I'll add to what Tony and Lloyd have said.For further research read Non_Toxic Farming Handbook by Philip Wheeler and Ronald Ward. Science in Agriculture by Arden Anderson Farming in the 21st Century by Dan Skow Source of books Acres USA web site http://www.acresusa.comThis is what I have done with help from this list Thanks Cheers Tony Robinson
This first year at Blue Ridge I find my organic matter level is no better than 2.7percent. I didn't know what this meant until a few weeks ago. Although we got lots of compliments on the garden at the conference, most of those compliments ended with "....for a first year garden." What I found out ultimately was the foliar sprays and bd sprays were NOT registering.Neither was compost tea, either as a root soak innoculant or as a disease supressing foliar. I had, btw, applied the reqested rock powders directly to the soil to adjust to the albrecht ratios. I feel, however, that with OM below 3.0, I just couldn't muster enough microbial buzz to really see any of this stuff working.
On the other hand, in my home garden in Shepherstown, I started doing BD in 1985. By about 1992 the soil had moved from red WV clay to something akin to pottin soil. I had used much BD compost, but not an awful lot. I used the preps much more than any Demeter certified farm w.b. required to. The upshot: when I sequentially spray in the garden, the plants stand at attention for days afterwards. The affect of the preps is so profound that even organic growers ask me how I get my plants to 'look so good.'
I feel that my early misunderstanding of AP's work has set back my effectiveness in startup gardens, like this summer's experience at Blue Ridge. This coming year, it's going to be 20tons of BD compost to the acre, with the compost containing the rock powders necessary to achieve Albrecht balancing. I'm starting with preps already this season and hope to apply ALL THE PREPS regularly until spring (and there after)
It's easy to forget that the Ag lectures were given to established European farmers who were working very well developed farms. It's little wonder that RS left out a lot of basic farm talk as he explained how to bring the soil back to life.
-Allan
