Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Soil Composition and Maintenance
The productivity and fertility of the farm and plant resistance
to pests and disease depend on the quality of the soil. Soil
quality can be enhanced and outside inputs reduced through
proper tillage, compost, cover cropping, and crop rotation.
These are crucial to maintaining the high level of fertility
required for the close plant spacing in a mini-farm without
spending a lot of money on fertilizer.
When French Intensive gardening was developed, horses
were the standard mode of transportation, and horse manure
was plentiful and essentially free. This explains the reliance
on horse manure as a source of soil fertility. According to the
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Service, the
average 1,000-pound horse generates 9 tons—18,000
pounds—of manure occupying nearly 730 cubic feet per
year.
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The sheer volume, smell, and mess of such quantities
of manure often mean that places that board horses will give
it away for the asking to anyone willing to haul it away.
Horse manure should be composted and not added directly to
the bed.
