The Science of growing more Nutritious Vegs

This is easy: doing less work is best here! Do not disturb your soils, in nature, there is no mechanical or chemical disturbance! Go there and learn how to do it.

You could also add cow or chicken manures, but I'm not keen to recommend this in general for home gardening for a few reasons:

• Unless you know exactly what the cows have been fed (and what fertilisers or pesticides have been used on that feed!), what antibiotics or other meds the cows have been given, etc. I find it too risky for the benefits you'll get – and over the years have seen poor quality manures (bought from supermarkets and garden centres) cause months of repair work to soils and destroy home garden crops!

• In most cases you don't need that level of added nutrients to soils (plants & Vegs can only take up so much, the rest will leach in soils and water supplies)

• It needs to be fully composted before use otherwise its high nitrogen content will likely “burn” the plants and vegs.

• Risks introducing new weeds to your garden if not fully composted (in particular with horse manure)

If you happen to have a pet Rabbit at home, do use the “bunny berries” in your compost and garden directly, it's a great source of Nitrogen!

(but do not add excrements from cats, dogs, etc however!)

Use Mulch to cover and build surface armour to protect the soils and often to reduce slugs and snails! You can use wood chips from your garden (and I recommend you buy a wood chipper too, great investment!).

Let me share a little secret: I use this in all my raised beds! It is a light and easy to use garden mulch made from Wheat Straw for organic gardening. A patented process is used to ‘preserve’ the straw so that it lasts for up to two years and gives an earthy brown colour. Strulch has a neutral pH and can be used throughout the garden on borders, raised beds, around cultivated fruit and on vegetable plots. The mineralised Straw garden mulch, lasts up to two years, spreading the cost, saving water and fertiliser, making your plants grow healthier and stronger and giving you more time to relax. Its key benefits:

• Strulch mulch reduces weed growth by up to 95%

• Strulch mulch helps retain moisture around plants

• Strulch mulch enriches soil and its structure

• Strulch mulch is suitable around flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables

• The physical properties of Strulch mulch together with the embedded minerals deters slugs and snails.

• Keeps the garden tidy and healthy!

It already exists in most gardens.
But I use it when I'm planting in pots or garden (except brassicas as they don’t form a partnership with this fungi) or even when sowing seeds directly in the ground. (You must spread it directly on the roots!).

Do some A/B testing to validate the benefits in your own garden!

I rarely have weeds to throw away, I collect all I can in the garden either to compost, or in particular with weeds I pull out to make “Herbal Tea” – it’s all good nutrients worth keeping in my garden rather than send to the community recycling centre!

Your Pee! It's the best fertiliser you never run out of, available on demand! Assuming you are not taking meds and are healthy, a family of 4 produces enough each year to make the equivalent of 45 Kg – for free! And best of all, it's in a ready to use form for plants to benefit from. How to use it? Dilute 1 part urine to 10 parts water – use fresh and immediately! Or pour on top of your compost pile.

: Effective Microorganisms (EM) are mixed cultures of beneficial naturally-occurring organisms that can be applied as inoculants to increase the microbial diversity of soil ecosystem. They consist mainly of the photosynthesizing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes and fermenting fungi. Learn more about EM.

This stuff is simply magical!

I use this everywhere I can as a Microbial inoculant to fast-track germination, rooting, flowering and fruiting, even compost pile or Bokashi composting and it improves the soil's structure.

My favourite recipe is to use it mixed in with Molasses to activate it and feed the microbes in their first few hours, add liquid seaweed, and every other week I combine it with sea minerals and alternate liquid fish.

Now, let's take it to another level and bring yet more microbes to your soils!

Here are a few ways to increase the microbial diversity in your soils, these will need a bit more effort and very basic DIY skills!

Mother Nature didn't grow monocultures so why should we? Compost tea is excellent for increasing microbial diversity, and I use it to both water the plants and as a foliar spray.

It takes a bit of effort to make, but if you have seen the benefits, you won’t mind the effort!

Vermicompost is better than compost due to its higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content, and its ability to improve the soil structure, and to increase its water-holding capacity. It's a fun project for kid!

How to use Vermicompost?

• Sprinkle a handful in your pots

• Mix in your compost

• Harvest the tea leachate, Dilute 10:1 with water for your borders,

• Spread a thin layer in your Vegs beds in spring

• When brewing your compost tea, add a handful of vermicompost into the tea bag mixed with Compost,

TTo reduce the composting cycle to 6 weeks by stimulating soil bacteria to help achieve higher temperature sooner. You'll find products local to you so feel free to use that.

In the UK, I can recommend this Premium organic compost accelerator by Shropshire Seaweed

Without even doing soil tests (although I still recommend you do it!), you can safely use those soil amendments as your soils most likely lack of those minerals:

No matter what's your soil, you can use this to improve soil condition with minerals including trace elements (which and how many depends on its source!) to improve soil structure, moisture holding properties, bacterial action, and nutrient availability.

A few recommendations on how to use it:

• Go local: look for a local/closest quarry and see if you can buy direct to save on transport costs

• You don't need much, just about 25Kg per 100sqm; and it's near permanent!

• You can also sprinkle on top of your compost pile each time you add materials

• You can sprinkle some as a Tonic for Wormeries, it encourages beneficial organisms and microbes.

Phosphorus is used by plants for most of their processes. From photosynthesis to cell division and energy storage. Abundant supplies of this mineral promote healthy root growth and vigorous early growth. Phosphorus can be used at any stage of plant life, in particular for plants that produce fruit or flower.

A few recommendations on how to use it:

• too much phosphorus can reduce the amount of other nutrients your plants absorbs from the soil. Take care not to apply too much, or too early/late, as the phosphorus is subject to “fixation”. During this process the phosphorus reverts to forms that plants cannot easily utilise.

• Can be diluted in water and used as a liquid feed.

• Before planting out: 30gms per square metre dug into 200mm

• Top dressing during growing period: 20/30gms per square metre every 6/8 weeks (water in thoroughly)

• If in pots, add a tablespoon.

Calcium is an important nutrient that strengthens a plant’s cellular walls and is vital in new cell development. A calcium deficiency can lead to common fruit diseases such as blossom-end rot, which is prevalent in tomatoes and peppers in particular.

A few recommendations on how to use it:

• It is usually added in winter for annual crops, such as vegetables, just prior to digging, as the calcium carbonate can take effect over the winter months and will not damage young growth

• You can apply about 5Kg per 100 sqm (so that's enough for most suburban gardens).

• If in pots, add a tablespoon.

Now, take the next step a modern take on a 2000-year-old tradition, inspired by Amazonian Indians who used charred plant matter to enrich their poor, infertile soils!

I’ve researched and written more about Biochar - check out the post, and in the meantime, here is a summary:

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that’s made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry wastes (also called biomass) in a controlled process called pyrolysis.During the pyrolysis process, the organic material is converted into biochar, a stable form of carbon that can’t easily escape into the atmosphere. Biochar is black, highly porous, lightweight, fine-grained and has a large surface area.

Once you add it, it's permanent! It is believed that biochar has a long average dwelling time in soil, ranging from 1000 to 10,000 years, with an average of 5000 years. So you will reap the benefit for a while…

The application of biochar improves soil fertility through two mechanisms: adding nutrients to the soil (such as K, to a limited extent P, and many micronutrients) or retaining nutrients from other sources, including nutrients from the soil itself. However, the main advantage is to retain moisture and nutrients from other sources.

• Less risk of reduced crop yield during dry seasons;

• Reduce the need for fertilisers containing nitrogen and phosphorus;

• Help retain nitrogen and sulfurs in soil, which also reduces emissions;

• Facilitate reestablishment of vegetation on sterile ground;

• Inhibit the growth of molds or mildews (I always use it with courgettess and squash in particular!)

• Biochar is so high in carbon that it doesn't break down over time, meaning one application is all you need to permanently improve your soil

• You can add to your compost mix or directly to the soil at any time of year to improve nutrient availability. Each time I'm planting Vegs or sowing directly in the ground, I first put a handful of Biochar at the bottom.

• If you want to add to a new Vegs bed, use the application rate of 1kg per square metre.

• It's easy to apply and, because of its water holding qualities, it means less maintenance of plants, crops and lawns. It also means you'll save a bit on those water bills.

• Biochar will increase water-holding capacity and cation exchange capacity of sandy soils; clay and silt soils with added biochar can favour soil aeration. Water-holding capacity in sandy soils can be increased by up to 22% and soil compaction ameliorated by 15%.

• It also provides the perfect refugia for beneficial microbiology like mycorrhizae and Trichoderma.

Don't forget to go local: here I'm recommending what works well in the UK to minimise transport costs. And make sure to find an Organic Biochar!

• Biochar in UK: We are lucky to have Carbon Gold, with a variety of Biochar products in different forms (added to compost or on its own) – highly recommended! (and their buckets are great for re-use!)

• Biochar in US: Check out the Directory on US Biochar Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation promoting the sustainable production and use of biochar through research, policy, technology and doing it!

Note that naturally sourced products and minerals such as salts, volcanic rock dust, rock phosphate, guano, lime, sands, etc are mined – and there isn't an unlimited supply of those! So don't waste it and only use what you need, after doing a soil test!

And if you do buy these minerals, make sure they are sourced as locally as possible to minimise impact of transport, even if only by road.

Instead of the below, focusing on enriching your soil with organic matter first is likely cheaper and will benefit soil in terms of nutrients to promote growth, unless you have specific recommendations in your soil tests.

So first, focus your efforts on making better quality compost!

Only then you should consider these additional amendments below.

Gypsum (Calcium Sulphate): Doing a soil analysis will establish how much calcium and sulfure are already present. Gypsum is mostly used for breaking up excessively compacted clay soils, making them more porous and able to absorb moisture. The addition of gypsum can promote better drainage and air circulation, which can aid root development and nutrient absorption. It's not a permanent benefit though and you will likely need to repeat each year!

I do use it however in self-wicking buckets to help with moisture absorption and calcium deficiencies.

As I shared earlier, Powder Rock Phosphate complements your efforts to add more organic matter to your soils, which is what makes phosphorus available to your plants in the first place.

Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt): Tomatoes, for instance, need lots of Magnesium to grow to their full potential. Epsom Salt can be a great, cost-effective way of getting this essential nutrient into your crop. The same applies for Peppers, it is very beneficial, to their growth, aids in germination, produce greater yields, improved beauty and strength of the peppers. it has many other uses in the garden:

• improving seed germination

• increasing nutrient absorption

• countering transplant shock

• green-up foliage

• preventing leaf curling

• killing tree stumps

Depending on your soil test results you may find you need some further soil amendments:

• Pumice: an alternative to perlite for its water retention properties – also useful in self-wicking buckets and pots to improve soil aeration, drainage and nutrient content.

• Granite sand: it contains 60+ elements, including many trace elements; again may be recommended based on your soil test results.

• Polysulphate: Sulphur deficiency is now widespread and in the UK, for example, yield response to sulphate applications in winter wheat can be up to 30% in some cases, and averages 6%. In brassica crops the benefit is greater, with trials showing winter oilseed rape can give a yield response of as much as 80%. This product is produced from Polyhalite, mined in the UK. With 48% SO3, Polysulphate fertiliser provides a reliable and readily available new source of sulphate.

• Add a Companion plant to your crops such as legumes to bring nitrogen to the soil (lupin, clover, vetch, alfalfa),

• And add some nutrients accumulators plants such as borage, nettles, yarrow.

You'll notice that many of those “companion” plants are also used for other purposes as fertilisers or teas for plants and humans! and Bees love them too!

Some recent research suggests that plants which differ in their root traits helps develop greater Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), microorganisms which are associated with plant roots, and significantly affect plant nutrition and health.

AMF assemblages were both enriched and more similar between focal and neighbour plants when the focal and neighbour plants differed more in their root traits. This study shows that neighbour plants influence the microbiota of a plant when it arrives in a community. This suggests that the way plants are arranged in space, because of this influence on microbial assemblages, could have an effect on plant coexistence
— Plant neighbours shape fungal assemblages associated with plant roots: A new understanding of niche‐partitioning in plant communities, April 2021

So similar to what happens in nature, avoid monoculture (single crop) – while it looks nice in a raised bed, it's best to mix together various plants/flowers and Vegs. It's also good for bees and other pollinators

Rather than simply watering your garden with the hose pipe from your City water supply, it’s worth considering improving your water, including (ordered by increasing costs!)

• Collect & use rain water,

• If you have access, use pond water,

• If using City water, fill in a tank or bucket and let it rest for 24hrs so the chlorine evaporates,

• Use a garden hose water filter to remove chlorine, pH balanced and purer water,

• Use a filter to produce Reverse Osmosis water.

As mentioned earlier, you can use weeds from your garden or green waste from your neighbours and friends to make more Weed Herbal Teas.

• Comfrey, nettles and liquid from wormeries all make excellent liquid fertilisers.

• Comfrey: Comfrey has very deep roots, which means it extracts large quantities of nutrients from far below the soil’s surface, inaccessible to other plants. By harvesting the leaves and letting them break down, you’ll have a rich, dark, nutrient-rich plant food to use around the garden. It’s especially rich in potassium, making it the ideal feed to promote flowers and fruits in a range of plants, including tomatoes.

• Nettles are high in nitrogen, a mild plant protector and biological fertiliser. Prepared as a swiftly effective brew, it fights widely spread parasites found in the garden attacking the valuable wild plant like aphids.

• Worm Leachate: The thick black liquid (also called leachate) from a worm farm is good to use on your borders. I don't recommend using it on Vegs grown in beds or containers. The leachate should be diluted with water at 10:1 and must be used immediately. – Do not store for later use.

Foliar spray, although not a substitute for healthy soil, can be beneficial when a plant is suffering from certain nutrient deficiencies. Foliar plant spray involves applying fertiliser directly to a plant's leaves as opposed to putting it in the soil, best done every 2-3 weeks in early evenings

Don't use an overly concentrated Foliar Spray:

I recommend over-diluting the foliar spray just to make sure that you don't use a mix that could be too strong for your plant and avoid damaging or killing them.

Most soils have been reduced to just 12 to 20 trace minerals, rather than the dozens Mother Nature intended. Sea Minerals works as a soil fertility supplement that re-mineralizes the soil, and is helpful to all types of soil and any growing conditions.

I prefer using a liquid sea mineral fertiliser as it's 100% water soluble in contrast to rock powders which are not.

How to use it? I use it in foliar sprays with EM or compost tea (and alternate with liquid fish fertiliser) with the liquid fish below.

I would use Kelp instead of a liquid seaweed fertiliser if I was still on seaside (free and very effective – but do check on your local regulations!) as it also helps long-term soil development, and help your Vegs better sustain cold and heat.

I now live too far from the seaside to do it so instead I'm using liquid seaweed fertiliser.

How to use it? I use it at least monthly with EM or compost tea, with application rate of 2 tablespoons in 5L water.

Liquid Humic Acid is easily assimilated by plants and some of its main functions include improving plant immunity, improving plant metabolism, improving plant root development, improving the supply of plant nutritional elements and increasing the formation of ferments.

Humic Acid promotes the increased accumulation of chlorophyll, sugar, amino acids and more and improves the efficiency of nitrogen utilization, allowing for reduced fertilizer rates.

One of the primary actions of Humic Acid is to increase the plant's ability to withstand the stresses of heat, drought, cold, disease, insect and other types of environmental or cultural pressures.

Humic also increases general plant productivity, in terms of yield, as well as plant stem strength. Within the soil, humic stimulates soil microorganisms, promoting Humus.

How to use it? I use it in compost tea and regular recipe for foliar spray and to water plants.

Liquid fish fertiliser is a great source of nitrogen and phosphorus, used in my recipe with EM in foliar sprays.

How to use it? I alternate fish fertiliser and sea minerals as they don't work well together) and compost tea.

• Setup Decoys: amongst your Vegs, add plants to attract beneficial insects and repel predators. I plant amongst my Vegs Beds the following: mint (in particular to confuse and deter onion fly, flea beetles), dill, marigold, garlic.

• Use cover crops including buckwheat, clover (great for Weed Herbal Tea and also Human Tea!), oats, ryegrass, vetch

• Mulch your Vegs beds: slugs and snails will be deterred! (Strulch is particularly effective to protect your Vegs)

• Plant sacrificial plants:

  • Plant Nasturtiums as a sacrificial crop – aphids love them and this will lure them away from your runner beans/French beans. They also attract slugs and snails.

  • Plant Dill in Vegs beds and borders to attract rabbits, hoverflies and predatory wasps which will feed off aphids!

Don't forget…

Following the use of those organic pesticides sprays, remember to repeat foliar sprays to repopulate microbes and bring more nutrients to the attacked plants.

When used as a foliage spray, garlic is really effective against aphids, Colorado potato beetles, whiteflies, bean beetles, cabbage worms, spider mites, moths (including the diamondback moth), ants, and termites.

This garlic spray works as a repellent, sending most pests scurrying away in a hurry.

How to use it? Add two-three crushed fresh garlic cloves to a food grade oil such as sunflower oil, and leave to infuse for 24 hours. The following day, add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to the mixture, along with 500 ml water.

Neem oil Pressed from the finest seeds of the neem tree, also known as Azadirachta indica. The neem tree is considered to have divine properties and is native to India and very commonly grown. It has a distinct smell though: Nutty. garlicky, pungent, strong, unpleasant!

It is non-toxic to humans, birds, earthworms and animals but I recommend not spraying it when plants are in flower as it can kill bees.

How to use it? A couple of times in Spring, use it as a foliar spray or when you notice an infestation. I also noticed it works well to protect Box edge trees.