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Garden Soil Rejuvenation is one of my favorite methods for restoration and maintenance of the garden, especially when disease and pests have been present. This method is for those that want to build their soil naturally over time, starve pathogens by rotating crops within the bed, keep their gardens actively producing, and protect the integrity of the soil food web by keeping it alive and nourished. Many gardeners believe that building good soil over time is the key to success for not only growing strong vigorous plants, but also growing vegetables with greater nutrient densities. This requires almost a commitment of stewardship to the dirt.
Garden Soil Rejuvenation reduces the amount of disease pathogens in the soil by using high quality organic matter, mulches, crop rotation, and simple compost teas to solve problems. It is a form of restoration and maintenance that can be of great benefit if done properly. The process is simple.
- Remove a small portion of soil from the bed, preferably from the diseased area. This instantly removes a substantial portion of undesirable pathogens. This soil may be re-used as fill dirt in non-vegetable areas.
- Remove all plant debris and roots from the bed that can potentially harbor pathogens. Dispose of these properly and do not compost any diseased plant material. This is also an excellent time to check your soil thoroughly for any undesirable pests and remove as needed.
- Add a substantial influx of high quality organic matter from as many different sources as possible. Most references will recommend at least five sources for the optimum number to hit. Keep in mind that all commercial compost is the by-product of one industry or another; therefore, you need several different kinds to achieve the diversity of micro-organisms in the soil in order for the good microbes to fight off the bad. A strong army of beneficial organisms can suppress a small army of harmful ones. Homemade compost is always the best, but in its absence, there are several excellent products out there to utilize. If memory serves me correctly, Gardens Alive even carries one especially designed for fighting blight pathogens in the soil.
- Mulch all new plantings to provide a ground to plant barrier against disease and to provide food for all the good soil organisms you have just added.
- Rotate all new plantings to starve any remaining pathogens naturally. Each year you are able to rotate a crop to a different place in your bed affords more protection against the same diseases returning. As an example, Early Blight starts as a soil-borne pathogen and tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes should not be grown in the same spot next year. One year of rotation is some protection, two years more, and so forth.
- Use compost teas to inoculate the soil and plants as they contain high concentrations of beneficial microbes that will compete with pathogens for food and space. Teas form protective barriers around the roots of plants and work incredibly well as a barrier on the leaves. In addition, they have beneficial nutrients that go to work immediately providing food to nourish your plants at any stage of growth.
- Fertilize appropriately. Remember that organic fertilizers with lower NPK numbers are safer for the soil food web. Avoid over fertilization as this can have an adverse effect by tying up the exact nutrients your plants need to flourish as well as cause herbicide injury.
Pros: Encouraging soil life in addition to crop rotation is the easiest most dramatic way to improve and solve many garden problems. Enhancing the soil with an influx of organic matter will provide instant results and go a long way to building a foundation for producing healthier plants with greater nutrient densities. Using this method over time will significantly reduce your pests and disease problems. Much as you are able to fight off the common cold when your health is at its best, plants are better able to withstand pests and disease pressures when they are at their optimum as well. Cons: The only cons to this method are the additional costs associated with purchasing organic matter.
Most bags of organic matter are priced between $5.00 and $8.00, however, by home composting, buying in bulk, utilizing free coffee grounds and leaves, etc., you are able to reduce your costs significantly.
The links below are for your convenience and contain valuable information from previous posts on prepping garden beds and making simple compost teas. I do want to mention that the soil recipe used in the linked post is not enough organic matter for the amount of disease many experienced in their gardens. It is more of a standard prep recipe to build the soil when no disease has been present. For example, this fall I utilized much the same ingredients but intensified the amounts to add a greater influx of microbes to the bed. The addition of fertilizer remains the same at standard usage rates.
http://greenmeadowscommunitygarden.blogspot.com/2013/03/prepping-garden-beds-for-spring.html - link to prepping garden beds.
http://greenmeadowscommunitygarden.blogspot.com/2013/04/making-worm-tea.html - link to making simple teas.
For anyone who likes to do additional reading, Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfel & Wayne Lewis is an excellent technical reference on the soil food web and the importance it plays in your garden.
Hope this is of great help,
Denise, Beds 25 & 29
