nutrients for plant growth, and its organic acids make
nutrients in the soil more available to plants. Fewer
nutrients leach out in a soil with adequate organic
matter.
Improved structure and nourishment produce a
healthy soil. A healthy soil produces healthy plants
better able to resist insect and disease attacks. Most
insects look for sick plants to eat. The best way to
control insects and diseases in plants is with a living,
healthy soil rather than with poisons that kill bene9cial
soil life.
Compost keeps soil at maximum health with a
minimum expense. Generally, it is unnecessary to buy
fertilizers to be able to grow healthy plants. At 9rst,
organic fertilizers may have to be purchased so the soil
can be brought to a satisfactory level of fertility in a short
period of time. Once this has been done, the soil’s health
can be maintained with compost, good crop rotation,
and the recycling of plant residues into the compost pile.
It is important to note the di<erence between
fertilization and fertility. There can be plenty of fertilizer
in the soil, and plants still may not grow well. Add
compost to the soil, and the organic acids it contains will
release the hidden nutrients in a form available to the
plants. This was the source of the amazing fertility of
Alan Chadwick’s garden at Santa Cruz.
The Process