July 29, 2025 • 25 mins
In this eye-opening episode, I unpack the shocking truth about nutrient loss in modern fruits and vegetables. A 2023 review found that today’s produce contains significantly fewer vitamins and minerals than in decades past. Some nutrients have dropped by up to 80% since the 1950s!
We explore how industrial agriculture, depleted soils, and synthetic fertilizers have impacted our food and, more importantly, how we as home gardeners can grow more nutrient-rich produce by focusing on soil health. Soil nerds, unite!
I talk about the essential role of soil microbes and organic matter in our soil in creating nutritious food (and how synthetic fertilizers can’t compete), how composting, mulching, and no-till gardening can restore soil health, and give you actionable tips for increasing nutrient density in your own garden. If you care about what goes into your food and on your family’s plate, this is a must-listen. Let’s dig in!
Save 20% on your new own-root rose plant at Heirloom Roses with code JUSTGROW https://heirloomroses.com
Referenced episodes:
Ep. 18 - Garden Talk Tuesday: Plant Nutrients and Why You Need to Know Them
Focal Point Friday: Plant Nutrient Basics
Find the full show notes at https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/is-homegrown-produce-more-nutritious-how-your-soil-makes-the-difference-ep-260
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
What if I told you the fruits and vegetables that you grow in
your own yard are likely more nutritious than what you buy in
the store, and it has less to dowith how fresh it is and more to
do with how you garden? A 2023 review published in the
journal Foods last year lays it out very plainly.
Fruits and vegetables grown today have measurably less
(00:23):
protein, calcium, iron, vitamin C, and a whole host of other
nutrients than the ones that ourgrandparents ate.
Some minerals have declined by as much as 80% since the 1950s,
and it all boils down to the soil.
So today, on Just Grow Something, we're diving into the
(00:44):
surprising science behind the global decline in nutrient
quality in our fruits and vegetables, and more
importantly, what we can do about it in our own gardens.
Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen, and what started
as a small backyard garden 20 years ago turned into a lifelong
passion for growing food. Now, as a market farmer and
horticulturist, I want to help you do the same on this podcast.
(01:07):
I Am Your. Friend in the garden.
Teaching Evidence. Based techniques to help.
You grow your favorites. And build confidence in your own
garden space. So grab your garden journal and
a cup of coffee and get ready tojust grow something.
So I think we all have heard a little bit about this here or
(01:27):
there through different studies or different reports, but it
doesn't ever seem to be something that is really, really
focused on in the media. So if you don't go looking for a
lot of this information, you're not really going to get the full
scoop, right? So what is up with our produce?
Researchers tracked decades of USDA nutrient data, and they
(01:52):
found that modern produce just doesn't pack the same punch.
And no, it's not your taste budsimagining it.
A carrot today is simply not thesame carrot from 70 years ago.
So what happened? Well, we started prioritizing
size and yield and shelf life over flavor and nutrition.
(02:14):
Industrial agriculture selected crops that were bigger and
easier to ship with less damage,but they were also less dense in
nutrients. We've been growing in depleted
soils using synthetic fertilizers and of course,
rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Basically, add to that and then
(02:35):
you've got vegetables that look great, but they offer a whole
lot less nutritionally. And we've talked about this
quite a bit on this show. Soil health equals plant health
and plant health equals human health because we are eating
those plants, right? So this brings us to the root of
(02:57):
the issue, pun actually intended, right?
It's not just about what we are growing, it's about the soil
that we are growing it in. Healthy soil is like a little
underground city. It's got microbes and fungi and
(03:18):
worms and all kinds of things ina whole underground network, and
they all work together to break down that organic matter in the
soil and make those nutrients available to the plants.
When the soil has none of that life, either through being
(03:39):
overused or the heavy use of synthetic chemicals or excessive
tilling, then those microbes aregone and the plants can't access
the micronutrients that they need and neither can we.
So I'm going to leave a link in the show notes to an episode
(04:02):
that I did way back in Season 1 that breaks down the
micronutrients versus the macro nutrients.
But essentially what it boils down to is when you look at
synthetic fertilizers and actually when you look at any
fertilizer, even if it is something that is derived
naturally, you're going to see 3numbers on there.
Those are indicating the level of the macro nutrients that are
(04:26):
in that fertilizer, the N, the P, the K, right?
So nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, those are the three
macro nutrients that we are concerned with when we're doing
the the growth right. But there are a lot of
micronutrients that are the supporting players and a lot of
(04:46):
the macro nutrients can't function totally by themselves.
They need those micronutrients as those supporting players and
synthetic fertilizers generally do not include any of those
micronutrients. You do find more organic based
products that do contain micronutrients.
(05:07):
They're not going to have everything, which is why it is
so important that we focus on feeding the soil and not feeding
the plant. We want the soil and the soil
microbes to do the feeding so that we're not just feeding the
plant and having it, you know, think that it's got this big
boost of growth when in fact, yeah, it grew, but there wasn't
(05:29):
a whole lot to that growth. This situation is quite
literally coming down to AU are what you eat situation and what
we're eating is not nutritionally complete because
our soil is lacking in those microbes and is lacking in those
micronutrients on a commercial scale because the nothing is
(05:50):
being added back into that soil.OK.
A German study showed that spinach and lettuce grown with
compost had higher vitamin C andlower nitrates than those grown
with synthetic fertilizers. And that is a win win.
That's more nutrition and fewer harmful compounds going into our
(06:11):
soil. OK, so enough doom and gloom.
There is good news, right? As home gardeners, we have
control. We can grow food that is more
nutritious than what we find at the grocery store just by taking
care of our soil. I think I've talked ad nauseam
about compost on this show. Compost truly is magic.
(06:32):
It builds organic matter. It feeds those soil microbes.
It creates the structure that isbetter for not just the plants,
but also the microbes that are in the soil.
So whether it's kitchen straps or yard waste or fallen leaves,
we can turn that stuff into garden gold.
I will link to all of the compost episodes we have ever
(06:56):
done to get you started on your composting journey.
I will even include the Verma composting episodes because it
really is that important. The second thing is mulch.
OK, mulch, cover crops and then to a lesser extent maybe some
crop rotation. But I mean, I, we talk about
mulch all the time because I have seen the difference that it
(07:21):
makes in gardens, not just mine,but also in my garden consulting
clients. When I go to somebody's house or
even when I go and mentor other farmers who are new to this and
I go and I see bare soil, that is the first thing that I want
to address. Do not leave your soil bare, OK?
(07:42):
If you are growing, actively growing things, then make sure
that you are mulching with something that is organic,
whether it's a straw or it's wood chips or whatever it is
that works for your situation. If you can't do something that's
organic because it's not available to you, you can do
things like the black plastic mulch.
Just be aware that that makes itvery difficult for the soil
(08:02):
microbes to breathe. So that needs to be pulled up at
the end of the season. So don't leave it in place long
term. That's not doing your soil any
any favors. Right?
So my preference is always, always always an organic type of
a mulch. My preference is straw.
If you don't have anything actively growing in your garden
beds, you still don't want that soil to be bare.
(08:25):
It doesn't matter whether or notyou're doing in raised planters
or if you're doing them in ground.
All of our winds and our rains and everything else are going to
remove that top layer of soil inthe garden.
That means that good topsoil in your raised beds, that means
stuff that you've actually put money into to create.
So we don't want that happening.Plant some cover crops, plant
(08:45):
some lagoons or some grasses in the offseason.
And then if you have the abilityto be able to rotate your crops
each year depending on the size of your garden, not only does
that kind of help confuse the pests and if you have any soil
borne diseases, that is actuallygoing to help to keep that at
Bay as well. But it also tends to help keep
(09:06):
the micronutrients a little bit more balanced.
If you are growing the same thing over and over again in the
same space, you're really going to have to make a concerted
effort to make sure that you areamending that soil every year,
that you are feeding that soil every season, because you need
to be putting those nutrients back into the soil that that
(09:26):
plant has taken up. And if it's the same plant or
the same sets of plants in the same space, there's likely stuff
that you're going to miss. And usually it's going to be the
micronutrients because again, those are the ones that are less
available in some of the, you know, amendments that we use.
So if you can rotate, then that's going to help.
But I understand not everybody has the size of a garden that's
(09:49):
going to allow for that to happen.
So just do your best. In reality, the high priority
really is the mulch and the cover crops and the addition of
the compost. OK.
On her six acre flower farm in Southwest Washington, Galena
bracampus grows roses that are as resilient as they are
beautiful, even with steady rainthrough the fall and the winter.
(10:11):
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know exactly what
I'm talking about. Her roses bloom reliably,
without the need for sprays or complicated care.
Her approach is simple and organic.
She chooses roses that are fragrant, bloom in fleshes, and
resist disease. In a climate where black spot is
common, healthy varieties make all the difference, and that's
(10:33):
where heirloom roses comes in. Roses grown on their own roots
rather than grafting, are naturally stronger and more
resilient to insect pests and diseases.
Galena's rose care routine is pretty straightforward.
She prunes once in the early spring, she adds compost to
enrich the soil, she fertilizes once, maybe twice a season, and
(10:54):
then she uses mulch to keep the moisture in and the weeds down.
Does this all sound familiar? It's not that much effort to
keep a beautiful rose thriving if it's the right rose, and I
can attest to this method with my own heirloom rose.
She also dead heads regularly tokeep those balloons coming,
which is something I have only recently learned to do.
Her favorite varieties right nowinclude Polka, Coco Loco and
(11:19):
Pari de Yves St. Laurent.
And if you are one of my French speaking listeners, feel free to
call me out on that pronunciation.
Get your own easy to maintain own root roses by going to
heirloomroses.com and using codeJust Grow at checkout to save
20%. A gentle, natural approach to
(11:39):
rose care can still lead to stunning results if you start
with the best roses and the bestroses start with their own
roots. heirloomroses.com with code Just Grow to save 20%.
The link is in the show notes. One thing that we had a hard
time getting away from here on the farm, mostly because, you
(12:01):
know, we were taught by some oldschool farmers and it was just
something that my husband had kind of stuck in his head for a
much longer period of time than I did.
That's the benefit of going and getting a degree in
horticulture. You learn some things, but
trying to impart that wisdom of other people doesn't always
work. And that is to reduce the
tillage. Tilling destroys soil structure
and it kills the beneficial microbes.
(12:23):
So if you have the ability to try a no till approach,
especially in raised beds, thereis no reason to be turning
completely turning your soil over in a raised planter.
But in in ground beds as well, if you can try to not till, that
is going to help to keep the ecosystem thriving.
And oftentimes it actually is going to make it much easier for
(12:44):
your soil to be worked. Now this may take time.
We garden in some very heavy clay and that was the reason why
we initially started tilling. We we thought that we needed to
break up that soil in order to be able to give the plants a
place to grow. And we were we were pretty
correct in that. But the problem was they weren't
(13:05):
growing like they should. They weren't growing like they
were in my raised planters for sure.
But they also weren't growing like they were in other areas of
the farm that weren't as quite heavy clay.
I think we have 7 different soiltypes on this farm, so there's
different places to grow. But once we stopped tilling that
(13:26):
play soil and we started just layering the compost on top
every single year, it was amazing what the difference was.
It did take two years to really begin to see that difference,
but the difference is amazing. So I would never go back to
tilling the soil up. Now, if you have to break the
crust of the soil a little bit, number one, that means that you
(13:48):
don't have enough mulch on your garden bed in the offseason.
So that might be something to address.
But if you have to break it up alittle bit, I understand that.
But we're talking about that sort of deep tillage.
That's where you're turning things over and over again.
Reducing that tillage is actually going to help to keep
that ecosystem thriving in that soil.
The next thing too is to try to boost that microbial life that
(14:13):
is in the soil. So if you can add compost teas
or things like worm castings, there are even mycorrhizal
fungi, inoculants that you can put into the soil that is
actually going to encourage thatnutrient, those nutrient cycling
organisms And that is going to help to move the nutrition, all
(14:34):
of those micronutrients and macro nutrients into the plants
much more easily. The other thing that we can do
to kind of, you know, boost the nutrient density of our plants
out in the garden is to actuallychoose nutrient dense varieties.
A lot of the modern hybrids havebeen bred for shelf life or for
(14:59):
rapid growth or for disease resistance specifically, and not
necessarily, you know, their their flavor and in turn their
nutrients, right? Heirlooms, on the other hand,
can often retain more nutrients and the flavor than you know,
their modern hybrids. But this isn't a real sticking
(15:19):
point because I understand that,you know, a lot of time
heirlooms don't produce as well and you're also trying to avoid
a lot in terms of like diseases or you need something for pest
resistance. And the only thing that's going
to do that for you is a hybrid. So if you can kind of, you know,
lean towards doing those first four things I talked about
(15:40):
adding the compost, dealing withmulch and cover crops, reducing
your tillage and then kind of boosting that microbial life.
Well then I'll give you a pass on, you know, planting the
nutrient dense varieties. So how do we focus on nutrient
density in the garden based on our gardening style or or where
it is that we are gardening, right.
If you are an in ground gardener, then you probably want
(16:01):
to focus on building that soil kind of year over year.
So like we talked about with theclay soil, just layering that
compost on and allowing it to settle in and then rotating your
crops if you have that ability. And then using those cover crops
in the offseason, adding that mulch for sure during the
(16:23):
growing season, but then also making sure that that soil is
covered in terms of cover crops in the offseason.
Not only is that going to hold the soil in place and going to
reduce some of that topsoil loss, which by the way, is where
most of the nutrients are sitting that are available to
your plants, but a lot of the cover crops are also going to
add nutrients back into the soil.
(16:44):
So not only is it giving something in terms of organic
matter for the soil microbes to feed on, but you're also adding
some of those macro nutrients for sure, but also a lot of
those micronutrients. There are a lot of minerals and
stuff in these plants that we grow as cover crops.
When the debris ends up breakingdown into that soil, it's adding
(17:06):
all of that back in there again.And then if you can reduce the
tillage to protect that underground kind of network of
life, then that's even better. So that's a win, win, win all
the way. If you are gardening in raised
beds or containers, you know, you want to start with, you know
a lot of good raw materials. So if you can start the bed off
(17:30):
with old leaves or twigs and things and then kind of add in
some additional things, you know, like good compost and then
top it with a good organic mix, that is going to get you off to
a really good start. You know, adding compost, adding
leaf mulch, avoiding the synthetic fertilizers, you know,
and you still can crop rotate even in small spaces especially.
(17:52):
It's actually a little bit easier sometimes when you're
doing it in raised beds. If you have multiple raised
containers you can rotate your crops through, at least at that
point you know, the nutrient profile is a little bit
different every single season and they're pulling up the
different micronutrients. And like we talked about last
episode, when you are gardening in a small space, you do want to
(18:13):
be very cognizant of the fact that you are using up the
nutrients a bit more quickly than you would if you were out
in an in ground bed because you are dealing with a finite amount
of soil, a finite volume of soil.
And so naturally there's only going to be a finite amount of
nutrients in that volume of soil.
So it's even more important for you to be adding to that,
(18:37):
topping those beds off every single year with compost, with
leaf mulch, putting in the worm castings and other things that
are going to add to it on a natural basis.
And not adding like a synthetic fertilizer.
Because once again, those synthetic fertilizers are not
going to feed the soil microbes.And they're also not adding any
(18:58):
of that micronutrient or mineralcontent into that soil.
Synthetic fertilizers are only going to feed the plants.
So think about that when you're looking at your raised beds.
And then if you are doing smaller containers or if you are
like growing indoors, even believe it or not your indoor
(19:18):
garden, anything that in that inthat soil, you absolutely have
microbes in that soil. So using an organic potting mix
that contains some compost, flushing your pots occasionally
you can get a salt buildup in there.
So that's a really good idea every once in a while to flush
those pots really well or completely change out the soil.
(19:39):
And then just feed with some organic like compost teas or
slow release amendments for likeyour indoor gardens or your
small containers on your patio. I would challenge you to feed
your soil like your feed your family because basically you
are, you know, the better soil means better plants, better
(20:03):
plants means better yield like better fruit or vegetable or the
actual plant itself. And it's a better crop and that
means better nutrition for you and for the people you are
feeding. So be sure that you are testing
your soil. So either do an at home kit or
send it out to university Extension Service so you can
(20:24):
gauge. Specifically, an amount of
organic matter and micronutrients is what we're
looking at. So most of your off the shelf
tests are only going to show youthe nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium levels and then also your soil pH.
But if we are concerned about the nutrient level and the
nutrient density of what is coming out of our gardens, then
(20:46):
we want to know a little bit more than that.
So either find a garden consultant local to you who will
go ahead and do that test, whichI do, do those for my clients,
or pull one from the university Extension Service.
And, you know, choose the optionthat shows you how much organic
matter is in your soil and also the level of the micronutrients.
(21:08):
And then you know what you're working with and you know what
might be lacking and what you might want to add back in.
Start composting. I don't care how small of an
area you have. Again, I'm going to link to all
of those composting episodes. There are tons and tons and tons
of ways to turn your kitchen waste and your yard debris into
(21:29):
nutrient gold in your garden. And not to mention, it also
keeps the food waste out of the landfills, which causes a whole
host of problems in and of itself.
But composting is definitely oneof the best ways to take all of
your food scraps, including what's already come out of your
(21:49):
own garden, and turn it right back into something that can be
used in the garden. And then you don't have to go
and buy it, right? You don't have to go buy as many
amendments either. So I would encourage you to
figure out a way to do that. Grow cover crops every winter
when you don't have anything growing in the garden.
Plant those peas or the Clover or the oats, even if you're
growing in a raised planter. This builds the fertility and it
(22:11):
also helps to lock the soil in place and it keeps those, those
microbes fed. OK, reduce your tilling.
No till beds are going to conserve that soil structure and
they're going to conserve the microbes and then add biological
amendments if you can. This is going to help to boost
those microbes and boost that little colony that you've got
going down in there, that network of of helpers that are
(22:34):
in the soil. So compost tea, mycorrhizal
inoculants, these are all going to boost the microbe activity,
diversify your plantings, you know, include the heirlooms,
include the legumes and do the greens.
This is not only a variety for us obviously because we need
that, but it actually is good variety for the soil health.
And so you don't have crops thatare all demanding the exact same
(22:57):
macro nutrients and micronutrients out of the soil.
They are demanding different things at different times.
And so when we're planning our inter plantings and our
intercroppings, which we talked a lot about this season, you
know, it's a good idea to consider what that plant needs
at what time. And so you compare it with
something that doesn't have the same demand.
(23:19):
Not only does it mean that you can get by with maybe a little
bit less fertility if you're a little bit lacking in that part
and you're trying to rebuild this, but it also means it's
using different nutrients in thesoil.
And that way you're not going toget as depleted as quickly And
then just observe and taste likenotice harvest differences.
(23:40):
Really good nutrition, highly nutritious foods often also give
off flavor. And so, you know, the flavor
profiles of fruits and vegetables are often associated
with the nutrient value because of the lycopenes or because of,
you know, whatever other nutrient or, or or mineral or
(24:03):
micronutrient is abundant. And so you're going to, that's
partly why people notice a flavor difference when it comes
to homegrown versus what you buyin the store.
But also because the stuff that you know, is grown for the store
is also bred specifically to be able to be shipped to the store
and how good it looks on the shelf and how long it can sit
(24:25):
there versus, you know, actual nutrition and flavor.
So your garden might actually beone of the most powerful health
tools that you own and you very well may not have known it.
And so if you can grow things that are more nutrient dense for
yourself and your family, then why not?
(24:46):
You know, it doesn't take a ton of effort.
It just takes some shifts in theway that we're thinking about
it. And so when we understand that
when we are feeding the soil, then the soil can do the job of
feeding the plants, that makes it much easier for those plants
to feed us. Thanks for hanging out with me
today. If you found today's episode
enlightening, will you share it with a fellow veggie lover or
(25:09):
soil nerd? I would really appreciate it.
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating
that dream garden, and we'll talk again soon.
What if I told you the fruits and vegetables that you grow in
your own yard are likely more nutritious than what you buy in
the store, and it has less to dowith how fresh it is and more to
do with how you garden? A 2023 review published in the
journal Foods last year lays it out very plainly.
Fruits and vegetables grown today have measurably less
(00:23):
protein, calcium, iron, vitamin C, and a whole host of other
nutrients than the ones that ourgrandparents ate.
Some minerals have declined by as much as 80% since the 1950s,
and it all boils down to the soil.
So today, on Just Grow Something, we're diving into the
(00:44):
surprising science behind the global decline in nutrient
quality in our fruits and vegetables, and more
importantly, what we can do about it in our own gardens.
Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen, and what started
as a small backyard garden 20 years ago turned into a lifelong
passion for growing food. Now, as a market farmer and
horticulturist, I want to help you do the same on this podcast.
(01:07):
I Am Your. Friend in the garden.
Teaching Evidence. Based techniques to help.
You grow your favorites. And build confidence in your own
garden space. So grab your garden journal and
a cup of coffee and get ready tojust grow something.
So I think we all have heard a little bit about this here or
(01:27):
there through different studies or different reports, but it
doesn't ever seem to be something that is really, really
focused on in the media. So if you don't go looking for a
lot of this information, you're not really going to get the full
scoop, right? So what is up with our produce?
Researchers tracked decades of USDA nutrient data, and they
(01:52):
found that modern produce just doesn't pack the same punch.
And no, it's not your taste budsimagining it.
A carrot today is simply not thesame carrot from 70 years ago.
So what happened? Well, we started prioritizing
size and yield and shelf life over flavor and nutrition.
(02:14):
Industrial agriculture selected crops that were bigger and
easier to ship with less damage,but they were also less dense in
nutrients. We've been growing in depleted
soils using synthetic fertilizers and of course,
rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Basically, add to that and then
(02:35):
you've got vegetables that look great, but they offer a whole
lot less nutritionally. And we've talked about this
quite a bit on this show. Soil health equals plant health
and plant health equals human health because we are eating
those plants, right? So this brings us to the root of
(02:57):
the issue, pun actually intended, right?
It's not just about what we are growing, it's about the soil
that we are growing it in. Healthy soil is like a little
underground city. It's got microbes and fungi and
(03:18):
worms and all kinds of things ina whole underground network, and
they all work together to break down that organic matter in the
soil and make those nutrients available to the plants.
When the soil has none of that life, either through being
(03:39):
overused or the heavy use of synthetic chemicals or excessive
tilling, then those microbes aregone and the plants can't access
the micronutrients that they need and neither can we.
So I'm going to leave a link in the show notes to an episode
(04:02):
that I did way back in Season 1 that breaks down the
micronutrients versus the macro nutrients.
But essentially what it boils down to is when you look at
synthetic fertilizers and actually when you look at any
fertilizer, even if it is something that is derived
naturally, you're going to see 3numbers on there.
Those are indicating the level of the macro nutrients that are
(04:26):
in that fertilizer, the N, the P, the K, right?
So nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, those are the three
macro nutrients that we are concerned with when we're doing
the the growth right. But there are a lot of
micronutrients that are the supporting players and a lot of
(04:46):
the macro nutrients can't function totally by themselves.
They need those micronutrients as those supporting players and
synthetic fertilizers generally do not include any of those
micronutrients. You do find more organic based
products that do contain micronutrients.
(05:07):
They're not going to have everything, which is why it is
so important that we focus on feeding the soil and not feeding
the plant. We want the soil and the soil
microbes to do the feeding so that we're not just feeding the
plant and having it, you know, think that it's got this big
boost of growth when in fact, yeah, it grew, but there wasn't
(05:29):
a whole lot to that growth. This situation is quite
literally coming down to AU are what you eat situation and what
we're eating is not nutritionally complete because
our soil is lacking in those microbes and is lacking in those
micronutrients on a commercial scale because the nothing is
(05:50):
being added back into that soil.OK.
A German study showed that spinach and lettuce grown with
compost had higher vitamin C andlower nitrates than those grown
with synthetic fertilizers. And that is a win win.
That's more nutrition and fewer harmful compounds going into our
(06:11):
soil. OK, so enough doom and gloom.
There is good news, right? As home gardeners, we have
control. We can grow food that is more
nutritious than what we find at the grocery store just by taking
care of our soil. I think I've talked ad nauseam
about compost on this show. Compost truly is magic.
(06:32):
It builds organic matter. It feeds those soil microbes.
It creates the structure that isbetter for not just the plants,
but also the microbes that are in the soil.
So whether it's kitchen straps or yard waste or fallen leaves,
we can turn that stuff into garden gold.
I will link to all of the compost episodes we have ever
(06:56):
done to get you started on your composting journey.
I will even include the Verma composting episodes because it
really is that important. The second thing is mulch.
OK, mulch, cover crops and then to a lesser extent maybe some
crop rotation. But I mean, I, we talk about
mulch all the time because I have seen the difference that it
(07:21):
makes in gardens, not just mine,but also in my garden consulting
clients. When I go to somebody's house or
even when I go and mentor other farmers who are new to this and
I go and I see bare soil, that is the first thing that I want
to address. Do not leave your soil bare, OK?
(07:42):
If you are growing, actively growing things, then make sure
that you are mulching with something that is organic,
whether it's a straw or it's wood chips or whatever it is
that works for your situation. If you can't do something that's
organic because it's not available to you, you can do
things like the black plastic mulch.
Just be aware that that makes itvery difficult for the soil
(08:02):
microbes to breathe. So that needs to be pulled up at
the end of the season. So don't leave it in place long
term. That's not doing your soil any
any favors. Right?
So my preference is always, always always an organic type of
a mulch. My preference is straw.
If you don't have anything actively growing in your garden
beds, you still don't want that soil to be bare.
(08:25):
It doesn't matter whether or notyou're doing in raised planters
or if you're doing them in ground.
All of our winds and our rains and everything else are going to
remove that top layer of soil inthe garden.
That means that good topsoil in your raised beds, that means
stuff that you've actually put money into to create.
So we don't want that happening.Plant some cover crops, plant
(08:45):
some lagoons or some grasses in the offseason.
And then if you have the abilityto be able to rotate your crops
each year depending on the size of your garden, not only does
that kind of help confuse the pests and if you have any soil
borne diseases, that is actuallygoing to help to keep that at
Bay as well. But it also tends to help keep
(09:06):
the micronutrients a little bit more balanced.
If you are growing the same thing over and over again in the
same space, you're really going to have to make a concerted
effort to make sure that you areamending that soil every year,
that you are feeding that soil every season, because you need
to be putting those nutrients back into the soil that that
(09:26):
plant has taken up. And if it's the same plant or
the same sets of plants in the same space, there's likely stuff
that you're going to miss. And usually it's going to be the
micronutrients because again, those are the ones that are less
available in some of the, you know, amendments that we use.
So if you can rotate, then that's going to help.
But I understand not everybody has the size of a garden that's
(09:49):
going to allow for that to happen.
So just do your best. In reality, the high priority
really is the mulch and the cover crops and the addition of
the compost. OK.
On her six acre flower farm in Southwest Washington, Galena
bracampus grows roses that are as resilient as they are
beautiful, even with steady rainthrough the fall and the winter.
(10:11):
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know exactly what
I'm talking about. Her roses bloom reliably,
without the need for sprays or complicated care.
Her approach is simple and organic.
She chooses roses that are fragrant, bloom in fleshes, and
resist disease. In a climate where black spot is
common, healthy varieties make all the difference, and that's
(10:33):
where heirloom roses comes in. Roses grown on their own roots
rather than grafting, are naturally stronger and more
resilient to insect pests and diseases.
Galena's rose care routine is pretty straightforward.
She prunes once in the early spring, she adds compost to
enrich the soil, she fertilizes once, maybe twice a season, and
(10:54):
then she uses mulch to keep the moisture in and the weeds down.
Does this all sound familiar? It's not that much effort to
keep a beautiful rose thriving if it's the right rose, and I
can attest to this method with my own heirloom rose.
She also dead heads regularly tokeep those balloons coming,
which is something I have only recently learned to do.
Her favorite varieties right nowinclude Polka, Coco Loco and
(11:19):
Pari de Yves St. Laurent.
And if you are one of my French speaking listeners, feel free to
call me out on that pronunciation.
Get your own easy to maintain own root roses by going to
heirloomroses.com and using codeJust Grow at checkout to save
20%. A gentle, natural approach to
(11:39):
rose care can still lead to stunning results if you start
with the best roses and the bestroses start with their own
roots. heirloomroses.com with code Just Grow to save 20%.
The link is in the show notes. One thing that we had a hard
time getting away from here on the farm, mostly because, you
(12:01):
know, we were taught by some oldschool farmers and it was just
something that my husband had kind of stuck in his head for a
much longer period of time than I did.
That's the benefit of going and getting a degree in
horticulture. You learn some things, but
trying to impart that wisdom of other people doesn't always
work. And that is to reduce the
tillage. Tilling destroys soil structure
and it kills the beneficial microbes.
(12:23):
So if you have the ability to try a no till approach,
especially in raised beds, thereis no reason to be turning
completely turning your soil over in a raised planter.
But in in ground beds as well, if you can try to not till, that
is going to help to keep the ecosystem thriving.
And oftentimes it actually is going to make it much easier for
(12:44):
your soil to be worked. Now this may take time.
We garden in some very heavy clay and that was the reason why
we initially started tilling. We we thought that we needed to
break up that soil in order to be able to give the plants a
place to grow. And we were we were pretty
correct in that. But the problem was they weren't
(13:05):
growing like they should. They weren't growing like they
were in my raised planters for sure.
But they also weren't growing like they were in other areas of
the farm that weren't as quite heavy clay.
I think we have 7 different soiltypes on this farm, so there's
different places to grow. But once we stopped tilling that
(13:26):
play soil and we started just layering the compost on top
every single year, it was amazing what the difference was.
It did take two years to really begin to see that difference,
but the difference is amazing. So I would never go back to
tilling the soil up. Now, if you have to break the
crust of the soil a little bit, number one, that means that you
(13:48):
don't have enough mulch on your garden bed in the offseason.
So that might be something to address.
But if you have to break it up alittle bit, I understand that.
But we're talking about that sort of deep tillage.
That's where you're turning things over and over again.
Reducing that tillage is actually going to help to keep
that ecosystem thriving in that soil.
The next thing too is to try to boost that microbial life that
(14:13):
is in the soil. So if you can add compost teas
or things like worm castings, there are even mycorrhizal
fungi, inoculants that you can put into the soil that is
actually going to encourage thatnutrient, those nutrient cycling
organisms And that is going to help to move the nutrition, all
(14:34):
of those micronutrients and macro nutrients into the plants
much more easily. The other thing that we can do
to kind of, you know, boost the nutrient density of our plants
out in the garden is to actuallychoose nutrient dense varieties.
A lot of the modern hybrids havebeen bred for shelf life or for
(14:59):
rapid growth or for disease resistance specifically, and not
necessarily, you know, their their flavor and in turn their
nutrients, right? Heirlooms, on the other hand,
can often retain more nutrients and the flavor than you know,
their modern hybrids. But this isn't a real sticking
(15:19):
point because I understand that,you know, a lot of time
heirlooms don't produce as well and you're also trying to avoid
a lot in terms of like diseases or you need something for pest
resistance. And the only thing that's going
to do that for you is a hybrid. So if you can kind of, you know,
lean towards doing those first four things I talked about
(15:40):
adding the compost, dealing withmulch and cover crops, reducing
your tillage and then kind of boosting that microbial life.
Well then I'll give you a pass on, you know, planting the
nutrient dense varieties. So how do we focus on nutrient
density in the garden based on our gardening style or or where
it is that we are gardening, right.
If you are an in ground gardener, then you probably want
(16:01):
to focus on building that soil kind of year over year.
So like we talked about with theclay soil, just layering that
compost on and allowing it to settle in and then rotating your
crops if you have that ability. And then using those cover crops
in the offseason, adding that mulch for sure during the
(16:23):
growing season, but then also making sure that that soil is
covered in terms of cover crops in the offseason.
Not only is that going to hold the soil in place and going to
reduce some of that topsoil loss, which by the way, is where
most of the nutrients are sitting that are available to
your plants, but a lot of the cover crops are also going to
add nutrients back into the soil.
(16:44):
So not only is it giving something in terms of organic
matter for the soil microbes to feed on, but you're also adding
some of those macro nutrients for sure, but also a lot of
those micronutrients. There are a lot of minerals and
stuff in these plants that we grow as cover crops.
When the debris ends up breakingdown into that soil, it's adding
(17:06):
all of that back in there again.And then if you can reduce the
tillage to protect that underground kind of network of
life, then that's even better. So that's a win, win, win all
the way. If you are gardening in raised
beds or containers, you know, you want to start with, you know
a lot of good raw materials. So if you can start the bed off
(17:30):
with old leaves or twigs and things and then kind of add in
some additional things, you know, like good compost and then
top it with a good organic mix, that is going to get you off to
a really good start. You know, adding compost, adding
leaf mulch, avoiding the synthetic fertilizers, you know,
and you still can crop rotate even in small spaces especially.
(17:52):
It's actually a little bit easier sometimes when you're
doing it in raised beds. If you have multiple raised
containers you can rotate your crops through, at least at that
point you know, the nutrient profile is a little bit
different every single season and they're pulling up the
different micronutrients. And like we talked about last
episode, when you are gardening in a small space, you do want to
(18:13):
be very cognizant of the fact that you are using up the
nutrients a bit more quickly than you would if you were out
in an in ground bed because you are dealing with a finite amount
of soil, a finite volume of soil.
And so naturally there's only going to be a finite amount of
nutrients in that volume of soil.
So it's even more important for you to be adding to that,
(18:37):
topping those beds off every single year with compost, with
leaf mulch, putting in the worm castings and other things that
are going to add to it on a natural basis.
And not adding like a synthetic fertilizer.
Because once again, those synthetic fertilizers are not
going to feed the soil microbes.And they're also not adding any
(18:58):
of that micronutrient or mineralcontent into that soil.
Synthetic fertilizers are only going to feed the plants.
So think about that when you're looking at your raised beds.
And then if you are doing smaller containers or if you are
like growing indoors, even believe it or not your indoor
(19:18):
garden, anything that in that inthat soil, you absolutely have
microbes in that soil. So using an organic potting mix
that contains some compost, flushing your pots occasionally
you can get a salt buildup in there.
So that's a really good idea every once in a while to flush
those pots really well or completely change out the soil.
(19:39):
And then just feed with some organic like compost teas or
slow release amendments for likeyour indoor gardens or your
small containers on your patio. I would challenge you to feed
your soil like your feed your family because basically you
are, you know, the better soil means better plants, better
(20:03):
plants means better yield like better fruit or vegetable or the
actual plant itself. And it's a better crop and that
means better nutrition for you and for the people you are
feeding. So be sure that you are testing
your soil. So either do an at home kit or
send it out to university Extension Service so you can
(20:24):
gauge. Specifically, an amount of
organic matter and micronutrients is what we're
looking at. So most of your off the shelf
tests are only going to show youthe nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium levels and then also your soil pH.
But if we are concerned about the nutrient level and the
nutrient density of what is coming out of our gardens, then
(20:46):
we want to know a little bit more than that.
So either find a garden consultant local to you who will
go ahead and do that test, whichI do, do those for my clients,
or pull one from the university Extension Service.
And, you know, choose the optionthat shows you how much organic
matter is in your soil and also the level of the micronutrients.
(21:08):
And then you know what you're working with and you know what
might be lacking and what you might want to add back in.
Start composting. I don't care how small of an
area you have. Again, I'm going to link to all
of those composting episodes. There are tons and tons and tons
of ways to turn your kitchen waste and your yard debris into
(21:29):
nutrient gold in your garden. And not to mention, it also
keeps the food waste out of the landfills, which causes a whole
host of problems in and of itself.
But composting is definitely oneof the best ways to take all of
your food scraps, including what's already come out of your
(21:49):
own garden, and turn it right back into something that can be
used in the garden. And then you don't have to go
and buy it, right? You don't have to go buy as many
amendments either. So I would encourage you to
figure out a way to do that. Grow cover crops every winter
when you don't have anything growing in the garden.
Plant those peas or the Clover or the oats, even if you're
growing in a raised planter. This builds the fertility and it
(22:11):
also helps to lock the soil in place and it keeps those, those
microbes fed. OK, reduce your tilling.
No till beds are going to conserve that soil structure and
they're going to conserve the microbes and then add biological
amendments if you can. This is going to help to boost
those microbes and boost that little colony that you've got
going down in there, that network of of helpers that are
(22:34):
in the soil. So compost tea, mycorrhizal
inoculants, these are all going to boost the microbe activity,
diversify your plantings, you know, include the heirlooms,
include the legumes and do the greens.
This is not only a variety for us obviously because we need
that, but it actually is good variety for the soil health.
And so you don't have crops thatare all demanding the exact same
(22:57):
macro nutrients and micronutrients out of the soil.
They are demanding different things at different times.
And so when we're planning our inter plantings and our
intercroppings, which we talked a lot about this season, you
know, it's a good idea to consider what that plant needs
at what time. And so you compare it with
something that doesn't have the same demand.
(23:19):
Not only does it mean that you can get by with maybe a little
bit less fertility if you're a little bit lacking in that part
and you're trying to rebuild this, but it also means it's
using different nutrients in thesoil.
And that way you're not going toget as depleted as quickly And
then just observe and taste likenotice harvest differences.
(23:40):
Really good nutrition, highly nutritious foods often also give
off flavor. And so, you know, the flavor
profiles of fruits and vegetables are often associated
with the nutrient value because of the lycopenes or because of,
you know, whatever other nutrient or, or or mineral or
(24:03):
micronutrient is abundant. And so you're going to, that's
partly why people notice a flavor difference when it comes
to homegrown versus what you buyin the store.
But also because the stuff that you know, is grown for the store
is also bred specifically to be able to be shipped to the store
and how good it looks on the shelf and how long it can sit
(24:25):
there versus, you know, actual nutrition and flavor.
So your garden might actually beone of the most powerful health
tools that you own and you very well may not have known it.
And so if you can grow things that are more nutrient dense for
yourself and your family, then why not?
(24:46):
You know, it doesn't take a ton of effort.
It just takes some shifts in theway that we're thinking about
it. And so when we understand that
when we are feeding the soil, then the soil can do the job of
feeding the plants, that makes it much easier for those plants
to feed us. Thanks for hanging out with me
today. If you found today's episode
enlightening, will you share it with a fellow veggie lover or
(25:09):
soil nerd? I would really appreciate it.
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating
that dream garden, and we'll talk again soon.
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