We use no Miracle-Gro products, except products from their Organic Choice line. We also utilize Burpee pellets for starting plants, an all-natural blend of soils, including compressed moss and shredded coconut hulls. Our seeds are started in sterile organic Jiffy Mix – or a similar product. The fungi also spreads through the soil and aerates it, keeping it from becoming dry and compacted and helps it retain moisture longer. For example, compost tea helps stimulate mycorrhizae fungi, which attaches to and wraps around plant roots to increase nutrient uptake. To help keep the soil aerated and teeming with beneficial bacteria, nematodes and fungi, we also utilize compost tea. When working up the soil at any point, we add fresh compost. The soil used in our beds starts as a mixture of 35% loam, 40% compost, 10% bank sand, 10% granite sand and 5% composted manure. This decaying matter helps the soil maintain a texture that is most beneficial to plant life and also helps retain moisture. The best soil is dark in color, which indicates soil that is full of organic matter. There are many different levels of decomposition occurring in healthy soil, and within all of those layers are organisms ranging from bugs and earthworms to nematodes, bacteria and fungi. Organic gardeners know that it isn’t what you put on your plants that really makes them thrive, it’s starting with a healthy, nutrient-rich medium – the soil.
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