Garden

Soil fertilizing techniques

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Q: We have a large garden that’s about 1 1/2 acres. Would you have some organic fertilizer suggestions for larger plots? I do compost, but I cannot meet the demand. We also work in broken up leaves in the fall.

Years ago, I came up with “The Four Secrets of Successful Soil Building”—compost, manure, leaves and seaweed. If you add these organic amendments to your soil every year, you will notice an incredible difference in productivity.

Plants remove nutrients from the soil as they grow, which means soil quality becomes degraded over time. After years of teaching gardeners to grow food, I have come to the conclusion that most don’t consider feeding the soil nearly enough. That’s why “lasagna gardening”—growing food in beds composed of layers of organic matter—works so well for today’s busy urban lifestyle.

(For more on this, visit my blog!)