News Articles

Looking at a soil test on a project that is reading: Soluble Salts mmmho/cm at 2.88. pH is 8.3.

This is an old horse field that was flood irrigated in a high desert environment in Colorado USA: 5400′ elevation 9″ precipitation per year. The goal is an irrigated, mixed annual perennial garden.

There is visible salting at the surface in a few spots. It has filled in with desert grass and weeds. This initial test was down to 8″, but will be testing to 3′ and 6′ to see how deep it goes and if there are any water table issues.

Any thoughts or experience is appreciated.

Soil test

Hey permaculture friends!

I’ve been consulting on soil biology for a few years, and one thing I’ve noticed over and over is how tricky it can be, even for experienced farmers and gardeners, to get the microbial balance just right. While making your own composts, teas, and other microbial inoculants is hands-down the best way to harness the power of local, indigenous microbes (because they’re perfectly suited to your area), it’s not always practical.

Even incredible farmers often find the process time-consuming and challenging, let alone home gardeners juggling full-time jobs or other commitments. Teaching these techniques is rewarding but can be super labor-intensive, and let’s face it, not everyone has the bandwidth to dive that deep into the science.

So, I’m working on a solution: a simple, plug-and-play microbial inoculant designed to take the guesswork out of regenerative soil care. It’s something I initially wanted to create for the people I work with, but now I’m wondering, would this be something others in the permaculture and regenerative communities would find useful? Have you tried anything like this before? What would your ideal product look like?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or even challenges you’ve faced, if any, with soil biology . Thanks for helping me shape this project into something truly helpful for our community! 💚

Hello,

My family in law is owning a pretty big field where they are themselves growing their vegetables. They proposed me to use as much land as I want which is great. However, it is 100km (62 miles) from the city where I live.

Is there any point in growing vegetables knowing I can’t go there more than once every 2 weeks? I can go with easy to manage vegetables. I could install some water drop system and use some permaculture techniques to help plants take care of each other. The soil is mostly clay so it keeps the water pretty well and it is quite rich. But they still need to water it frequently in the hot season for a few weeks. And if it rains a lot, it can make some puddles for several days. They have some pond with a bit of algues, frogs, which can make the water pretty rich. It is in plain sun so I might need to protect the plants of the full sun if needed.

My parents in law are going there on a daily basis so they can always keep an eye in case something goes wrong. But I would not like them to handle them, they have enough to do with their own vegetables.

Thank you in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/x6glq8zym7ee1.png?width=1926&format=png&auto=webp&s=d89546ab802e1b82d6e844afa8a2c111bc6b126f

Hello,

My family in law is owning a pretty big field where they are themselves growing their vegetables. They proposed me to use as much land as I want which is great. However, it is 100km (62 miles) from the city where I live.

Is there any point in growing vegetables knowing I can’t go there more than once every 2 weeks? I can go with easy to manage vegetables. I could install some water drop system and use some permaculture techniques to help plants take care of each other. The soil is mostly clay so it keeps the water pretty well and it is quite rich. But they still need to water it frequently in the hot season for a few weeks. And if it rains a lot, it can make some puddles for several days. They have some pond with a bit of algues, frogs, which can make the water pretty rich. It is in plain sun so I might need to protect the plants of the full sun if needed.

My parents in law are going there on a daily basis so they can always keep an eye in case something goes wrong. But I would not like them to handle them, they have enough to do with their own vegetables.

Thank you in advance.