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VEGANIC
SOIL CONDITIONERS & FERTILIZERS
Composted Organic Matter
A compost pile consists of food waste such as fruit and vegetable rinds, that is covered by course material like
leaves or grass clippings. The object is to create layers of
food material alternating with covering material to allow aeration.
When a bin is full, the pile is flipped and covered by black plastic
or weed mat to protect it from rain and create heat. It can be
flipped again after a period of time, so the bottom becomes the top.
Cover again and within a couple of months, depending on the climate,
nature's master recycling plan will have taken its course and you
will have vitamin-rich soil.
Green Manures (and nitrogen-fixing crops)
Green Manure is a
cover crop of plants, which is grown to be tilled into the soil. Fast-growing plants such
as wheat, oats, rye, vetch, or clover, can be grown as cover crops
between gardening seasons then tilled into the garden as it is
prepared for the next planting. Green manure crops absorb and use
nutrients from the soil that might otherwise be lost through leaching, then return these nutrients to the soil when they are tilled under.
The root system of cover crops improves soil structure and helps
prevent erosion. Nitrogen-fixing crops such as vetch, peas, broad
beans (fava beans) and crimson clover add nitrogen to the soil
as they are turned under and decompose. Cover crops also help reduce
weed growth during the fall and winter months.
Dolomite
A finely ground rock dust which is the preferred source of
calcium and magnesium.
Rock Phosphate
Phosphorus
is an essential element for plant and animal nutrition. It is mined
in the form of phosphate rock, which formed in oceans in the form of
calcium phosphate called phosphorite. The primary mineral in
phosphate rock is apatite.
Rock Dusts (stonemeal)
Used to re-mineralize soil that has become depleted
through industrial and agricultural practices. It releases slowly into the soil and can be
applied directly, in combination with other fertilizers,
or added to the compost. These products have a highly stimulating
effect on microbial activity.
Rock Potash (potassium or wood ash)
Potassium is an essential nutrient that enhances flower and fruit production and helps
'harden' foliage to make it less susceptible to disease. Rock
potash is very slow-acting. It releases gradually as
it weathers, which can take years. Use it when preparing
soil before planting.
Hay Mulches
Using a thick layer of hay to cover the earth
feeds the soil with organic matter as it breaks down. It also suppresses
weeds
and encourages worms to live in your soil. When putting gardens to sleep
over the winter, cover them with a very thick layer of hay mulch.
Seaweed (fresh, liquid or meal)
Used for trace elements.
Seaweed is best harvested fresh from the sea as opposed to
washed up and sitting on beaches. Some veganic gardeners use bulk
spirulina or kelp meal (used for potash and trace minerals).
Lime
The primary purpose for using lime in the garden is to reduce the acidity of the
soil, otherwise known as raising the pH level or 'sweetening the soil'.
Most plants prefer a fairly neutral soil for optimum
growth. You can have your soil tested to see if it is acidic or alkaline.
Lime also enriches the soil with calcium and magnesium. Calcium
is essential for strong plant growth and aids in the absorption of other
nutrients. Lime can also be used for breaking up heavy clay
soil.
Gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate)
Gypsum is also used where more
calcium is needed, but unlike Lime, it enriches the soil without raising the pH
level.
Worm Castings (Vermiculture, Vermicastings, Vermicomposting)
Re-establish natural worm populations in your garden. Composting worms love
cool, damp and dark environments (like under black weed mat or a thick layer of
hay mulch), and will breed optimally when these conditions are maintained. Worm
castings are a rich, all-natural source of organic matter with lots of nutrients
and moisture-holding capabilities. Earthworm castings are known to have an
extraordinary effect on plant life. They improve the soil structure and increase
fertility.
No Till Method
Not tilling avoids killing worms in the
soil. It is more gentle, from a vegan standpoint, and retains worms, who
are an important part of soil health. Ironically, it rhymes with 'NO KILL
method'.
Neem
Known as the wonder tree in India, Neem has been in use for centuries in Indian
agriculture as the best natural pest repellent and organic fertilizer with insect sterilization properties.
EM Bokashi
Bokashi
is a Japanese term that means 'fermented organic matter'. EM means
Effective Micro-organisms and consists of mixed cultures of naturally occurring,
beneficial micro-organisms such as lactic acid
bacteria, yeast, photosynthetic bacteria and actinomycetes. It is a
bran-based material that has been fermented with EM liquid
concentrate and dried for storage. Add to compost to aid in the fermentation of the organic
matter. EM Bokashi should be stored in a warm, dry place
out of direct sunlight.
Green Sand
A soil amendment and fertilizer. It is
mined from deposits of minerals that were originally part of the
ocean floor. It is a natural source of potash, as well as iron,
magnesium, silica and as many as 30 other trace minerals. It may also
be used to loosen heavy clay soils. It has the consistency of sand
but has 10 times the ability to absorb moisture.
Alfalfa meal, Flax Seed Meal, Cottonseed Meal and Soya Meal
Sources of nitrogen.
Epsom Salts
An excellent source of magnesium.
Liquid Feeds such as Comfrey
or Nettles
Fill a container with
grass cuttings, nettles, weed or comfrey leaves. Cover with water at a
rate of one part brew to three parts water.
Cover the
container, and leave for two to four weeks. Preferably strain out (through an
old stocking) the weed seeds and plant material that will block up the spout of
your watering-can. Nettles give the best multi-purpose feed and comfrey alone
will give a feed rich in potash.
For more
information:
New Book:
Growing Green: Animal-Free Organic Techniques
by Jenny Hall and Iain Tolhurst
Veganic Agriculture Network:
http://www.goveganic.net
Vegan Organic Network:
http://www.veganorganic.net
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VEGAN-ORGANIC GARDENING
In the year 2000, while in New
Zealand, I accompanied a
local organic certifier on an inspection. I found out that many gardeners,
both organic and conventional, use
blood and bone fertilizer on a regular basis.
That information, added to the sight of the drums
of animal carcasses used by the organic farmers, made organic food less
desirable to me. The experience led me to question which was
worse, food grown with chemicals that damage the planet as well as our health,
or food grown using a by-product of an industry that exploits animals.
I never imagined getting my hands in
the dirt with worms, but I needed
a solution to this problem. We were in the process of opening Shangri-La,
our Vegan Paradigm Center on the north island of New Zealand. Although we already had plenty to do, preparing the land and
buildings for living in, we decided we had no choice but to also grow our own food
at the same time. We were committed to producing everything organically,
and we were also determined to keep our gardens vegan, and set a new standard of vegan-organic.
We started with two large plots
for vegetables which were a great success. They produced more watermelons
than we could eat, delicious sweet corn, fine potatoes, and enough tomatoes to
give some away to everyone we knew! We even sold tomatoes to the local
supermarket in our small town. They put them on the shelves with a label
that read 'veganic tomatoes'. It was enough to inspire
me to learn all I could.
Since that initial season, we have continued to grow as much of our own
produce as possible, with great results.
We have planted hundreds
of fruit trees, including mandarins, oranges, avocados, pears, plums, apples,
feijoas, peaches, nectarines, cherimoyas, sapotes and figs. Our nut trees
include macadamias, walnuts and almonds. We also have grapevines,
passionfruit vines and many prolific bushes of delicious blueberries.
Shangri-La is
surrounded by native forest reserve. It usually rains enough to water the
trees and gardens naturally, and two pristine rivers come
straight to us from the surrounding forest, and flow by the gardens. They
serve as
our irrigation source, when necessary.
When I returned to Hawaii from New Zealand, I went to a natural food store
and for the first time, found tomatoes with a sticker saying 'Vegan Tomatoes - grown
organically with neem oil and vegan fertilizer'. It made me realize that there must be others
who feel similarly. By 'voting with our dollars', we can demand that the
growers elevate
their standards. Some organic certifiers do not not allow the use of
blood and bone anymore. I believe this is because of the United Kingdom's problems with
Mad Cow and Hoof and Mouth diseases. By
growing our food veganically, there is also a greater hope of
eliminating transmittable diseases and bacteria. It
is a healthier and more compassionate alternative to chemical or
even organic agriculture.
I could never have conceived of what a fulfilling
experience it would be to work hand in hand with nature and witness
the miracle of growing our own produce, the vegan-organic
way.
M.Joy Katz, Gentle World
co-author of:
Incredibly Delicious;
Recipes for a New Paradigm
For more
information about
veganic gardening, visit:
www.veganorganic.net
www.veganorganiced.org
www.treeoflife.nu
Click here for
vegan
gardening supplies
Check out
Vegetable Expert
for expert advice on
growing vegetables
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