Getting better results while growing your own vegetables…
This article will take a quick look at soils – one of the vital keys of getting good results from your plants.
If you haven’t read the first part of this article I would highly recommend it (here) as without following the principles there, the things mentioned here will not be as beneficial.
To illustrate the points made in this article, we did a simple test:
We filled a garden bed with two types of soil.
¾ was our own soil mix
¼ was a premium grade bagged organic potting mix
We then planted the same seedlings through the whole bed at the same time and spacing to see the difference.
We do a lot of these types of tests with most of the products we sell – whether it is potting mixes, health supplements, pest traps – we test them all and only sell what we find to be the most effective. (Shameless plug to BonzaBuy!)
We will post results of a variety of potting mixes competing against each other – this was more a general test. We are not saying the potting mix we used is no good – we just wanted to see how it would compare to our blended mix in the same bed, with the same plants with our water / watering schedule.
Notes:
Our water is quite alkaline. Vegetables generally like acidic conditions so our mix is aimed to compensate for the alkaline water.
Watering was generally just once per day, except some of the longer very hot days they got a drink in the late afternoon too.
After two weeks, the differences are HUGE:
The Lettuce growing in our mix is not far off ready to pick and some of the broccoli is huge – hard to believe they were planted on the same day!
Maybe even harder to believe – the cost of our own mix is around ¼ – ½ the cost of the pre-packaged stuff!!
For this test we used the below products that we sell:
- Cow Manure (certified organic)
- Soil Conditioner – acidic (certified organic including trace elements)
- Sheep Manure (certified organic)
- Coconut Husk
- Katek Super Growth (certified organic)
- Seamungus Health Tonic (certified organic)
- Multigrow Pelletised Chicken Manure (certified organic)
Added to:
- our own sand (we don’t have soil yet it is deep, black, dry, empty sand)
- compost – kitchen scraps (egg shells, citrus skins, meat bones etc)
- compost – leaves and bark
Sometimes we may add our own chicken manure, but often for vegetables* with our (alkaline) water we avoid that as the chicken manure further raises the alkalinity. The pelletised chicken manure (Multigrow and Katek) is PH neutral so doesn’t have this issue.
As a very rough guide the volume proportions are something like:
- Own sand 1
- Coconut Husk 1
- Total Compost ½
- Cow Manure 1
- Conditioner ½
- Katek 1 handful
- Multigrow 2 handfuls
- Seamungus ½ handful
The above would make around a wheelbarrow full of mix if each “1” was approximately a 30L bag size.
PROS:
- Far better results!
- Cost (¼ – ⅓ the cost) * (see cost break down below)
- You are able to customise the mix exactly for your own growing conditions or the plants you will be growing.
CONS:
- It is more work – you do need to dig and mix the products together, as opposed to just emptying a bag.
- There are weed seeds in our mix
As with many things, we can see a clear similarity between the physical and spiritual realities with this simple test and what it reveals.
1) We, as humans, need to grow in good soil too – the Bible talks about His people growing in the soil of God’s love. 1 “I pray that from his [God’s] glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT)
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
2) It is often more work to get good results – the easy path may have no weeds, but effectively there is less produce. 2Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. Proverbs 14:4 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NLT)
3) It often costs less money to do things God’s way – from growing plants, to the lifestyle we live – we spend less money, so there is less waste. Less things that damage us, less things to protect or insure… Simple!
4) If we are surrounded by stunted shrubs – if that is all we see – we will think we are doing well. But when we see how much others thrive on correct conditions, we know better!
5) In the soil of God’s love, others pop up – and some are weeds(!). They flourish too. You may notice that some of the weed we call ‘Omega 3 weed’ – it has incredibly high omega – it is actually beneficial. When we see people who are not God’s, we can see potential and will embrace them.
6) It rains on the good and the bad just the same. That’s God’s heart – He loves without limit. 3 You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
Matthew 5:43-47 (NLT)
Stay tuned for more specific soil tests and specific plant tips etc. If you would like to see something let us know 🙂
Close up of the Broccoli with the same chilli for size reference:
That’s right – those two plants are the same age! One leaf on the plant in our mix has more size and volume than the whole plant in the pre-made mix!
Conclusion: God has the best medium to grow healthy in!
Lord, please help us to grow into healthy, peace filled and loving people who do what is right. Help us to look for the activities that help us grow closer to you and help others more than focus on our own selfish wants.
NOTES:
*Total cost for the above 120L mix is approx $16
4 bags of the premium potting mix (120L) is around $48 meaning our mix is around ⅓ price – 34% to be precise!
If your current soil is better than ours (highly likely!) you should be able too save even more as you could use a higher proportion of your own soil or may not need coir etc.
Footnotes:
- 1“I pray that from his [God’s] glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT)
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
- 2Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. Proverbs 14:4 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NLT)
- 3You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
Matthew 5:43-47 (NLT)