The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments

Description

Using Locally Sourced Materials to Make Mineral and Biological Extracts and Ferments

By Nigel Palmer Foreword by John Kempf

Revitalize your farm and go beyond compost by making your own biologically diverse inoculants and mineral-rich amendments using leaf mold, weeds, eggshells, bones, and other materials available for little or no cost.

In The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments, author Nigel Palmer provides practical, detailed instructions that are accessible to every grower who wants to achieve a truly sustainable garden ecosystem—all while enjoying better results at a fraction of the cost of commercial fertilizer products. These recipes go beyond fertilizer replacement, resulting in greater soil biological activity and mineral availability. They also increase pest and disease resistance, yields, and nutrient density.

Recipes include:

Extracting nutrients from plant residues using simple rainwater techniques
Extracting minerals from bones and shells using vinegar
Fermenting plant juices and fish
Culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO)

Inspired by the work of many innovative traditional agricultural pioneers, especially Cho Ju-Young (founder of the Korean Natural Farming method), The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments also includes a primer on plant-soil interaction, instructions for conducting a soil test, and guidance on compost, cover cropping, mulching, measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables using a refractometer, and other aspects of sustainable gardening—making it a must-have resource for any serious grower.