Building Soil the Tasty Way

Building Soil the Tasty Way

Building healthy soils is at the heart of organic growing. The better the soil, the better the crop!

There are a number of ways we ‘build’ healthy soils on our farm, but none is more important that the use of ‘green manures’ in our crop rotation.

Green manure is a combination of crops, grown specifically for the purpose of re-energizing the soil for successive crops to flourish. Usually, growers will combine a carbon-bulking grain crop (such as an oat or a millet) which provides dense organic matter with a nitrogen-fixing legume crop. Legumes, such as peas and beans, inject nitrogen into the soil through a bacterial growth in their root systems. When the crops are fully grown, they are slashed right down and turned straight into the soil, with the carbon-nitrogen combination creating an in-situ compost for the next crop to thrive in.

While we grow green manures to feed the soil, as much as we can, we like to use species that can give our customers a feed as well – such as snow peas and broad beans! The great thing about these crops are that, as well as the much-loved pods, the tips of these plants are delicious in their own right when used as a stir-fry green or a spinach substitute.

Look out for these peas, beans, and tips in the boxes over the coming months, and when you’re eating them – think about how they’ve prepped the soil for a healthy spring crop in months to come!

Cal Champagne
Green Connect farm Manager