Manure that’s not yucky – you can actually eat them
Most of us especially non-farmers would react violently to the word “manure”. But we’re not talking about dung, muck, crap and most of all we’re not talking shit. We’re talking about green manure. Green manures are plants grown to temporarily cover the soil and then later incorporated in the soil to improve soil fertility and structure (Ooops! Too much soil there). Legumes are the favorite plants to use as green manure because of their nitrogen fixing capabilities. These plants fix nitrogen from the air, water and soil and deposit them in their roots for future use. Usually, these plants are helped by nitrogen fixing bacteria called rhizobia (it almost sound like my surname). The fixed nitrogen is visible in their roots and can be seen by the naked eye as pinkish nodules. Too bad for these plants because they don’t get the chance to produce flowers and fruits. They are incorporated into the soil before they start to flower. That's why they are usually called sacrificial crops. It is before their flowering stage that their stored nitrogen is at its maximum. After most of the plants are decomposed, we then plant the crops we intend to grow. The next set of plants will be the ones using the stored nitrogen. Poor green manure.
Hello, Raymond and Mariel here. We started this blog to share the developments of our small farm to all of you. We decided to call it the Daily DOSE Farm. DOSE stands for Diverse, Organic, Sustainable and Eco-friendly. Our farm is Diverse because, although small, it is home to about 100 kinds of vegetables and herbs. It also shelters hundreds of different insects, a few species of birds and billions of beneficial fungi and bacteria. We practice Organic farming. Not a drop of pesticide or a granule of synthetic fertilizer is used in our farm. We hate chemicals! We only use the best compost we can produce, freshly brewed compost tea, and the wisdom nature gave us. We support Sustainable agriculture. For us, we are only borrowing our land from our future kids and grandchildren, so we must preserve its fertility. From our farm to our stores we follow Eco-friendly practices. We use recyclable materials for packaging and encourage people to shop bringing reusable shopping bags. Shoppers with reusable bags get discounts and freebies. Join us in making our world better. We can’t imagine Mother Earth being worse than what she is today.
Most of us especially non-farmers would react violently to the word “manure”. But we’re not talking about dung, muck, crap and most of all we’re not talking shit. We’re talking about green manure. Green manures are plants grown to temporarily cover the soil and then later incorporated in the soil to improve soil fertility and structure (Ooops! Too much soil there). Legumes are the favorite plants to use as green manure because of their nitrogen fixing capabilities. These plants fix nitrogen from the air, water and soil and deposit them in their roots for future use. Usually, these plants are helped by nitrogen fixing bacteria called rhizobia (it almost sound like my surname). The fixed nitrogen is visible in their roots and can be seen by the naked eye as pinkish 
nodules. Too bad for these plants because they don’t get the chance to produce flowers and fruits. They are incorporated into the soil before they start to flower. That's why they are usually called sacrificial crops. It is before their flowering stage that their stored nitrogen is at its maximum. After most of the plants are decomposed, we then plant the crops we intend to grow. The next set of plants will be the ones using the stored nitrogen. Poor green manure.
No comments:
Post a Comment