Choosing Mineral and Biological Amendments with Laura Davis and Marco Thomas (Resilient Garden)

Описание: Would you like to learn more about balancing the minerals and soil biology in your garden? Join us for another event from our Resilient Garden Series as we will learn from soil experts about the mineral and biological amendments that help our garden soils produce the healthiest vegetables possible. The first step in choosing which minerals to add is a soil test. Laura Davis, vegetable farmer and soil consultant for NOFA/Mass, helps us interpret our soil tests and choose mineral amendments. Life in the soil ensures the plants we are eating have the most available nutrients. Marco Thomas, a natural farmer and founder of Microbes by Marco, discusses natural farming methods for biological amendments.

We will learn more about:

What are pH and Cation Exchange Capacity
The importance of organic matter
How to balance major minerals
What are biological amendments
-The value of quality compost and composting methods
Cultivating indigenous microorganisms

Instructors:

Laura Davis operates Long Life Farm in Hopkinton, MA. She serves as the president of the NOFA/Mass Board and serves as a technical advisor assisting growers with their soil amendment needs and with organic certification consultation.

Marco Thomas is a natural farmer and founder of Microbes by Marco, focused on building soil and cultivating microorganisms to enhance his garden and urban farm.

Learn more about NOFA/Mass and become a member at http://www.nofamass.org​

Thanks to our sponsors:

Ward's Nursery
https://wardsnursery.com​

Chelsea Green
https://www.chelseagreen.com​

Neptune's Harvest
https://www.neptunesharvest.com

Our Sponsors at Chealsea Green recommend the following titles for more information, enter code PWEB35 at check-out to receive a special NOFA/Mass Resilient Garden Series discount on your next print book purchase:


The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments: Using Locally Sourced Materials to Make Mineral and Biological Extracts and Ferments by Nigel Palmer

No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture: Pesticide-Free Methods for Restoring Soil and Growing Nutrient-Rich, High-Yielding Crops by Bryan O’Hara

Farming on the Wild Side: The Evolution of a Regenerative Organic Farm and Nursery by Nancy and John Hayden

Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd Edition by Toby Hemenway

Links of Interest:

Learn more from Marco:
  / marco_is_growing  
https://www.microbesbymarco.com/

https://naturalfarminghawaii.net/

Some Articles on Natural Farming:
https://pureknf.org/research/

For help testing your soil you can also go to:
https://growabundant.com/

For assistance with your soil testing, NOFA/Mass Soil Technical Assistance Program:
https://www.nofamass.org/soil-technic...

Continue the conversation by joining and asking questions in the NOFA/Mass Gardener's email Listserv:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/nof...

Read The Carbon Sequestering Garden:
https://www.nofamass.org/wp-content/u...


Slideshows:

See Laura's Slides here: https://nofamassorg-my.sharepoint.com...

See Marco's Slide here: https://1drv.ms/p/s!AiYiWv4wV6smkFsss...

Recorded on March 16, 2021