Rethinking the home garden.

For some time now we have been researching how to improve our garden and the nutritional quality of the food which we harvest from it. We realised that there was more to healthy gardening than just following organic practices; that no matter how much compost and manure etc. we added there was still issues with plant growth and pests and diseases. We studied the plants for mineral deficiencies which weakened the plants making them more susceptible to attack and tried to find ways to provide the trace elements that they needed. Seaweed was an affordable option and homemade bio char, but something was still lacking. But what?

Nature has ways of regenerating itself and man has ways of interfering with this. For example it is a well-known fact that alluvial plains are fertile, why because they are constantly replenished by flood waters depositing soil, rock and organic matter. So man farms these plains and creates protection strategies to prevent further flooding. Over time these fertile plains are depleted because the natural process has been destroyed. It is now that man resorts to importing products to provide the necessary impetus to sustain growth. It is unfortunate that often these methods cause more long term harm to the structure of the land through compaction, mineral imbalance and topsoil loss. We have seen this happen in Gisborne, where the actions of a major horticultural industry have seriously damaged the surrounding land. This is a common problem throughout the world.

So what is my point?

By preventing natural rejuvenating processes we limit the natural inputs over our land and by interrupting and ignoring the natural cycles and eco systems that nature has spent millions of years creating we are responsible for the issues we now face.

So how do we fix it?

Remineralisation, reforestation, bio diversity, food forests, mineral accumulators, these are just to get you started. It is up to each of us to find the best solution for our land and our needs. Think of your garden as an eco-system and work to find the balance between sustaining you and your family and sustaining the land itself.

We take our cues from nature, we open our minds and we learn, observe and simply be willing to try.