Soil, Soil, Soil

Here in northwest Florida, we have long hot summers, and high humidity throughout much of the year. This creates optimum conditions for insect and bacteria growth, even those insect pests that irritate our gardening efforts. Therefore, we organic gardeners have to give extra care to our garden soil. Soil, soil, soil. The soil will make or break a garden. A healthy soil will produce healthy plants that will resist insect pests to a point. Other factors will also help the plants resist insect pests as well.

To care for the garden, a healthy layer of compost needs to be fed and mixed in with the earth, and other layers need to be put on the garden periodically. Some of the compost needs to be mixed in and some need to simply cover the earth like a sheet. On top of that a layer of mulch will protect and keep the compost in place and keep the water in place. Without mulch, heavy rain can wash out the compost sheet, and not provide a firm barrier from our hot sun rays tagging the land.

The compost has to have part carbon elements, such as grass, weeds, pine needles, leave, and nitrogen elements, such as kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps. The compost content is very important. I am still in the process of developing healthy content for the compost bin. I have much to learn. I know from others that a good mix of horse manure and hay is a good form of soil compost. Mushroom compost
and fish compost are great too.

Much of what we can do with our gardens is restricted b y the heavy burden of home owners associations with all their dos and don’ts.

I am learning all the time how to have a good organic garden. Your suggestions are encouraged. I also subscribe to Google Alerts on “organic gardening,” ” gardening,” “compost.”