One way to feed them, is to actually feed your soil. We feed our soil by making compost. The soil must be fertile to feed the plants in it. This is not hard to do, but it does take time.
Over the years, especially if we have plants in the ground, the soil becomes depleted. Whatever plants are already in the soil use up the nutrients, so the soil will need to be replenished. Plus, having our soil replenished helps us with building good soil structure. There is a whole world of microbes at work that live together and work together to build the soil back up. The soil is the home where the microbes live.
One of the best foods to give the soil is compost. Compost is made of rotting leaves, grass, vegetable scraps, fruit peels and leftovers. There are different ingredients added to the compost pile to compliment other ingredients. For example, if you use mainly coffee grinds to make your compost, the compost will be more acidic. You can help neutralize the compost by adding brown material, such as black and white newspaper clippings, as well as fresh grass clippings and leaves. You need both green and brown materials to make good food for the microbes.
The pile os food scraps, newspaper (use only black and white print), and grass clippings needs to be turned or tumbled occasionally to blend the ingredients well. It takes a couple of months for the compost to turn into food. When it is finished composting, it will be dark brown or black and crumbly.
Here is a quote from Barbara Pleasant on composting: "Composting mimics and intensifies nature’s recycling plan. A compost pile starts out as a diverse pile of kitchen and garden “waste.” Left alone, any of these materials would eventually decompose. But when a variety of materials are mixed together and kept moist and aerated, the process accelerates. Compost matures into what soil scientists call active organic matter: a dark, crumbly soil amendment that’s rich with beneficial fungi, bacteria and earthworms, as well as the enzymes and acids these life-forms release as they multiply." I have to agree that composting is fascinating. It is one way of recycling, but it also produces plant food that can be used in the gardens. It gives earthworms an opportunity to do their thing and work hard as they contribute to the process of making compost.
Here is another good reason for composting: Adding compost to garden soil increases its water-holding capacity, invigorates the soil food web and provides a buffet of plant nutrients. Compost also contains substances that enhance plants’ ability to respond to challenges from insects and diseases.
Composting is fun to do, and also is scientific. We can watch the compost being made over the months that the food scraps are composting. When it is finished, it will be like 'Black Gold' as someone referred to it as.
Compost can be made right on top of soil, or it can be made in a tumbler or bin. Also, worms can make compost. This is called, 'Vermicomposting' and the worms do all the hard work.
If you use only organic food, and put the scraps into your garden, your compost will be basically organic, not that you can't use food that isn't organic. Don't put grass clippings though, which have been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides in the compost pile. Nor is putting meat in the compost pile a good idea.
You will watch a cycle at work when you make your own compost. Making compost can be very rewarding.
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