When we make the decision to start growing our own food, often we are impatient to get plants in immediately so we can see results as soon as possible. This can be the novice gardener’s first big mistake. Before planting anything, it’s crucial to create the right environment for it to flourish — and that means getting the soil right. In fact, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of healthy, balanced, mineralised, living soil.
The nutrients in our food come directly from the soil. A mantra of organic gardening is compost, compost, compost, but it’s only part of the story. Added organic matter is great, but if the compost comes from plants that have been grown in mineral-depleted soil it may do little to remineralise soil that has given up its nutrients to plants.
Nobel Prize winner Dr Alexis Carrel said a century ago, “Minerals in the soil control the metabolism of plants, animals and man. All
