my garden where the soil is less friable and drier. Will be a good way of getting more organic matter in there. Thanks for great posts. I love visiting your blog because I always learn something! Meg:)

]]> By: Sherri https://ourpermaculturelife.com/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1014 Fri, 03 Jun 2016 15:06:51 +0000 https://ourpermaculturelife.com/index.php/2016/06/03/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-soil-and-grow-better-food/#comment-1014 I love reading articles about ways to improve soil. The soil on our property is sandy, lifeless, and water repellent to boot (our orchard soil is better and absorbs water). I have been adding compost, mulch and watering deeply to improve and have seen worms and other soil life move into the garden areas. My raised keyhole garden is a source of fascination for me at present, as it creates beautiful, moisture holding humus. I even had a dream recently where I was standing in that garden (it is about two foot high) digging around in the beautiful soil and marveling at its richness. I guess I am a bit soil obsessed 🙂

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