Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Looking after the soil
Every experienced organic gardener knows that there is one part of their plot's
structure that must never be ignored, and that is the soil itself. Soil is a living
thing, a bustling ecosystem as complex as any rainforest, and every single leaf
that you grow depends on it for support, for nutrients, and for water. Conventional
agriculture tends to regard soil as an inert medium that just has to hold a few key
elements that can be mechanically spread when the ground is empty, and indeed
this seems to work to start off with. Over time, however, the damage done to the
soil by chemical treatment and constant ploughing becomes obvious.
Andy says:
“One of my hobbies is metal detecting, which involves a lot of walking
through fields with a spade. The difference between soils that have been
intensively cultivated with big doses of nitrogen and those that have been
organically managed with manures, green or otherwise, is staggering.
You don't even have to dig a hole to see it. Intensively cultivated soil is
lifeless and thin with very few worms - just stones and dust, really, and
any bronze coins in it will have been eaten away to nothing by the ferti-
liser. Organic soils are positively bursting with life by comparison, and
you can sense them ticking away even when no crops are growing.”
In a vibrant outdoor soil there is constant recycling of material, with fallen leaves
being pulled down by worms and decomposed by fungi and bacteria, which in
turn die and become part of the soil themselves. This is not true in vegetable gar-
dens and most especially not in the polytunnel, where it doesn't even rain.
Instead, it is up to you to provide food and moisture for the soil by top dressing
and watering, and by applying occasional supplements. Thankfully, it's not all
that difficult.
Feeding the tunnel
While digging organic matter into new beds is essential, feeding from that point
on is something that's a little more complicated. Which should you use - compost
or manure? Are there advantages to one over the other? How often should you
feed, either with one of the above or with a commercial liquid feed such as
tomato food?
