This blog post is part of an ongoing series on how to restore degraded land. Good land is hard to come by and often not affordable unless you’re rich. The facts presented here are from the video Building Soil with Clive. His farm in Hawaii was scraped bare with a bulldozer down to bedrock not once, not twice, but three times before he started leasing it. The thought of farming land like this seems hopeless, right? But over the last 18 years Clive has built up 3”- 4” of topsoil on bedrock using the techniques he describes in his video, which are summarized here. He feels his main job is creating good habitat and taking care of the organisms in the soil using primarily mulch and cover crops. It’s interesting to note that he never seems to find time to make IMOs (indigenous microorganisms). Instead, his focus is on creating massive quantities of organic matter to build soil. The results speak for themselves.
natural farming
Korean Natural Farming with IMO – Indigenous Microorganisms
Adding IMO (indigenous microorganisms) to gardens is one of the most important steps to gardening success. Drake, the speaker in the video, talks about how his neighbor who’s been an organic gardener for 40 years and has good soil suddenly doubled the size of his vegetable starts by adding IMO. His recommendation is to propagate trillions and trillions of the ‘good guys’ (desirable organisms from your area) and spread them throughout your garden and fields so they can fend off pests and boost plant growth.
Sepp Holzer’s Mountain Permaculture Farm
“Sepp Holzer’s son Josef walks us through his family farm called the Krameterhof. Fish ponds, productive terraces, fruit trees and grazing animals characterize the lush landscape in one of Europe’s oldest and most well established permaculture farms.”
Restoring Degraded Land With Weeds
“When we started our farm, there were so many prickly “touch me nots” (impatiens or “shy plant)) that we were obliged to wear shoes at all times. Now, with the help of nutrient cycling, our garden has been transformed into a BAREFOOT GARDEN. Here’s how…”
Let Nature Grow Your Garden
“The natural way of gardening is a big change from the traditional way. It is human nature to resist change! This change will be much easier to accept if you take a good look at a forest or natural glades.
Mycorrhizal Fungi: The Amazing Underground Secret to a Better Garden
Years ago, before the Internet, Mother Earth News magazine was my main source of gardening information. They have decades of free articles online, which in my opinion is a remarkable treasure trove. The following article is just a sample.
“Nurture the ancient, symbiotic relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and plants’ roots for increased garden harvests and healthier soil.