SOIL-BUILDING BASICS

"A healthy garden is teeming with life forms, which all interact to make its ecosystem function smoothly. We, as gardeners, must learn to live and work within that system without disrupting it, taking from it what we need but always giving back more than we take."

Barbara Sullivan

Three issues ago, in a piece entitled "A Visit With MOTHER's Gardeners" (see MOTHER NO. 75, page 62), we introduced you to the lushly productive garden beds at our Ecological Research Center and to the two growers—Kerry and Barbara Sullivan—who've made them so fruitful. That article described how the Sullivans' ongoing soil improvement projects have both given them lavish yields and practically solved their insect pest problem . . . it gave some background on our two master growers along with some insights into their personal gardening philosophies . .. and it shared information about one of the Sullivans' soil-boosting strategies, the use of "catalyzing" biodynamic field and compost sprays.

However, the piece failed to give any detailed information on the couple's four other earth-building practices: sowing ground covers, rotating crops, double-digging, and composting. So, since we all recognize that the health of the soil is undoubtedly the single most important factor influencing the vigor and productivity of crops, we wanted to take the time now—while you're not too busy working in your garden to think about how to improve it—to fill in the gaps left by that previous article . . . and share more of the Sullivans' wisdom with you.

A COUNTRY COVER-UP

Every fall, Kerry and Barbara sow rye grain—or a combination (which is predominantly rye) of the grain and hairy vetch—over any garden bed that they don't intend to plant in vegetables early the following spring. Both winter-hardy ground covers—which should be available at local seed and feed supply stores—serve to help loosen up the soil and control erosion. In addition, each of the two plants has its own unique advantages.

The rye grain, also called winter rye (don't confuse it with rye grass), is an amazingly quick grower that—while it may get off to a slow start in the chilly weather of fall—bursts into green in the early days of spring. And, in doing so, it provides a great deal of bulk organic matter for the compost pile.

Hairy vetch (also called winter vetch), on the other hand, doesn't grow as rapidly as does rye . . . however, it's a hardy nitrogen-fixing plant which actually adds a good bit of that vital—but quickly used up—nutrient to the soil. Our gardeners thus use the vetch primarily on beds that will later grow such nitrogen lovers as spinach.