So this young woman commented about having a greenhouse on a vacant lot in Norwich (the main city in the East of England). I wrote back that the first thing she needed was to obtain a soil sample to ensure the soil was suitable.
When we bought the farm we had over 500 samples taken all over the farm to establish the ground quality, especially since the farmland had been partly abandoned for the past decade.
She said that at ₤100.00 it was too much, and I said, that since most of the sites in the city of Norwich are brown, in that they have been previously used, it is important to know that there are no heavy metals or other dangerous chemicals in the soil.
Her reaction was amazing, she was very keen on having a biological garden but really didn't worry about the soil in which her tomato plants would draw their nutrients. I said, you will be using raised beds for your tomatoes and other greens, but the reality is that you need to know what is in your soil, and what is missing. Each vegetable thrives, as an example, in a slightly different level of alkalinity and if you are using manure you should be aware that not all manure is equal. It is not only to know if there are poisons in the soil but so that you know what to add and when.
It's actually funny, how city people think that raising food is easy and simple, that we don't test our soil and that we don't draw exacting analysis of all our production. City folks would be amazed by the level of technology involved in modern farming, especially when you want biologically certified production. Do we increase the amount of chicken manure to add natural nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and calcium, which is higher in chicken manure than in cow manure? Some of the manure used on the farm doesn't go in the biodigester for that very reason. Before buying the new farm we were contemplating adding a lot of manure on certain fields that we wanted to dedicate for corn sillage, but now we have excess pasture. Now we don't need to do that.
Until now it's my wife and I who spent the majority of our time planning for the farm's forthcoming growing season, we start with what we need for our growth objectives, weather and historical production and then plan our planting strategy for the spring. This year, this will change a bit with the addition of the new farm manager (she's moving in the new year but is already on the job and has for a whole week) and will therefore plan with her assistance (frankly she comes from a professional background, and there is now software to help farm manager with this process).
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