3 - Healthy Soil

Healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy people

Healthy happy soil microorganisms

Your most important job as an organic gardener is caring for your soil. Healthy soil is the single most important factor in increasing the harvest and growing nutrient dense organic produce that can keep our families and community healthy.

Healthy plants start with healthy soil containing tons of healthy, happy soil microorganisms. A deep, organically rich soil encourages the growth of efficient, extensive roots that are able to reach more nutrients and water. The result is extra-lush, extra-productive growth and pest resistance. Just as the microbes in the human body both aid digestion and maintain our immune system, soil microorganisms both digest nutrients and protect plants against disease and other threats.

Deep Roots edible soil blend

Starting with clean, weed-free healthy rich soil in a raised bed is the key to a successful food garden.The Deep Roots soil blend contains the ingredients that allow microbes to thrive – topsoil, compost, leaf mulch, sand, and charged biochar – mixed in the correct proportions. We sell the raised bed and the soil blend as a package. But we also sell the soil separately to fill a bed you build yourself.

Don’t till or walk on your soil

We strongly recommend 15”high raised beds for edible gardening success since it is the best way to protect the soil from compaction and gives plants their root space they need. Fluffy loose soil with lots of air pockets is needed to move water and oxygen to your plants. The more you disturb the soil and its living eco-system by tilling or walking on it, the less fertile it will be. In the spring aerate the soil by gently making small holes with a pitchfork.

Why biochar is essential

Biochar (similar to charcoal) is 15% of our soil blend and is an essential part of an optimal environment for thriving microbes. (See more biochar details on page 21.) It doesn’t get used up or washed away and doesn’t need to be replenished later. The biochar pores help retain water, and most importantly, provide a cozy home for microorganisms. Deep Roots sells biochar by the cubic foots if you want to add some to existing raised beds with soil.

How much soil and mulch do you need?

We can calculate how much Deep Roots Soil Blend and dense leaf mulch you will need to fill your raised bed. Initially fill a 15” tall bed to the top. The soil will settle to 12” deep which will allow room for 4 inches of dense leaf mulch on top. Dense leaf mulch retains moisture in your soil longer than other mulches so you spend less time and money on watering. Its dense texture is a result of heat and compression. The mulch decomposes into rich compost in a couple of years. Plant your seedlings before adding the mulch. We sell mulch in bulk or in buckets. Deep Roots Dense Leaf Mulch

Organic fertilizers

Fertilizing your vegetables at the appropriate time will keep your plants healthy and producing fruit. There are many types of fertilizers to choose from as well as many natural fertilizers around the house. Be careful to not over fertilize which can lead to heavy foliage without much fruiting.

Use organic fertilizer whenever possible. When we say 10-10-10 that is the ratio of Nitrogen (N) – Phosphorus(P– Potassium(K) in the fertilizer. Nitrogen provides plants with the ability to produce more chlorophyll thus making foliage grow quickly. Phosphorus aids in root development, bloom size and quantity. While Potassium does many things like protecting from disease, aiding root development and increase photosynthesis. All are important factors throughout the life of most vegetables.

Compost is the best soil amendment

Compost is decomposed yard waste like food scraps, spent plants, leaves, and manures. See ingredients for compost on page 20). Since over time soil loses nutrients add organic matter to soil regularly with compost. Compost is food and nourishment for all soil organisms. Plants absorb nutrients from compost gradually over time. Adding compost to soil replenishes nutrients, improves soil’s ability to hold air and water and promotes drainage. Plants absorb what they need when they need it. Add compost before each growing season. Add a little compost around plant stems every 3 weeks. You can’t really “over-feed” with compost.

Apply composted manure in the fall

Organic composted manure is decomposed straw containing animal waste from organic farms. We add 2 inches of composted manure to the top of the soil in fall after the last harvest so the soil microbes have maximum time to absorb nutrients. Adding compost in spring is okay too. Use only organic composted manure from a trusted source. Don’t use horse manure. Properly aged composted manure has no smell and looks like rich brown soil. Deep Roots composted manure is from an organic dairy farm in central Illinois. Since rain and snow can leach out nutrients cover the beds for the winter with black landscape fabric, straw, burlap or leaves.

When to add fertilizers?

While compost and organic matter will increase your soil’s ability to hold nutrients, they do not supply large amounts of nutrients themselves. Watch video.

Adding fertilizer restores nutrients to the soil that plants have consumed. Plants use the 3 essential nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K) differently. One application of N-P-K is usually enough per growing season.

• Leafy plants use large amounts of nitrogen.

• Fruiting and flowering plants use lots of phosphorus.

• Root plants need lots of potassium.

• Legumes (peas and beans) add nitrogen back into the soil.

Plant nutrient deficiency chart

Look for signs of nutrient deficiency.

Organic fertilizers

Watch out for over fertilizing

Be careful to not over fertilize which can lead to heavy foliage without much fruiting. Over fertilizing can lead to plant burn and cause microbe populations to quickly spike and then collapse.

Cover your beds for the winter

Cover beds with leaves, mulch, a tarp or landscape fabric to prevent nutrient leaching from snow and rain to keep out weed seeds.

Know the best fertilizers for each plant

Using the correct fertilizers at the right time in the right amounts can make a huge difference in yield. The Vegetable Fertilizer Guide on the Urban Farmer website has information on asparagus, beets, green beans, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, melons, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radish, rhubarb, spinach, squash, and tomatoes.

Some commonly used organic fertilizers

Rock Dust and Azomite are powdered glacial rock that supply trace minerals to the soil. Wear a painter’s face mask to avoid breathing in the powder when you apply it. Best applied in the fall along with the composted manure.

Bone meal and blood meal are super organic fertilizers that add phosphorus and nitrogen. Watch video

Dry granular fertilizers are insoluble and need water and soil to break down so plant roots can use the nutrients.Apply it a few weeks before you plant.

Fish emulsion is water soluble fertilizer and is applied as a liquid. The plant roots can use it right away. Use both at the correct times.

Organic gypsum fertilizer supplies the calcium but doesn’t change the PH of the soil. Lime supplies calcium but changes the PH. Calcium deficiency causes “blossom end rot” – a big black spot) on tomatoes.

Complex organic fertilizers with multiple ingredients like Soil Alive contain many helpful ingredients that boost soil microbes and nutrients. We also like adding Dr. Earth’s organic tomato, vegetable & herb fertilizer.

Worm castings (worm poop) is great for planting seedlings or top dressing. Quality varies between brands. Organic Solutions Premium Worm Castings give incredible results when used on peppers. Watch video.

Bio-stimulant (Bountiful Harvest) is a liquid biological growth activator containing micro-nutrients, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and other natural growth promoters which stimulate the activity of the plant soil eco-system. It is university tested and safe to use around kids and pets.

Compost tea Since healthy microorganisms need oxygen to multiply, we “brew” compost and soil for 24 hours in a mesh bag in water with a fishtank bubbler. Apply within 4 hours after turning off the bubbler. Although some researchers claim that compost tea is not effective we suspect it depends on how it was made and applied.

Organic compost options

Organic composted manure: Easy Buy high quality organic composted manure from Deep Roots or buy organic leaf compost at a garden center. There is no odor. Don’t use mushroom compost or composted horse manure.

Municipal yard waste recycling: For example, town of Oak Park, IL provides a recycling bin for about $15 per month that neighbors can share. Growing season pickup is once a week and once a month in winter. This waste is trucked to a large scale composting facility. Piles of finished compost are trucked back for residents to use. But don’t use this compost on edible plants since it is contaminated with lawn chemicals and possible other toxins.

Shredding service: Easy Get safe and clean organic compost quickly and easily from your own shredded yard waste, food scraps, small branches, weeds and leaves if you hire Teegen Compost Services to shred one cubic yard of ingredients once a year for about $200. Shredding raises the temperature which kills weed seeds and roots. The finished compost is 50 gallons.You can share the provided wire bin with a neighbor. Don’t add meat or animal waste from meat-eating mammals.

Trench composting: Some work. This is a simple way to recycle organic materials from your home and garden into great compost without a compost bin.
Watch video.

DIY shredded compost: Some work. Partially shred some yard waste with a lawnmower. It’s better to use a yard waste shredder. Shredded material in a bin or tumbler will turn to compost much sooner. There are small shredding machines for garden use.

Compost tumbler: Lots more work. Use a compost tumbler. Load the tumbler with cut-up OR shredded food scraps, non-weedy yard waste and some leaves (but not grass clippings a little at a time). The material shrinks as it rots and makes room to add more. Cut up the larger pieces. Spin the tumbler every few days. It will take months to turn into compost if the material is not shredded first.

Classic 3-bin methods: Labor intensive. Shredding ingredients with a power lawnmower speeds up decomposition and increases heat. In 1-2 months move a bin’s contents into the next bin with a pitchfork (called “turning.”) Download “Composting at Home” manual.

Test your homemade compost for weeds

Best not to put weeds into homemade compost. Weed seeds and roots die between 130 to 140 degrees if maintained for 72 hours. This is hard if your compost bin is too small, not turned enough, not in full sun, or ingredients aren’t shredded. Test for viable weeds by putting some in full sun and watering. If weeds sprout use the blanket method to heat it up. Use a soil thermometer. Learn more.

What waste can be composted?

What you CAN compost

Cardboard (shredded)
Coffee grounds and filters
Eggshells (crushed)
Fruit and vegetable scraps
Grass clippings (no lawn chemicals)
Hedge trimmings
Leaves
Newspaper (shredded)
Nut shells
Pine cones (chopped)
Potting soil
Poultry manure
Sawdust (from untreated wood)
Spent flowers and plants
Straw
Teas bags
Twigs (shredded)
Wood chips (from untreated wood)

Why is biochar essential for healthy soil?

Spreadable organic fertilizer for lawns and organic garden beds

Sustainable and healthy growing spaces start with healthy soil. “Activated” or “charged” biochar mixed with compost and nutrients helps plants thrive by improving the efficiency of your soil. The biochar added to the initial soil of a bed remains in the soil to increase fertility and water absorption while decreasing nutrient leaching.

Deep Roots sells only charged biochar

Charging infuses the biochar with microbes which move into its tiny pores. Never mix “un-charged” biochar into your soil in the spring since the microbes the plant depends on will be drawn in to the biochar’s pores and away from the plant roots. In the fall it’s fine to mix uncharged biochar in your raised bed since microbes have time to increase their numbers and fill up the pores.

Benefits of biochar?

• Reduces water needs

• Aerates soils and reduces compaction

• Reduces fertilizer and chemical inputs

• Buffers pH

• Increases nutrient uptake and retention Learn more

• Provides permanent home for microbes and other tiny soil organisms

• Reduces the possibility of disease in your soil

• Captures and holds carbon in soil, thus reducing greenhouse gases

Biochar supports healthy soil microbes that feed the soil and the plants

If you use Deep Roots Super Growth Garden Soil blend, 10- 15% biochar is already mixed into the soil. Mix 10 to 15% volume of biochar with the soil in an existing raised bed.

Biochar may look like charcoal, but it isn’t made the same way, so don’t start dumping your fireplace ashes into your garden. Our biochar contains a high carbon level, and it is incredibly porous. All of those pores help retain water and provide a cozy home for microorganisms to grow and survive off of the nutrients in the soil. Their interactions are a natural way to get nitrogen and other important elements back into the roots. As the bacteria thrive so does the natural process that makes your plant grow.

Biochar is an ancient farming method

Biochar is an ancient soil amendment from Amazon civilizations rediscovered in the 1990s. Scientists figured out that carbon in decomposing plants which would otherwise escape into the air as greenhouse gases, was sequestered by the biologically active biochar in the soil. The biochar is colonized by billions of microbes, fungi, earthworms, and other creatures which produce carbon-based molecules that stick to the biochar, gradually increasing the soil’s carbon content. Every ton of this biochar in the soil is capable of capturing and holding at least 3 tons of carbon.