Thank you for an interesting and informative article. Although I already knew a little of what you wrote, it was great to fill in the blanks provided from your hands-on experience and insights.
BTW, I really look forward to your weekly articles, especially this recent series about sustainable farming.
Because it's what I have the most experience doing and writing about, it takes less time for me to put together an article, a consideration in this busy-for-farmers time of year.
Have you seen the film, "Grow?" Ocean and John Robbins (of Baskin& Robbins) have shown it from their site the past couple of years. One of the streams in the film is about a man (physicist?) that built his own biochar plant in the NW USA. The plant was burned down (arson suspected), but at the end he had rebuilt it. If you haven't seen it you need to. The other 2 streams in the story are also very good.
All I know is it's "The Food Revolution Network." I subscribed a few years ago, so I get e-mails from them every so often about different vegan based things. The film is one of the things they have sent e-mails about. I have no specific link.
We are in Bali, Indonesia and here is A LOT of volcanic rocks:) Do you have any idea where I can get info on using it for farming? I would love to help local farmers as well and spread this information. Also, here is a lot of bamboo and coconuts. Locally, they make charcoal from coconuts! Coconut and bamboo plants are true gifts of nature❤️ I also just recently learned about mangrove trees. They are also pretty astonishing! Thank you so so so much for your blog and your extensive research! I am so very grateful to find you!
Always wanted to visit Bali. They do some of the most amazing bamboo craft work and construction there.
For gardening its best if the volcanic rock is at least 3/4"-. Use it in the garden at about a 10 to 15% ratio. Ask a regional soil scientist which volcanic rock is the most nutrient rich and where to get it in that size.
Thanks for another good article, Kyle! A couple of things from my current comprehensions, and I'll keep it brief:
First, let's stop calling them "elites" since they are not "superior" in any way — except in their own psychopathic minds. WE are the power they seek, and seek to destroy. If we call them "elite," we must do so *only* in quotes or with obvious eye-roll, otherwise, we are mentally delegating OUR AUTHORITY to them, which *can't actually be done* but "they" have mesmerized us into thinking we can. (Oops, this was supposed to be brief.🤓)
2. California Natives (and I'm sure all of the Earth's survivors of the Primary Cataclysm) learned that they needed to do *controlled burning* of millions of acres throughout the region every few years in order to enrich the soil. It is sad that this is a necessity, but then again, prior to the Original Earth Trauma, we didn't need to eat or poop, so we're all in a bit of a bind. BUT, as you point out, we can reclaim our sovereignty!
Fire is a crucial part of many of the earths ecosystems and weather making systems. The region where I live was once pristine grassland that supported a millions of herbivores. Those grasslands were created by fire, many of which were set by Native Americans of the SW to keep less desirable species at bay. In the 140 years since the white man brought in non-native cattle which ate all the grass, taking away the fuel source, the landscape has degraded to weedey mesquite bosque, cholla cactus and other invasive species.
Fortunately, all of the first crops you mentioned are so out-of-tune with nature that they no longer have the ability to be invasive - that is, the ability to move out of a monocropped field and begin to usurp intact, native, climax habitat on their own. Wheat has been grown in Kansas for 150 years but has never gone rogue. Most of those in your second list have that ability because they are native. The exception would be corn because it's been so hybridized. Possibly quinoa because it hails from SA, although it has some close relatives here (lambs quarters). But like mesquite and cholla, they tend to depend on disturbance to do that and... we humans provide plenty of disturbance.
Also, wheat (and other grains) develop aflatoxins from improper storage, just another crappy aspect to the industrialization of food. People think that they're allergic to wheat (celiac disease) but the mold is the problem. Aflatoxins are bad. I rarely eat wheat products because they upset my stomach; even sprouted "organic" wheat disturbs my digestion. Foods made with refined flours are generally not in my house!
That makes sense. They would be planning their families, sourcing plants, and seeking optimal nutrition for re-populating, while also (as the Bock Saga describes), actively re-creating what life was like prior to the original Ragnarök. Earth was still in tact, just 23.5 degrees off kilter.
More recently, though, would we have been looking at the same "char"? My answer: No, because "FMs" and their deliberate poisoning of Divine Life.
"...I tend to use my own reasoning, consideration and interpretations and tend to variety, balance."
Indeed.
Also, I had not heard of hugelkultur before so I did a DDG search. Very cool. I wish I had known about that before Ron disassembled and rebuilt our raised beds a few weeks ago, ha. Well, I know now for next spring's planting.
Sadly, it's now mindlessly monocropped just like all other commercial crops. But when grown after biocharring the soil it adds a tremendous amount of biomass to the soil. It can also be foraged by goats, who will turn it into fertilizer and freely spread that resource all around the garden area. Let the chickens in the following winter and by spring your soil will be in superb condition for the next growing season.
Back when I had some bamboo groves on my place I never needed to fertilize them because they were roosting habitat for many native birds that left behind hundreds of pounds of fertilizer - right where it was needed - every year.
Few plants serve to attract native pollinators better than the sunflowers that are native to your region. At the end of the season, goats are more than happy to clear them out and turn them into fertilizer.
Thanks for the additional tips Slanderman. I would just add that for anyone living in the SW US, the addition of calcium, gypsum and lime might be counter productive because those things are all very alkali and most of the soils here are already very alkali - due to the low organic matter content, which is due to the low rainfall. Here, the use of acidic amendments is the preferred choice. Most organic matter will become ph neutral as it breaks down into humates. The microbes that do that will greatly appreciate the minerals and other nutrients Slanderman suggested. Compost and mulch!
I would have to agree about changing the ph if one does so using the reductionist approach you describe.
What I described is the use of organic matter - compost and mulch - which achieves the complexity needed to turn into humates (mentioned), which keep salts in suspension and the ph in a range that makes many garden plants happy.
Right, the fresh, viable humates I describe, made from organic matter, compost and mulch, is not the same as your clay.
Agreed, ph testing is not necessary... for those who have a working knowledge of acidic soils vs alkaline soils and know what signs to look for in garden plants. But I've seen a number of people move to the SW from back east and mistakenly add lime, ashes or gypsum to the soil only to have the garden fail miserably. A little knowledge of soil ph would have saved them some big headaches.
I never tested any of the residential landscapes I designed and installed through the 70's and 80's because I did them all organically with tons of mulch and compost. I never tested the first 40 acres I bought here in 84, or the second farm I bought in 92. However, I did ph tests in 98 when I bought this 23 acres, from 6 different locations, hundreds of yards apart, in widely varying terrain and biomes, just to get an idea. It was enlightening. All were within a few tenths of each other.
No need to do another test since then.
Organic matter, mulch and compost have gotten all my garden soils where they need to be - "in a range" (not "perfect"). How can I tell? After 60 years one learns to observe the plants reactions.
So yes, I think beginning gardeners can be helped by a working understanding of soil ph.
Thank you for an interesting and informative article. Although I already knew a little of what you wrote, it was great to fill in the blanks provided from your hands-on experience and insights.
BTW, I really look forward to your weekly articles, especially this recent series about sustainable farming.
Thanks lbr.
Because it's what I have the most experience doing and writing about, it takes less time for me to put together an article, a consideration in this busy-for-farmers time of year.
Have you seen the film, "Grow?" Ocean and John Robbins (of Baskin& Robbins) have shown it from their site the past couple of years. One of the streams in the film is about a man (physicist?) that built his own biochar plant in the NW USA. The plant was burned down (arson suspected), but at the end he had rebuilt it. If you haven't seen it you need to. The other 2 streams in the story are also very good.
Haven't seen it. But now I want to. Thanks Bandit.
You're welcome! It's a great film. I hope you can find it to watch and that you like it. 😊
Can't find it. Do you have a link?
I found Ocean listed on foodrevolution.org
All I know is it's "The Food Revolution Network." I subscribed a few years ago, so I get e-mails from them every so often about different vegan based things. The film is one of the things they have sent e-mails about. I have no specific link.
That's it! "The Need to Grow." Yep! Obviously, I only remembered part of the name.
We are in Bali, Indonesia and here is A LOT of volcanic rocks:) Do you have any idea where I can get info on using it for farming? I would love to help local farmers as well and spread this information. Also, here is a lot of bamboo and coconuts. Locally, they make charcoal from coconuts! Coconut and bamboo plants are true gifts of nature❤️ I also just recently learned about mangrove trees. They are also pretty astonishing! Thank you so so so much for your blog and your extensive research! I am so very grateful to find you!
Always wanted to visit Bali. They do some of the most amazing bamboo craft work and construction there.
For gardening its best if the volcanic rock is at least 3/4"-. Use it in the garden at about a 10 to 15% ratio. Ask a regional soil scientist which volcanic rock is the most nutrient rich and where to get it in that size.
Thanks for another good article, Kyle! A couple of things from my current comprehensions, and I'll keep it brief:
First, let's stop calling them "elites" since they are not "superior" in any way — except in their own psychopathic minds. WE are the power they seek, and seek to destroy. If we call them "elite," we must do so *only* in quotes or with obvious eye-roll, otherwise, we are mentally delegating OUR AUTHORITY to them, which *can't actually be done* but "they" have mesmerized us into thinking we can. (Oops, this was supposed to be brief.🤓)
2. California Natives (and I'm sure all of the Earth's survivors of the Primary Cataclysm) learned that they needed to do *controlled burning* of millions of acres throughout the region every few years in order to enrich the soil. It is sad that this is a necessity, but then again, prior to the Original Earth Trauma, we didn't need to eat or poop, so we're all in a bit of a bind. BUT, as you point out, we can reclaim our sovereignty!
Good points.
Fire is a crucial part of many of the earths ecosystems and weather making systems. The region where I live was once pristine grassland that supported a millions of herbivores. Those grasslands were created by fire, many of which were set by Native Americans of the SW to keep less desirable species at bay. In the 140 years since the white man brought in non-native cattle which ate all the grass, taking away the fuel source, the landscape has degraded to weedey mesquite bosque, cholla cactus and other invasive species.
Fortunately, all of the first crops you mentioned are so out-of-tune with nature that they no longer have the ability to be invasive - that is, the ability to move out of a monocropped field and begin to usurp intact, native, climax habitat on their own. Wheat has been grown in Kansas for 150 years but has never gone rogue. Most of those in your second list have that ability because they are native. The exception would be corn because it's been so hybridized. Possibly quinoa because it hails from SA, although it has some close relatives here (lambs quarters). But like mesquite and cholla, they tend to depend on disturbance to do that and... we humans provide plenty of disturbance.
Also, wheat (and other grains) develop aflatoxins from improper storage, just another crappy aspect to the industrialization of food. People think that they're allergic to wheat (celiac disease) but the mold is the problem. Aflatoxins are bad. I rarely eat wheat products because they upset my stomach; even sprouted "organic" wheat disturbs my digestion. Foods made with refined flours are generally not in my house!
That's a good question, since their much-vaunted "pesticides and herbicides" are supposed to *prevent* mold and other damage, right?
"...preferential cultivation and usage rates."
'Splain that to me further, Papa, S'il-vous-plaît.
P.S. Good to see you here. I better get my tangents ready for more curves.
That makes sense. They would be planning their families, sourcing plants, and seeking optimal nutrition for re-populating, while also (as the Bock Saga describes), actively re-creating what life was like prior to the original Ragnarök. Earth was still in tact, just 23.5 degrees off kilter.
More recently, though, would we have been looking at the same "char"? My answer: No, because "FMs" and their deliberate poisoning of Divine Life.
"...I tend to use my own reasoning, consideration and interpretations and tend to variety, balance."
Indeed.
Also, I had not heard of hugelkultur before so I did a DDG search. Very cool. I wish I had known about that before Ron disassembled and rebuilt our raised beds a few weeks ago, ha. Well, I know now for next spring's planting.
Thank you! So thrilled to hear about this! You ROCK, Kyle.
You are welcome Veronica.
Hemp.
Sadly, it's now mindlessly monocropped just like all other commercial crops. But when grown after biocharring the soil it adds a tremendous amount of biomass to the soil. It can also be foraged by goats, who will turn it into fertilizer and freely spread that resource all around the garden area. Let the chickens in the following winter and by spring your soil will be in superb condition for the next growing season.
Back when I had some bamboo groves on my place I never needed to fertilize them because they were roosting habitat for many native birds that left behind hundreds of pounds of fertilizer - right where it was needed - every year.
Few plants serve to attract native pollinators better than the sunflowers that are native to your region. At the end of the season, goats are more than happy to clear them out and turn them into fertilizer.
Thanks for the additional tips Slanderman. I would just add that for anyone living in the SW US, the addition of calcium, gypsum and lime might be counter productive because those things are all very alkali and most of the soils here are already very alkali - due to the low organic matter content, which is due to the low rainfall. Here, the use of acidic amendments is the preferred choice. Most organic matter will become ph neutral as it breaks down into humates. The microbes that do that will greatly appreciate the minerals and other nutrients Slanderman suggested. Compost and mulch!
I would have to agree about changing the ph if one does so using the reductionist approach you describe.
What I described is the use of organic matter - compost and mulch - which achieves the complexity needed to turn into humates (mentioned), which keep salts in suspension and the ph in a range that makes many garden plants happy.
Right, the fresh, viable humates I describe, made from organic matter, compost and mulch, is not the same as your clay.
Agreed, ph testing is not necessary... for those who have a working knowledge of acidic soils vs alkaline soils and know what signs to look for in garden plants. But I've seen a number of people move to the SW from back east and mistakenly add lime, ashes or gypsum to the soil only to have the garden fail miserably. A little knowledge of soil ph would have saved them some big headaches.
I never tested any of the residential landscapes I designed and installed through the 70's and 80's because I did them all organically with tons of mulch and compost. I never tested the first 40 acres I bought here in 84, or the second farm I bought in 92. However, I did ph tests in 98 when I bought this 23 acres, from 6 different locations, hundreds of yards apart, in widely varying terrain and biomes, just to get an idea. It was enlightening. All were within a few tenths of each other.
No need to do another test since then.
Organic matter, mulch and compost have gotten all my garden soils where they need to be - "in a range" (not "perfect"). How can I tell? After 60 years one learns to observe the plants reactions.
So yes, I think beginning gardeners can be helped by a working understanding of soil ph.