Soil health - Edible Backyard NZ

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Soil health

A collection of 16 posts

The Best Nitrogen is Free

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The Best Nitrogen is Free

The Healthy Soil Project #4: Chop and Drop

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The Healthy Soil Project #4: Chop and Drop

An annual DIY Soil Test

An annual DIY Soil Test

Your soil is unique. It's history and geography make it so. And because it's unique, and because understanding your soil is at the heart of your garden's health - you do well to get to know it. The best way to know it, is

Aerating the soil with a Forksta. Red band gumboots doing the do in the garden

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The Healthy Soil Project #2: Sort Drainage + Compaction

easycare-and-beautiful--perennial-border-with-herbs-companion-flowers-and-dwarf-peaches-edible-backyard-nz

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The Healthy Soil Project #3: Plant power

SOIL Love seeing those worms in my soil tests!

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The Healthy Soil Project #1: Know your soil

How To Revive Soil: 3 Simple Ways

How To Revive Soil: 3 Simple Ways

In an ideal world, our soils don't end up hungry and tired. We take care of them in a little and often way so they stay juicy + wormy in order to sustain the demands of production. But - hey, it happens.... life happens! And when it does, here&

The Ins and Outs of Choosing Bought Compost

Compost + Wormfarms

The Ins and Outs of Choosing Bought Compost

Compost is the heart and soul of your garden. Does it matter which compost you buy? Damn straight it does! Well made compost is all our soil needs to grow abundant crops with minimal disease. But rubbish in, rubbish out - compost made with toxic, sub-standard ingredients will wreck your

Soil Preps for Heavy Feeder Crops

Soil Preps for Heavy Feeder Crops

Heavy feeders are called heavy feeders because they are hungrier than light feeders. It's not that they need piles of fertiliser, what they need, is just enough... steady, not boom and bust. Overfeeding is, long term, perhaps worse than under feeding. Today is all about how much is

OM is Your Gardens Guardian Angel

OM is Your Gardens Guardian Angel

Gathering organic matter (OM for short), is an awesome garden habit! With a variety of ready to use matter at hand, you are only 10minutes away from creating a new garden bed, mulching, making a compost pile or revitalising tired soil - no shopping required! Collect OM in a little

What Does Healthy Soil Look, Feel + Smell Like?

What Does Healthy Soil Look, Feel + Smell Like?

The kind of soil our edible garden thrives in is: * Dark in colour * Dotted with air pockets * Wormy * Smells earthy and good * Threaded with roots * Broken apart easily into soft clumps * A lightly moist, peaty texture Not many of us inherit this type of soil (wouldn't that be

A Mini DIY Soil Test

A Mini DIY Soil Test

Use this quick, simple test before planting or sowing, to check that the soil you wish to plant into, is up to the task. Let your soil lead the way in all your planting and sowing decisions. You'll use heaps less compost, your crops will flourish and you&

How to Rehydrate Dry Soil

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How to Rehydrate Dry Soil

A Simple Drainage Test

A Simple Drainage Test

Winter is a telling time in your soil health journey – from now through early spring you get to see your drainage in action. Those of you at the basemap phase of gathering info and learning your land – perk your ears on up! How wet are your soils? Drainage is absolutely

Don't Mow - Let It Grow!

Don't Mow - Let It Grow!

Once the kids have gone and cricket games are no longer, you may wish to pause and ponder the usefulness of your lawn. If no compelling reason other than tidiness comes to mind, let me suggest you plant it up or let it go. Either way you're adding

A simple test for soil moisture

A simple test for soil moisture

I can't tell you the number of customers that have come to me downhearted at the state of their gardens, and the only thing they needed to sort, was how they were watering. Not enough, too much - how do you get it spot on? You check in