Superfoods can only grow in super soil. Expert growers know that they don’t grow plants, they grow soil. So if you want superfoods, grow superfoods by growing soil. You don’t have to be a super gardener−you just have to become a steward of the soil.
Healthy Superfood Soil Tips
1. Get a one-time heavy metal test.
You need to be sure your plants aren’t pulling toxic metals into their bodies. This will help you to avoid heavy metal contamination in your body. While it is an expense, it can save you tons of money in medical expenses in the long run… and most importantly, your health!
2. Get a soil nutrient test.
This will tell you where the nutrient levels in your soil are and what you might need. For both the heavy metal and nutrient test, TPSLab.com is a great resource. They test soils all over the globe and we’ve experienced the friendly customer service there.
3. Know your soil.
You can do this with a home jar test. It’s also a really fun family experience! Visit our blog here for a quick How-To on soil Jar Testing.
Our Top 5 Tips for Building Super Soil for Superfood
Growing Superfood Tip #1: Compost
Compost adds nutrients and soil biology that carry nutrients to plants. If you’re growing less than 9 months out of the year, you’ll want a 2″ layer of Compost. If you’re growing more than 9 months, add a 2″ layer twice a year.
Growing Superfood Tip #2: Rock Dust
Rock dust provides vital trace minerals for your plants. It can take up to a year for the minerals to become bioavailable to your plants, so apply yearly.
Growing Superfood Tip #3: Compost Tea
Compost tea will boost the organic organisms in your soil by… well, a lot! Just one small handful of COMPOST contains roughly eight billion microorganisms. Eight billion… That’s as many people as there are on the planet! But if you think that’s BIG, then you should know that compost tea has been found to contain up to 10,000 times that number in the same volume of space! That’s HUGE! That’s 80 trillion little workers ready to do the garden work for you, right in the palm of your hand.
Growing Superfood Tip #4: Worm Castings
Studies show that adding 20% worm castings to your substrates for transplants can significantly boost the health of your plants and their immune system. Add this to your transplant mixes, and another bit when you plant–add a small handful under transplanted plants, and a thin row under your seeded row plants.
Growing Superfood Tip #5: Hands… AND FEET OFF!
Avoid stepping in the garden. Stepping on soil compacts it, preventing water and air flow. It also makes it more difficult for plant roots to navigate through.
Also, avoid working in the soil when it’s wet and ideally, only lightly hoe the top 2-4″ of soil. If you lightly hoe the soil once a week, you can keep pests down. If you hoe the soil any deeper than that, you run the risk of destroying the underground micro cities of your soil beneficials.
When if comes to superfoods… you can only get them if you have super soil. Want to learn more on how to grow superfoods by growing soil?
Download Your Free Superfood Soil Building Guide
