Spring has sprung and many people are planting their gardens.
Some gardens display their showy array of colors others are preparing to plant their vegetable seeds for the season.
Have you thought about how much nutrition is actually in your soil?
A study from the University of Texas was published in the Dec. 2004 Journal of American College of Nutrition. They studied the U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from the 1950 and the 1999 data for 43 varieties of fruits and vegetables, noting "reliable declines" in the mineral loss such as calcium, protein, iron, phosphorus,vitamin C and Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) over the past 50 years.
Donald Davis and his team of researchers from the University of Texas concluded that the declining nutritional content to agricultural practices that devise ways to improve the growth rate, size, pest resistance not including nutrition.
We also know that today's Big Agriculture that uses pesticides, GMO seeds, not resting the soil can deplete the soil of nutrients. There are other natural factors such as erosion, wind, drought that can affect the soil's nutrients.
To some people it is just dirt. Did you know there is a difference between Dirt and Soil?
Dirt: Depleted of nutrients from organic compost. You can add organic matter that will help make food for living micro-organisms, this helps the eco-system to regrow.
Soil: Is made up of organic, decaying matter such as dead leaves and compost. Earthworms and other insects are a good sign that the soil is a healthy eco-system, they aerate the soil and when they die they add to the organic matter in the soil.
There are so many pesticides and poisons in our soil today is there Alternative ways to grow a Sustainable vegetable garden?
Answer: Yes!
Alternative Agriculture: There are different ways to help with nutrient depletion such as
-Crop Rotation
-Chemical input reduction
-Integrated pest management
-Rest the land
Sustainable Agriculture: Ahimsa
Ahimsa Agriculture: Is agriculture that does not harm any living creature, this includes earthworms.
Ahimsa incorporates hydroponics which uses no soil. It is a method of growing vegetables in a water based , nutrient rich solution. The root system is supported by using an inert medium such as ,clay pellets, peat moss, coco peat (coconut husks), rockwool, perlite and vermiculite.
