Sunday in my Garden

The winter weight gain has been creeping onto areas of my body that are already evident enough, so I decided that as today was such a glorious winter day I would work in the garden and enjoy the sunshine and hopefully the exercise! The day is so glorious that it feels like spring and from the way some of the trees are sprouting they must feel that it is spring too!

No better way to get exercise than carrying watering cans around the garden! I made a mix of 1 tablespoon of Instant Humus and 7 litres of water. Carrying a7 litres of water is a great weight exercise, and cheaper than a gym membership! If we are going to have an early spring then no better time to increase the moisture and nutrient retention in our soil!

I can never describe the wonderful feelings and emotions that I feel when I use organic products to nurture my garden. For one, I know that I am using a mineral rich humic acid derived from ancient plant matter! I gifted myself an extra thrill by mixing it all in with a stick pruned from one of our trees. For those who know me, they will be aware that I love a good stick, and this is a great stick to use to stir things!

By the time I had watered the shady south eastern part of the garden, I had developed quite a “dewy” appearance as they describe honest sweat in those old romance books! As usual I finished with a lovely cup a tea, and a sense of having accomplished something that really mattered, unlike a lot of other things I did today!

Retaining moisture in your garden

Moisture retention is becoming more important as the cost of water increases and the availability decreases.  Climate change is likely to exacerbate these issues. Building humus in the soil becomes the most rewarding strategy to reduce moisture loss.

Humus improves soil structure and seriously increases your moisture holding capacity, If you can increase the humus levels by just 1% then every square metre of the soil can now retain 17 litres more water.

Composting is an excellent way to build humus, but you might also consider green manure crops whenever there is a chance. When green manure is dug back into the soil, the organisms convert the organic matter into humus. My strategy is to use Instant Humus, to encourage humus production.Yes, it is a product we sell, but it works so well! 

The most successful commercial composting system in the world is called CMC composting and it has some important lessons for the home gardener as well. It has been found that the addition of  10% clay has proven to produce a form of stable humus that can continue offering benefits for up to 35 years!

If you can’t access a friable clay, then you might add some soil or Soft Rock Phosphate.